Page 47 - THEi Student Applied Research Presentations 2025

A COMPREHENSIVE CYBERSECURITY
LEARNING ECOSYSTEM WITH

INTEGRATED CTF METHODOLOGIES

Poster Video
CHAN Chun Kit Alain
BSc (Hons) in Information and Communications Technology
Department of Digital Innovation and Technology

RESEARCH BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES

The growing need for cybersecurity professionals all over the world, which is • A combined online system with User
caused by the rising rates of advanced cyber threats, highlights the importance Management, Learning Management
of early and efficient cybersecurity education. In response, the present project System, Capture-the-Flag Engine,
aims at bridging the cybersecurity skills gap by building an end-to-end learning and powerful Analytics is described.
ecosystem for secondary school students in Hong Kong. The embedded • A gradual cybersecurity program
Capture the Flag (CTF) activities aim to encourage practical skills and long- (combined with CTF activities)
term engagement, thus offering a new approach to traditional approaches. will be developed for secondary
school learners.
METHODOLOGY • The platform will feature a functional
CTF Engine that supports sandboxed
The current project was implemented using an agile approach and iteratively environments with Docker, gamified,
developing and releasing platform elements. The development of modular and interactive capabilities to
architecture, based on Flutter frontend, Flask backend, and Appwrite database, support student engagement.
was informed by system analysis. OpenResty-orchestrated Docker containers
were used to provide secure CTF sandboxes. At the same time, a gradual
curriculum was developed that combined theoretical information with practical
CTF tasks. To maintain the engagement of the learners, gamification tactics
were applied. Furthermore, a conceptual assessment scheme, relying on
surveys and analytics, was established to evaluate the results of learning, thus
ensuring a strict design-implementation path.
ABOUT THE INVESTIGATOR
FINDINGS
Being a final-year Information
The suggested platform will foster cybersecurity proficiency, allowing students Technology student, I have a passion to
to detect weaknesses and implement the necessary protection, as evidenced by use technology to enhance education,
the ability to win capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions. It is assumed that these especially in cybersecurity. My main
accomplishments will increase student confidence and enhance the value of goal is to develop interactive learning
safe practices, thus enhancing the desire to pursue careers in cybersecurity. platforms and experiment with new
Since the platform focuses on practical application and practical engagement, teaching methodologies. In the
it is expected that the satisfaction and retention of users will be high. Even future, I see myself in the educational
though these expectations still need to be empirically validated, the platform technology field, creating tools that
will help reduce the skills gap, and further research will be needed to determine make complex subject content more
its effectiveness. accessible and appealing to learners.
FYP Supervisor: Dr Kai Yuen CHEONG

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