Block out your calendar and stock up on instant ramen, because the FLARE-On 12 challenge is launching soon. This is the FLARE team’s CTF-style game for reverse engineers, aspiring reverse engineers, and anyone who likes to solve fun challenges for a meager amount of internet fame. This challenge will have 9 stages of increasingly difficult challenges for single players to solve in sequence. If you solve all stages, you may be eligible to receive a prize and have your name or handle etched into the fabled FLARE-On hall of fame for all to bask in the glory of your accomplishment. The contest starts at 8:00pm ET on Sept. 26th, 2025 and ends at 8:00pm ET on Oct. 24th, 2025. A live countdown timer is running at flare-on.com. Also check out the FLARE-On website for previous year’s challenges and official solutions to hone your skills at your leisure.

As always, the FLARE-On contest covers a variety of architectures and file formats, with Windows binaries representing the largest share. This year features challenges that also test your skills with PDF, Web3, VisualBasic, and Python. Many of these challenges are formulated to mimic challenges the FLARE team has encountered in the trenches of malware analysis, combating the most sophisticated threats encountered by Mandiant and Google Cloud Security.

Early registration will begin approximately two days before the event begins, please check the flare-on.com website, where a registration link will be provided alongside the countdown clock when it opens. Official news and information will also be posted using the hashtag #flareon12 on X: The Everything App, formerly known as Twitter.