Carnegie Mellon’s Plaid Parliament of Pwning Extends Reign with Record Ninth DEF CON CTF Victory

Carnegie Mellon University’s Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP) has cemented its place as the most dominant team in DEF CON’s Capture-the-Flag (CTF) history, winning its fourth consecutive title and ninth overall in the past 13 years. This year, PPP joined forces with CMU alumnus and University of British Columbia professor Robert Xiao’s team, Maple Bacon, and members of CMU alum startup Theori.io (The Duck), competing together as Maple Mallard Magistrates (MMM). Over three intense days in Las Vegas, the DEF CON CTF Finals once again lived up to their reputation as the “Olympics of hacking,” drawing 12 elite teams from a field of more than 2,300 qualifiers to engage in a high-stakes battle of attack and defense.

The format demanded teams infiltrate opponents’ systems to capture virtual flags while defending their own under relentless pressure. Carnegie Mellon’s coalition took an early lead but saw their advantage challenged during the LiveCTF portion of the event, which briefly tightened the leaderboard race. In the final hours on Sunday, MMM surged ahead, locking in the win and earning eight coveted black badges, the conference’s highest honor in hacking excellence. Team members credited their years of camaraderie, trust, and communication as decisive factors in their success, noting that such cohesion is essential in a competition where both technical skill and rapid coordination determine the outcome.

Founded in 2009, PPP has been a fixture at DEF CON since 2010, compiling an unparalleled record that includes previous championships in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, along with multiple second-place finishes. Beyond DEF CON, the team dominates other elite contests, including four consecutive wins at the MITRE embedded Capture-the-Flag (eCTF) event. Members also give back to the cybersecurity community through their work on picoCTF, Carnegie Mellon’s annual online hacking competition aimed at middle school, high school, and now undergraduate participants, helping to cultivate the next generation of cybersecurity talent. For PPP, the latest win not only reinforces their supremacy in competitive hacking but also showcases the enduring power of collaboration between students, alumni, and professional security researchers at the very highest level of the sport.