More than badges: What Hack The Box’s G2 Winter 2026 leadership says about real-world cyber skills

In cybersecurity, training only makes sense if it tangibly changes outcomes. Skills gaps cost money, time-to-readiness is critical, and theory alone doesn’t stand a chance against real-world threats. That is why recognition based on authentic customer experiences matters.

Hack The Box has clinched nine G2 Winter 2026 badges across cybersecurity professional development and technical skills development categories. What makes this particularly incredible news is that these badges are based entirely on verified customer reviews, not self-reported data or marketing submissions. Just real words from real customers.

These Winter 2026 badges are about more than recognition or validation; they reflect something more practical: consistent business impact across teams, regions, and organizational sizes. They show how organizations are using HTB to move security teams from “trained” to genuinely capable—even when faced with rapidly evolving, AI-backed threats.

Why G2 badges matter in the cybersecurity world

Cybersecurity upskilling and certification is not a soft investment. It directly affects incident response readiness, operational resilience, and an organization’s ability to adapt to emerging threats.

G2 badges are awarded based on real customer feedback, which makes them particularly relevant in a market crowded with aspirational claims. In this context, leadership signals reassurance. It shows in very real terms that customers find measurable value in faster onboarding, meaningful upskilling, and training that translates into on-the-job performance.

And for security leaders facing continued and growing pressure to prove ROI, G2 leadership helps answer a fundamental question: can I trust this platform to actually work in practice?

10s across the board: Proof that HTB delivers at every stage

HTB was recognized as a Leader and Momentum Leader in both Cybersecurity Professional Development and Technical Skills Development. These badges are awarded for consistent performance across learning stages, from foundational skills to advanced specialization.

Customers give HTB high ratings because we prioritize hands-on, scenario-driven learning over passive content. Skills are validated through labs, challenges, and assessments that require practical application rather than simple recall. Clear learning pathways support progression from fundamentals to advanced domains without fragmenting the experience.

The result? Faster, better onboarding for new hires, measurable upskilling for existing teams, and reduced reliance on theory-only training that fails to translate into operational capability.

“Hack The Box enhances my day-to-day workflow, supports long-term growth, and builds skills, especially in endpoint hardening and incident response. It provides invaluable, realistic hands-on experience with exercises that sharpen practical skills in a SaaS environment, including dedicated tools like Pwnbox, VPN packs, and official write-ups.” —Asad S., IT Engineer

Enterprise and mid-market leadership: Scaling skills without sacrificing depth

We also earned a few badges recognizing leadership across Enterprise and Mid-Market segments, including Leader Enterprise, Leader Mid-Market, and High Performer Mid-Market Leader in relevant skills development categories.

This recognition points to our platform’s ability to adapt to organizational complexity without diluting technical depth.

For enterprise organizations, HTB supports structured learning pathways, role-aligned skill development, scalable lab environments, and enablement across multiple teams and regions. This empowers larger organizations to map out standardized skill baselines while still supporting specialization, which we love to see. 

Mid-market teams also enjoy faster time-to-value, targeted skills development, and cost-efficient scaling. Rather than overbuilding programs, teams can focus directly on closing critical gaps that affect security posture.

“Learning often focuses on concepts, but these platforms [HTB CTF and Threat Range] provide realistic, hands-on environments to simulate real-world attacks and defenses. This helps me improve critical skills like threat detection, incident response, and vulnerability exploitation in a safe, controlled setting.” —Sathish V., Sr Security Specialist

Small business leadership: Real skills over simplified security

HTB was also named a Leader for Small Business Cybersecurity Professional Development and Technical Skills Development.

Smaller teams still face the same enterprise-grade threats as larger organizations—but often with far fewer resources. Here, HTB creates a space for immediate hands-on practice, broad skill coverage across offensive and defensive domains, and rapid impact without heavy operational overhead.

This approach helps even the leanest teams build resilience without adding headcount, while giving practitioners the confidence to handle real incidents rather than abstract simulations.

“It gives me a safe place to mess up, learn fast, and actually apply the stuff I’m studying. I get real-world style practice without risking breaking anything for real, and it builds confidence way quicker than just reading or watching videos.” —Jesse K., Observer Controller/Trainer

Cyber skills that translate globally

In addition to category leadership, HTB gained extensive regional recognition across EMEA, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, including Enterprise and Mid-Market regional leadership badges.

Regional badges matter because global organizations need consistent skill standards across geographies. HTB maps training to globally recognized frameworks while remaining locally relevant, enabling teams in different regions to train against the same threats and techniques.

This consistency reduces regional skill disparity, supports collaboration across borders, and helps organizations standardize security practices at scale.

“[HTB’s CTF platform] is not just theory—it simulates real-world attack and defense scenarios, which helps sharpen practical skills in a controlled environment. The gamified approach makes complex cybersecurity concepts engaging and fun, while fostering teamwork and problem-solving under pressure. Plus, the variety of challenges—from exploitation to threat detection—ensures continuous learning and adaptability, which is critical in today’s evolving threat landscape.” —Sathish V., Sr Security Specialist

“Users Love Us”: Engagement, the metric behind real outcomes

HTB is also particularly proud to have earned the “Users Love Us” badge, a signal that can matter even more than raw feature comparisons. While it’s a flattering badge in itself, its value lies in what it means for the cybersecurity community as a whole: 

1. High engagement leads to higher completion rates.

2. Higher completion leads to real skill acquisition. 

3. Real skills lead to stronger security posture.

For managers, this translates into sustained engagement and consistent participation rather than one-time logins. Upskilling becomes part of the day-to-day workflow rather than another compliance checkbox.

“I love the variety of different training modules available. I have experience with red team, blue team, and purple activities but I am constantly being challenged in the platform. I've recommended it to many different colleagues and heard similar things. It’s high quality, and the labs at the end of lessons cement the knowledge that I've learned. The boxes available for practice also provide an amazing opportunity to not let my skills atrophy. I love this product and can't recommend it enough.” —Erick M., Lead Cyber Operator

What’s next?

The G2 Winter 2026 badges recognize what HTB customers already experience day to day. Real-world cybersecurity skills are built through practice, validated through outcomes, and sustained through engagement.

For organizations with their eyes on risk reduction, closing skills gaps, and preparing teams for evolving threats, these badges are nothing short of evidence that the work is translating into capability where it really makes an impact.

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HTB continues to align training with the realities security teams face today, and the results are reflected directly in the voices of the people using the platform.