How to Compete in CyberTaipan 2023

Competition Technical Information

Thank you for registering for CyberTaipan 2023.

On this page, you’ll find information on how to set up and compete in CyberTaipan 2023. If you are a returning coach, CyberTaipan will look and run very differently to previous years, so we recommend reviewing the material provided below prior to the competition.

Note: Throughout this page, you may find resources and material that references CyberPatriot, a version of CyberTaipan that is delivered in the United States. As we share the same delivery process and images, you can expect the same steps and guidance to apply to CyberTaipan.

Delivery Overview

This year, CyberTaipan will be run locally on participant computers. This will require coaches to have access to Windows devices (computers/laptops) to download and run the images directly on the system.

While this will mean a few extra steps for coaches, this new competition model will ensure a smooth and seamless experience for competitors while exposing them to a tool widely used by the cybersecurity industry, VMWare Workstation Player.

Technical Requirements

The first step of the competition it to ensure that your hardware, network, and website access requirements are all met prior to the training images going live on the 31st of July 2023.

For details about these specifications and what is required, please see our technical specifications document PDF (563 KB).

If you are competing on a device that is managed by an organisation (i.e.: school, cadets, or government org etc), it is imperative that you ensure the websites listed in the document above are whitelisted well before the competition to ensure a seamless experience for you and your students. You should be able to email your IT administrator and request the websites be whitelisted for the competition period.

Software Requirements

Once you have confirmed that your chosen competition device/s meet the technical requirements above, you will need to download the following software onto you competition device/s to run the training and competition images.

Operating System - 64-Bit Windows 10

• Must be capable of running VMWare Workstation Player 16.2.4 or later. Other operating systems such as Apple Mac Operating Systems and Linux Operating Systems may be used at the team's own risk, but issues resulting from their use (e.g., the image does not open, image locks up, score checks do not work, etc.), are not grounds for appeal or special consideration. Teams with Mac and other non-Windows operating systems should have at least one Windows computer that meets technical specifications for the competition.

CyberTaipan Competition System (CCS) Connection Test

• This tool is used to check network connections to the scoring server without using an image. You can simply download and run the tests at any time, but it is recommended that you also run this test prior to running the training round and competition images.

WinMD5

• Used for verifying the checksum of the images to ensure they have been fully and properly downloaded. You can think of this like a verification tool to make sure the images you have downloaded are correct and have downloaded successfully. Install guide PDF (592 KB).

7-Zip

• Used for unzipping the images after they have been downloaded. Install guide PDF (624 KB).

VMware Workstation Player 16.2.4 or later for Windows

• Free software used to play the images after they have been unzipped. This is the primary tool used to run the training and competition images in CyberTaipan 2023. User guide. PDF (1 MB)

Running the Images

Instructions on how to use VMWare to open and run the training and competition images can be found here. User guide PDF (1 MB).

Troubleshooting tips are also included towards the bottom of the document.