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The University of New Haven’s Connecticut Institute of Technology (CIT)’s Capture the Flag (CTF) competition CTF@CIT combines cybersecurity education and community engagement. Hosted virtually over three days and powered in part by the University’s Hacking Club, this Capture the Flag event drew participants from across the country. From entry-level to advanced hackers, competitors tackled a range of challenges designed to test their technical skills.

In the following first-person reflection, Ronal Scarpa ’25, ’26 M.S., a Cybersecurity & Networks major and an organizer of the event, shares what it took to make CTF@CIT 2025 a success—and why it mattered.

The University of New Haven’s Hacking Club once again demonstrated its commitment to cybersecurity education and community outreach at CTF@CIT 2025.

This year, we saw incredible growth compared to last year’s approximately 1,500 competitors. CTF@CIT 2025 drew in an astonishing pool of more than 2,500 participants offering $46,000 worth of prizes from our amazing sponsors. This considerable jump in numbers is a clear testament to the growth of the organization and the increasing interest in cybersecurity education.

Reflecting on the competition, I am immensely proud of how we created such an impactful event with only a handful of volunteers. The tremendous participation allowed numerous students to practice and improve their cybersecurity skills, while also providing a great learning experience for the organizers.

Creating challenges that are both fun and educational is not always easy. This competition helped us enhance our abilities to create engaging challenges while improving our technical skills in the process. These types of cybersecurity skills are in hot demand today, not only for protecting national security and corporate systems, but also for safeguarding personal privacy and security. By investing in cybersecurity learning, we are helping people from all over to protect themselves in all aspects of their digital lives.

The competition had a wide variety of challenges such as forensics, cryptography, reverse engineering, OSINT, and more. This allowed participants to enhance their skills in a wide variety of subjects. In addition to the virtual competition, we held an in-person networking event. This face-to-face gathering allowed around 100 attendees to connect, share ideas, enjoy free food, pick up sponsor swag, and work on challenges with their team. It was very cool to see people commuting from all over the country, with some people flying in. This really proved how important this event was to participants, as it was a perfect opportunity to meet new friends, reconnect with old ones, and learn a little in the process!

Organizing CTF@CIT 2025 taught me a great deal about community building and orchestrating events at such a large scale. Each challenge encountered was a valuable lesson that will be used to improve for next year’s event, CTF@CIT 2026.

None of this success would have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: , , , , , , , and . Their combined contribution of nearly $50,000 in prizes highlights their commitment to cybersecurity education and motivated participants to succeed.

CTF@CIT 2025 marked another significant milestone for the University of New Haven’s Hacking Club. With record-breaking participation and a generous prize pool, we were able to teach students from all over through hands-on learning. Personally, organizing the event deepened my understanding of both event planning and community building, which I look forward to incorporating next year at CTF@CIT 2026.

As we continue to promote cybersecurity education, we empower individuals to better protect themselves and their systems online. For more information on this event and to stay updated on future competitions, visit . We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved and hope to see everyone again next year!

Ronald Scarpa ’25,’26 M.S. is a Cybersecurity and Networks major in the Tagliatela College of Engineering.