Education Through Competition
Real-world cybersecurity testing, as a competition.
The Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) closes the cybersecurity skills gap by giving college students hands-on experience simulating the work professional security consultants do every day.
Registration for CPTC12 is now open!
The 2026-2027 season is underway. Schools and volunteers interested in participating can reach out to get started!
Why CPTC
A competition that doubles as a career head start.
Most security competitions test only your technical skills. CPTC tests whether you can do the whole job and be the kind of consultant a client would hire again.
Hands-on, not theoretical
Students do the real consulting work — assess a live environment and turn findings into advice a business can act on.
A truly global stage
Students compete alongside peers from schools from San Francisco to Dubai.
Where hiring happens
The Sponsor Faire connects competitors directly with our industry sponsors, providing opportunities for co-ops and full-time offers.
Our mission
Provide students with space to grow, one season at a time.
We use competition to address the cybersecurity skills gap by educating college students in technology, communication, and collaboration. CPTC focuses on training and evaluating the activities teams are likely to perform during a real-world penetration testing engagement.
At its heart, CPTC is a bit different from several other collegiate Cybersecurity competitions. Instead of defending your network, searching for flags, or claiming ownership of systems, CPTC focuses on mimicking the activities performed during a real-world penetration testing engagement conducted by companies, professional services firms, and internal security departments around the world.
- 100+
- Schools competing annually
- 12
- Total Seasons
- 40+
- Volunteers
This season · CPTC12
Theme Park
Teams assess the systems behind an aging theme park, rides, and patron operations.
Voices
Experience the classroom can't teach.
It was the closest thing to a real engagement I'd done before graduating. The reporting and client debrief mattered as much as the exploitation.
CPTC is the gold standard for producing the best offensive security consultants.
Coaching a team gives students experience no classroom can. They leave ready for the work, not just the theory.
Ready to get involved?
Whether you're a student, a coach, a volunteer, or a potential sponsor — there's a place for you in CPTC.