Scoring Server for Cybersecurity Skill Assessment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cyber security and operations training lacks a mechanism to effectively assess student technical skills in a practical environment, with Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions failing to evaluate skills such as problem identification and solution efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A scoring server system that captures and evaluates student activity in a practical training environment by comparing recorded actions against predefined objectives, providing real-time grading and comprehensive reports, with client applications for Windows and LINUX operating systems to intercept and attribute commands to individual students.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions are used to assess student skills, then practical application capability is improved, but skill evaluation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a scoring server as an intermediary component between the CTF competition environment and the evaluation process. This scoring server captures student actions, compares them against predefined tasks and objectives, and generates comprehensive skill assessments. The intermediary enables both practical application (through CTF) and precise measurement (through automated scoring), resolving the contradiction by adding a mediating evaluation layer.
2Ease of operation
If knowledge exams are administered to evaluate student skill sets, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual knowledge exams with an automated computer-based evaluation system. The scoring server automatically captures student actions, compares them against predefined tasks, and generates assessments without human intervention. This substitution maintains ease of operation (automated processing) while dramatically improving measurement precision (actual skill demonstration vs. knowledge memorization).
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive student activity monitoring is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The scoring server is designed as a universal system that handles multiple functions: capturing student actions, comparing against tasks, evaluating objectives, generating reports, and providing feedback. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional platform, the system achieves comprehensive measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A scoring server for assessing technical skills in a practical environment. A client application acts as a middle man between a terminal and an operating system to capture and forward all input from and output to students to the scoring server. The scoring server compares recorded student activity against a list of tasks deemed capable of accomplishing course objectives assigned to students. As objectives are met by a student, the students' grade is updated in real-time. Each student passes or fails an exam based on tasks performed and skills employed. The client application exists for two operating system types: WINDOWS® and LINUX®. A LINUX® client employs a pseudoterminal to permit access to terminal input/output and communication through stdin, stdout, and stderr channels. A windows client (WC) comprises a WC command line activity logger and a WC monitor process to intercept all communication through stdin, stdout, and stderr communication channels.