CYS401 · Semester Project

A Capture-the-Flag Lab for Hands-On Security Learning

Our group project for CYS401: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity at Prince Sultan University. We are building a Mini Capture-the-Flag Security Lab Platform — a working tool where users solve security challenges, capture flags, and learn from the explanation that follows each one.

Project topic

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Report & presentation due on Moodle Oct 28, 2026

Sep 13 · Hand-outOct 28 · Due
Course Weight
15%
Team Size
3–4 students
Report Length
13–15 pages
Presentation
10 min incl. Q&A

Overview

What We’re Building

The finished report sections are published on the Report page.

This is topic 28 of the course brief. The project follows the course path: assess the threats and vulnerabilities the challenges are drawn from, study how existing CTF platforms solve the problem, implement the working platform, and close with recommendations for using hands-on labs in security education.

Project Plan (PDF) Our scope note for the CTF Security Lab: what the platform has to do, the challenge ideas per category, the flag and hint system, and how the five report phases map onto it. ctf-plan.pdf · 5 pages · 144 KB

Implementation Guidelines

  • A proper user interface is implemented for the live demonstration.
  • Any programming language may be used for the implementation.
  • Open-source code from GitHub is allowed, with every source acknowledged and cited.
  • Each group has 3–4 members, as specified for the chosen topic.

Requirements Coverage

Every item the brief lists for topic 28, and where it is implemented.

Roadmap

Five Phases, One Deliverable

The report and presentation are built phase by phase. Status updates here as we progress.

    Assessment

    How the Project Is Graded

    The project is worth 15% of the course, split evenly across three components. The report itself is marked out of 100 against five criteria.

    5 marks

    Written Report

    13–15 page document covering all five phases.

    5 marks

    Demonstration & Presentation

    Live demo of the working interface in a 10-minute talk.

    5 marks

    Individual Assessment

    Each member answers questions during the presentation.

    Report Rubric

    100 marks total

      Learning Outcomes

      What the Project Demonstrates

      The project is assessed against the four course learning outcomes. Each links to the part of this site that covers it.

      CLO 1

      Understand the Fundamentals

      Policies, cryptographic systems, networking and communication, biometric systems, and identity, authentication, and authorization management.

      Web SecurityCryptographyPlatform

      CLO 2

      Analyze Security Models

      Analyze security models and their capabilities for specific security needs.

      CryptographyWeb Security

      CLO 3

      Apply Principles Responsibly

      Describe the legal, ethical, and professional security principles and practices for the environmental, hardware, software, and human components of an information system.

      Cybersecurity EthicsSecurity Awareness

      CLO 4

      Use the Right Tools

      Apply appropriate tools to prevent, detect, react to, and recover from attacks — the challenges themselves, and the platform that scores them.

      Challenge CategoriesProgress & Scoreboard

      Deliverables

      The Report

      A formally structured document submitted on Moodle together with the presentation slides.

      1. 01Cover pageUniversity logo, course code and title, project title, member names and IDs, instructor name.
      2. 02Contents pageTitles, sub-titles, and page numbers.
      3. 03IntroductionAn overview of the project.
      4. 04BodyPhases I–IV, comparative analysis, and user policies where applicable.
      5. 05Conclusion & recommendationsA summary, plus application and recommendations to overcome the threats.
      6. 06References & appendixEvery source cited; full source code in the appendix.

      Formatting Standard

      Length
      13–15 pages (strict)
      Font
      Times New Roman, 12 pt
      Spacing
      Single, justified
      Headings
      Capitalized, bold, left-aligned
      Page numbers
      On every page
      Final check
      Spell-checked & proofread

      Academic Integrity

      Every member signs the students’ declaration: the work is our own, all published and unpublished sources are acknowledged, and we keep a copy of the submission.

      Late submission penalty

      • −20%1 day
      • −50%2 days
      • 03 days

      Meet the people building it

      Or try the challenge tracks the platform is built around.

      Meet the Team Explore Challenges