Core Incursion begins in
A rigorous Jeopardy-style competition built to validate practical skills and connect emerging cyber talent with industry sponsors.
09:00 – 18:00
In-person competitors will be based at Gateway House, Floor 5.
Compete online or in person.
A broad challenge set weighted toward web exploitation, with room for reversing, forensics, OSINT, scripting, crypto and fundamentals.
SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, authentication bypasses and web logic flaws.
Disassemble, decompile and decode binaries to uncover hidden logic.
Unexpected formats, strange clues and challenge ideas that refuse one label.
Recover evidence from captures, filesystems, memory, logs and hidden artefacts.
Track down answers through public records, digital footprints and careful research.
Automate parsing, brute force paths and transform data under time pressure.
Break ciphers, exploit weak implementations and reason about flawed secrecy.
Navigate shells, permissions, processes and system clues like an operator.
Break compiled targets with memory corruption, control flow and exploit craft.
Chain attack paths from initial access to deeper compromise.
Solve a focused programming problem with clean logic and fast execution.
A first flag to get teams settled into the platform and event flow.
Gateway House Floor 5
De Montfort University
The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH
Student & Guest WiFi will be available. Please bring your own machine. Computers will not be provided.
De Montfort Students' Union
Campus Centre Building
Mill Ln, Leicester LE2 7DR
The bar opens after the event from 18:00 onwards for you to purchase drinks.
Challenge Coins and TryHackMe Premium vouchers are reserved for the in-person podium.
In-person podium teams receive formal recognition, a P2P Challenge Coin and TryHackMe Premium time for four team members.
Online and in-person winners receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by DMU Faculty for LinkedIn and professional portfolios. Challenge Coins and TryHackMe vouchers are awarded to in-person podium teams.
Choose the right track before you start solving.
Following the awards ceremony, join us for a social route around Leicester with a combination of DMU societies. Whether you competed or just want to celebrate, everyone is welcome.
Prize providers and challenge creators supporting Pwn2Play: Core Incursion.
Supporting the winners with prizes that make the competition worth chasing.
Kit365 is the primary sponsor of Pwn2Play, providing prizes for the winning teams. Their support helps make our flagship CTF a stronger event for cybersecurity talent.
TryHackMe is supporting Pwn2Play by providing prizes for our event, helping us reward standout performances and make the competition more exciting for participants.
Immersive Labs is supporting Pwn2Play as a prize provider, helping us reward standout teams while backing practical cyber skills development through realistic, hands-on learning.
Building realistic problems and scenarios for competitors to solve under pressure.
North Quay Holdings is a private sector company specialising in all-source intelligence and OSINT. They create challenges for Pwn2Play, helping deliver realistic and engaging CTF experiences.
Redcentric is a managed IT services provider delivering network, cloud, and security solutions. They create challenges for Pwn2Play, bringing industry expertise and real-world scenarios.
Want to sponsor Pwn2Play or get involved?
Become a Sponsor