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Platform Rules

Please read and follow these rules for a fair environment

1. General Rules

  1. One Account Per Person: Each user may only have one account. Multiple accounts will result in a permanent ban.
  2. No Flag Sharing: Do not share flags, solutions, or detailed hints with other users. Help others learn, don't give them the answers.
  3. No Automated Attacks: Do not use automated tools to brute-force flags or overwhelm challenge infrastructure.
  4. Respect the Infrastructure: Only attack designated challenge targets. Do not attempt to compromise the main platform.
  5. Be Respectful: Treat other users with respect. Harassment, discrimination, or toxic behavior will not be tolerated.

2. Challenge Rules

  1. Solve Challenges Yourself: Use your own skills and knowledge. Learning is the goal!
  2. Report Vulnerabilities: If you find a vulnerability in the platform (not challenges), please report it responsibly to the administrators.
  3. No Destructive Actions: Do not delete files, crash services, or otherwise prevent other users from solving challenges.
  4. Writeups: You may publish writeups 30 days after a challenge is released, unless otherwise specified.
  5. Hints Usage: Using hints is perfectly fine - they exist to help you learn!
  6. No Brute-Force Needed: Every online challenge here is designed to be solved with your head — by reading the source, reviewing what the app gives you, and reasoning your way through. There is always an intended path. If you catch yourself reaching for a wordlist or a fuzzer, step back: you're probably one observation away from the clean solution. Keeping it manual is also a small courtesy to the fellow players sharing the arena with you.

3. Community Rules

  1. No Spoilers: Mark any comment that reveals solution details as a spoiler.
  2. Helpful Comments: Comments should aim to help others learn without giving away the answer.
  3. No Spam: Do not post spam, advertisements, or off-topic content.
  4. English Preferred: Please use English in public discussions to ensure everyone can participate.
  5. Report Issues: If you see rule violations, please report them to moderators.

4. AI Usage

We live in the AI era — that's a reality, not a problem. Still, we want to share how we think LLMs fit into HackForge, because we're a learning-first community.

  1. AI as a learning tool is welcome. Stuck on a concept? Asking an LLM to explain a protocol, a piece of assembly, or an unfamiliar technique is a legitimate way to learn — the same way you'd read a blog post or watch a talk.
  2. Unblocking yourself is fair. If you've genuinely tried and the AI helps you see what you missed, that's learning. That's the whole point.
  3. But please try on your own first. Pasting the challenge into a chatbot, copying the flag, and climbing the scoreboard isn't fun. You skip the struggle, and the struggle is the learning.
  4. In writeups and comments, feel free to mention AI. "I used an LLM to understand X" is perfectly fine and often helpful to others walking the same path.

TL;DR — use AI to learn, not to shortcut learning. We won't ban you for it. Just remember why you're here.

5. Consequences

Violation of these rules may result in:

  • Warning
  • Temporary suspension
  • Score reset
  • Permanent ban

The severity of the consequence depends on the nature and frequency of violations.

6. Contact

If you have questions about these rules or need to report a violation, please contact us.