The eCTF is unique from other CTF competitions that you may be familiar with. First the focus of the eCTF is on embedded systems, which present a new set of challenges and security implications. Second, the eCTF balances defense and offense by testing and rewarding both sets of skills during the Design Phase and Attack Phase, respectively. Finally, to allow the complexity of the eCTF, the competition runs over the entire spring semester from mid-January through mid-April.