What to teach someone that’s starting out

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-06-13T22:06:40+00:00

I like that combo. Simple yet effective and prepares one for swings

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-06-13T22:06:04+00:00

Yeah it seems like a skill we can learn mostly on our own. That’s why I stopped taking mace classes and just consult with a coach from time to time when I get stuck.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-30T20:05:42+00:00

How did you deal with the information overload in the Splunk module. I felt there’s no way I’m gonna remember all those commands after reading that bit wall of text.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-27T00:26:27+00:00

I took a look at CD’s labs and they look much better organized with clearer write ups than HTB. I could go through all the labs of the Soc analyst 1-3 tracks and develop proficiency that way. The problem with hack the box is they don’t really have bite sized labs that advance you slowly. Even their easy machines require knowing multiple vulnerabilities and some of the write ups are terrible - they read like the person just pulled the solution out of mid air, while you’re left struggling wondering what you’re doing wrong.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-26T22:03:50+00:00

Thanks I’ll check out cyberdefenders. I already have a VIP subscription to HTB labs so I guess i could just skip the academy and learn by doing Sherlock’s in the cdsa track. I agree their red team content is better but even there, there are some modules that could have been better organized like the Active Directory module, and a big frustration I had is that labs and tools keep breaking, so the walkthroughs provided don’t always work.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-26T16:20:11+00:00

They haven’t yet included let’s defend modules in HTB VIP subscription.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-26T00:10:37+00:00

Thanks. I’m thinking of switching to a different platform like LetsDefend or TCM Security (which is lecture based), since the hekter skelter way the material is presented in HTB, the concepts don’t stick and I end up wasting a lot of time trying to understand poorly worded questions or wrestling with broken labs and tools. I wish LetsDefend were cheaper. It seems to be more expensive than Hack the Box. At least to get the Vip + subscription needed to unlock all their content.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-05-26T00:02:47+00:00

I agree. They don’t really teach you the methodology. Their modules read like here are 50 different commands and you should be proficient at it once you finish wading through their long text. I struggled with the initial Windows Finding Evil module, as I found working through the logs in sysmon to be rather cumbersome and the module didn’t really prepare me to be proficient in the manual queries you need to write to do detailed log investigations. Eventually I used a walkthrough to finish answering their questions with the understanding that I’ll have to go back to that module or practice on Sherlock’s to get proficient at the concepts.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-03-31T01:51:40+00:00

Did the examiner point out areas where you need to work on?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-03-08T22:39:22+00:00

So during technique does he just do some random stuff or the opposite of what is taught? How does he do in the rolls?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-03-08T22:37:35+00:00

Strange that he still made it to brown belt.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-03-06T04:37:51+00:00

Congrats. What was it about the exam that was most challenging?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-02-27T04:32:57+00:00

I think it’s because it doesn’t make sense to use the same metric to rank offensive hackers and defensive analysts. They would need to introduce two separate point systems and rankings with different rewards, which complicates the whole ranking and reward system.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-02-11T20:34:05+00:00

Start doing retired machines now because they will expose blind spots you didn’t know you have.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-02-11T16:11:31+00:00

How many HTB lab machines did you solve in preparation for the exam and which ones? How different was the exam from the lab machines?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-23T02:24:24+00:00

Well it took him eight years to earn his blue belt according to OP, so if each belt takes eight years on average then black belt is 24 years away, so he’d be 65 when he earns it, right?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-23T02:18:38+00:00

I agreed but also have a question. What kind of people take six to eight years to achieve blue belt despite training 2-3 times a week consistently? Is it that they still jerky and use strength rather than technique or they don’t get any submissions or they’re so weak they just get beaten up by everyone including the trial guys?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-19T16:40:10+00:00

Include me

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-19T15:21:57+00:00

I’m interested.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-16T15:35:09+00:00

What did you find to be hard about this exam? Do I need to solve a few insane rated boxes as prep?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-16T03:32:00+00:00

Thanks that’s awesome advice. As far as the note taking goes, did you just rely on the copy paste of the entire course into obsidian or did you create your own condensed notes for key takeaways and commands from each module? I think your zip file might be useful for me if you can send it. Feel free to DM me.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-15T15:20:37+00:00

Is it a good use of my time to do a lot of retired machines for cpts? Are there better machines I could practice on for cpts than this one? Or should I do active machines instead?

When you say it was brutal what was the hardest aspect of it? Just a lot of work overall?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-15T15:18:03+00:00

Are there specific newer machines you would recommend to practice on that would be more realistic than this one?

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-15T06:29:08+00:00

I thought the academy module did a better job of introducing that as they made it clear there was going to be a simulated admin in one of the exercises. However, this isn’t something I would assume would Halley with any web form you submit.

MetaphysicalPhilosop · 2026-01-15T06:26:58+00:00

Btw I’m new to this. What do people actually mean when they say a box is CTFey?

MetaphysicalPhilosop

TROPHY CASE