Climb the Ranks on the Global Hackerverse CTF Leaderboard

Every challenge counts! Bring your A-game and rise to the top to earn cash and in-kind awards.
Monthly Awards: Top players earn awards based on their standings at the end of each month—if they meet award eligibility criteria.
End of Season Awards: Dominate the season and claim ultimate bragging rights with grand prizes for the highest overall rankings!

Players on the leaderboard are classified into four distinct ranking tiers: Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, and Grandmaster.
All new players begin at the Apprentice rank. These are players with scores below the 25th percentile.
To achieve Journeyman status, a player must:
Rank in the 25th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
Successfully complete at least 50% of Journeyman-level challenges
Total challenges completed: >= 30% of the total challenges available on the platform for the month
To attain Master rank, a player must:
Rank in the 50th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
Successfully complete at least 50% of Master-level challenges
Total challenges completed: >= 30% of the total challenges available on the platform for the month
To reach Grandmaster rank, a player must:
Rank in the 75th percentile or higher on the leaderboard
Successfully complete at least 50% of Grandmaster-level challenges
Total challenges completed: >= 30% of the total challenges available on the platform for the month
Please note: The eligibility criteria mentioned above are against cumulative challenges, available on the platform. For example, a player who participates in the CTF challenge in the month of May will need to fulfill the condition of completed at least 30% of the challenges at that point in time, i.e. minimum 30% of the challenges from the months of March, April, and May.
As the season progresses, players' ranks may fluctuate based on their performance metrics and ability to complete new challenges. Rankings are dynamic, allowing players to advance to higher tiers or move to lower tiers depending on their ongoing achievements and relative standing on the leaderboard.

Scoring System in the Hackerverse CTF

Our dynamic scoring system rewards both skill and speed. The faster you solve challenges, the more points you earn. At EC-Council, we pride ourselves on transparency, so we’re laying it all out for you.
Dynamic Scoring: A challenge’s point value decreases with each solve. This means, the faster you solve, the more points you earn. As more players complete a challenge, the point value naturally decreases.
Fair Play: Our scoring system ensures easier, frequently solved challenges are worth fewer points than harder, less solved ones.

Initial challenge points range from 10 to 500, based on difficulty and category. 

The scoring system tracks three key values per challenge: 

Initial: The starting point value

Decay: Number of solves before reaching minimum points 

Minimum: The lowest possible point value

The point decay follows this formula: 
value = (((minimum – initial) / (decay ** 2)) * (solve_count ** 2)) + initial  value = math.ceil(value) 

If the calculated value falls below the minimum, the minimum value is used instead. 

Why Parabolic Decay?

This system ensures higher-value challenges keep their worth longer, unlike linear or exponential methods. It rewards precision and timing, keeping the competition fair and exciting.

Challenge Difficulty Levels: A Quick Breakdown

Hackerverse CTF challenges are categorized into four distinct difficulty levels, each with its own point range:

Apprentice: Very Easy

Journeyman: Easy

Master: Medium

Grandmaster: Hard

Each challenge may include multiple questions or tasks, allowing players to earn points for solving individual components. This ensures partial credit for progress while keeping scoring consistent across difficulty tiers.

New Challenges: Release Schedule

New challenges are launched on the platform during the second week of each month, each highlighting core cybersecurity themes including reverse engineering, malware analysis, forensics, cryptography, and offensive security.

Most challenges: remain available throughout the season, giving you the chance to catch up and earn points.

Offensive Security challenges are the exception—they’re accessible only during the month of their release.

Example: If you register in June, you can still access challenges from March and May but April challenges (including offensive security) will no longer be available.

Prize Eligibility

Participants can only win prizes for the month they register and the End of Season awards.

Example: If you register in April, you’re eligible for April prizes and grand prizes at the season’s end. Prizes for earlier months won’t apply.

How to Qualify for Awards: Eligibility Criteria

The Certificate of Participation will be sent by email to all those who complete Apprentice Challenges and at least one question should be answered correctly in Journeyman Challenges.

To qualify for awards in the Hackerverse CTF, participants must meet the following requirements:

Leaderboard Position: Secure a prize-winning position on the leaderboard.

Top Performers: Rank within the top 50th percentile of all participants.

Challenge Completion: Successfully complete at least 30% of all available challenges.

For top 3 positions, participants must successfully complete at least 50% of Master Level OR at least 50% of Grand Master-level challenges.

Note: Refer to our Terms and Conditions for comprehensive eligibility information and complete award program details.

Fair Play

Participants must not interfere with others’ progress in any way. This includes, but is not limited to:

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks

Deliberately spreading misinformation

Maintaining fairness ensures a competitive and respectful environment for all participants. Violations will lead to disqualification.

Individual Participation

Hackerverse CTF competitions are designed for individual participants. Each player must:

Register with their own unique identity, which will be linked to all submissions and prize distributions.

Ensure their account is secure and used solely by them.

Participants are fully responsible for safeguarding their account credentials and ensuring no unauthorized access. Collaboration or account sharing is strictly prohibited.

Proof of Eligibility

All winners must provide valid proof of identity verifying their country of residence. Acceptable forms of verification include: PII should be masked

Government-issued ID

Passport

Driver’s license

For Student Division Winners:

Additional proof of student status is required, such as:

Government-issued ID with date of birth

Current student ID card

Official enrollment letter from the educational institution

Other relevant educational documentation

Organizer’s Rights:

The competition organizer reserves the right to:

Request additional verification if the initial documents are insufficient.

Disqualify participants who fail to provide adequate proof within 7 days of the request.

Withhold prizes until proper verification is submitted.

Reassign prizes if verification requirements are not met.

Participants are encouraged to ensure their documentation is ready and accurate to avoid delays or disqualification.

Use of Tools and Resources

Participants are permitted to use any publicly available tools or resources unless a specific challenge explicitly prohibits their use.

The use of commercial tools is allowed; however, participants are responsible for ensuring they have obtained proper licenses.

Any tools or resources must be used in compliance with their respective terms and conditions.

Ethical Conduct

All activities conducted as part of the CTF must strictly comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Key Guidelines:

Participants must respect the privacy of others and avoid unauthorized access to systems or data.

Intellectual property rights must be upheld, ensuring fair use of resources and materials.

Violations of ethical standards will result in disqualification and may lead to further consequences under applicable laws.

Communication

All official competition announcements will be made through designated channels, such as emails, the competition platform, etc.

Participant Responsibilities:

Stay updated by regularly checking these channels for announcements, updates, or changes.

Ensure timely acknowledgment of important communications to avoid missing critical information.

Staying informed is key to a smooth competition experience!

Scoring and Flags

Only valid flags submitted through the official platform will be accepted and counted toward your score.

In the event of any scoring discrepancies, the decision of the competition organizers will be considered final and binding.

Disqualification

The competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant who:

Fails to comply with the competition rules.

Engages in unethical behavior or actions detrimental to the competition.

Key Notes:

Disqualification decisions are made at the sole discretion of the organizers.

All decisions regarding disqualification are final and cannot be appealed.

Participants are expected to uphold the integrity of the competition at all times.

Rule Changes

The competition organizers reserve the right to modify the rules at any time.

Key Points:

Any changes will be communicated to participants through official channels.

By participating, you agree to adhere to all rules, including any updates or modifications.

Failure to comply with the rules may result in disqualification and forfeiture of prizes.