RULES & FAQ
Everything you need to know before entering the hunt.
Each hunt is a 7-day investigation scenario built from real or realistic attack telemetry. You are given access to a SIEM environment with pre-loaded log data and a series of investigation flags to find.
Flags are grouped into investigation sections. Each section focuses on a different phase of the attack. You work through the investigation, build queries, trace the attack chain, and submit your findings.
Hunts run 3 times per month. When a hunt closes, final scores are locked and prizes are distributed. A post-hunt debrief is released covering the full attack timeline, techniques, and detection opportunities.
All hunters work on the same dataset. No randomisation. The playing field is level.
Static scoring. Flag values are fixed regardless of when or how many hunters solve them. You are not punished for starting late. Depth and skill win, not speed.
Difficulty weighting. Flags are weighted by difficulty. Harder investigation questions are worth more points. Values vary by hunt but always reward depth over surface-level answers.
Hints. Two hints per flag. Hint 1 is free and gives you a methodology nudge. Hint 2 costs points and gives data-specific guidance. Use them wisely.
Attempts. Each flag allows up to 50 submission attempts. Read the format carefully before submitting.
Tiebreaker. Time of last flag submission. If two hunters have identical scores, the one who submitted their final correct flag first wins. This is the only speed advantage in the system.
All-Time scores. Every point earned in every hunt adds to your cumulative all-time total. The all-time leaderboard tracks performance across the entire platform.
$1,035 per hunt. 10 winners.
| Prize | Amount | How |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $115 | Top scorer. Tiebreak by last flag submission. |
| 2nd Place | $110 | Second highest score. |
| 3rd Place | $105 | Third highest score. |
| 7 Random | $100 each | Random draw from all hunters with at least 1 flag. |
Top 3 rewards skill and depth. The 7 random picks keep everyone motivated. Anyone who submits at least one correct flag has a chance to win regardless of skill level.
Work independently. Collaboration during active hunts is prohibited unless explicitly stated.
No flag sharing. Do not share answers, screenshots of solved challenges, or investigation walkthroughs while a hunt is active.
No automation. Brute-forcing scripts and automated solvers are prohibited. The platform has built-in rate limiting.
AI tools are permitted. Using AI to help formulate queries or understand techniques is fine. The skill being tested is your investigation methodology, not whether you can type a string from memory.
Violations. Any attempt to manipulate scores, exploit platform mechanics, or gain an unfair advantage results in disqualification and potential account suspension.