HackTech
:: YOUR SOURCE FOR CYBER INTELLIGENCE ::
Structured Learning Tracks
Everything from awesome-hacking’s curriculum is indexed here—start with fundamentals, branch into reverse engineering, and keep expanding with hands-on practice environments. Pair these with the Analyst Chat to craft a personalized study plan.
System Tutorials
Roppers Computing Fundamentals
Self-paced curriculum covering computing and networking basics from zero experience to confident security learner. Full GitBook available for reference.
Corelan Exploit Writing Tutorials
Legendary series that teaches stack-based exploitation, SEH bypasses, and payload development in meticulous detail.
Exploit Writing Tutorials for Pentesters
Archived walk-throughs focused on exploit building techniques tailored to penetration testers.
Understanding Linux Binary Exploitation
GitHub curriculum introducing ELF internals, shellcoding, and exploitation patterns on Linux.
Video playlist exploring interactive shells, payload delivery, and command execution techniques.
MIT course that fills in command-line, shell, and tooling fundamentals crucial to efficient security work.
Reverse Engineering Tutorials
Guided reverse engineering tutorial series with practical labs for budding analysts.
Comprehensive blog-based curriculum focusing on malware reversing methodologies.
Workshop that combines lecture and labs to teach foundational reversing skills.
Classic video series delivering progressive Windows cracking and reversing challenges.
Practice Arenas & Wargames
System Challenges
Tackle progressively harder exploitation problems with a focus on binary mastery.
Low-level Linux challenges emphasizing network programming and exploitation.
Explore exploitation of binaries with network interaction and creative payloads.
Collection of system-level exploitation problems curated for aspiring pwners.
Virtual machine of Linux privilege escalation scenarios with guided write-ups.
Community-driven wargames covering stack smashing and other exploitation tactics.
Multi-disciplinary lab covering system, web, and crypto challenges with scoring.
Reverse Engineering Wargames
Challenge ladder that sharpens code reversing and crackme solving.
Korean-language reversing problems exploring anti-debugging and packing.
Additional Korean reversing missions ideal for cross-language practice.
Historic archive of crackme binaries organized by difficulty.
Web & Full-Stack Practice
Classic legal training ground with missions covering web, app, and programming puzzles.
Ever-expanding lab of Windows and Linux targets spanning pentest specialties.
Korean challenge site focusing on web application exploitation skills.
Password riddles and hackits without logins—ideal for quick puzzles.
Austrian-hosted archive of CTF challenges ready for replay.
Deliberately vulnerable web app illustrating cross-site scripting and injection issues.
Index of online applications purposely built for security training.
Guided paths and virtual rooms covering web, cloud, and defensive tradecraft.
Cryptography Wargames
Incremental crypto wargame covering substitution ciphers, frequency analysis, and beyond.
Bug Bounty & Professional Opportunities
Knowledge Bases
EdOverflow’s curated collection of recon workflows, report templates, and bounty tips.
CTF Circuits & Reference Hubs
Competitions
Flagship capture-the-flag contest featuring offense, defense, and mixed rounds.
Academic-focused competition run by NYU Tandon with global qualifiers.
European event blending technical challenges with creative problem solving.
Plaid Parliament of Pwning’s competition known for elegant, tricky tasks.
Russian Jeopardy-style contest with wide-ranging exploitation categories.
Team-based CTF emphasizing binary exploitation and creative puzzles.
Positive Hack Days competition blending attack-defense and jeopardy rounds.
Korean security conference CTF with unique exploitation tasks.
Long-running competition with qualifiers and finals in Seoul.
CTF that prides itself on inventive, high-quality reverse engineering and crypto problems.
Irish security challenge with student and professional divisions.
Swiss-held contest culminating at the Insomni'hack conference.
Beginner-friendly competition created by Carnegie Mellon for students.
Series of XSS challenges crafted by the Google Security Team.
In addition to labs, HTB hosts seasonal CTFs and ranked competitions.
Reference Hubs & Media
Bot-powered feed aggregating the latest InfoSec and CTF content.
Global calendar, ratings, and write-ups for the entire CTF ecosystem.
Meta-ranking site linking challenges across dozens of hacking platforms.
Repository of past CTF tasks, binaries, and solutions.
Book focused on operating system reverse engineering and rootkit development.
Collection of quick-reference guides for common offensive tasks.
Curated film list to keep the hacker culture inspiration alive.
Roppers CTF Fundamentals Course
Free course that trains the mindset and skills required to excel in crypto, forensics, and more.
Security-Focused Operating Systems
Research Directories
Exhaustive list of security-oriented operating systems for labs and production.
CyberPunk: Best Linux PenTest Distros
Comparative overview of leading penetration-testing Linux distributions.
Searchable index of security-centric distributions with release tracking.
Always obtain written authorization before deploying offensive operating systems on production networks.