"A truly innovative education platform, which has come out of UK academia."

— Ollie Whitehouse, CTO NCSC @ CyberUK 2025

Learn Cyber Security Through Hands-On Hacking Labs

All courses are unlocked with any subscription.

Courses

From beginner to technical expert — structured courses with hands-on labs.

A full curriculum, not just a collection of challenges. Every lab is mapped to the Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK) — start at the fundamentals or jump straight to your specialism.

Hands-on hacking labs in real virtual machine environments build a verifiable skills profile.

Beginner to expert

Real VMs

CyBOK mapped

CTF challenges

Featured Courses

Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing

Web Security

Systems Security

Incident Response and Investigation

Reverse Engineering and Malware Analysis

Software Security and Exploitation

Featured Free Labs

Introduction to Linux and Security lab

Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing

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Games

SAFETYNET:
Holding Back the ENTROPY

The flagship Hacktivity Game — Season 1, Mission 1 available now

The only game where the hacking is real in a world that reacts to what you do.

▶ Real hacking on real VMs — Kali Linux, full desktop, runs entirely in your browser
▶ Escape room puzzles — lockpicking, RFID cloning, decoded messages, chained with the hacking
▶ Spy narrative — NPCs, choices with consequences

Mission 1 is free — sign up to a game to start.

SAFETYNET: Holding Back the ENTROPY

SAFETYNET: Holding Back the ENTROPY — Official Trailer

Your handler briefs you — the mission begins

Explore the environment — cyber physical hacking and exploration

Meet Derek — NPCs have information, agendas, and attitude

Not every NPC is friendly — and choices have consequences

The narrative leads you to the terminal

Real Kali Linux — full desktop VM, runs in your browser

Real tools — CyberChef, Nmap, Metasploit and more

Locks and keys — find what you need before you can use it

Realistic cyber physical attacks — incl lockpicking mechanics

Every mission reveals a new challenge

More games

Learn More About Hacktivity

What people say

"A truly innovative education platform, which has come out of UK academia."

Ollie Whitehouse, CTO NCSC, at CyberUK2025, Cyber Den.

"Hacktivity is a powerhouse; I often forget how seamless the VM access is."

Anonymous student feedback

"I enjoyed the Hacktivity weekly challenges a lot."

Anonymous student feedback

"This course was informative and rewarding due to the CTF challenges. [...] I like how the module, through the use of flags, urges you to apply the theory from the lectures and the labs into practical use."

Anonymous student feedback

"The use of the Hacktivity platform significantly enhanced the learning experience by providing a hands-on, interactive environment that made complex theories more accessible and engaging."

Anonymous student feedback

"Very fun and interactive with satisfying challenges."

Anonymous student feedback

For Organisations

Improve your cyber security curriculum, and improve student experience.

Hacktivity Cyber Security Labs is a cornerstone of the NCSC accredited cyber security degrees at LBU
Used by ~300 students every week
All LBU cyber security modules are hosted on Hacktivity, and incorporate hands-on labs and marks from CTF challenges

Hacktivity for organisations

Posts

Introducing Hacktivity Subscriptions for Individuals

Released on: 2025-03-06

The Technical Magic Behind Hacktivity

Released on: 2025-12-31

Cyber Security Training Platforms Compared: Finding Your Perfect Learning Environment (2025)

Released on: 2025-04-12

Introducing Hacktivity Subscriptions for Organisations

Released on: 2025-03-06

What makes Hacktivity unique

Hacktivity in Action

Full Desktop Environments

All the resources you need, hosted in the cloud. Here we are using Kali Linux to perform directory enumeration with DIRB against a vulnerable web server.