… hacking with LosFuzzys

Membership of LosFuzzys can be briefly described as: challenges, weekly training sessions and a family-like environment. In addition to participation in CTF cyber security challenges, the focus is on knowledge transfer and community. This combination of things is what being a member of LosFuzzys is all about.

How do you become a Fuzzy?

This is easy to answer, but first I’d like to tell you how I first met up with LosFuzzys at the end of 2017. The reason was Johannes "Exo" Haring. He knew that I was interested in cyber security and everything connected with it, and he asked me if I wanted to participate in a so-called CTF challenge. I did so and everything just followed on from there. But you could do things on your own initiative. Visit us at the FuzzyLab on Campus Inffeldgasse in Graz, Austria, or send us an email to we@hack.more.systems. But what’s all important is that you just come. No previous knowledge is required – as long as you have a healthy thirst for knowledge and enjoy solving difficult problems, you’ll fit in perfectly. Even a study programme is not a criterion for membership: I am myself the best example of this. I’m a working person and my membership of LosFuzzys is a hobby.CTF stands for Capture the Flag, a special kind of cyber security challenge. There are three types of CTFs: jeopardy, attack defence and mixed. You can find an exact description on the CTFtime website which provides up-to-date information abouts CTFs. LosFuzzys regularly participate in such competitions and are currently among the top 40 teams in the world rankings. The next competition is coming up soon in the form of the iCTF on 16th March, and LosFuzzys are preparing themselves meticulously.

Apart from CTFs, what else is there?

Of course we don’t spend the whole day doing just CTFs. We have a training period at 6 pm every Wednesday, and when we’re not preparing ourselves for an upcoming challenge, someone always has an idea about what we could look at. So it’s not unusual that we familiarise ourselves with new technologies or listen to a lecture from an IT firm. But whether someone needs help with a project or something else, the top priority is always our community. And you can be sure to find this at LosFuzzys.

Marcel Schnideritsch works as an IT specialist and is responsible for a large set of IT infrastructure. He is currently planning to start studying in the field of IT.

My highlights

Of course, challenges are always an experience in themselves, but I always see the time before them and afterwards as the real highlights. Whether during preparation or post-challenge discussion, it’s the people you experience it with that make it special. If I had to name one particular event as a highlight, I would say the SchoolCTF project. This is where pupils of HTL Kaindorf measure their IT security in a CTF challenge. During preparation, challenges were elaborated, infrastructure set up and everything necessary carried out to ensure a run-capable contest. The event was positively received, and for this reason plans are being made for next year. LosFuzzys supported me in the project and I can rely on them to continue to support me. Many thanks!

Visit the LosFuzzys – the Fuzzys train every wednesday at the FuzzyLab. If you would like to meet more TU Graz´s student teams face to face you will be able to do so on June 16th: The students are presenting their work at "TU Graz StreeTech" at Hauptplatz Graz. Come, join and get informed! For more information visit the events Website "TU Graz StreeTech".