What a Forensics Rabbit Hole Taught Me at IBOH 2025

The International Battle of Hackers 2025 by FSeC APU was my third time joining IBOH, but it was my first time participating physically at the venue.

Previous editions had been online, so competing in person felt significantly different. The environment was louder, more intense, and more exciting because we could see other teams working, reacting to solves, and rushing between challenges.

My team eventually placed 27th out of more than 150 teams.

I was proud of the result, especially because of the effort contributed by my teammates, Nur Najihah and Haziq.

However, the competition also exposed one of my biggest weaknesses during CTFs: spending too much time inside a forensic rabbit hole.

I found a forensics challenge that looked as though it was close to being solved. Every artifact appeared to contain another clue, so I continued investigating it. I tested different tools, examined files, searched for hidden information, and repeatedly believed that the next step would reveal the flag.

Unfortunately, I spent too much time on it.

While I was focused on that one forensic challenge, I did not contribute enough to the Reverse Engineering category or help with some of the other challenges that may have been more achievable.

This is a common problem during CTF competitions. A challenge can feel too promising to abandon, especially after investing significant time into it. The more time you spend, the harder it becomes to accept that moving on may be the better decision.

From this competition, I learned several important lessons:

• Set a time limit before committing deeply to one challenge
• Record findings so another teammate can continue later
• Ask for a second opinion before going further
• Check the scoreboard to understand which challenges may be realistic
• Avoid treating time already spent as a reason to spend even more
• Contribute to other categories when the team needs help

The experience also reminded me that results are created by the entire team. Even when I felt that my personal contribution could have been better, my teammates continued solving and helped us reach a respectable placement.

Thank you to the organizers for hosting the competition and providing us with the experience of participating physically.

IBOH 2025 gave me a good result, a memorable event, and a very clear lesson: sometimes, the most important CTF skill is knowing when to stop digging.