HyperLink VI

CTF Head & Sole Challenge Developer · AI-assisted development

Verifier passed · Event approval pending

An 18-challenge CTF bank across six cybersecurity categories, with organizer solutions and a successful verifier run. Event approval is pending.

Python
CTFd
Gunicorn
systemd
Tailscale

Try the portfolio mini challenge

Preparation: September 2026 · Event approval pending

HyperLink VI CTFd administrator challenge bank showing categories, point values, and hidden challenge states — CTFd challenge bank · Organizer view

The opportunity

I was selected as CTF Head for HyperLink VI, a department organization event planned in partnership with Globe ISP. I developed the entire challenge bank using AI-assisted programming.

The work

I prepared 18 challenges across cryptography, forensics, reverse engineering, web exploitation, binary exploitation, and OSINT. The files include player attachments, descriptions, hints, scoring configurations, generation scripts, and organizer solutions.

Design and verification

A central design concern was making a varied bank consistent and solvable. Organizer solver scripts document intended solution paths; the verifier checks metadata, required files, flag formats, and solver outputs. I ran the verifier successfully.

Deployment preparation

I also prepared CTFd configuration and deployment documentation. Passing the challenge-bank verifier establishes a preparation milestone; event operations and participant experience still require validation.

Event status

The challenge bank is prepared, while event paperwork is still in progress and approval is pending. There are no participant counts, competition outcomes, or event feedback to report yet.

What I learned through this project

The experience I take into the next project: technical decisions, practical tradeoffs, and ways of working.

Turning generated material into a reviewable bank
Preparing player files, organizer solutions, and verification checks taught me to organize AI-assisted work around explicit requirements and reproducible solution paths.
Designing the solving experience
Working across six categories gave me practice relating difficulty, hints, point values, and attachments to the intended player experience.
Separating technical readiness from event readiness
I learned that verified challenge files are one part of preparation; approval, deployment validation, and running the competition remain separate responsibilities.

Inside the application

A closer look at the project.

HyperLink CTFd editor for The Unraveling showing OSINT player attachments and the challenge description — The Unraveling: preparing the OSINT challenge description and player attachments.

HyperLink CTFd editor for Nonce Sense showing a cryptography challenge description and its attachment — Nonce Sense: a cryptography challenge about ECDSA nonce reuse, with a downloadable player file.

Your first flag is waiting.

A beginner cryptography puzzle made for this portfolio. Separate from the HyperLink competition.

Letters have moved halfway around the alphabet. Decode the message:

ohvyq_jvgu_checbfr

Need a hint?

This is ROT13: A becomes N, B becomes O, and so on. Leave underscores unchanged. Wrap the decoded phrase in DON{…}.

Loading the challenge controls…

Show the solution & explanation

Applying ROT13 twice restores the original text. The decoded phrase is build_with_purpose, so the flag is DON{build_with_purpose}. Encoding is reversible without a secret key; it is not secure encryption.

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