Design of Secure Coding Challenges for Cybersecurity Education in the Industry

This paper addresses the need for effective secure coding training for software developers in the industry, proposing a structured approach to designing defensive Capture-the-Flag (CTF) challenges focused on secure coding guidelines and best practices. Based on semi-structured interviews and surveys with 20 security experts, the study derives a three-phase challenge structure (introduction, challenge/logic, and conclusion) and identifies six suitable challenge types: Single Choice Question, Multiple Choice Question, Text Entry Challenge, Code Snippet Challenge, Code Entry Challenge, and Associate Left-Right. The findings reveal that experts prefer "traditional" challenge types, with Code-Entry and Code-Snippet Challenges being the most highly rated due to their direct relevance to coding tasks, while Text-Entry Challenges were the least preferred. The research also provides insights into the use of hints (supported by 80% of experts, preferably disclosing key concepts) and penalties (supported by 60%, primarily for using hints) to balance learning and motivation. The authors note that the study is limited by its reliance on expert feedback rather than player input and the industrial context, and they call for future validation of these challenge designs in real CTF events with actual software developer participants. 

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.02108

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