Binary Clash 360: Boot | Hack

Binary Clash 360: Boot | Hack | CTF

January–December 2025

Organised by IIT Madras and IIITDM Kancheepuram

What if you could uncover the secrets of binary obfuscation? Are you ready to face the challenge of protecting intellectual property in an ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape? How will you stay ahead of attackers and reverse engineering techniques?

Binary Clash 360 is your chance to learn, innovate, and excel in this domain. Whether you’re a student, professional, or enthusiast, this program is designed to challenge your skills, ignite your creativity, and push your limits.

Why Participate?

Learn from Experts: Gain insights into reverse engineering and obfuscation techniques through a hands-on Bootcamp.
Innovate: Create cutting-edge obfuscation algorithms during the Hackathon.
Compete: Test your skills against the best in the on-premise Capture the Flag event.
Build Your Career: Outstanding teams will be offered internships to further develop their ideas into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Binary Clash 360 isn’t just a challenge; it’s an opportunity to make your mark in the field of cybersecurity.

Program Details

Binary obfuscation is a critical technique employed to make code in binary executables harder to understand, analyze, and reverse-engineer. With the rapid evolution of reverse engineering methods, binary obfuscation presents a unique challenge for developers and defenders alike. Binary Clash 360 is designed to address this challenge through a multi-stage program:

Bootcamp: An online training program to introduce participants to binaries, reverse engineering, and modern obfuscation techniques.
Hackathon: A Blue Teaming activity where participants design obfuscation algorithms and apply them to a library of binaries.
Capture the Flag (CTF): A competitive event to test your de-obfuscation skills against obfuscated binaries created during the Hackathon.
Internships: An opportunity for selected teams to build on their ideas and work toward creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Guidelines and Rules

Team Composition and Eligibility:
- This is a team-based competition. Each team must comprise a minimum of two (2) members and a maximum of three (3) members. Individual participation is strictly prohibited.
- Participation is open to students from any academic discipline, professionals, and other eligible individuals who meet the criteria specified herein.
- All participants must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of registration.
- Only those participants willing to engage in all stages of the event should apply. Detailed descriptions of the various stages will be provided in the “Stages” section of the competition guidelines.
Originality and Submission Compliance:
- Submissions must be the original work of the participants. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of third-party content is strictly prohibited and will be verified using standard plagiarism detection tools where applicable.
- The novelty and originality of the solution will be a key evaluation criterion across all competitive stages.
- All submissions must be made within the stipulated deadlines. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Judgement & Rule Modifications:
- The decisions of the judging panel shall be final, binding, and not subject to appeal.
- The Organizing Institutions (IIT Madras, IITDM) and their affiliates reserve the exclusive right to amend, modify, or cancel any aspect of the event, including but not limited to rules, dates, format, and structure, without prior notice.
- Detailed rules for each round of the competition will be published in due course.
Physical Presence Requirement for Hackathon & CTF:
- Participants qualifying for the Hackathon and Capture The Flag (CTF) rounds must be physically present at the said campus.
- The Organizing Institutions will provide selected candidates with food, accommodation, and travel reimbursement (equivalent to the 2nd AC train fare for travel to and from their base location).
- Additional logistical details will be shared with shortlisted participants in due course.
Prizes and Internships:
- The event offers cash prizes totaling INR 10,00,000+.
- Internship opportunities with a stipend of up to INR 15,000 per month will be available to students who are physically present at the IIT Madras campus for the designated period.
Intellectual Property Rights:
- Any Intellectual Property (IP) generated as a result of the competition shall be owned by the Organizing Institutions and their affiliates.
- Participants shall be duly recognized as inventors in case of any patent applications arising from the competition. Any benefits and royalties accruing therefrom shall be governed by the Intellectual Property policies of IIT Madras.

By participating in this competition, all individuals and teams acknowledge and agree to the above guidelines and rules. Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in disqualification and forfeiture of benefits.

Schedule

Date	Event
February 13, 2025	Call for Participation begins.
March 12, 2025	Registration Ends. (Extended from March 11, 2025)
March 15, 2025	Pre-Screening: Online Mini-CTF to select teams (2–3 members per team).
March 19, 2025	Bootcamp begins, 5 days – Online (Top 25 teams).
March 25, 2025	Hackathon begins (online).
April 22, 2025	Hackathon ends. Participants submit their obfuscated binaries.
7th May, 2025	Capture the Flag (CTF) event at IIITDM. Teams compete to de-obfuscate the submitted binaries.
May–December 2025	On-campus internships offered to select teams to work on their ideas and develop an MVP.

Registrations

Ready to join Binary Clash 360? Complete your registration by clicking the link below:

Deadline: ~~March 11, 2025 11:59 PM IST~~

March 12, 2025 11:59 PM IST (Extended)

Announcements

Announcing the Winners of the Mini CTF – Prescreening Round! 🏆

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Mini CTF prescreening round! Your enthusiasm, problem-solving skills, and dedication made this an exciting challenge.

Congratulations to the teams that successfully cracked the challenge and made it through!

Check out the results here: Results Link

Shortlisted teams will receive an official email with all necessary details on the next steps. Stay tuned and get ready for the next phase! 🔐

Important Links

Basics of Reverse Engineering: Lecture Videos

Contact Us

For any questions or clarifications, feel free to reach out to us at info@cystar.iitm.ac.in