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Cyber Saguaros

Cyber Saguaros

Cyber Saguaros is a student club that focuses on cybersecurity education, capture-the-flag competitions and industry networking for students wanting to work in a field involving cybersecurity.

Our mission is to assist students in learning and practicing cybersecurity skills by training in weekly meetings (held Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Arizona Time), competing in CTF (capture the flag) events and networking with peers in the field.

Members will be able to develop and practice cyber skills such as OSINT, cryptography, password cracking, log analysis, forensics, network analysis, web application exploitation, enumeration, reverse engineering, threat hunting, Blue Team topics and much more.

This is a beginner-friendly club. Undergraduate students of all experience levels and graduate students are welcome to join.

What We Do Here

  • Practice cybersecurity skills
  • Compete in CTF events
  • Share tools, notes and writeups
  • Help each other learn
  • Build teamwork and technical confidence

Officers

   •    President — Jordan Lanham
   •    Vice President — Joshua Payne
   •    Secretary — Jesse Ceja
   •    Treasurer — Jesus Mercado
   •    CTF Captain — Connor Larson
   •    Social Media & Outreach — Joseph Mickelson

Faculty Advisor

Join Cyber Saguaros

Become a member through Campus Groups and you’ll be invited to join the Cyber Saguaros Discord:

Join Cyber Saguaros on Campus Groups

Communications & Social Media

Competition Results

2026

  • 3rd Place — DEF CON 34, Cube CTF
  • 13th of 3,634 teams (Top 0.4%) — National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2026
  • 13th Place — BroncoCTF 2026
  • 16th Place — UND CyberHawks National CTF 2026 Qualifiers
  • 32nd Place — RIFFHACK: Black Market Break-In
  • 43rd Place — RamadanCTF 2026
  • 46th Place — From Dusk Till Dawn Quals
  • 79th Place — HackTheBox Holmes CTF 2026
  • 96th Place — scriptCTF 2026
  • 104th Place — No Hack No CTF 2026
  • 144th Place — DEF CON CTF Qualifier 2026

2025

  • 1st & 2nd Place finishes — HackTheBox Hack the Madness, West Region
  • 12th Place — Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC)
  • 17th & 36th Place (two teams) — Mountain West Cybersecurity Challenge (MWCC)
  • 100th of 4,214 teams (98th percentile) — NCL Fall 2025
  • 218th of 4,779 teams (96th percentile) — NCL Spring 2025
  • 85th Place — MITRE eCTF 2025

2024

  • 133rd of 4,893 teams (98th percentile) — NCL Fall 2024
  • 103rd Place — ImaginaryCTF 2024

What is a CTF?

A capture the flag competition is a cybersecurity challenge where you solve problems to find hidden strings called flags.

Common challenge categories include:

  • Web
  • Forensics
  • Cryptography
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Binary Exploitation / Pwn
  • OSINT
  • Networking
  • Miscellaneous

How to Start

  1. Pick a beginner-friendly platform.
  2. Choose an easy challenge.
  3. Read the prompt carefully.
  4. Write down what files, links or clues you are given.
  5. Try simple checks first.
  6. Search for concepts you do not understand.
  7. Ask for help when you are stuck.
  8. After solving, write down what worked.

Beginner Platforms