Patch the System!!!
Welcome to Patch the System!
An AI-Assisted Defensive CTF Brought To You By SSSS x SFU Cybersecurity Club
Patch the System is a hands-on cybersecurity competition where you’ll use AI coding agents to find and fix vulnerabilities in open-source software.
Whether you’re interested in cybersecurity, AI, software engineering, Patch the System offers a chance to gain practical experience within the intersection of AI and security.
Registration closes Monday, October 26, 2026.
How it works
Find the Vulnerability, Patch the System
Teams of four participants take on challenges across a set of deliberately vulnerable applications. Each challenge offers two opportunities to score points:
Find: Identify and exploit the vulnerability to capture a flag, then submit it on our competition platform.
Fix: Submit a working patch that passes our automated security and regression tests to earn double the discovery points.
Challenges range from guided exercises with specific hints to open-ended investigations where teams must discover vulnerabilities independently. Teams can also earn bonus points by submitting a write-up for their approaches or by discovering vulnerabilities beyond our list. A live leaderboard will track every find and fix throughout the day.
Why Attend?
AI model access provided! Work with AI coding agents, with no paid subscription required.
Real hands-on security experience. Go beyond theory and work directly with security tooling, vulnerable applications, and AI coding agents.
Compete as a team. Work in a team of four to solve technical challenges, share ideas, and put your skills to the test in a collaborative and competitive environment.
$500 in Prizes!!!
Before the Competition:
We will be hosting 2 workshops to help you prepare:
Workshop 1: Intro to Security
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026
Location: ASB 9703
Time: 1:30PM - 2:30PM
Host: Professor Jianliang
Workshop 2: Intro to AI Agents and Event Overview
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2026
Location: ASB 9703
Time: 1:30PM - 3PM
Host: Professor Nick Sumner
More info on our website! https://patch.sfussss.org
Can your team Patch the System? 😱