Third Tencent Information Security Competition (TCTF 2019) Finals Summary and Highlights

After a 30‑hour intense battle, the third Tencent Information Security Competition (TCTF 2019) finals concluded successfully in Shanghai.

The champion of the international track was the r3kapig team, with Balsn and Tea Deliverers taking second and third place respectively.

r3kapig team

The newcomer competition also saw fierce battles. The Whitzard (白泽) team from Fudan University won the New Star Invitational, earning a spot at DEF CON, the world‑class hacker conference supported by Tencent Security.

Whitzard team

International Track: Chinese Teams Dominated

On the first day, Chinese teams r3kapig and Tea Deliverers leveraged home‑court advantage to lead the scoreboard, while the previous champion, Poland’s Dragon sector, climbed to third place in the final minutes.

Day two saw a rapid escalation: teams submitted dozens of flags within minutes. International teams posted 40 flags in 30 minutes, and the New Star teams contributed 18 flags.

International competition scene

In the second half, Korean team LeaveCat‑PLUS briefly entered the top three, but Taiwanese team Balsn surged ahead in the final two hours, securing the runner‑up spot. Chinese teams r3kapig, Tea Deliverers and Balsn held the top three positions until the end.

Ultimately, r3kapig clinched the international championship with 5,146 points, while Balsn and Tea Deliverers took second and third respectively.

International finals scoreboard

New Star Track: Emerging Talent Takes the Crown

The New Star competition was equally exciting. After a strong start by the Emmmm United team, Fudan University’s Whitzard team overtook the lead in the final hour and won the New Star title with 3,439 points, followed by Emmmm United and L team.

New Star finals scoreboard

To enhance audience engagement, the finals featured a visualized big screen broadcasting real‑time attack‑defense trends, and Tencent Security’s researchers provided live commentary, sharing network security knowledge and CTF experience.

Live commentary

Three Years of Growth and Community Building

Since its inception, TCTF has become the only continuous three‑year “Black‑Hat World Cup” DEF CON CTF wildcard‑authorized platform in mainland China, attracting thousands of teams worldwide. Regular participants include Russian LC↯BC, Korean CyKor, and university teams from Hangzhou Dianzi University, Fudan University, Beihang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and South China University of Technology.

High‑Quality Challenges Aligned with Cutting‑Edge Fields

The 2019 challenges maintained the high standards of previous years and introduced topics from cloud computing and IoT, reflecting current industry security demands and providing participants with realistic offensive‑defensive practice.

“Double‑First Class” Talent Cultivation Platform

Aligned with China’s “Double‑First Class” university strategy, Tencent Security leverages TCTF as a premier training platform, fostering the next generation of cybersecurity talent through competition‑driven learning, university collaborations, and the newly launched TCTF Club covering over 40 campuses.

The event also hosted a university information‑security talent‑cultivation salon, bringing together senior educators and Tencent Security experts to discuss talent discovery, training, and conversion.

Source: Tencent Security Joint Lab