Despite the fact that on any given weekend of the year you can find at least one capture the flag (CTF) event going on, many security professionals have still never played in one. Want to learn without the drudgery of studying a thick book? Want to retain more of what you learn by putting it into practice? Want to get to know other security professionals? Take advantage of this gamified method of improving your skills. Capture the flag and capture the fun.
Matt Pardo is obsessed with learning, and his latest focus is on web application security. In his pursuit of better ways to learn all the things a few years ago, he discovered CTFs and realized that the gamification aspect helped him to learn at an accelerated rate. It also exposed him to a great community of problem solvers and learners. Now he helps manage the OpenToAll CTF team, which is ranked in the top 50 of all CTF teams. He also runs BSides Austin (the largest one in Texas) and the education program for Austin’s OWASP chapter. He works at Rapid7.