CTFs Are Dead (and we killed them)

The post argues that Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions have declined in quality due to over-reliance on large language models (LLMs) and other tools, which replace deep understanding with prompt engineering. The author notes that players now solve challenges by iterating LLM prompts rather than grasping underlying concepts, leading to a loss of skill depth and team specializations. Organizers have responded by making challenges artificially complex to "AI-proof" them, sacrificing elegance and educational value. The culture shift has resulted in players who memorize solutions without comprehension, making them fragile outside familiar patterns.