Hack The Box

An online cyber security training and skills platform where people practise hacking skills legally in labs. Founded in 2017; its site shows a UK-based team.

About Hack The Box

Hack The Box (HTB) is an online platform where people learn and practise cyber security. Think of it as a gym for hackers: it gives you safe, legal practice computers to break into, so you learn how real attackers work and how to defend against them. Individuals use it for free and paid courses and labs, while companies and universities use it to train and test their security teams. It now also tests AI agents in cyber exercises.

Hack The Box was launched in 2017 by Haris Pylarinos, who is still founder and chief executive. It grew out of a Greek start-up story: Endeavor Greece, a network that supports entrepreneurs, selected the company in 2021. The About page does not name a headquarters, but it shows where the team works: about 163 people in Greece, 56 in the USA, 23 in the United Kingdom and 7 in Australia, with 50 more elsewhere, and over 300 employees in total. HTB's help pages say its main offices are in Greece and the UK, and most international staff work remotely.

Its mission, in its own words, is to create a safer cyber world by making cybersecurity training fun and accessible to everyone. The About page lists three priorities: building the largest inclusive cybersecurity community, using gamification (game-style challenges and scores) to keep hacking engaging, and offering advanced, curated hacking content.

For individuals, the main products are HTB Academy (courses and learning paths), Hacking Labs, Pro Labs, Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, where players race to find hidden "flags", and a job board. For organisations there is an Enterprise Platform, Capture The Flag events, Threat Range, Crisis Control tabletop exercises and Talent Search. The company says it has about 5 million platform members and over 200,000 people on its Discord server, although its page gives different figures in different places, so treat these as company claims.

HTB lists four core values: Teamwork, Growth Mindset, Hackers at Heart and Passion, and describes itself as "One team, one dream". It says it was ranked first in its size category in Best Workplaces Hellas in 2026. Its hiring process has three stages: a talent acquisition interview, a technical interview with the hiring manager, then a final stage that may include practical tasks. HTB says suitable candidates usually hear back within 7 to 14 days. We found a UK job listing for a defensive content engineer and a software engineering internship advert on Built In, but did not read them in full, and we found no dated UK graduate scheme. Because HTB itself is a place to build skills, practising on it is a sensible way to prepare.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Practise hacking skills in safe, legal systems.', 'title': 'Labs and challenges'}
• {'desc': 'Interactive courses and learning paths in cyber skills.', 'title': 'HTB Academy'}
• {'desc': 'Competitions and events for players and companies.', 'title': 'Capture The Flag'}
• {'desc': 'Team training, threat exercises and skills measurement for employers.', 'title': 'Enterprise training'}

Key facts

• Launched 2017 by founder and CEO Haris Pylarinos
• Team locations: Greece 163, USA 56, UK 23, Australia 7 (About page); HQ not stated
• Mission: make cybersecurity training fun and accessible to everyone
• Values: Teamwork, Growth Mindset, Hackers at Heart, Passion

Website: www.hackthebox.com