IPNET CYBER BATTLE: Togo's First University-Organized CTF
“Where Cyber Warriors Rise”: organized entirely by students.
Watch the event
Overview
The IPNET CYBER BATTLE is the annual CTF organized by the IPNET CYBER CLUB at IPNET Institute of Technology, Togo.
Before this event, no university in Togo had ever organized a cybersecurity competition. The IPNET CYBER CLUB built one: designed the challenges, deployed the infrastructure, ran the event from start to finish.
The team
Group photo: IPNET CYBER BATTLE participants.
Inside the competition
Charles supervising a challenger.
ASSIMTI Essowèréou Charles: President of the club, on the floor during the competition, supervising challengers in real time.
Two participants collaborating.
Competition format
Phase 1: pre-qualification (OSINT + Forensics + Steganography)
Candidates had to clear a 10-step puzzle chain before reaching the main CTF:
| Step | Action | Skill tested |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Analyze a LinkedIn video containing 7 hidden QR codes | OSINT · Visual analysis |
| 2 | Decode a Python ASCII script from a QR code → hidden message | Scripting · Encoding |
| 3 | Find a QR code hidden at the end of a YouTube video | OSINT · Attention to detail |
| 4 | Retrieve a PDF from Proton Drive, containing a hidden text message revealed via Word | Steganography · Document forensics |
| 5 | Search LinkedIn “À propos” for a reversed encoded string → decode with CyberChef | OSINT · CyberChef |
| 6 | Download message.jpg, fix corrupted magic bytes to reveal the image | File forensics · Hex editing |
| 7 | Run steghide extract on the corrected image → extract secret.txt | Steganography |
| 8 | Decode multiple layers of Base64 + Reverse in secret.txt → get ZIP password | Cryptography |
| 9 | Open Graal.zip → find 6 unique images (duplicates filtered with a bash script) | Scripting |
| 10 | Assemble characters from each image → construct the final flag | Image forensics |
Final flag:
1
IPNET{y0u_4r3_th3_b3st!bRuh_3ssow7r3oU_g1v3_y0u_4cc3s_t0_th3_r0und_t4bl3_0f_fin4l1sT!!_65547926$$64}
3ssow7r3oUin the flag is a direct reference to the creator: ASSIMTI Essowèréou Charles. A signature hidden in plain sight.
Phase 2: main CTF (Jeopardy format)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Jeopardy CTF |
| Categories | Web, Cryptography, Forensics, OSINT, Reverse Engineering, Steganography, Pwn |
| Platform | CTFd |
| Organization | Entirely student-run |
Scoreboard
Scoreboard IPNET CYBER BATTLE 2025.
| Rank | Pseudo | Real Name | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlesh | Abdoulaye Abiboulaye | 4 050 pts |
| 2 | Gr3G | Bakonda Wenssa Grégoire | 3 100 pts |
| 3 | SAY | Ayao Mawonyé Jean-Marie | 2 700 pts |
| 4 | Abdól | Sitou Abdel Maaliki | 2 100 pts |
| 5 | t0g37h3R | Not listed | 2 000 pts |
| 6 | Indice20 | Not listed | 1 600 pts |
| 7 | F_$oCieTy | Not listed | 1 200 pts |
| 8 | Ami1r | Not listed | 1 200 pts |
| 9 | Dmod | Not listed | 1 050 pts |
| 10 | F34r_DrK | Not listed | 1 050 pts |
Official winners: IPNET CYBER BATTLE 2025.
13 teams competed. These three stood on top.
Awards
Beyond the scoreboard, four special awards:
| Prize | Description |
|---|---|
| Top 3 Teams | Overall performance ranking |
| Blood Hunter | First blood on the hardest challenge |
| Best Writeup | Top quality technical documentation |
| Best Cyber Battle Woman | Top female participant |
Blood Hunter: Sitou Abdel Maaliki
Blood Hunter award: Sitou Abdel Maaliki.
The Blood Hunter award goes to whoever draws first blood on the hardest challenge. Sitou Abdel Maaliki (Abdól), ranked 4th overall, took it. 4th on the scoreboard but first on the challenge that stopped everyone else.
Best Cyber Battle Woman: Bodjona Essosolam Trinity-Wonder
Best Cyber Battle Woman: Bodjona Essosolam Trinity-Wonder.
Bodjona Essosolam Trinity-Wonder (Tr1n1tyX_) competed with focus and consistency throughout. The award wasn’t ceremonial. She went on to win best female participant at the national ANCY competition.
The origin: Edition 0 (2023)
Before there was a platform, a scoreboard, or a CTFd instance, there was just the club and a decision.
The club had just been founded. I was in my final year of undergraduate studies. We were discussing steganography, cryptography, CTF competitions, things most students had never encountered in class. We decided to organize one ourselves. We had no resources. We did it anyway.
How we built it without CTFd:
We looked at CTFd and dropped it fast: too many parameters, hosting constraints, infrastructure overhead. We had to get creative.
| Component | Solution |
|---|---|
| Challenge descriptions | A Notion page designed by me, view it here |
| Challenge files | A shared Google Drive (steganography, cryptography, forensics) |
| Submissions | Two Telegram groups, one per team |
| Flag validation | A custom flag checker |
| Scoreboard | A custom page with an admin panel |
I also wrote a steganography course specifically to prepare participants: read it on Notion.
Categories: Steganography · Cryptography · Forensics
Zero budget. No sponsorship. No external support. Just students who wanted to build something that didn’t exist yet at their school.
That edition proved the concept. Two years later: CTFd, 13 teams, 7 categories, a national audience, and three official awards.
Organized by ASSIMTI Essowèréou Charles: President, IPNET CYBER CLUB · Co-signed: PAWOU P. BATANA