This spring, I competed in the National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2025 Game, one of the most well-regarded cybersecurity competitions for students in the U.S.
I’m proud to share that I placed in the 95th percentile nationally — a reflection of the time, effort, and strategic thinking I’ve developed over the past year.
About the Competition
The NCL is a biannual cybersecurity competition that tests a wide range of skills, including:
- Cryptography
- Web Application Exploitation
- Network Traffic Analysis
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
- Password Cracking
- Log Analysis
- Forensics
Participants are challenged to apply both technical knowledge and problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios.
My Strategy
Some highlights from my approach included:
- Using custom wordlists with Hashcat to optimize password cracking
- Leveraging Wireshark and tshark filters to isolate credential leakage in PCAPs
- Practicing recon and enumeration techniques from past games and CTF challenges
- Automating OSINT flag searches through scripting and careful pattern recognition
Reflection
Competing in the NCL Spring Game has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The challenges pushed me to improve my skills across a broad set of cybersecurity domains, and the percentile ranking is a major personal milestone.
If you’re a student interested in cybersecurity, I highly recommend participating in the NCL. It’s a great way to test your skills, learn new tools, and connect with a national community of cybersecurity enthusiasts.
Stay tuned for more write-ups and walkthroughs from the challenges I completed!