Responder — Very Easy Windows machine walkthrough cover

Responder — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

A deceptively instructive box that chains LFI with NTLM hash theft — Responder shows how a single vulnerable parameter on a Windows web server can hand you administrator credentials.

February 1, 2026 · 5 min · Logan Dawson
Three — Starting Point Linux machine walkthrough cover

Three — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

A misconfigured S3-compatible bucket with an open write policy turns a static band website into a remote code execution opportunity. Here’s how subdomain enumeration and a single AWS CLI command led to a shell.

February 1, 2026 · 5 min · Logan Dawson
Oopsie — HackTheBox Linux machine walkthrough cover

Oopsie — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Oopsie chains credential reuse, a cookie-based IDOR, and a file upload to land a shell — then a SUID binary with an unsafe PATH gets us root. A masterclass in chained misconfigurations.

January 31, 2026 · 7 min · Logan Dawson
Unified — Very Easy Linux machine walkthrough cover

Unified — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Unified is a Very Easy Linux box that weaponizes the infamous Log4Shell vulnerability against an unpatched UniFi Network controller, then chains unauthenticated MongoDB access to go from nobody to root.

January 31, 2026 · 5 min · Logan Dawson
Vaccine — Very Easy Linux machine walkthrough cover

Vaccine — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Vaccine chains together anonymous FTP access, zip cracking, hardcoded credentials, and a PostgreSQL SQL injection into a full compromise — then escapes to root through a classic vi sudo misconfiguration.

January 31, 2026 · 5 min · Logan Dawson
Archetype — HackTheBox Windows machine walkthrough cover

Archetype — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Archetype shows how a single misconfigured SMB share cascades into full domain compromise — SSIS config files, xp_cmdshell, and PowerShell history all play a role.

January 30, 2026 · 6 min · Logan Dawson
Dancing — HackTheBox Windows machine walkthrough cover

Dancing — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Dancing is a beginner-friendly Windows box that teaches the fundamentals of SMB enumeration. A misconfigured file share with anonymous access is all you need to grab the flag.

January 30, 2026 · 4 min · Logan Dawson
Fawn — HackTheBox Unix machine walkthrough cover

Fawn — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Fawn is a beginner HackTheBox machine that demonstrates one of the most common real-world misconfigurations: anonymous FTP access left enabled with sensitive files sitting in the root directory.

January 30, 2026 · 4 min · Logan Dawson
Meow — Easy Linux machine walkthrough cover

Meow — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Meow is HTB’s gentlest introduction to penetration testing — a single open Telnet port, no password on the root account, and an immediate lesson in why legacy services are dangerous.

January 30, 2026 · 4 min · Logan Dawson
Redeemer — HackTheBox Linux machine walkthrough cover

Redeemer — HackTheBox Starting Point Walkthrough

Redeemer proves that sometimes the simplest misconfigurations are the most dangerous — an open Redis instance with no password stands between you and the flag.

January 30, 2026 · 4 min · Logan Dawson