Welcome, brave digital explorer! This is HackNet HTB retold that teaches you why each step works, including every single command and code snippet. Think of it as a sitcom with a side of hacking.
Difficulty: beginner → intermediate (web app logic, template injection, cache shenanigans, GPG magic)
Prologue: The Release Day Madness
I fired up HackNet the moment it was released. Absolute chaos! Even the top 10 players were scratching their heads. Someone in the community cracked a joke:
"Ok, then the problem is not the machine, but that we have to guess and mind-read what you want in your writeup."
And honestly… yep. That’s exactly how this adventure started. Spoiler: files vanish if you peek at them too early — spooky.
Act 1 — Setup: Put on your Explorer Hat
# Connect to HTB VPN
sudo openvpn starting_point_[username].ovpn
# Add the target to hosts file
echo "10.10.11.x hacknet.htb" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts
# Create a workspace for HackNet
mkdir -p ~/hacknet_htb && cd ~/hacknet_htb
# Perform network scanning with default scripts, version detection, and OS fingerprinting
nmap -sC -sV -A hacknet.htb -oN nmap_hacknet.txt
Learning point: nmap shows open ports and services. HTTP + SSH are the main doors into the system.
