Want to break into ethical hacking?
Hack The Box (HTB) Academy is one of the best platforms to learn ethical hacking through hands-on, real-world labs. Whether you’re a complete beginner or leveling up your skills, HTB gives you structured paths to go from zero to hacker.
HTB offers guided educational pathways with hands-on labs where you hack real systems and earn rewards as you progress. Modules are unlocked using the platform’s credits, called cubes, which you earn by completing content or can purchase directly.
HTB Academy uses cubes as its currency to unlock training modules. When you sign up, you get 30 cubes free - you can nearly double that amount when you sign up through Cybersecurity Club! (Start for Free)
Use the link below to unlock +20 bonus cubes, giving you 50 cubes total to start learning immediately, at no cost.
👉 Sign Up Here and Get Your Bonus Cubes
HTB Academy organizes its content into structured paths so you always know what to learn next. Here are the main ones to know about.
These are career-focused paths that train you for a specific role in cybersecurity.
Junior Cybersecurity Analyst - The best starting point. Covers both offensive and defensive fundamentals across 20 modules. Easy difficulty.
Penetration Tester - The flagship path for aspiring pen testers. Goes from recon all the way through to reporting across 28 modules. Pairs with the CPTS certification.
SOC Analyst - For those interested in the defensive side. Covers traffic analysis, SIEM monitoring, and incident response across 15 modules.
Web Penetration Tester - Focused entirely on web app and API hacking across 20 modules. Pairs with the CWES certification.
Active Directory Penetration Tester - Advanced path covering Kerberos attacks, NTLM relay, and enterprise AD exploitation across 15 modules.
AI Red Teamer - A cutting-edge path built in collaboration with Google, covering prompt injection, adversarial AI, and AI supply chain risks.
Shorter, focused paths that build specific technical skills.
Cracking into Hack the Box - Start here if you are brand new. Gets you set up and hacking your first machine in just 2 days.
Operating System Fundamentals - Covers Windows and Linux command line skills every security professional needs.
Information Security Foundations - Builds the core IT and security knowledge needed before tackling advanced topics.
Local Privilege Escalation - Teaches how to escalate access on both Windows and Linux after gaining a foothold.
Basic Toolset - Covers the essential tools used in nearly every penetration test.
HTB has a deep library of offensive security modules covering everything from beginner recon to advanced enterprise attacks.
Here are some highlights worth knowing about:
Getting Started
Getting Started - Fundamental | Tier 0 | Free
Introduction to Penetration Testing - Fundamental | Tier 0 | Free
Pentest in a Nutshell - Easy | Tier 0 | Free
Network & Infrastructure
Network Enumeration with Nmap - Easy | Tier I
Footprinting - Medium | Tier II
Pivoting, Tunneling, and Port Forwarding - Medium | Tier II
Password Attacks - Medium | Tier I
Web Hacking
SQL Injection Fundamentals - Medium | Tier 0 | Free
File Inclusion - Medium | Tier 0 | Free
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) - Easy | Tier II
Web Attacks - Medium | Tier II
Command Injections - Medium | Tier II
Active Directory
Active Directory Enumeration & Attacks - Medium | Tier II
Kerberos Attacks - Hard | Tier III
NTLM Relay Attacks - Hard | Tier III
Active Directory Trust Attacks - Hard | Tier III
Advanced Red Team
Intro to C2 Operations with Sliver - Hard | Tier III
Introduction to Windows Evasion Techniques - Hard | Tier III
Windows Lateral Movement - Medium | Tier III
OSINT: Corporate Recon - Hard | Tier IV
There is a clear progression here from free beginner modules all the way up to advanced enterprise attack techniques. Start with the Tier 0 free modules to build your foundation, then work up through the tiers as your skills grow.
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