Student centric design for cyber security knowledge empowerment

Basics of computer science and engineering are a part of every major curriculum taught in colleges and universities across India. Numerous Indian websites are compromised frequently mainly due to insecure coding practices and lack of awareness of implications of security vulnerabilities. Yet, Cyber security education is not part of undergraduate curriculum in most educational institutions. This paper addresses the design of cyber security educational exercises that facilitate large scale participation and concentration in specific areas, applying a holistic approach to problem solving and teaching about cyber security. In this paper, we describe InCTF, India's first national level Capture the Flag style ethical hacking contest and how such a model can aid in effective security education, both theoretical and practical.