HackTheBox Journey - Top 900 Strategies
Strategies and approaches that helped achieve Top 900 ranking on HackTheBox.
HackTheBox Experience
Achieving Top 900 ranking on HackTheBox required consistent practice and a systematic approach to machine exploitation.
Approach
Reconnaissance
Detailed scanning and enumeration of target machines using nmap, gobuster, and custom scripts.
Web Application Testing
Focus on OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, particularly injection attacks, authentication bypasses, and server-side request forgery.
Privilege Escalation
Linux and Windows privilege escalation techniques including kernel exploits, misconfigurations, and service abuse.
Lessons Learned
- Patience is key - some machines take hours of enumeration
- Always check for custom applications and unusual services
- Kernel exploits should be a last resort
- Documentation and note-taking are essential skills