Guiding Principles

Mistakes are important: We’ve found people learn best when they try things outside their comfort zone, so we do everything we can to create an environment where participants feel safe to make mistakes. Everyone is expected to treat their own mistakes, and those of other participants, as both positive and inevitable.
There are no prizes: The focus to be on learning, not on how to win the prize. There are no prizes at our events.
Events should feel fair: The team who does the most successful work should place on top. This steers a whole lot of other decisions we make. For instance, we don’t give bonuses for being quick, and we don’t give penalties for wrong answers. We also don’t run categories where starting late makes it impossible to catch up, like getting a point for every minute your team holds a “flag”. What we are trying to award points for is whether your team has worked out a solution, and nothing more.
We expect creative mayhem: As a security analyst, you have to think like a “bad guy” in order to better understand what attacks might come next. We want you to be creative in your approach to solving puzzles, but we do have a few ground rules, mostly related to everybody having a good experience, and limiting the expense of running events.

Respect Our Policies

In order to achieve our education goals, we have set up a few rules. We reserve the right to kick anyone out of our event for any reason, but there are a few things that might be okay in other places which aren’t okay at Cyber Fire events.

Harassment is not allowed: Cyber Fire does not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
Network-level attacks are not allowed: SYN flooding, ARP cache poisoning, WiFi deauthentication, and other network-level attacks are not allowed.
Attacking other participants’ computers is not allowed: We have put a lot of effort into making the puzzles fun to attack. Go after those instead.

Dress Code

Cyber Fire’s official dress code is “Geek Casual”. “Casual” means different things in different places.

If an event has a special dress code, we will mention this on the event’s page.

Example Outfits

The following outfits would fit in at any of our events:

Jeans, T-shirt (simple graphic or solid color), sweater, sneakers
Skirt, blouse, casual flats
Khakis, polo shirt, casual loafers

US indoor spaces can frequently be conditioned below 68°F/20°C, and you will be sitting still for 120+ minutes at a time. Warm clothing is advised for indoors.

In winter, many US locations will experience freezing temperatures and snow. Please check forecasts before you depart, and pack suitable clothing for going outdoors.

Anti-Harassment Policy

Cyber Fire is dedicated to providing a harassment-free event experience for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any event venue, including talks, training, or social activities. Participants violating these rules may be expelled from the event at the discretion of the event organizers.

Harassment includes but is not limited to:

Inappropriate verbal or written comments.
Sexual images in public spaces.
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.
Harassing photography or recording.
Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
Inappropriate physical contact.
Unwelcome sexual attention.
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Enforcement

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Vendor tables and other Cyber Fire partners are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event.

Reporting

Please report harassment incidents to staff, identified by “Staff” badges as soon as possible. Our team will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event.

Public Statements

As a general rule, event staff should not make any public statements about the behavior of individual people during or after the event. Please direct requests for comment to Program Management.