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CASE STUDIES
Explore how other companies have implemented MetaCTF competitions to enhance their security posture.
MetaCTF partnered with ECI, a managed service provider (MSP) evolving into a managed security service provider (MSSP), to address their internal talent shortage in information security. ECI aimed to transform its workforce by identifying untapped cybersecurity talent within its existing employees. Kamyar Kojouri, ECI’s Director of Security Operations, impressed by MetaCTF’s engaging Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges at a cybersecurity conference, collaborated with MetaCTF to create a gamified solution for internal recruiting and skill assessment.
MetaCTF’s solution involved a 7-day CTF event with problem-solving challenges covering various cybersecurity domains. The challenges, including Web Exploitation, Reconnaissance/OSINT, Forensics, Reverse Engineering, Cryptography, and Binary Exploitation, attracted 80 sign-ups and 65 participants at ECI. The CTF approach replaced traditional, dry lectures, fostering employee engagement and collaboration. The challenges provided a risk-free and rewarding environment, leading to a significant increase in curiosity and collaboration among ECI employees.
The results were impressive, with 90.2% of challenges solved, demonstrating increased security proficiency among participants. The gamified approach helped ECI achieve its goals of enhancing employee engagement, conducting internal recruiting and assessment, and diversifying skill sets within the company. The success of MetaCTF’s program was evident in ECI’s ability to identify and hire talent, such as recruiting an IT Help Desk employee after a strong performance in the CTF. The informal and interactive nature of the challenges contributed to a positive learning experience and a dynamic shift in ECI’s workforce development approach.
“MetaCTF helped us identify untapped security talent at ECI. Our infosec team hired someone from the IT Help Desk after his strong performance in the CTF.” – Steve Schoener, CTO
One user mentioned:
“From being a complete beginner, it was a completely addictive experience. I even spent my lunch hours on it!”