Capture the Flag

CTF Challenge Labs

Hands-on hacking challenges aligned to the AP Cybersecurity curriculum. Solve real-world scenarios, capture flags, and build the skills you need for the exam — and beyond.

6 challenge categories 60 total challenges Easy → Hard difficulty No account required
AP Cybersecurity alignment: Each category maps to specific AP framework units. Challenges reinforce concepts from the Course and Exam Description using realistic attack scenarios, PCAP analysis, cryptography puzzles, and digital forensics investigations. These are supplemental practice activities — not official College Board materials.
Choose a category
Web Security
WebXploit
Unit 5 — Application Vulnerabilities • SQL injection, XSS, JWT attacks, IDOR, SSRF
10 CHALLENGES Launch
Networking
NETLAB
Unit 3 — Network Security • PCAP analysis, ARP poisoning, DNS exfil, firewall evasion
10 CHALLENGES Launch
Cryptography
CRYPTA
Unit 5 — Symmetric & Asymmetric Crypto • Caesar, XOR, RSA, hashing, padding oracles
10 CHALLENGES Launch
Digital Forensics
EVIDENCE
Units 2–4 — Detection & Analysis • Log analysis, memory forensics, file carving, IoCs
10 CHALLENGES Launch
OSINT
DOSSIER
Unit 1 — Reconnaissance • Open-source intelligence, social engineering, footprinting
10 CHALLENGES Launch
Steganography
SIGIL
Unit 5 — Data Concealment • Hidden messages in images, audio, and binary files
10 CHALLENGES Launch
What is a CTF?
How it works

Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions present real-world security scenarios where you must find a hidden "flag" — a secret string like CTF{s3cr3t_h3re} — by exploiting a vulnerability, cracking a cipher, or analyzing data.

AP Cybersecurity connection

Each challenge is grounded in AP framework concepts — from SQL injection (Topic 5.1) and cryptographic attacks (Topics 5.3–5.4) to network interception (Topic 3.1) and forensic analysis (Topics 4.4, 3.5). CTFs are how professionals practice these skills.

Hints available

Every challenge includes tiered hints so you can work through it independently. Hints reveal progressively more detail — try to solve with as few hints as possible. Solutions and explanations are built in for learning after you've made your attempt.

Difficulty levels

Each category has challenges rated Easy, Medium, and Hard. Easy challenges reinforce AP exam concepts directly. Medium bridges to real-world tool use. Hard challenges go beyond the AP scope and are designed for students interested in cybersecurity careers.