LakeCTF

LakeCTF is a jeopardy-style security hacking contest organized by the polygl0ts CTF team (plus some friends!) and the EPFL School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC).

Participants first compete in an online qualification round, and the qualified teams will physically compete in the finals in Lausanne. The top teams will have the unique chance to meet the top members of the EPFL research community.

We wish you the best of luck !

SPECIAL: Insomni'hack qualifiers combined

This year's edition is special, as the LakeCTF qualifications will be valid for both the LakeCTF finals and Insomni'hack finals.
The top 10 academic teams of LakeCTF quals will be invited to LakeCTF finals at EPFL in Lausanne - more details in this page.
The top 3 professional teams will have sponsored accomodation and tickets for the Insomni'hack conference in March 10-15th. Teams at places 4-6 will have tickets paid for the Insomni'hack conference.

All the rest of the information in this page will only be relevant to LakeCTF quals/finals!

Quals schedule

Qualification start Sat 7th of December, 18:00 UTC
Qualification end Sun 8th of December, 18:00 UTC

Finals schedule

Finals will take place in the start of May 2025 in Lausanne. The exact schedule is TBD and will be published soon.

Locations

CTF Finals INM 065 at EPFL
Hotels Ibis Styles Lausanne Center
Moxy Hotel

Sponsors

Asymmetric Research logo

Asymmetric Research (AR) is a Web3 security and infrastructure provider dedicated to safeguarding Layer 1 blockchains and DeFi protocols. Focused on enabling secure innovation through long-term partnerships, AR acts as a core contributor, delivering tailored security solutions and critical infrastructure to clients. Recognized as a high-trust partner, AR empowers founders and project leaders to navigate the complexities of the blockchain when the stakes could not be higher.


OtterSec logo

OtterSec is a blockchain security company focused on identifying and patching critical exploits before our clients go to market. We work closely with leading teams to provide a holistic and collaborative approach to security.


Orange Cyberdefense logo

Orange Cyberdefense is the expert cybersecurity business unit of the Orange Group, providing consulting, solutions and services to organizations around the globe.

We believe strongly that technology alone is not a solution. We help our customers achieve superior security outcomes via our 3000+ security professionals, partnerships with top-tier vendors, threat intelligence and in-house R&D including a CERT and Epidemiology Lab.

Orange Cyberdefense Switzerland is born from the acquisition in 2022 of SCRT and Telsys: two long-standing players in the Swiss cybersecurity landscape. By combining the expertise of the Swiss-based team (120+ people) with the support of the broader Orange Cyberdefense group, we can offer a global protection combined with local expertise and support to our Swiss-based customers.

Orange Cyberdefense Switzerland (previously SCRT) are also the founders and organizers of the Insomni’hack cybersecurity conference and hacking contest, which grew from a small CTF in 2008 to a major cybersecurity event in Europe nowadays.


infomaniak logo

Infomaniak's mission is to develop technological independence in Europe with ethical cloud solutions that make no compromises on ecology and privacy. Committed to privacy, the local economy and ecology, Infomaniak is a Swiss cloud provider that develops a suite of online collaborative tools and solutions for cloud hosting, streaming, marketing and events. The company uses exclusively local renewable energy, builds its own data centers and develops its solutions in Switzerland, without relocating. It was awarded the Prix Suisse de l'Ethique 2023 and the Prix du développement durable 2023 by the canton of Geneva for its new data center, which will fully recycle the energy it consumes to heat up to 6,000 households.


Zellic logo

Zellic is a security research firm. We hire top CTF talent to solve the world's most critical security problems. We specialize in ZKPs, cryptography, web app security, smart contracts, and blockchain L1/L2s. Before Zellic, we previously founded perfect blue, the #1 CTF team in 2020 and 2021.

As part of a comprehensive compensation package, we offer competitive salaries and benefits. You're a good fit for Zellic if you have extensive real-world experience in vulnerability research (VR) / binary exploitation, reverse engineering (RE), cryptography, or web security.

To learn more about Zellic, check out our blog

Work at Zellic: | zellic.io/careers | @gf_256

Meet the founders:

Rules

Contact

LakeCTF Prizes

All teams that qualify for the finals will have accommodation paid by EPFL. Furthermore, the top scoring teams will receive (for each member):

🥇 First place TBD
🥈 Second place TBD
🥉 Third place TBD

Bonus rewards:

Best 5 writeups TBD

All finalist teams will receive a bag of EPFL and polygl0ts merch.

About

LakeCTF's first edition took place on the special occasion of the 20 years anniversary of the IC School (Computer and Communication Sciences) in 2022. Due to its great success, we are organizing the third edition of LakeCTF with online qualifiers in fall 2024 and finals on EPFL's campus in Lausanne in spring 2025.

In colllaboration with the IC School, accommodation, a tour of Lausanne, lunch and dinner are provided for the finals.

polygl0ts is the official EPFL CTF team. It was born in 2018 and is still going strong, taking part in major CTFs as part of the bigger organizers team, one of the top team on CTFtime.