GitOps for Capture the Flag Platforms

TL;DR

This paper introduces CTF Pilot, a GitOps-based framework that automates and streamlines the deployment and management of Capture The Flag competitions, improving collaboration, efficiency, and scalability.

Contribution

It presents a novel GitOps approach for CTF platform management, enabling automated, version-controlled challenge deployment and better collaboration among organizers.

Findings

Cost efficiency demonstrated in real-world event

Effective handling of high participant concurrency

Enhanced collaboration and challenge development

Abstract

In this paper, we present CTF Pilot, a GitOps-based framework for the deployment and management of Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions. By leveraging Git repositories as the single source of truth for challenge definitions and infrastructure configurations, CTF Pilot enables automated, version-controlled deployments that enhance collaboration among challenge authors and organizers. We detail the design criteria and implementation of CTF Pilot and evaluate our approach through a real-world CTF event, demonstrating its cost efficiency and its effectiveness in handling high participant concurrency while ensuring robust isolation and ease of challenge development. Our results indicate that CTF Pilot improves the experience for organizers and participants, and we present the lessons learned, highlighting opportunities for future improvement.