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What is Computer Security?

Computer Security is the field that concerns the attack and defense of information systems.

Malicious attackers can gain illegitimate access to systems, which can compromise information or take down services. The goal of computer security specialists is to defend against these attacks and mitigate them when they do occur.

The first step is understanding how attacks work by being a hacker yourself.

We DO NOT encourage malicious “black-hat” hacking! Please be careful with how you use these skills because they can get you into a lot of trouble.

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General Information

When & Where?

Meets every Wednesday 8A block
Located in Room 202 (Sys Lab)

What do I need to participate?

Use a personal computer if possible
School laptops are limited in power and functionality
Linux Requirement

Many topics require Linux or Linux-based terminal
Recommended on Windows: WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Other options: dual-boot / install Linux

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Who Should Join?

Everyone is welcome! You don’t need prior experience - we’ll start with the basics.
Great for people who enjoy:

Solving puzzles and riddles 🧩
Tinkering with computers and coding 💻
Learning how hackers think (ethically!) 🔒

Perfect if you’re curious about:

How websites and apps can be broken into
What “encryption” really means
How digital forensics works in real life

Open to all grade levels! Whether you’re just starting or already know some cybersecurity

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Officers

President - Nathaniel Kerr

Vice President - Grace Bai

Statistician - Emma Wu

Webmaster - Samuel Chow

Jr. Infra Lead - Ashwath Muppa

Lecturers:

Elliott Rosenberg
Agastya Sondhi
Ansh Agrawal
Andrew Liu
William Chapin

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Topics

We will start off with simpler topics and they will build in complexity as the year progresses.

Advanced topics (later in the year) will build on concepts introduced earlier

The topic(s) for each week will be announced on our Discord. (https://tjcsec.club/discord/)

The slideshows will be posted online - so attendance is not required, but we recommend coming to see demos and ask questions.

Web - Exploits involving websites and the WWW

Cryptography - Attacks on secure protocols to recover information or bypass protections

Forensics - Extracting hidden data from files, memory, and network traffic

Reverse Engineering - Dissecting compiled programs to see how they work and look for exploits

Binary Exploitation - Leveraging memory corruption and low-level flaws to hijack a program

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🚩 Capture the Flag (CTF) Competitions

What is a CTF?

Cybersecurity competitions where you solve challenges to find a hidden string called a flag (e.x.: flag{answer})
Submitting the flag earns your team points

Types of CTFs

Jeopardy-Style: A set time to solve many challenges of varying difficulty & point values
Attack/Defense: Teams secure their own systems while trying to exploit others (this type is less common)

Why should I participate?

Hands-on practice with real-world cybersecurity skills (cryptography, web, forensics, reverse engineering, etc.)
Great for teamwork, problem-solving, and competition experience
Looks great on college & cyber security related applications

How can I get involved?

We’ll announce larger CTFs during meetings
Check ctftime.org for ongoing competitions
Watch this intro video: link

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TJCSC CTF & TJCTF

TJCTF

large-scale international CTF we run at the end of the school year
prizes pool is $3000+
open division and HS division
running since 2016
members can help make challenges

Internal club ctf to practice your skills and compete with your peers
Collaboration is encouraged
Each lecture will have a few challenges to help you learn and apply what we cover
Free attendance flag every meeting
Quarterly prizes for top finishers

TJCSC CTF

Stats from 2025:

💰$3000 in prizes
👥723 Teams
🚩8678 Flags Submitted
⭐️1,801,471 Total Points

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What You Can Expect From Us

Are These Skills Useful?

High-quality lectures and practice challenges
Guidance and help with any questions
A working infrastructure to support learning
Opportunities to compete in CTFs or even create your own challenges
Flexible pacing (we’ll make sure every meeting is a good use of your time, even if you already know a topic)

Open doors to cybersecurity internships and research opportunities
Valuable experience in CTF competitions
Broad, practical foundation for:

TJ electives (AI, Mobile/Web, CS)
College courses (Operating systems, Networking, Security, etc.)

Plus: cryptography teaches you funny math tricks

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