The Cybersecurity Flag, Captured
Story and photos courtesy Cesar Alvarado, ITA
On May 7, 2025, the Information Technology Agency’s (ITA) Information Security Office hosted a Capture the Flag (CTF) event. This competition was designed to enhance the cybersecurity skills of L.A. City’s personnel. Teams composed of three to five employees represented various City departments, including: Building and Safety, Finance, ITA, Harbor, Airports, and LADWP. Students from Cal Poly Pomona’s SWIFT technology club were also invited to participate and get first-hand insight into a career as a City employee.
This day-long Capture the Flag event featured seven teams competing against each other in two distinct exercises: a morning session focused on red team (offensive) tactics, and an afternoon session dedicated to blue team (defensive) strategies.
- In the red team exercise, participants exploited vulnerabilities to access and escalate privileges on target machines. In the blue team exercise, attendees investigated a simulated ransomware attack using forensic tools, traced attacker activity, identified malware, and decrypted data to restore systems and complete the challenge.
- In the blue team exercise, the ITA Integrated Security Operations Center achieved first place. Cal Poly Pomona students delivered a notable performance, securing a close second.
ITA’s Chief Information Officer and General Manager, Ted Ross, Club Member, opened the event by emphasizing the importance of building cybersecurity skills, closing knowledge gaps, and encouraging collaboration across departments. Closing remarks from ITA’s Chief Information Security Officer Timothy Lee, Club Member, encouraged ongoing skill development and teamwork.
Tim presented awards to the winning team, the ITA Integrated Security Operations Center (ISOC) (featured in the May issue of Alive!). The event benefited from the strong support of cybersecurity leaders across the City, including in-person attendance of Tony Zhong, CISO, Harbor, and Mike Tyner, representing LADWP.
The Capture the Flag participants found the challenges both relevant and engaging, expressing enthusiasm for future events. This event showcased the expertise within the City’s cybersecurity teams and also served as a valuable platform for inspiring and recruiting new cybersecurity talent for the City. A big thanks goes to the ITA Command Post team for its support with logistics, and to the City Controller’s Office for allowing us to use their facilities. ITA also acknowledges its partnership with vendor Immersive to produce the event.
