Break the machine. Preserve the method.
Retired Hack The Box machines documented as practical security case studies: reconnaissance, enumeration, exploitation, privilege escalation, wrong turns, and the reasoning that connected each stage.
Choose how aggressively the machine fights back.
Difficulty is only a rough guide. Every machine can expose a new tool, protocol, failure mode, or way of thinking that is worth carrying into the next engagement.
Easy
Focused attack paths that reinforce foundational enumeration, exploitation, and privilege-escalation techniques.
Medium
Multi-stage machines with deeper service enumeration, chained weaknesses, and less obvious routes to system control.
Hard
Complex environments requiring disciplined enumeration, custom research, exploit adaptation, and careful attack-path validation.
Insane
Deep technical puzzles where persistence, source review, exploit development, and unconventional reasoning become part of the attack surface.
Phoenix does not publish active Hack The Box machine solutions. These writeups are released only after retirement so the learning material remains useful without undermining the live platform.