Introduction#
The 10th season of HackTheBox (HTB) competitive CTF begins on January 31, 2026. Success in HTB Seasons requires a blend of technical proficiency, operational speed, and a disciplined approach to documentation and time management. Below is a collection of information, tricks, and tips designed to facilitate your competition in Season 10 and improve your lab-solving efficiency.
HTB Season Rules#
Seasons follow a specific set of rules . Key highlights include:
- Season Week: Each season lasts 13 weeks. A seasonal machine only counts toward the ranking during the first seven days after its release (Saturday 19:00 UTC to the following Saturday 15:00 UTC). Solving it later grants points for the classic Hall of Fame, but not the season leaderboard.
- Points: Depending on the difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane), flags are worth 20 to 55 points. Additionally, the first person to submit a flag earns “First Blood,” worth an extra 5 to 7 points.
- Tiers: There are 5 tiers based on the number of flags submitted: Bronze (1), Silver (4), Ruby (11), Platinum (17), and Holo (24).
- Rewards: Higher tiers grant bonuses including $15–$40 discount codes for HTB Labs, 100–250 Cubes for HTB Academy, and 20%–50% discounts at the HTB Swag store. Top 25 players receive extra perks, and the top 5 players earn seasonal medals.
Technical Tips#
Scanning Strategy#
To save time without missing critical data, use a phased approach:
- Fast Scan: Top 1000 TCP ports
nmap -F $IP
- Full Scan: All 65,535 TCP ports
nmap -p- $IP
- Detailed Scan: Specific open ports
nmap -p 80,8080 -sV -sC $IP
- Targeted UDP Scan: Common services (DNS, SNMP, TFTP)
nmap -sU -sV --top-ports 20 $IP
Live Preview#
Use the -v (verbose) flag to see open ports immediately as they are discovered. This allows you to start manual enumeration before the full scan finishes.
Faster Nmap#
Nmap can be significantly faster with flags that limit wait times and increase packet intensity:
- –min-rate: Forcing a minimum rate (e.g., 1000 packets/sec) can finish a full port scan in seconds rather than minutes.
- –max-retries: On a CTF network, if a port doesn’t respond the first time, it is likely closed. Use –max-retries 1 (or 0 with a perfect connection).
- -Pn and -n: -Pn skips host discovery (since we know the host is up), and -n skips DNS resolution to save time.
- -T1-5: Increases timing aggressiveness to reduce delays between probes.
VHost Discovery#
Missing a subdomain (e.g., dev.target.htb) is a common reason for getting stuck. Use ffuf for discovery:
ffuf -u http://$ip -H "Host: FUZZ.domain.htb" -w /usr/share/wordlists/seclists/Discovery/DNS/subdomains-top1million-20000.txt -mc 200,301
Simple Payloads#
If a complex reverse shell fails, revert to simple verification commands like ping, sleep, or echo. This helps determine if the issue is a firewall, antivirus, or syntax error.
Avoid the “Broken Machine Trap”#
On shared servers, other players may break the machine’s state. If a proven exploit fails, reset the machine to ensure a clean environment.
Version Precision#
Success often depends on matching an exploit to the exact software version. If a specific exploit doesn’t exist, try adapting versions from slightly newer or older releases.
The 2-Hour Rule#
If you haven’t gained a shell within two hours, stop and take a break. Pivot to a different port or service to avoid falling into “rabbit holes”.
Effective Notes#
Use templates that include a service summary, credential list, chronological exploitation log, and evidence screenshots. Trivial data early on may be key to a later exploit chain.
htb-cli#
A terminal tool for faster flag submission and machine management. Installation page can be found here
htb-cli start -m MachineName
htb-cli stop
htb-cli reset
#Flag submit
htb-cli submit -m MachineName
#getflag command will make an SSH connection to a remote server and try to locate the user.txt file in the home directories. If the file is found, the flag is submitted directly via the HackTheBox API
htb-cli getflag -u user -p 'Password1!' --host 10.10.11.180 -P 22 --batch
Payload Generators#
Use tools like reverse-shell-generator to speed up the exploitation process instead of writing everything from scratch.
“Beyond Root” Analysis#
After getting root, analyze the machine for unintended paths. This is the best way to understand how creators hide vulnerabilities and how defense mechanisms work. I especially recommend the blog of 0xdf .
Join community#
Join the “find-a-team” forum on the HTB Discord to find a group with similar goals. Collaboration allows for knowledge exchange across different domains like Web, AD, and Cloud.
Strategic Use of Write-ups#
Watch IppSec videos and read write-ups after solving a machine to compare your process. If you are stuck, read only as much as you need to move to the next step.
Scanning Automation#
Experienced players often utilize personal scripts to automate the scanning process. These scripts run optimized Nmap commands in the background, allowing the player to focus on analyzing initial results as they appear rather than waiting for the entire process to conclude.
Conclusion#
Success in HTB Seasons is as much about your methodology as it is about your technical skill. By leveraging optimized scanning techniques, maintaining disciplined time management, and utilizing automation tools, you can significantly reduce friction during the exploitation process.
Remember that the 13-week season is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on effective note-taking and “Beyond Root” analysis to ensure that every machine solved contributes to your long-term growth as a security professional. Whether you are aiming for the Holo tier or simply looking to sharpen your skills, staying adaptable and avoiding “rabbit holes” will be your greatest assets on the leaderboard.
Good luck to everyone competing in the 10th-anniversary season—see you on the scoreboard!