Hands-on · Capture the Flag

International Cybersecurity Olympiad — Hands on the Keyboard.

The hands-on Capture-the-Flag track for ICOA 2026 (Sydney). Master the command line and "good-enough" Python, then attack across all five olympiad domains. Designed for students who have never written a line of code — every tool taught from zero.

⌨️ 12 lessons
🎮 3 challenge games
🏁 5 CTF domains
🧩 Year 9-12
Enrol Now 7-day Free Trial · No credit card required
See Curriculum

What's Included

Everything a beginner needs to walk into a live CTF and capture real flags.

⌨️

CLI Mastery

The 15 core commands drilled to reflex — because the competition runs entirely in the command line.

🐍

Python "Good Enough"

Not programming — filling templates. Read files, send requests, solve RSA, all from copy-and-adapt recipes.

🏁

All 5 Domains

Crypto, Web, Forensics, Reversing/Pwn and AI security — every flag type the olympiad throws at you.

🎮

Master Challenge Games

Three replayable games (50+ questions each, 5 lives) that turn commands into muscle memory.

The Curriculum

Two foundation tracks build the tools; the challenge games make them automatic.

1

Foundation · Command Line

The bedrock — almost every challenge starts at the command line.

CLI-1
Navigation & Finding
pwd · ls · cd · grep · find · strings · the pipe
CLI-2
Bytes, Encoding, Hashing & Forensics Combo
xxd · base64 · md5 · file→strings→binwalk→exiftool
CLI-3
Networking & Web
curl · nc · nmap · dig · robots.txt
CLI-4
Text Trio + Archives + Git
grep · sed · awk · tar · zip · git log/show
CLI-5
Password Cracking & Data
john · hashcat · openssl · jq · sqlite3 · crunch
CLI-6
Reversing & Pwn Basics
objdump · gdb · radare2 · checksec · cyclic
2

Foundation · Python "Good Enough"

Not programming — filling templates and changing parameters.

PY-1
Basics — files, loops, strings, bytes
open/read · for · split · hex · XOR
PY-2
Regex & Encoding
re.findall · base64 · binascii · chr/ord
PY-3
requests — Automated Web
get/post · cookies · Session · brute-force
PY-4
Cryptography — RSA / AES / hashing
the 5-step RSA template · symmetric vs asymmetric
PY-5
pwntools — interactive & pwn
remote · recv/send · p64 · cyclic · ret2win
PY-6
numpy + Assembling Scripts (Day 2 AI)
arrays · np.sign/clip/argmax · FGSM
3

Mastery · Replay for Muscle Memory

Three games you replay until the commands become automatic — each keeps your personal record.

GAME
⌨ CLI Master Challenge
50 questions · the 15 core commands
GAME
⌨ CLI Master Challenge II
51 questions · advanced / less-frequent commands
GAME
🐍 Python Master Challenge
51 questions · every technique, real ICOA scenarios

Enrol in ICOA Prep

A$399 /course
Enrol Now

7-day Free Trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime