Perspecta’s hackathon competition team, Opt1x, took first place at DreamPort’s rapid prototyping event (RPE). The team also placed 36 out of 229 teams at OpenCTF, a key competition at this year’s DEF CON 27.
DreamPort, the cyber innovation center created by U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in collaboration with the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute, is dedicated to the research and development of cyber capabilities for USCYBERCOM and U.S. warfighters.
DreamPort’s RPE competition specifically targeted malware signature diversity and signature measurement for Microsoft Windows in a simulated operational environment at a realistic pace. As a defensive team, Opt1x had to review malicious software binaries through multiple rounds, then leverage custom tools and advanced forensics to quantify the maliciousness of several binaries while identifying the likely source.
OpenCTF, a capture-the-flag-type hacking contest built on the principle of inclusion with challenges for all skill levels was held at DEF CON 27, one of the world’s largest and most notable hacker conventions. Here, the Opt1x had to acquire challenge flags and accumulate points by solving dozens of forensic, binary, cryptographic, web security and reverse engineering problems.
0pt1x—pronounced “optics”—includes team members from both Perspecta and the company’s innovative applied research arm, Perspecta Labs, who serve in research science and cyber operator roles.