CyberTacticsForgeENRICH / EXPLORE / EMPOWER Pittsburgh roots. Shared purpose.
ForgeOps

ForgeOps / A CyberTacticsForge program hub

Learn the techniques.
Run the operation.

Two tracks. A shared technical foundation. Build the skills to capture flags, then put them to work in a live contest of attack and defense.

Find your track ↓Visit CyberTechniquesFest ↗

Earn evidence for your next opportunity →
The Verified Competency Record connects demonstrated skills to college, scholarship, and career applications.

New to cybersecurity? Start with techniques.The basic techniques are expected knowledge for everyone participating in any event. Build that foundation here, then keep hunting flags or move into operations.

Choose your direction

Two ways to put your skills to work.

Find your place across the Forge programs.

01 / TECHNIQUES TRACKBeginner → Expert

Techniques Track

pps{CTF}CyLab

Learn the techniques. Find the flag.

Explicit, guided instruction teaches the technical background behind the flags. Start from absolute beginner, build confidence through practice, and progress toward expert challenges.

  1. Learn the fundamentalsWork through the classes and understand the techniques every participant needs.
  2. Apply the techniquesCapture actual flags and take on more of the pps{CTF} environment as your skills grow.
  3. Take Pittsburgh furtherMove into national flag-hunting competitions, including opportunities through CMU’s CyLab Security Academy.

Where this can leadBug bounty hunting · Code-focused red teaming

Explore CyberTechniquesFest →CyLab Security Academy ↗
02 / TACTICS TRACKTechnical competency expected

Tactics Track

CyberPatriotCyberTacticsEngagement

Harden. Defend. Then engage.

Build defensive discipline through CyberPatriot, then bring those skills into CyberTacticsEngagement: a live, force-versus-force contest of attack and defense. This track builds on your technical foundation.

  1. Build defensive discipline with CyberPatriotPractice hardening systems, finding weaknesses, and coordinating your team’s defensive work.
  2. Form a Digital Operations GroupMove into CyberTacticsEngagement. Harden your assigned environment and operate as both the red team against your opponent and the blue team on your own network.
  3. Attack, defend, and adapt in real timeDevelop operational judgment through responsibilities similar to an offensive cyber team and a cyber protection team.

Where this can leadSecurity operations center (SOC) roles · Defensive and offensive cyber operations

Start with CyberPatriot →

VCR / Verified Competency Record

Build skills. Leave with evidence.

Turn what you demonstrate into something you can take forward: an evidence-backed record for college applications, scholarship consideration, and your résumé.

CyberTacticsForge manages the Verified Competency Record for events it hosts. Through participation, students can earn verified competencies by demonstrating what they can actually do inside a Forge environment. The VCR translates that observable activity into durable evidence of individual competency.

College applicationsShow admissions readers specific skills and the work behind them.
Scholarship opportunitiesSupport applications with demonstrated ability, initiative, and growth.
Résumés & job applicationsGive employers concrete examples of what you have done and can explain.
The scoreboard answers “Who won?”The VCR answers “What can this person demonstrably do?”

01 / Technical competencies

Show the skill.

Find and analyze an artifact, harden a system, change a configuration, or restore a service. Flags and automated checks can provide evidence of specific accomplishments.

02 / Operational competencies

Show your judgment.

Diagnose, prioritize, recover, and adapt as conditions change. Service availability, system state, and activity logs can capture work that a single flag cannot.

03 / Professional evidence

Explain your work.

A GitHub write-up or after-action review (AAR) records what you encountered, what you did, and what you learned—especially during CyberTacticsEngagement.

How demonstrated work becomes a verified record

Each challenge starts with an intent: the competency the participant should demonstrate. Evidence requirements follow that intent and the actual source environment.

  1. Intent
  2. Evidence sources
  3. Validation
  4. Competency record

Flags can show discovery or analysis. State checks show whether a required change succeeded. Uptime shows whether a service stayed available. Telemetry and event logs show activity. A participant’s AAR adds explanation and reflection. Together, these can support one competency record; competition scoring remains separate.

Illustrative competency / Network service recovery

Restore SSH while preserving firewall protection.

Evidence could show that the participant diagnosed the outage, restored the service, allowed access from the management network, and preserved the restriction on public access. The record connects the demonstrated competency to its environment, supporting evidence, and verification.

Your record reflects your contribution. Individual environments provide clearer attribution. In collaborative force-on-force events, team outcomes need evidence of the individual’s actions, supported by their own GitHub artifact or AAR. A team result alone cannot establish what each participant demonstrated.

Participation creates the opportunity. Demonstrated competency gives you evidence to carry into your next application.

Explore the programs

Find your next engagement.

Techniques / Start herepps{CyberTechniquesFest}Guided classes, technical practice, and flag hunting.Open the dedicated ppsCTF site → Tactics / Defensive foundationCyberPatriotBuild the defensive foundation for live team operations.View coordination and schedule → Techniques / Go furtherCyLab Security AcademyContinue technical development through CMU’s CTF opportunities.Explore competition opportunities → Tactics / Force versus forceCyberTacticsEngagementDigital Operations Groups attack and defend live environments.Explore the winter season →

Plan your next step

2026–27 season.

Tentative · Dates may change

Expand a schedule for session details. Dates remain subject to school calendars, partner competitions, and team availability.

Techniques · pps{CyberTechniquesFest}Fall 2026 · Oct 20–Dec 23

CyberTacticsForge-led instruction and CTF competition. Teams meet online Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7–9 PM, with selected Saturday labs. The season runs October 20–December 23, with the final review and closeout on Wednesday, December 23. Recruitment and college mentor onboarding continue before kickoff.

Schedule of Events

10/20 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Intro and overview, cyber.org range, team formation, outside resources, and picoCTF

10/22 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: SSHerlock

10/27 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: HashHound

10/29 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Mini-Challenge

10/31 Saturday Optional Hands-On Lab: Environment setup, VM/network familiarity, and open challenge time

11/3 Tuesday: No session — PPS Election Day / no school

11/5 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Mini-Challenge Review

11/10 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: CyberCartographer

11/12 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: MsDisin

11/17 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Mini-Challenge

11/19 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Mini-Challenge Review

11/21 Saturday Optional Mini-CTF / Open Lab

11/24–11/26 Thanksgiving Pause: No required sessions

12/1 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: LANgeist

12/3 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: MALchemist

12/8 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Mini-Challenge

12/10 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Portalord

12/12 Saturday Full-Environment Lab: Multi-role practice and competition preparation

12/15 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: 8ball

12/17 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Cyberus and tournament overview

12/19 Saturday Optional Open Range / Technical Check

12/21–12/23 pps{CyberTechniquesFest} Competition Window: Exact team slots to be scheduled separately

12/23 Wednesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: After Action Review, results, recognition, fall closeout, and pps{CyberTacticsForce} interest — following the final tournament slots

Tactics · CyberTacticsEngagementWinter 2027 · Jan 21–Mar 6

The winter CyberTacticsEngagement season was previously listed as pps{CyberTacticsForce}.

CyberTacticsForge-led team-vs-team competition focused on operating and defending live systems and networks. Teams meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7–9 PM, with Saturday build days and scrimmages.

Schedule of Events

1/21 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Kickoff — operate the network (after Keystone exams)

1/28 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Operate the hosts

2/2 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Control the network

2/4 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: See and respond

2/6 Saturday: CyberTactics Build Day

2/9 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Team build and service operations

2/11 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Team build and attack-surface review

2/13 Saturday: Controlled Scrimmage #1

2/16 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Scrimmage review and defensive restoration

2/18 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Red-team planning and defensive adaptation

2/20 Saturday: Scrimmage #2

2/23 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Operational improvement

2/25 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Tactics, communications, and resilience

2/27 Saturday: Full-range rehearsal

3/2 Tuesday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Final configuration and rules review

3/4 Thursday 7–9 PM Teams Meeting: Final readiness

3/6 Saturday: pps{CyberTacticsForce} Force-on-Force Competition, followed by After Action Review, recognition, and season close

Tactics · CyberPatriot 19External competition

CyberPatriot is an external competition. CyberTacticsForge will sponsor and coordinate interested teams, with primary coaching and technical support from Robert Morris University student mentors.

  • 10/1: Registration deadline
  • 10/7–10/20: Practice Round
  • 10/22–10/25: Round 1
  • 10/30–1/19: Training Round 2
  • 11/12–11/15: Round 2
  • 12/10–12/13: State Round
  • 1/21–1/23: Semifinals for qualifying teams
  • 3/12–3/16: National Finals if a supported team qualifies

View the Official CyberPatriot Schedule

Team interest form: Coming soon

Techniques · CyLab Security AcademyDates to be announced

Students interested in additional CTF competitions may participate when CyLab Security Academy announces its schedule. CyberTacticsForge will help connect interested students with Carnegie Mellon University student mentors and local support where available.

Visit CyLab Security Academy

Student interest form: Coming soon

Built with community

Pittsburgh talent. Shared effort.

With appreciation for Carnegie Mellon University’s CTF community and BlackGirlsHack for coaches and mentors, and Robert Morris University students for CyberPatriot coaching and technical support.