Join Our #BetheResource – Torches Challenge 2023

We had such a positive response to our first #BeTheResource challenge last year so we decided to bring it back again. However, this year, we have a new theme. Specifically, we want to introduce the idea of becoming a torch.

Torches are used to illuminate a path once covered in darkness; where you were once stumbling without light, you now have the clarity of sight. But what does this have to do with us?

We are all ultimately traveling the same path throughout our lives. Some of us start at different points and may even encounter different hurdles along the way. These challenges tend to cover our path in darkness which impacts our ability to move forward with confidence.

While some find the strength to keep going on their own, others might become lost behind you and may need a helping hand. 

This is the point where I want you to stop for a moment as we have an important choice to make as a community.

We can choose to keep moving forward on our own, leaving others who are struggling behind, or we can decide to help them move forward, imparting lessons learned from our own experiences. 

Keep in mind that cybersecurity is, in essence, a collaborative team effort. In addition to this, it’s a field that continues to grow in complexity and is a never-ending source of professional development. It’s unrealistic to think that this can be a one-person show and asking for help is more than acceptable but is often the hardest thing for us to do.

Once you start to hit that point in this field where you feel like you’ve become lost with no way out, it can have long-standing impacts on your mental health. This is not something that you have to deal with alone and we often forget that we have a community filled with helpful resources.

If you are someone who is willing to help others who are lost, whether it be through technical guidance, professional development, mental health coaching, or even just to be an ear for someone to talk to, then here is what I want you to do.

Head over to the Offensive Security Discord, find the #fitness-mental-health channel and enter the thread called ‘Be The Resource’. Within this thread, make a post with the torch emoji that includes a description of how you are willing to help guide others. Everyone that makes a submission will be added to a ‘Torch Bearer’ role on the server to illuminate your willingness to help others in need. 

I want to see our server filled with light from our Torch Bearers to show our entire community that they are surrounded by people who care and that while we work together we will never be shrouded in darkness. 

This challenge starts on June 20th and ends on June 27th. Once the event ends, we will randomly select two people who have participated to each win a PEN-300 course voucher as our way to say thank you for being a beacon of light for those in need.

Together, we will illuminate the world and make it a brighter and better place. This is just another way we can all become the resource we wish we always had.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tristram is one of our OffSec Community Moderators and an avid blue team leader within the healthcare industry. While most students come to Offensive Security looking to sharpen their skills as penetration testers, Tristram leverages these same teachings in order to identify gaps and validate existing controls to be a more efficient blue teamer. You can find more resources from Tristram on GitHub or by reaching out to him on Discord or Twitter (@JDTristram).