Practice Platforms

Reading theory won’t make you a better security professional
Breaking things will

These platforms give you legal , safe environments to develop skills without getting sued or arrested

Hack The Box

The gold standard for offensive security labs

What it offers:

• Active machines - regular releases , weekly reset
• Retired machines - huge library with writeups
• Pro Labs - enterprise network simulations
• Fortress - long-form challenge chains
• Academy - structured learning (paid)

# Getting started on HTB
# 1. Connect via VPN (download .ovpn from your profile)
sudo openvpn htb-eu-free.ovpn

# 2. Verify connection
ping 10.10.10.1

# 3. Start with easy Linux machines first
# Lame , Devel , Beep - classic starters

HTB tips:

• Start with easy Linux boxes , not Windows
• Read IppSec’s walkthroughs AFTER you’ve spent real time trying
• The forums have spoiler tags - use them responsibly
• Don’t ask for flags in Discord - you’ll get roasted

TryHackMe

More structured , more beginner-friendly than HTB

Key rooms for beginners:

• Linux Fundamentals - if you need terminal practice
• Web Hacking Fundamentals - web recon to exploitation
• OWASP Top 10 - the most common vulns , hands-on
• Advent of Cyber - annual event , great for newbies
• Pre-Security Path - the absolute basics

THB tips:

• The learning paths are well-structured - follow them in order
• Rooms are available without subscription (limited)
• Subscribe for a month , crush everything , then cancel

CTF Platforms

Capture The Flag competitions - timed hacking challenges

CTFtime

The calendar for all CTF competitions worldwide

# Bookmark this - it's your CTF schedule
# https://ctftime.org/

PicoCTF

Best beginner CTF , run by Carnegie Mellon

• Educational challenges with hints
• Categories: web , crypto , binary , forensics
• Runs yearly , challenges stay up after the event

OverTheWire

Wargames - SSH-based challenges that teach specific skills

# Bandit - Linux command line basics (start here)
ssh bandit0@bandit.labs.overthewire.org -p 2220
# Password: bandit0

Bug Bounty Platforms

HackerOne - biggest platform , diverse programs , good for beginners Bugcrowd - structured submissions , public and private programs Intigriti - EU-focused , good for European residents YesWeHack - French platform , growing rapidly Open Bug Bounty - no monetary rewards , good for building a report portfolio

# Finding beginner-friendly programs:
# - Filter by "VDP" (Vulnerability Disclosure Program) - no pay but good practice
# - Filter by "low" or "medium" severity scope
# - Look for programs with "informational" severity accepted
# - Avoid programs that require extensive setup for low payouts

Lab Builders

If you want to practice at home without subscriptions:

# VulnHub - vulnerable VM downloads (older but free)
wget https://download.vulnhub.com/dc/dc-1.zip

# Metasploitable 2 - intentionally vulnerable Linux VM
wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/metasploitable/files/Metasploitable2/

# DVWA - damn vulnerable web app
git clone https://github.com/digininja/DVWA.git

Platform Comparison

The Golden Rule

One platform , three months , consistent daily practice
You’ll learn more that way than jumping between 5 platforms in a month

Master one environment before expanding
A jack of all platforms is master of none

Posted 2026-06-05 · Updated 2026-09-06