Hack & Chill: Hardware Capture the Flag

This Friday, 23 October, we’re getting stuck into some hardware hacking at TOG, with a special Capture the Flag session from 7 to 9 pm.

Think of it as a puzzle hunt on a small circuit board. There are 15 logical puzzles to work through, with hidden answers known as “flags” to discover. It’s a mix of hardware, software and figuring things out, with no soldering required.

The project brings together ESP8266 microcontroller boards and custom 3D-printed cases. TOG built hardware flags for the Women’s International Cybersecurity Challenge 2026, and the project also featured in the Irish Embassy programme at EMF Camp this summer. Now it’s your turn to have a go at the hackerspace.

Last week’s session didn’t go ahead, so we’re putting both parts into one evening:

7–8 pm: Have a go. Work through the challenges at your own pace. Well be around to help you get started, offer hints and help where we can.

8–9 pm: See how it’s done. We’ll go through the challenges step by step, explaining how to find each flag and the techniques involved.

Whether you’ve tried a CTF before or are just curious about hardware hacking, come along and try it out.

You can borrow the hardware for the evening or buy a board from us to keep experimenting at home.

Bring a laptop and your own USB-C data cable. Make sure the cable supports data, as a charging-only cable won’t work.