Contests
ROOTCON 20 contests bring together technical challenges, social games, and community traditions for attendees who want to compete, collaborate, and earn bragging rights across the conference.
Capture The Flag
The ROOTCON CTF is where teams gather to solve puzzles, break things, analyze things, and occasionally discover that the challenge author enjoys human suffering.
Expect a mix of web exploitation, cryptography, reverse engineering, forensics, binary challenges, and other technical distractions designed to keep you from attending talks. Some flags fall quickly. Others become personal. The scoreboard remembers everything.
Get flags. Climb the board. Leave no shell behind.
potato
oR10n
Shikata Ga Nai
Human or Human+ badge.
Pre-registration required. No walk-ins.
When: TBA
Where: ROOTCON 20
Teams up to 3.
Solve. Submit. Repeat.
No direct DDoS or any form of attacks on the game servers.
Minimum team members is 2, maximum is 3.
Only teams that pre-registered can play.
Sharing of flags is strictly prohibited.
Three guaranteed Black Badges, Capture The Flag trophy, virtual Blackbadge, bragging rights, and Hall of Fame mention.
If the winning team only achieves 3500 and/or less than 4500, the team only gets two Blackbadges.
Code Breakers
Previously known as the Mystery Challenge.
The Code Breakers challenge unfolds throughout the conference and may involve puzzles, cryptography, forensics, hidden clues, strange objects, unusual conversations, and details most people walk past without noticing. The challenge rarely announces itself, the clues rarely arrive in order, and the answer is never where people expect it to be.
Pay attention. ROOTCON usually tells you more than you think.
Follow clues. Break codes. Solve first.
@semprix
Registered attendees only.
Pre-registration required.
When: TBA
Where: ROOTCON 20
Teams of two.
Race the puzzle trail. First clean solve wins.
No physical coercion on the game organizers and other players.
Some challenges may be hosted online. No direct DDoS to the host.
Two guaranteed Black Badges
Code Breakers challenge coins
Virtual Blackbadge
Bragging rights
Hall of Fame mention
Other swag
Crimp Or Die
Crimp Or Die challenges participants to build a working network cable as quickly and accurately as possible. Every pin matters and every second counts. A perfect cable earns respect. A failed cable earns laughter. Both are part of the ROOTCON experience.
The cable tester remains completely impartial.
Crimp clean. Test green. Beat the clock.
Registered attendees only.
Pre-registration and waiver required.
Legal drinking age.
Draft Round: Day 1
Elimination Round: Day 2
Finals: Zero Hour Party
Where: ROOTCON 20 Village Track
Draft. Elims. Finals.
Fastest valid T568B cable survives.
Participants must use only the materials provided by event staff.
Standard wiring configuration for the event is T568B unless otherwise announced.
Tampering with the validation system or contest equipment will result in immediate disqualification.
Assistance from spectators or other participants is strictly prohibited.
Judges' decisions are final.
Unsportsmanlike conduct may result in disqualification.
Participants who appear excessively intoxicated may be removed from the competition at the discretion of event staff.
Safety rules and venue regulations must be followed at all times.
Any cable that does not pass the ROOTCON Crimp Checker is considered invalid and will not stop the timer.
In case of a tie, a sudden-death crimp-off will be conducted.
Hacker Jeopardy
Hacker Jeopardy brings together teams willing to publicly demonstrate just how much random information they have accumulated over the years. Questions cover security, technology, internet history, hacker culture, movies, games, ROOTCON lore, and other facts that somehow remain stored in memory while important things are forgotten.
Fast answers score points. Wrong answers become part of conference history.
Answer fast. Wager badly. Survive the board.
@devnull
@ar33zy
Human or Human+ badge.
Walk-ins welcome while seats last.
When: TBA
Where: ROOTCON 20
Trivia board. Drink wagers.
Correct answers score. Misses hurt.
Hack hard, party harder, but no puking on the conference floor.
Do not be a jerk. No harassment, in any form, at any time.
Black Badge prizes, Hacker Jeopardy trophy, virtual Black Badge, Hall of Fame recognition, and eternal bragging rights.
Hacker Karaoke
Hacker Karaoke exists for those people. Take the stage and perform in front of fellow hackers, friends, strangers, and people you will probably have breakfast with the next morning. No experience is required, although confidence helps.
Some performances become legends. Others become stories told at future ROOTCONs.
Take the mic. Own the room. Become con lore.
@m0gul
@whiskah
Human or Human+ badge.
Solo acts only.
When: TBA
Where: ROOTCON 20
Pick from the official list.
Five-minute slot. Crowd energy counts.
Tie? Sudden-death sing-off.
Solo performances only.
Keep it safe: no offensive, discriminatory, or NSFW acts.
Respect equipment, staff, and fellow hackers.
Judges' decisions are final.
Black Badge prize, challenge coins, virtual Blackbadge, bragging rights, and Hall of Fame mention.
Spot The Feds
ROOTCON has always encouraged curiosity. This challenge encourages suspicion.
Participants must identify designated targets hidden throughout the conference using observation, clues, deduction, and occasionally a complete misunderstanding of the situation. Not everyone is a Fed. Not everyone is innocent either.
Trust your instincts. Or do not.
Find the Fed before the Fed finds you.
@Eman0n
@schiaparelli
Registered attendees only.
Goons sit this one out.
When: TBA
Where: ROOTCON 20
Suspect someone? Ask the line.
Right call gets logged. Wrong call burns time.
One spot per Fed.
No harassment. Be respectful.
Feds must play fair and reveal themselves when called out.
Challenge coins, virtual Blackbadge, bragging rights, and Hall of Fame mention.
Wi-Finders
WiFinder challenges participants to discover and document as many wireless networks as possible throughout the competition area. The objective is simple: collect more unique access points than everyone else.
No exploitation. No intrusion. Just reconnaissance, radio waves, and a willingness to explain to confused bystanders why your laptop is covered in antennas.
Map the air. Log unique APs. Top signal wins.
@semprix
@thejanitor
@m0gul
Registered attendees only.
Goons sit this one out.
When: TBA
Where: Anywhere with WiFi signals
Join the Wigle group.
Scan safely. Scores tally from submitted APs.
Wigle.Net only counts unique APs by BSSID per participant.
No connecting, cracking, or interfering with networks. Discovery only.
Do not trespass. Follow all laws and traffic regulations.
Challenge coins, virtual Blackbadge, bragging rights, and Hall of Fame mention.