Ammon to host Capture the Flag cyber security competition

The city of Ammon is participating in a national capture the flag competition, but it’s not what you think.

Ammon is partnering with the Idaho National Laboratory to host a Capture the Flag cyber security competition. The event is operated by MAGIC, or the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory. It’s a national competition that will highlight the city’s fiber optic network.

“We have this great infrastructure in the city of Ammon, lit fiber,” Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti said. “And we want to use it to its fullest capacity. So, doing something like this is really showcasing its use and showing really what we can do with our municipal broadband system.”

Students in Bonneville School District 93 are eligible to participate. There will be five teams of four to five students competing against other students across the nation. They will use hacking tools to solve puzzles and earn points.

“No experience is necessary,” Coletti said. “But they do get experience along the way in what cyber security is all about and how to learn some of these techniques.”

The competition gives students exposure to jobs in the cyber security world.

“We’ll have the college there and INL to talk about some of the things that they’ll be learning and the opportunities for careers in the field,” Coletti said. “And so it’s very positive. That’s why we call it an ethical hacking competition.”

This is the first year the city is hosting the competition. They hope it will gain some popularity and they can make it even bigger in years to come.

The competition will take place Saturday, April 21st. Registration for D93 students opens March 19th. Ask your high school for more information.