u/zcliffe

Hi r/HowToHack. We have just launched Hacktivity Games. You can walk up to a PC in-game and find yourself on a Kali desktop. It's not a scripted terminal simulation (unlike literally every other hacking game) — it's a real virtual machine, running on the same infrastructure as our cybersecurity training labs.

The game is SAFETYNET Holding Back the ENTROPY — a spy-thriller cybersecurity escape room. You play as an operative for SAFETYNET, a counter-intelligence agency, running ops against their rival organisation ENTROPY. Pick locks, decode messages, talk your way past NPCs through branching dialogue — then drop into a live Linux VM for the actual hacking.

A beginner-friendly way to learn HowToHack — Mission 1 introduces the tools and techniques as you go, with in-character hints from your handler if you get stuck. The series gets progressively more challenging as it unfolds.

The game is built on Break Escape, our open source engine (github.com/cliffe/breakescape) — happy to dig into the technical side if anyone's interested.

Full disclosure: I'm a cyber security academic and lead developer of Hacktivity, the platform that the game runs on.

Mission 1 is free — sign up at hacktivity.co.uk, no subscription needed.

Happy hacking!

It's not a traditional CTF. There's no scoreboard, no time limit. But there are flags.

We just launched Hacktivity Games, with SAFETYNET Holding Back the ENTROPY, a spy-thriller cyber security escape room built on real VMs. You play an undercover operative for SAFETYNET, countering a criminal organisation called ENTROPY.

Unlike any other hacking game out there, the hacking is real, on live VMs — you can walk up to a PC in the game, and find yourself on a Kali desktop. The CTF-style flags are there — but you'll need to interact with the game world to find the clues to complete each challenge. Flags advance the plot rather than just score you points.

NPCs, branching narrative, and the decisions you make shape how the mission closes. Physical puzzles, lockpicking, RFID cloning, branching NPC dialogue, and a story that reacts to what you do — all gating the technical challenges.

Beginner-friendly entry point, but the series gets progressively more challenging as it unfolds. In-character hints from your handler if you get stuck, but if you are experienced with CTFs you can ignore them and figure it out yourself.

Built on the same infrastructure as Hacktivity, our hands-on cyber security labs platform.

Full disclosure: I'm a cybersecurity academic and the lead developer of Hacktivity (hacktivity.co.uk), a cybersecurity training platform.

More than happy to discuss and answer any questions if you are curious about anything!

Mission 1 is free — sign up and play today.

https://hacktivity.co.uk

Happy hacking!