Global CyberPeace Challenge

The Global CyberPeace Challenge (GCC) is a worldwide competition for recognizing talent in offering solutions to pressing cybersecurity problems. The objective is to tap into innovative approaches to solve critical real-world, technical and policy challenges. The first two editions of GCC saw over 3000 participants from over 70 countries.

Overview

Three competitions comprise each GCC.

1. The Cyber Policy and Strategy Challenge
   

   A simulation of an international cyber crisis that tests teams' strategies, policies, and knowledge of foreign policy and cybersecurity against necessary trade-offs, the clock, and each other.

2. Capture the Flag
   
   • Irrespective of experience, age or nationality, anyone can participate in the CTF to prove their Cybersecurity skills
   • Information Technology:
     • Participants/teams are provided puzzles with security vulnerabilities, with a secret key called "flag" embedded. Finding it means participants have solved the challenge and earned the points.
     • there are Cryptographic, Steganographic, Web-based, Reverse engineering, Networking, and Forensics puzzles.
   • Operational Technology:
     • participants receive remote VPN access to a nonhardened Industrial Control System (ICS) platform with preconfigured vulnerabilities
     • participants must determine the IP range of the OT Network, the devices connected to the network, the running protocols, and the vulnerabilities, and then exploit the system to gain access.
     • A Proof of Concept report with proper screenshots must be sent to the organizer
     • participants need to secure their system before entering the OT Network as it will be attacked by the other attackers
3. The Peace-a-thon's objective is to have participants compete over who can provide the most secure DNS Infrastructure to the community based on real-time DNS threats.

Editions

As of May 2022, there have been three editions.

GCC 1.0

The first GCC took place over the course of a month in 2017 in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with roughly 5000 participants from over 50 countries. It was organized in India, and the prize ceremony included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao.

GCC 2.0

The second GCC took place from late 2020 through spring 2021.

Winners

• Cyber Policy and Strategy Challenge: UKZN-SUN TeamZA (South Africa)
• Capture the Flag IT: λ f.(λ x.f (x x)) (λ x.f (x x)) (United Kingdom)
• Capture the Flag OT: TheZoo (Singapore)

GCC 3.0

• ICANN Board Chair Maarten Botterman spoke on ICANN’s role in addressing DNS security threats at the Global CyberPeace Challenge 3.0.