A global community of hackers battle it out for a top spot in Season 10: Underground

Happy New Year to our global community of dedicated hackers! What a spin around the sun that was! 

We are all coming back from holidays and events with new ambitions. Every January feels like a fresh slate, a new day to set the path for our destinies. 

That being said, IT IS TIME FOR A NEW SEASON! Not just any Season, this marks the 10th competition we have hosted on HTB Labs.

This Season’s theme is Underground. And it is all about you. The first Machine in this Season will be dropping on January 31st until the last Machine on April 25th. 

Thousands of hackers have found new communities, slammed their heads against their desks trying to break past a new Machine difficulty, and have grown while finding their spot on our global leader board. 

With all of you around the world, we have built one of the sickest underground communities out there.

What are Seasons? 

For the uninitiated, this might be your first time joining us for Seasons. So, here’s a quick skinny about what it is: 

Each Season brings 13 weeks of brand-new Seasonal Machines, ranging in difficulty from Easy to Insane. Every week, a fresh challenge drops, giving you the chance to sharpen your skills, climb the leaderboard, and claim some awesome prizes along the way.

For those who have been with us, we have a couple of changes. 

Important update!

Dedispawn for all

Yes, all users will now get their own dedicated instance when hacking our Machines. This is huge for free users who are looking to hunt for first bloods! 

This was a move to not only help us scale our backend to produce content quicker, but also give everyone the optimal experience while challenging our Machines. 

Those who like to hit new and Seasonal Machines need to know this:

Starting now, free and VIP users will need to use Release Arena if they want to use new content. If you’re looking for more information about this, we have written a blog about the change. 

Additionally, if you’re looking for information on how to use Release Arena, look at the last section of this blog for a walkthrough. 

Season 9 Recap 

We love to see new users join the fold! Welcome Adem! You came, you saw, and you conquered on your first Season. Climbing all the way up to a Holo rank, no less.

Season 9 had the largest number of flags owned out of any Season. You all cooked these Machines. 

Let’s give a shoutout to those who led the charge this time around.

Season 9 winners

NLTE has grabbed the number 1 spot once again! This is their 4th time claiming a Season championship. 

We have a new face on the top 3 leaderboard! Not new to Seasons by any means, but they made a significant push to place second this time around. Congrats, ahos6, for getting second place!

Taking up the mantle of third is a familiar face on the top 3 leaderboard. We love to see the dedication I1nvx, and we know you’ll be a champ one day soon!

Season 10 prizes have been updated

Tips for Season success

If you're new to competing in Seasons, welcome aboard. Here are some quick tips to help you get started and succeed

Check out ITaV and Learn with HTB

Fantastic resources to strengthen your skills and understanding of HTB! It Takes a Village to Learn (ITaV) is where we all come together to tackle problems live! 

If you’re new or a pro, you’ll find something to learn here. Garr is a professional, and Jexx is our resident beginner. Together, they make learning clear from both perspectives!

But!

If you’re interested in self-study, be sure to check out Learn with HTB to get foundational knowledge on a variety of security topics. 

Join Gio for our defensive security lessons

And join Pink Draconian for our offensive takes

Building your team

We have a new Seasons section on Discord! In the announcements channel, you’ll find Machine releases, Seasonal coverage, Season-related surveys, and more to come.

Join our Discord

Most importantly, our find-a-team forum has been taking off! People have been centering teams around:

• Geography

• Interests

• Experience levels

• HTB goals 

If you’re looking to create a space for new teammates or want to join an established team, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Discord. 

Release Arena 

Are you free-to-play users looking to gain an edge? Switch over to our Release Arena.

For those unfamiliar, Release Arena operates on a dedicated VPN, allowing users to engage with machines in an isolated, performance-efficient environment. 

You can make the switch by toggling to Release Arena in your VPN settings. 

Remember, access is live from Saturday to Wednesday and has limited pre-spawned machines. Be sure to make the switch and try it for yourself!

Head over to Season 10 now