◆ OFFICIAL COMPETITION RULES ◆
RULES
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT · SOUCTF 2026
▲ READ CAREFULLY
By participating in SOUCTF 2026, you agree to abide by all rules outlined below. Violation of any rule may result in point deduction, disqualification, or permanent ban from future events.
01
Eligibility & Registration
▸Participation is open to all individuals regardless of nationality, location, or institutional affiliation.
▸Each participant must register with a valid email address and a unique handle. Impersonation of other participants, organizers, or known entities is strictly forbidden.
▸Only one (1) account per participant is permitted. Creating multiple accounts will result in immediate disqualification.
▸Organizers, challenge authors, and infrastructure staff are not eligible to submit flags or appear on the official scoreboard.
02
Code of Conduct
▸All participants are expected to conduct themselves with professionalism, integrity, and respect toward fellow competitors and infrastructure.
▸Harassment, hate speech, discriminatory language, or any form of personal attack — whether on the platform or external channels — will not be tolerated.
▸Sportsmanship is essential. Celebrate solves, share knowledge after the event, and respect both winners and other competitors equally.
03
Flag Submission
▸The standard flag format is SOUCTF{...}. Unless otherwise specified, flags are case-insensitive.
▸Each challenge has a single canonical flag. Submitting incorrect flags repeatedly may trigger rate limiting on your account.
▸Brute-forcing flag submission endpoints is strictly prohibited and will result in account suspension.
▸If you believe a flag is incorrect or a challenge is broken, report it via the official support channel.
04
Sharing & Collaboration
⚠ CRITICAL RULE
Sharing flags, full solutions, or step-by-step walkthroughs with other participants during the active competition is strictly forbidden and is grounds for immediate disqualification.
▸Sharing flags, solver scripts, or detailed walkthroughs during the competition window is forbidden across all channels.
▸General discussion about tools, techniques, or concepts in a non-spoiler way is permitted and encouraged.
▸Public writeups may only be published after the competition has officially ended.
▸Each participant must solve challenges independently. Outside assistance from non-participants is not permitted.
05
Attack Scope & Infrastructure
⚠ ATTACK SURFACE LIMITATION
Only systems and services explicitly listed within a challenge description are in scope. Attacking the scoreboard, registration system, admin panel, or any unlisted infrastructure is a permanent ban offense.
▸Only designated challenge endpoints are valid targets. The SOUCTF platform itself is out of scope.
▸Denial-of-service attacks, network flooding, and activity that degrades service for other participants is forbidden.
▸Do not access, enumerate, or interfere with other participants' accounts.
▸Aggressive scanning that may inadvertently impact infrastructure stability should be avoided. Use moderate timing.
▸Reverse engineering of challenge binaries is permitted; reverse engineering of the platform itself is not.
06
Hints & Scoring
▸Some challenges offer optional tiered hints. Using a hint deducts a fixed point value from the challenge's potential score.
▸Once a hint is unlocked, the point deduction is permanent.
▸Scoring may be static or dynamic depending on the challenge.
▸In the event of a tie in total score, the participant who reached that score earliest ranks higher.
07
Vulnerability Disclosure
▸If you discover an unintended vulnerability in the SOUCTF platform, report it privately. Do not exploit it.
▸Responsible disclosure may be rewarded with bonus points at organizers' discretion.
▸Public disclosure of platform vulnerabilities before they are patched is grounds for disqualification.
08
Final Authority & Disputes
▸The organizers' decisions are final on all matters relating to rule interpretation and scoring disputes.
▸Disputes should be raised through the official support channel in a professional manner.
▸Organizers reserve the right to modify these rules during the competition if circumstances require.
▸By participating, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to abide by these rules in their entirety.
▲ SPIRIT OF THE COMPETITION
SOUCTF is built to test problem-solving, patience, and creativity. The rules above exist to keep the competition fair, the infrastructure stable, and the experience enjoyable for everyone. Above all: have fun, learn something new, and respect your fellow hackers.