Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question? We’re here to answer! If you don’t see your question here, drop us a line on our Contact Page.

Getting started

Do I need previous knowledge?

We recommend:

  • Operation of Linux and Windows operating systems
  • Installation of software such as B. VirtualBox
  • Basic shell and terminal commands
  • Understand how networks and services work
  • ISO/OSI-layer model
  • TCP/IP, UDP
  • SSH, Web server, FTP server
  • Basics in programming (Python recommended)
What are the system requirements?
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 20 GB free disk space
  • Internet with a bandwidth from 1 MBit/s
  • VPN access through your firewall
What language is the course in?
  • The course is in English
  • The German language will be added in a few months
How does the course work?
  • You will receive the learning documents immediately and access to the labs within 24 hours
  • The documents are divided into chapters, and there are some exercises to check
  • Different types of attacks are explained in theory and later continued via video and practical exercises
  • It is important to develop the content yourself; otherwise, you will lack the basic understanding of the subject
How much work and learning is required?
We recommend 90 days for beginners and 60 days for advanced users
Is there a walkthrough available?

Yes, you will get the walkthrough for one of our boxes with the courseware

Memberships

From what date does the access start?
  • You will get the courseware instantly after the payment
  • You will get the lab access within 24 hours
Is it a subscription or a one time payment?

It’s a one time payment. If you want to expand your access time, you have to buy again

How can I get a subscription for teams or companies?

Please contact us on academy@breakinlabs.com

Affiliate Program

What is Affiliate Marketing?
  •  a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each customer or visitor
  •  customers or visitors have to be brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts to the website or shop
  •  the affiliate is rewarded, if the customer or visitor purchases a membership
  •  in our case the rewarded amount starts from 10% of the membership purchases

Basically it is the same as you telling your friends, that you found this super cool Hacking Lab and they should check it out.

You can find further information here

How does the affiliate program work?
  • the affiliate program handles the affiliate accounts by tracking which affiliates have referred visitors to the website
  • affiliates get rewaded with a specific commission based on what the referred visitor did on the website (purchases, sign ups, etc)

IMPORTANT
Affiliates have to make sure to use the affiliate referral link/URL to promote current website or products. Otherwise we can not connect your referred customers to you. You can find the affiliate referral Link/URL on your affiliate account page.

How do I become an affiliate?

There is a link on your MyAccount Page in the Affiliate section.

By clicking on the link, you automatically get full access. It is completely up to you, how often you recommend BreakinLabs Academy online through your referral Link/URL.

Click here, to get there

What is my affiliate account page?

On the account page you will find any information about your affiliate status, your referred customers, commissions and many more!

It gets unlocked under the Affiliate section on your MyAccount Page after you have signed up as affiliate.

How does the affiliate referral Link/URL work?
  • specific affiliates are tracked because their IDs or usernames are appended to their URL
    • therefore the system can track which affiliate link brought a customer to our website
  • if the customer successfully completes a sale (i.e. a purchase of any BreakinLabs Academy membership), a referral will be generated and the affiliate will be awarded a commission

Lab and Boxes

Why can't I ping some machines?

There are some security measurements like firewalls on some hosts

I'm getting a certificate error when logging into VPN
On some systems it may happen, that you get an error message:

Should that happen, please add the safety certificate, as you can see in the following image:

What happens if I'm stuck with a host?

We are offering a discord server to connect our customers

What's my IP address in the labs?

Your VPN IP address is on the ppp0 network adapter when you’re connected to the labs (172.16.x.x). ifconfig or ip addr

How can I reset a specific host?

You will get a reset portal within the labs and can reset each host individually

Coins

What are Coins?

Virtual internet points – a currency with which you can buy hints for boxes you are stuck with.

How can I get Coins?

There are 3 ways to get Coins:

  1. When you buy a subscription
  2. When you write a message on Twitter, that meets the following criteria:
    1. The two tags #BreakinLabs Academy and #hacking (both must be included)
    2. It has to be linked to a page of “breakinlabs.com/academy
  3. When you write a message in the BreakinLabs Academy’ discord channel, and your message is liked by 3 persons ( such likes can only be given once every 12 hours )

Certificates

How do I get a certificate?
  • BreakinLabs Academy Basic: root 20 hosts from all levels of difficulty with techniques of your choice
  • BreakinLabs Academy Advanced: same as Beginner and additionally 10 medium boxes and 5 hard boxes with manual techniques
  • BreakinLabs Academy Expert: Comming in 2021
What are the benefits of the certificate?
  • You can give potential employers an impression of your skills
  • You get up to 40 CPE credits to maintain your certificates from ISC², EC-Council etc.
Can I get the certificate printed out or electronically?
  • Beginners and advanced: digital certificate
  • Expert: printed certificate
Is there a template for the Lab Report?

Yes, you can download a template here: Lab Report

How do I submit the report?

Send the report to us at certificate@breakinlabs.com/academy

Courses and Training Material

How often are the course documents updated?

We work continuously on the courseware and release updates each month

Are videos available for the courseware?
No, but this feature will be added later
Is there a teacher?
No, you have to work out the course content yourself

Technical Support

Is support via telephone available?
  • No, there is no telephonic support offered
  • If you have problems with the lab connection, contact us on academy@breakinlabs.com
Is there a referral or affiliate program?

Yes; please contact us on academy@breakinlabs.com