Types of challenges you can build on Simulations Labs

Simulations Labs lets you build hands-on cybersecurity challenges that can be used in your cybersecurity . To help you create realistic and engaging scenarios, Simulations Labs supports different types of challenges, each designed for a specific style of learning or testing.

Below is an overview of the challenge types currently supported.

1. Text-Based Challenge

What it is:
 A straightforward challenge where the participant reads a description and submits a flag as the answer — no files or machines involved.

Best for:

• Trivia-style questions

• OSINT challenges

• Cryptography puzzles

• Logic or riddle-based tasks
  
  

Example Scenario:

“Decrypt the following message using Caesar Cipher with a shift of 3 to find the flag.”

What your user will receive:

• Problem description

• Expected Flag format 

2. Downloadable File Challenge

What it is:
 A challenge that includes one downloadable file. Participants are expected to analyze the files locally to discover the hidden flag (If you’d like to upload more than one file you can upload them in .zip compressed format).

Best for:

• Reverse engineering

• Forensics

• Steganography

• Malware analysis
  
  

Example Scenario:

“Analyze the provided PCAP file and identify the password sent over HTTP.”

Supported file types may include:

• .zip, .tar.gz

• .pcap, .exe, .pdf, .jpg, .docx, etc.
  
  

What your user will receive:

• Challenge Description

• Uploaded file(s)

• Expected Flag format 
  
  

3. Docker containers challenges

What it is: A live, isolated Docker container that exposes a single HTTP port and participants can interact with via their web browser. They're designed for web application security testing within containerized environments.

Best for:

• Web application vulnerabilities

  • XSS (Cross Site Scripting)

  • SQL injection

  • Authentication bypass

  • File upload exploits

  • Web-based privilege escalation

  • HTTP service exploitation
    
    

Example Scenario: "A vulnerable web application is running inside this Docker container and exposed via HTTP. Can you exploit the web application to gain access and retrieve the flag from the  system?"

What your user will receive:

• Challenge Description

• HTTP URL to access the web application

• Expected Flag format (e.g., flag{web_exploitation_success})

4. Combined Challenge

What it is: A multi-component challenge that combines a live hosted Virtual Machine with downloadable files, creating interconnected scenarios that require both hands-on system interaction and offline analysis. This hybrid approach enables complex, realistic cybersecurity workflows.

Best for:

• Multi-stage attack scenarios requiring both exploitation and analysis

• Digital forensics investigations with live system access

• Network security assessments combining traffic analysis with system compromise

• Incident response simulations requiring evidence collection and analysis

• Advanced persistent threat (APT) simulation exercises

• Security operations center (SOC) training scenarios

Example Scenario: "A compromised web server is still running and contains evidence of an ongoing attack. Access the live system to collect forensic artifacts, then download and analyze the network capture files to reconstruct the attack timeline and identify the data exfiltration method used by the attacker."

What your user will receive:

• Comprehensive challenge description linking both components

• Live instance connection details (IP address, access methods)

• Downloadable evidence files (PCAPs, disk images, log files, memory dumps)

• Clear instructions on how the components relate to each other

• Expected flag format and location

• Suggested analysis tools or methodologies

• Timeline or sequence requirements (if components must be completed in order)