Two years after its founding, Hack The Box's platform already has 120,000 members and is growing rapidly to become the largest hacker community in the world
ATHENS, GREECE & KENT, UNITED KINGDOM – April 2, 2019 – The volume of data being produced, stored and consumed is increasing exponentially. However, at the same rate, data breaches are also increasing. The number of jobs in the cybersecurity sector is also growing accordingly.
For example, in the US, for every two jobs in the industry, there is another one that remains vacant[1], while the total number of job openings worldwide has exceeded three million[2]. But how can three million people be trained in cybersecurity?
By its very nature, hacking is more of an art than a science. Skills are acquired primarily through hands-on experience, rather than a degree. A number of certifications have emerged to fill the gap in the market, but the options available to someone who wants to become a hacker remain limited.
Founder Haris Pylarinos, after years of experience and teaching in the field, realized that the best way to learn hacking is not through available educational materials, but by hacking digital systems in practice. Thus, he built a platform for simulating computer systems, adding elements that would make the experience more like a game. The team was soon joined by co-founders James Hooker, an experienced engineer with a passion for cybersecurity, and Aris Zikopoulos, with an extensive background in commercial roles in the field.
Hack The Box offers “labs” of computer simulations for hacking (pen-test labs). Every week, HTB launches a new lab. Those users who manage to hack it get points and move up the rankings. The latter is now considered a certificate of excellence.
Today, HTB is two years old and already has 120,000 members from all over the world. It is worth noting that there is no registration form on the platform – each user must hack it to become a member. The platform offers challenges and workshops with graded difficulty – some are aimed at beginners, while others require hours or even days to solve, by some of the most skilled hackers in the world.
HTB offers free access to its 20 most recent workshops, which count towards the rankings. Access to older workshops requires a VIP account, which costs €12/month. The number of workshops available has exceeded 100. A large number of companies such as Jet.com and Ernst & Young are also active on the platform, creating their own workshops or posting job openings for those who have proven their skills through it.
Hack The Box Ltd. today announces the completion of a €1.2 million funding round from Marathon Venture Capital . The investment will be used to further develop the platform, as well as meet growing demand. “Hacking is a new sport,” says Haris Pylarinos, founder and CEO. “We cater to those who want to test and develop their skills in the field of cybersecurity, and we are excited to welcome more and more members to our community every day.”
About HackTheBoxLtd.:HackTheBox , it has 120,000 members and dozens of corporate customers, rapidly growing to become the largest hacking community in the world.
About Marathon Venture Capital: Marathon Venture Capital supports ambitious entrepreneurs in creating world-class technology companies.
[1] Source: https://www.cyberseek.org/heatmap.html
2 Source: https://www.isc2.org/-/media/7CC1598DE430469195F81017658B15D0.ashx
