The picoCTF-shell-manager project consists of the hacksport library and the shell_manager utility which are used to create, package, and deploy challenges for use in a CTF. During a competition these components can be used to run a shell-server where competitors are given access to the necessary command line tools and challenge related files.
This project has two goals:
- To reduce the overhead associated with CTF challenges. Both prior to a competition in the challenge creation phase as well as during a competition in the system administration and management phase.
- To allow reproducible challenge sharing and reuse.
Though it is possible to use picoCTF-shell-manager as a stand alone component, it is best integrated with the rest of the picoCTF-platform. Please consult the Quick Start section of that repository for the simplest way to begin using this component.
The hacksport library consists of a number of convenience functions related to challenge creations. Specifically it provides the following features:
- Templating to support auto-generated challenge instances from a single problem source.
- Creation of Debian packages (.deb) from problem sources to ease sharing and reuse.
- Dependency management for challenges.
- Common challenge functionality such as random flags, file permissions, and remotely accessible services.
Examples of how to use the hacksport library to create picoCTF-platform compatible challenges are available in the picoCTF-problems project as well as end-to-end examples in the picoCTF-platform documentation.
The shell_manager is the utility that a competition organizer would use to package, deploy, and manage challenge instances on a picoCTF-platform shell-server. This tool builds on the hacksport library and problem specification metadata to turn challenge sources into deployed instances which a competitor will face in a CTF.
The picoCTF-web project integrates with the shell_manager utility to expose deployed challenges to competitors.
We are happy to help but no support is guaranteed.
Authors: Tim Becker, Chris Ganas
Copyright: Carnegie Mellon University
License: MIT
Credits: David Brumley, Tim Becker, Chris Ganas
Email: opensource@picoctf.com