Frequently Asked Questions

HackerForce is a security training ecosystem that combines realistic Armory operations, principle-led courses, intelligence reports, research, YouTube content, announcements, and an operator Discord community.

HackerForce is built for cybersecurity enthusiasts, red teamers, blue teamers, and everyone else who wants rigorous, technically serious training with a repeatable methodology.

Start with a course if you want a structured approach. Choose a Recruit-tier operation if you're ready to apply the fundamentals. You can also use our intelligence reports and YouTube (free of charge) to deepen your understanding of a specific topic.

An operation is a realistic practice environment (i.e. lab) with a mission brief, defined constraints, and an outcome that requires technical evidence. The Armory is simply a repository for such material.

Guidance depends on the tier. Recruit operations provide more structure; APT and Zero expect you to work with ambiguity. Every operation page shows its status, target segment, and tier before you commit.

The tiers range from Recruit, through Agent and APT, to Zero. Higher tiers naturally involve greater uncertainty, stronger defensive maturity, increased surveillance, and more serious consequences. Lower tiers are better suited to beginners.

No official walkthroughs are published; the point is to work through it yourself. If you're stuck, ask in Discord; operators will usually give you a nudge without spoiling anything.

A course teaches the concepts and workflow. An operation tests whether you can apply that methodology in a realistic environment. Using both together offers the most effective way to learn.

It depends on your experience and the course. Whilst we aim to keep things straightforward and break down each detail rather than skimming over it, please check the difficulty level and operational tier shown on the course page before enrolling.

Yes, all courses are currently self-paced. Scheduled cohort support isn't live yet.

Cohorts aren't live yet. When they launch, we'll clearly set out exactly what's included on Discord and on the course page, but not before.

AI is used solely to support the grammar and spelling of the course content, ensuring there are no typographical errors. It is not used to generate content or to produce answers or solutions. Everything is written, validated and presented by a human, as it should be.

They are technical articles, research, and field notes focused on methodology, infrastructure, operations, evidence, and operator development.

YouTube offers accessible visual demonstrations, making discovery easy. Intelligence reports provide more in-depth written context, references, and searchable technical guidance.

Yes. There's no automatic linking between operations and reports yet, so search the blog for the topic you're stuck on, or ask in Discord if you're unsure where to look.

Discord supports announcements, cohort discussions, peer learning, methodology, note-taking, operational support, and community accountability. As we spend most of our time there, you can reach us almost immediately.

Not in the general channels. Keep full solutions out of open discussion so operations don't turn into answer dumps. If you're unsure, ask a mod which channel is appropriate.

Follow the announcements channel, or subscribe for updates on operations, courses, cohorts, intelligence reports, and YouTube releases.

Pricing is dependent on each course or lab, not on a subscription. Each one is tagged Free, Paid, or Promo on its own page, and purchases are processed through CourseStack.

At the moment, this is handled case by case, and there's no automated process. Reach out on Discord or by email, and we'll sort it out.

See the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy for the exact breakdown of what's collected and why.

All operations must be carried out in a controlled training environment. Learners must adhere to the published scope and rules of engagement.