HackerDNA
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Every activity on HackerDNA contributes to your score. Choose your path and start earning.
Active as of November 6, 2025
We've updated our points system to follow a quadratic progression, making rewards more balanced and aligned with difficulty. These changes are live now. Take advantage of them to accelerate your climb!
Up from 1 pt: Challenges now reward significantly more! First blood increased to 2 pts per flag.
Up from 4 pts: Now aligned with the new progression system for better balance.
Up from 30 pts: Hard labs are now even more rewarding! First blood increased to 14 pts per flag.
Up from 1 pt: Sharing your knowledge is now 5× more valuable! This is now one of the new best ways to improve your ranking fast.
📝 Pro Tip: Submit writeups for your completed labs now: it's the new meta for improving your ranking fast!
Complete labs and find flags to earn points
Be the first to pwn new releases
Race against time! The first hacker to find each flag on a newly released lab earns a 40% bonus of the base flag value.
Share your solutions and earn points — Most users don't know about this!
Unlock a steady stream of points by documenting your lab solutions. After completing a lab, write a detailed walkthrough explaining your methodology, tools used, and key findings. When approved by our team, you'll earn points for every writeup!
Deepen your knowledge, earn points
Complete course chapters to build comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity concepts. Each chapter completion adds to your score!
Your ranking is determined by your total points. Updated hourly to reflect real-time progress.
Your global ranking is determined by your total points compared to all other users. The more you hack, the higher you climb. Rankings update every hour to reflect the latest standings.
As you accumulate points, you'll progress through skill ranks. Each rank uses a quadratic progression system—making higher ranks progressively harder and more prestigious to achieve.
Learn from top-ranked hackers and optimize your path to the leaderboard.
Build a daily practice routine. Regular engagement maintains your streak and keeps skills sharp. Even 30 minutes a day compounds over time.
Check Next Releases to know when new labs drop. Set reminders and be ready to race—first blood bonuses add up fast.
Document your solutions after completing labs. Teaching others reinforces your learning, builds your reputation, and earns you points!
Don't just hack labs—complete courses too. Understanding the theory behind attacks makes you a better hacker and earns steady points.
Master one difficulty level before moving up. Medium and Hard labs offer more points, but rushing them wastes time. Build systematically.
Challenges are fast solves with instant gratification. Perfect for maintaining momentum when you're short on time.
Every flag found, every challenge solved, every course completed brings you closer to the top. Start your journey today.
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