South Korean white hackers eye 'Hacking Olympics' title with 7 teams in finals

South Korean white hackers are poised to make a strong showing at the DEF CON 34 CTF finals in Las Vegas, a testament to the nation's growing cybersecurity prowess. Seven teams featuring South Korean talent have secured spots in the final round of the competition, often dubbed the 'Hacking Olympics,' out of a global field of 686 participants.

The DEF CON CTF is a highly regarded international hacking competition held during the world's largest cybersecurity conference. It challenges participants to find hidden vulnerabilities, develop attack code, and simultaneously defend their own systems. This year's event will see the introduction of new regulations concerning the use of generative AI, adding another layer of complexity for the competitors.

South Korean teams have consistently performed well in recent DEF CON CTFs. A global joint team, including researchers from ENKI Whitehat and Raonsecure, secured the top spot in the preliminary round. This team, 'SuperDiceLovers,' previously achieved third place in the finals last year. Other Korean-affiliated teams, such as 'ColdFusion,' '0x4b52' (featuring Toss security leader Lee Jong-ho), 'Jjintabis,' 'ABCD,' and 'Dokdo,' have also qualified for the finals.

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DEF CON 34 CTF finals qualification is significant as it acknowledges EQST's research capabilities and practical experience on the world stage.

SK Shielders' white hacker group EQST and Naver Cloud are part of a multinational joint team, 'The Seoul Sauna Shogunate,' which ranked seventh in the preliminaries. EQST, known for its strong research capabilities and practical experience, has a history of winning other hacking competitions, raising expectations for their performance at DEF CON. Naver Cloud's direct participation and qualification in their first attempt highlights the growing cybersecurity expertise within major South Korean tech companies.

The finals will differ from the preliminary rounds, with teams receiving systems containing identical vulnerabilities. They must attack opponents' systems while patching their own and maintaining operational integrity. The strategic integration of human expertise and AI tools will be a key factor in this year's competition, especially given the new AI regulations.

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We will actively incorporate the latest security technologies and threat response know-how gained from the competition into our services to provide higher security value to our customers.