The Game of the Month is a non-competitive cybersecurity challenge to keep your skills sharp year-round.
Each quarter focuses on a NICE Framework Work Role, with monthly challenges that gradually increase in difficulty.
If you have any questions about the Game of the Month Challenge, please reach out to the President’s Cup Team.
Why Participate?
Develop Key Skills
Continuously learn and gain hands-on experience by applying your skills in intrusion analysis and digital forensics.
Boost Your Career
Work on NICE framework tasks critical to cybersecurity investigations.
Challenge Yourself
Solve a real-world cyber incident scenario.
Game of the Month promotes the best that the President’s Cup has to offer with content from across the archive.
Each new challenge will be announced during the first week of the month on this page and CISA’s social media accounts:
September 2026: Ransomware Rhapsody
Ransomware Rhapsody
PC6, Finals / Exploitation Analyst (CE-121) / Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst (CY-212) / Cyber Defense Incident Responder (CY-531)
Why Participate?:
- Develop Key Cyberoperations Skills – Practice real-world exploitation techniques, container breakout, and privilege escalation.
- Boost Your Career – Strengthen skills aligned with Cyber Operator and Exploitation Analyst roles.
- Challenge Yourself – Navigate a compromised ship, break into restricted services, and recover mission-critical data.
Last Month's Challenge: Kessel Run
Solvability Rate
Full: 10% / Partial: 90%
Average Time
140 minutes
Federal employees looking to enhance their cyber skills can also visit the Practice Area to tackle past President's Cup challenges and earn completion certificates for continuing education credits. The President's Cup GitHub is another great way to access artifacts, solution guides, and additional resources from previous competitions.