Happy holidays! This is our 5th year doing a Smallstep holiday project, and for this year’s project, we created a Capture the Flag (CTF) project with a few quirky puzzles.

Smallstep's resource offers insights, tutorials, and resources for developers and security professionals interested in authentication and authorization technologies, such as OAuth, OpenID Connect, and Zero Trust security. Readers can learn about secure authentication practices, identity management, and secure communication protocols. With articles, tutorials, and documentation, Smallstep provides  guidance and expertise for implementing robust and secure authentication solutions.

Smallstep

Smallstep has launched their 5th annual holiday project: a Capture the Flag (CTF) competition set in a text-based Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) environment. The CTF runs until January 16, 2026, requires the step CLI or openssl tools, and offers Smallstep swag to participants who complete all puzzles. Players can collaborate on some elements while others are unique to each participant, with support available through Discord.

It’s the Smallstep Holiday CTF!