Room: Hacker vs. Hacker — TryHackMe
Skill level: Intermediate → Advanced | Focus: persistence, evasion, detection & incident reasoning
I worked through the Hacker vs. Hacker box on TryHackMe — a themed lab that flips the usual CTF script: the server is already compromised by another actor and your job is to gain access and deal with the opponent’s active countermeasures. It’s an engaging exercise in realistic red-team vs blue-team dynamics.
What makes this room great
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Realistic scenario: Simulates an environment with active defensive tools / adversary tricks in place.
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Dual perspective: You practice offensive techniques (access & persistence) while also learning defensive signals and what defenders might see.
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Learning outcomes: Improves your skills in safe persistence, stealthy operations in a controlled lab, log analysis, and how to harden systems against similar tactics.
Why it’s useful
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Teaches both offensive tradecraft and how defenders detect/effectively respond — invaluable if you’re aiming for roles in red-team, purple-team, or SOC work.
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Reinforces ethical boundaries: always practice these techniques only in lab environments you control or are explicitly authorized to use.