# hacktheplanet --help

"Hack the Planet!" is a cybersecurity event based in the United States. It first debuted as a proof-of-concept at HackMerced VIII in March 2023 where it had over 50 total participants over the span of 16 hours. This event revolves around an n-scale model city complete with a variety of features such an electrical grid and traffic light control systems. When participants hack a target, they can physically see how it affects the city.

"Hack the Planet!" is a platform that invites student hackers of all skill levels to learn and exercise network hacking, scanning and enumeration, systems exploitation, web application security, privilege escalation, network movement, malware, persistence, social engineering, reverse engineering, binary exploitation, protocol analysis, forensics, radio hacking, and more in a safe and controlled environment. Difficulty can be easily scaled such that the targets are more or less challenging depending on the audience.

"Hack the Planet!" is an ideal event for CTFs, hackathons, conventions, classrooms, workshops, and more. Although it is targeted towards students and beginners, the platform allows for the difficulty to be easily scaled as well as for custom challenges to be created in order to target more experienced hackers. If you love CTFs, you'll love "Hack the Planet!"

# hacktheplanet --status

# hacktheplanet --faq

Who is "Hack the Planet!" for?

This event is primarily for student hackers in the beginner to intermediate skill ranges. However, difficulty can be scaled up to accommodate more experienced hackers.

Is "Hack the Planet!" a CTF?

In a way, yes. "Hack the Planet!" can be compared to a jeopardy-style CTF where each target in the city is like a different set of challenges. What makes this event unique compared to other CTFs is that participants can physically see their hacks affect the targets and there's no scoreboard system — the purpose is to learn and have fun, not to compete against each other.

Is hacking dangerous?

Not at all! The point of this event is to serve as a tool for cybersecurity education. The world needs more cybersecurity experts who stay on the right side of the law and work to protect our systems and data. "Hack the Planet!" provides a safe and controlled environment in order to exercise these skills without fear of real damage or legal violations.

Can "Hack the Planet!" come to my university, hackathon, or other event?

Yes! See "hacktheplanet --obtain" to see how.

How much does it cost to get "Hack the Planet!" to come to my university, hackathon, or other event?

It highly depends and I cannot give a single quote for all situations. The greatest factor is distance; this project is based out of the Central Valley in California and transportation is the greatest expense. All costs are for transportation, infrastructure, materials, and similar expenses. When in doubt, contact hacktheplanet@shawnd.xyz and we can try to work something out.

Can "Hack the Planet!" be hosted remotely?

Yes. Live camera feeds and cloud-based infrastructure can be set up in order to make a remote event possible. However, this may still require on-site setup for the local networking infrastructure or the elimination of the network hacking aspect entirely. Remote modality also severely limits or entirely eliminates the possibility for a radio hacking section. This drastically reduces cost and logistical overhead associated with transporting the personnel, equipment, and set. Still, I encourage an in-person "Hack the Planet!" modality because seeing the event in-person is an experience like none other.

Who makes and maintains this?

I do! My name is Shawn Duong and I'm a forensics/radio/networks hacker with Team IrisSec, a multi-national community of hackers who love learning and fun above all else. "Hack the Planet!" is not a big organization; it's just me and my passion project, and I want to share my passion for computer hacking with others.

How does "Hack the Planet!" make money?

It doesn't. The priority is your learning, not your money.

# hacktheplanet --obtain

Want "Hack the Planet!" at your event? Contact hacktheplanet@shawnd.xyz.

# hacktheplanet --sponsor

For small donations, you can check out shawnd.xyz/donate. For large donations — defined as cash amounts over $1,024US — please contact hacktheplanet@shawnd.xyz before making a donation so that we can discuss how your sponsorship can be recognized.

# hacktheplanet --gallery