Post-event update: Mission accomplished at DC33!

Operation 33 was nothing short of epic!

Over two action-packed days at the Blue Team Village, 81 cyber defenders dove head-first into 10 unique missions and two adrenaline-pumping Live Fire Exercises, racking up 95 completed units.

The competition was truly fierce and the energy of everyone competing was electric!

🥇 Deep Tempo claimed the top spot with precision and speed
🥈 Negative Sleep kept the pressure on until the very end
🥉 inSIRT Name Here battled their way onto the podium in style

A huge thank you to every participant who brought their A-game, and to the Blue Team Village crew for making this cyber battleground possible. Until next year… stay sharp, y’all!

Overview of Operation 33 at DC33

This August, Cyberbit is bringing the heat to DC33 with Operation 33, a first-of-its-kind cyber defense competition hosted live at the Blue Team Village. Designed for elite defenders, SOC professionals, and hands-on blue teamers, Operation 33 is where theory ends and real-world defense begins.  

Over two action-packed days (August 9 and 10), participants will go head-to-head in one of the most immersive cybersecurity experiences ever brought to DEF CON. Whether you’re a battle-hardened incident responder or a rising threat hunter, Operation 33 will test your speed, skill, and strategy in high-stakes, real-time attack simulations.  

Competition format 

We have prepared two formats for this event: team tournament and individual missions. 

Team-based live-fire tournament 

Form a four-person squad and step into a simulated cyber battlefield. Each team will face off against advanced persistent threat (APT) scenarios in live-fire exercises designed to replicate the pressure and unpredictability of real-world breaches.  

With only the tools and time you’d have in the wild, teams must investigate, contain, and respond to complex threats across multiple sessions. All scenarios will be delivered through Cyberbit’s industry-leading cyber range platform.  

Individual cyber marathon missions  

Do you prefer flying solo? Take on the Cyber Marathon: a series of 14 time-bound blue team missions spanning threat hunting, forensics, red teaming, cloud defense, and more. You’ll race against the clock and fellow defenders as you climb the leaderboard one mission at a time.  

Meet the beasts 

If you think you’ll have it easy at Operation 33, think again!  

Here’s what you will defend against. 

The LAPSUS$ destruction 

Simulate response to a ransomware-style breach inspired by the notorious LAPSUS$ group.  

This exercise presents a sophisticated attack targeting the organizational AWS infrastructure. You will be challenged to take various investigational steps such as examining the attacker’s traces, analyzing logs, cross-referencing the attacker’s behavior, and more to uncover this incident. 

APT35 realness 

Hunt and contain stealthy nation-state level activity using Sysmon data and forensic tools.  

In this exercise, you will be presented with alarming information concerning an APT35-inspired attack on the network. Throughout this exercise, you will have to complete several tasks, from assessing the breach and identifying the threat actor to ultimately producing a comprehensive intelligence overview of the attack and its threat.   

This is an excellent opportunity to practice an extensive investigation of an up-to-date attack by an active threat actor that is frequently making headlines in the cybersecurity community. 

Time to train like it’s real 

Operation 33 is not about theoretical exercises. You’ll operate in a real-world simulation environment with authentic network traffic, logs, and attack behaviors. 

But that not all! We have quite a few reasons why you should compete at Operation 33.  

• Compete with the best: DEF CON always draws the top talent in the industry. This is your chance to prove yourself on a global stage.  

• Win elite prizes: From BTV x Cyberbit challenge coins, winner medals to limited-edition shirts, stickers, and pins, prizes are collectible, memorable, and worthy of champions!   

• Get noticed: Walk away with not just bragging rights but digital badges, certificates, and potential career-defining visibility.  

In true DEF CON fashion, we’re not just bringing competitions, we’re bringing the vibe. Expect limited-edition merch, mystery mission cards, and maybe even a few absurd raffle prizes. Our booth will be a magnet for curiosity, challenge, and hacker culture.  

Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills, test your limits, or just soak up the DEF CON madness with a mission-driven twist, Operation 33 is your battleground! 

Save your spot! 

We have limited spots available, so get cracking and submit your registration today! 

Visit https://pages.cyberbit.com/blue-team-village-cyberbit-ctf-at-def-con33 to save your spot now.  

Note: You must have a DEF CON ticket in order to access the Blue Team Village and our competition, Operation 33.  

Follow us on Twitter/X and LinkedIn for updates, teaser missions, and behind-the-scenes content. Use hashtag #Operation33 to join the buzz!