Hello, I wanted to announce that today I had made an increase of pricing of the game. As the new version and features are in development, I decided to make this increase before the next big update. It was always the plan to do it in relation to 0.3 version. I don't have any plans for next increase in 2025 at the moment. I think it is fair for the early adopters and players who purchased the game at the beginning and supported me since - thank you very much! As game transforms and grows, new players today don't have to go through some of the pains that were present in 2023 and 2024. The increase for majority of the regions and countries is around 7-8% and no more than 10% - with some deliberate exceptions. Most of the players of the game are from EU or US, so the increase is respectively: 11.79 -> 12.59 (6.7%) $11.99 -> $12.99 (8.3%)

Nothing substantial changed in terms of gameplay. But finally I refreshed the game logo, and replaced main menu for 0.2 with new version. Also, in main menu there's now instrumental version of dedicated song for How To Hack In? game - the full song version, with vocals, will be used soon in context of some mission.

• Fixed: when two windows overlay each other, (e.g. terminal and messanger, two terminals, terminal and notepad), or if player goes outside of the window to another window during the selection, the selection & copy text was copying text not from current active window but window below.

• Fixed: fix for being able to purchase more than 100% shares of the company in stock market

• Fixed: fix for sqlmagic - from now on, if sql injection is desired way to foothold for computer in mission, the hash from sqlinjection is always crackable, and related user can always connect with ssh. (New missions only)
• Added: Options to set time scale. Default is 50x real time speed, if it is too fast, you can change it between 10x and 50x of real time speed.

• Fixed: fix for hidden chat for Location Counter mission
• Fixed: fix for scp upload autocomplete for files (sometimes wrongly it was taking into account remote user permissions)
• Fixed: found another instance of issue when "Done" button is missing after mission completed. It is fixed.
• Fixed: fix for missing "Done" button after NPC sent reminder about mission expiration
• Fixed: fix for sending reminder about mission expiration when there are two missions active (Location & Location Counter). Also fix for making mission expired in same circumstances

• Fixed: fix for leetext when it was incorrectly losing focus and was not saving data when CTRL+O was clicked
• Fixed: fix for empty message with 00:00 time in chat during mission initialization (new game only)

First update in 2025 - Happy New Year Everyone!

• Fixed: fix for adding user permissions to services start/stop scripts, when it is required to start before using metaexploits (in specific cases it wasn't working)

• Fixed: fix for Hackopilot when it was showing Metaexploits as a path when service was not open (in some cases it is valid way to gain access, but it requires additional steps. And it is not always possible)
• Fixed: allow to "purchase" (free) $0 exploits when player has negative balance
• Fixed: don't show metaexploits as mission path when service is not open

Hello Hackers! Todays update introduces the new in-game terminal tool: Hackopilot. This tool is an attempt to assist you with usage of tools, understanding available vulnerabilities and which tools should be used. This is not the definite solution - more complex options going in 0.3 version. But it is some start and hopefully it can shrink the learning curve. It is an interactive tool, and it has 2 modes: - "net" mode, which is for the target computer that you don't have access yet - it will analyze potential vulnerabilities and give you suggestions how to start - "user" mode, which is for computer where you have lower permissions access - it will analyze potential solutions for privilege escalation. There are some more sophisticated attacks that Hackopilot will not list. Also, to not break immersion, this has no 100% knowledge and I try to limit it to the knowledge available to you as a player (for example, based on networkAnalyzer output, available files, and so on). Also to push for the progression, each Hackopilot usage costs small amount of in-game money. Check "help hackopilot" to understand more. Due to the nature of the game and the tool introduced, I feel this disclaimer is necessary: This is an in-game logic to simulate modern AI and serve player as an interactive "tutorial"-steps. It is not using any real AI outside of game, and it does not require internet connection to play the game. Let me know what you think about it, and if did help you to understand certain aspects of the game.

• Fixed: weird case when mission was done, the reply "Done" option was not appearing in the chat, but instead NPC proceeded with his response automatically. It was preventing the mission to be fully completed and player to be rewarded.
• Fixed: sometimes the datetime was not saved in correct format, e.g. for missions with time constraints, which was affecting calculations if mission is expired.

• Fixed: sometimes copy-paste didn't work well if multiple terminals open at the same time
• Fixed* (possibly): I could never reproduce this issue but it seems to happen for some players from time to time. I slightly changed the behavior after mission is done to show the "Done" option in NPC chat. This potentially fixes the issue when mission was done but there was no dialogue available to complete it.

• Improved selection and copy-paste feature in terminal. Selecting text is more smooth and user friendly.
• Added selection and copy option in received messages from NPC.

Hello, Today this small update after a long time. I changed my mind and decided to make some small changes before 0.3 update is released - especially since 0.3 is still not there, I think it makes sense.

• Added blur to terminal background which should make the text more clearly readable when terminal is over another app
• Allowed all app windows to resize to smaller size for conveniance
• In the missions app, added an indicator whether mission is giving black hat or white hat reputation (for standard mission steps. Please note that some of the missions have alternative paths to complete and those may differ in reputation gains)

Good morning / Good evening! It's been already a year since the game has been released in Early Access on 18th September 2023. We have come a long way since the release, but a lot more is to be done to make this game what I want it to be. Here's some small summary of the journey:

• There were 64 updates to the game since the game was released steamthis It's been a wild ride, many of the updates were done in the night - between 23-2 UTC time.
• Many bugs have been fixed, but some still exist in current version of the game. I don't know how many of you remember what a mess it was at the beginning - and I hope to improve it much more.
• I think big updates worth mentioning were: improving the autocompletion mechanics allowing many different autocompletions based on the context (paths, usernames, passwords, and more); complete change to the in-game web pages; Stock Market introduction; Missions app; Tor improvements; Themes introduction; ability to redirect command output to the file;
• One important feedback I received many times is that the game is (too) difficult, and the tutorial is not helpful. I'm addressing this issue also as a part of 0.3 version. For now, if you encounter an issue, you can always ask on Steams Forum or Discord, or check out my YouTube channel which can contain some answers and useful tips that may not be self-explained in the game.
• So far there is more than 100 players that played more than 10 hours - that is awesome steamthumbsup! But I would really love to hear more feedback from all of you, what you enjoyed and what not, what you expect from the future, what kept you playing the game. I would really love to see you add steam reviews - it helps me and other players to understand the state of the game.

Hello, As the 0.3 update is -slowly- progressing, this is most likely the last discount we have in 0.2 version. If you'd like to give it a try in current version and later compare with improvements of 0.3 that will come, it may be the latest opportunity. Enjoy!

• Fixed: npc schedule and npc social media reactions to player actions - in some circumstances there would be an error when npc tries to react to player who logged into npc bank account and made a bank transfer
• Fixed: in certain circumstances opening a web page (whether by writing an url or clicking finder item) would result in background error ending up not loading the page
• Fixed: when (in-game) network was disconnected when exiting the game, upon loading the game it could be incorrectly detected as connected even if it is not. This last error could lead to multiple other errors, e.g. terminal commands would not work.

Hello Everyone! Hope you're all doing great! I wanted to give you an update on what's been happening and where I am at with the incoming big update 0.3.1. I know it has been a lot of time since it was supposed to be released and it is still not quite finished. The reason is that I've been working on something pretty important outside of the game in recent couple of weeks. Over the past few weeks, I've been preparing for and taking the PNPT (Practical Network Penetration Tester) exam. Its a pretty intense process - the exam itself is 5 days of lab work, 2 days writing a report, and then a live debrief/presentation. I'm super excited to share that I passed the exam last week! I didn't want to say anything until it was official, but now that it is, I believe that this deeper security and pentesting knowledge will help me create an even better hacking game for you all. I know the update has been delayed a few times (yes, originally it was January-February, then April, May, and now we're in June), and I completely understand that it's annoying. But now that the exam is out of the way, Ive shifted my focus back to the game. So here I am to tell you that the game is not dead. The upcoming 0.3.1 update is going to be huge! Heres a quick reminder of what it's going to be: - Introduction of 3D world -limited- gameplay (almost done for the version!) - Completely new, reworked UI for the in-game computer (in progress) - Completely new network generation system for game (more realistic behavior) - Overhauled mission system + of course new missions - More dynamic and better-simulated in-game world and NPCs I received a lot of support from some of you, and encouragement, which helps me a lot to not give up! I must admit I included a lot of things for that update and the scope creep made it really insane process! Especially the new game computer UI was not planned at all for that update and it itself is a huge change. It's all because I want the game to be drastically improved after this update on multiple areas, but it also means that the amount of changes required has been overwhelming for me at times. But again - I believe the worst part is already done and behind me. Thank you for your patience. I'm pumped to bring you the really unique hacking game experience and cant wait to see your feedback when it's finally on!

• Fixed: fixed folders and files containing space (for both new and existing games)
• More optimizations to make code run more smoothly in this areas: process of creating missions (missions manager & missions validator), few terminal commands (e.g. metaexploits, proxy impersonification), messanger

• Fixed: fixed issue with not displaying messenger chats correctly (too small number of chats, or not visible chat for location-counter mission - white hat option)

• Fixed: replaced all usernames containing spaces with usernames without spaces (it was unable to crack such usernames).

Hello, unfortunately with 0.2.19 I have introduced some regression. I had good intentions, but was too much in a hurry and made mistakes. The regression was following: - duplicated web pages with urls: "chatter.hthi/tag/job", "wifi-comparison.hthi", "stock-market.hthi", "themes.hcom", "hidden-wiki.onion", when searching with finder - stock market was broken This patch is fixing all above issues. Duplicated pages are removed, and in-game stock market is restored and operational. For the save files, if game started new game instead of loading your profile, please check this announcement: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1199830/announcements/detail/4179979397376958958

Hello! Apologies for those of you who started playing on new version 0.2.19 and instead of loading the existing save files, it was starting a new game. It turns out, that I made some mistake in process of optimization save/load, and the path to save files has changed accidentally. The save files are not lost though! So if you would like to restore your existing progress, here's the instruction: 1. For Windows players: a) \steamapps\common\How To Hack In\How To Hack In_Data\HTHI_UserData - this is the path where your existing saves are stored b) \steamapps\common\How To Hack In\HTHI_UserData - this is the new path that is used by game To continue playing on existing saves, copy all folders from a) to b). 2. For Linux players - nothing is required, as path to save files remains the same. Apologies for the inconvenience. Small reminder, that for the upcoming 0.3 version, existing saves will not be compatible.

• Changed: improved performance of saving data: exit game or exit to main menu should be quicker
• Changed: small change in main menu visuals

• Changed: You can use keys: Numpad plus and numpad minus to zoom in and zoom out in Network Visualizer app (if you prefer this over mouse scroll)
• Changed: Better and more realistic npc names (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed/Fixed: Couple of code optimizations

Hello, I know this is probably not the news everyone's expected, but the reality is that I had to reassess the scope for this major update and be more realistic about when I can make it work. I want this update to be very much related to the first roadmap of the game. Also, with this update, I want to address the concerns regarding the difficulty and tutorial to make the game more accessible. There's a lot to test and change with the upcoming changes to 3D world, dynamic npc, and world simulation. I want to make it right and not make something half-baked. Also, I have to consider that I can only spend so much time on the game itself, which is not as much as I would like to. Therefore, to let you know that the update is still in progress, I have decided to let you know that most likely I won't be able to release 0.3.1 in April. May is my current target for this version to go public. I'm hoping that when you come back to the 0.3.1 version of the game in May, you will be very surprised at the level of makeover the game received.

Hello, due to the delays etc, I decided to push some of the changes to beta branch on Steam. It contains portion cut of the 0.3.1 update - more or less following:

• Character creator for player
• More realistic names for npcs
• 3d world intro - some temporary map, and 3 apartments (player can't go outside of apartments for now), weather system, day&night cycle (+ slight change on time speed)
• weekly rent for apartment
• website to rent different apartment
• some npc changes in the background, but most of those are disabled in this build (i.e. dynamic personalities)
• more graphic settings

Today small update: - Added: option to add custom wallpaper, drop pictures to "Mods/CustomWallpapers" folder (preferable size 1920x1080, png files only). To enable this option, you can purchase "custom wallpaper" in any theme tor shops for $1000 (no reputation needed). You will also get instructions in game how to use custom wallpaper once you purchase the option. Also one more info. If you don't follow the game discord channel, let me tell you that I'll release 0.3.1 update by the end of this week (finally!).

Hello, This is probably the last 0.2.x version small update before the release of 0.3.x. This will still take me some time though. After I drop the 0.3.x release, I will summary the current progress of last months, what worked and what didn't, and I will prepare the roadmap for next couple of months - I hope that makes sense for you. Today update:

• Fixed: when creating new file with leetext there was an space instead of empty content
• Fixed: French translation text for clearing profile save data was too long to fit in the button
• Added: Discord button in main menu to join the game discord server

Today small updates to the bank balance mission to make it more accessible:

• Removed random numbers from filename as it was misleading (new missions only)
• Changed content of the file with bank account hints/details so it is more clear what to do next (both new and existing missions)

• Changed: commands in "help" will display in alphabetical order
• Added: "su" command to switch context to different user (before that it was possible to only switch to root by using "sudo su")
• Added: dictionary attack mode now available in ssh-crack. To use it, prepare text file with passwords (one per line) and use --dict {filepath} option

• Fixed: fixed browser bug that, under specific circumstances, having multiple browser tabs open, some tabs were becoming empty and unsuable

• Changed: additional balancing on detection rates
• Changed: leetext will create a new file if the file of the filepath provided doesn't exist (if current user has write permissions to the parent folder)
• Fixed: filepath autocompletion was also giving autocomplete hints for files for which user didn't have permissions. Now it will autocomplete only for files to which user has read permissions

• Fixed: fixed autocomplete for run command (when typing with prefix "./" it will autocomplete for file names). Useful for backdoorRAT, computer destroyer, or service starting/stopping

• Fixed: emails and emails notification will no longer be received when network is disconnected
• Fixed: French translation on memory/cpu widget is no longer truncated
• Changed: Memory/Cpu widget slightly smaller (also remember that you can always disable the widget, as there is redundant info on the taskbar)
• Changed: small balance change on detection rate (the longer you are connected, the higher chance to get spotted + small probability rate increases)

• Fixed: missing localization key in email subject from bank (sorry, I am not sure how I have missed that!)
• Added: minimalistic in-terminal text editor called leetext. Use "help leetext" to see how to use it. Current limitation is that it can only edit existing file, not creating a new file (you need a write permissions to the existing file). But if you want to create a new file, a workaround is to echo anything to new file, and then edit it in leetext :)

Hello, today very small update with just bug fixes:

• Fixed: Tor Browser image was not displaying correctly in shop after the last update
• Fixed: Rarely an infinite loader happened when browser was used first time and the page needed to be refreshed. In such case page will refresh automatically

Hello, While I am working on the 0.3.x version, I have an update for the current 0.2.x version! Today I have uploaded an update for web pages. Basically I have redone all in-game webpages. New way to create pages brings couple of advantages:

• the webpages text is now selectable and can be copied
• they are responsive and react better to small browser sizes
• shop page is slightly changed and I introduced few basic categories for the tools
• online banking is changed: not all bank transfers are immediate now. They will be immediate only within same bank, otherwise you will have to wait. They can be cancelled though. It makes bank hacking and money stealing a bit more challenging (but I think also more satisfying) :)
• there is now a variety of bank pages with different colors and layouts

• Added: Options - ability to set window mode (Fullscreen, window) and resolution
• Added: Options - ability to switch between 24-hour and 12-hour clock (24-hour is the default)

• Fixed: scp upload/download now supports nested paths for the file (with autocompletion)

Hello, I am working on the next major update for the game. Soon I will reveal some of the upcoming contents. It will take some time, so in the meantime I will be releasing couple of smaller updates to improve current game experience. Todays changes:

• Fixed: for missions with hashmate to use, the hash was almost always MD5. It is changed to randomly use different type of hash if such hash can be cracked.
• Added: echo command - that allows to print text (+ add text to files in conjunction with below change)
• Added: ability to print/redirect command output to the file by adding following arguments to the end of the command: "> filepath" or ">> filepath" or ">>> filepath"

Today small fixes with quality of life improvements:

• Fixed: "Connecting" info message was displaying for some commands where it shouldn't. It is replaced with "Processing" in such cases.
• Changed: tools are automatically installed after download (don't need to click on it again in "Downloads" window - it was an unnecessary step).
• Changed: "backdoorRAT" and "encrypted backdoorRAT" can be reinstalled by clicking in "Downloads" window, if it is required for any reason (e.g. if they were accidently removed). You can delete items from this list if you prefer, by right clicking on them.

• Added: added a text indicator on commands that are internet-dependent that they are in progress (it can speed up with better wifi). Previously it looked like commands have a "lag".
• Changed: if stock market share price is low for a company, it is harder to exploit it now - it won't go up out of a sudden
• Changed: escape (opening main menu) stops time forwarding
• Fixed: when player opened a menu while forwarding time the overlay was not disappering and menu was not accessible

• Changed: smaller delay to show dialogue options when mission target is completed
• Changed: less common missions regarding the same company/computers (though this situation can happen, it is not a bug, so it is worth to keep notes of previous credentials etc.)
• Added: option to rewind time forward (right click on the time/date to see this option)
• Added: chatter reactions to whistleblowers uploads

Finally it's here - version 0.2.0 ! While it's not necessary and the update works with existing saves, if you have big progress on your save file, for the better experience it would probably be better to start new game.

• Changed: new main menu look
• Changed: missions are not completing automatically anymore
• Changed: some missions have deadlines and time constraints
• Changed: different mission difficulties (depending on time constraints, increased detection risk, internal network, and so on).
• Added: Stock market sort options
• Added: New text files contents
• Added: new "resources": White hat reputation and Black hat reputation. You will not know the reward for the missions regarding reputation - but you can use common sense to assess if mission can give you white hat (good) or black hat (bad) reputation
• Added: alternative options to complete some missions (though you will not know the reward if you choose to divert)
• Added: Tor Hidden Wiki
• Added: New Tor pages, hidden markets, whistleblowers pages to upload files
• Added: Hacked wifi access can be purchased - much cheaper than normal wifis, but have some cons (e.g. time limits, bigger detection rate). However those can be very fast connections so it may be still worth trying
• Added: Tor pages can be seized by law enforcements over time
• Added: Themes, desktop wallpapers to purchase
• Added: New loading hints

Today marks 3 months since initial early access release! I would like to thank you all for continous support and I hope you like the changes that were added to the game so far. There were 39 updates to the game in this period - some smaller bug fixes and adjustments, some bigger changes - and I can assure you that it is just the beginning of shaping the game to the better state! And, to add to this - the next update is going public tomorrow. To celebrate this ongoing journey, the special discount starts today steamhappy Happy Hacking!

• Fixed: fixed bug when player rejected mission immediately after accepting it - chat messages could stuck for next missions and sometimes could lead to auto complete next missions
• Added: more loading hints
• Added: (experimental) UI Scaling option - for now it scales only app windows and there's no separate setting for fonts size. For bigger resolutions it can give more screen real estate to align many apps - below example of 4k resolution (3840x2160) with scaling about ~50%.

• Added: Loading hints (during game loading it will display random hints regarding shortcuts, and other useful information)
• Added: CPU/RAM indicators on task bar (you can hide CPU/RAM desktop widget if you don't like it and use taskbar only)
• Changed: Notifications look (smaller and more readable notifications)

• Added: shortcuts LEFT ALT + NUMBER (1, 2, 3 or 4) to navigate between different active terminal windows
• Fixed: hide stock market app in general shop (stock market app can be purchased on separate website)
• Fixed: fix for Calculator size issue when double clicked on title bar

• Added: Insider trading files can be found on computers.
• Added: Specific player actions (Chatter mentions) have influence on the stock market direction. Usually actions have impact on company and/or on the industry. Happy learning how it works!
• Changed: slight balancing on detection rates

• some portfolio panel to see all player stock
• filtering / sorting company list

• Added: Stock Market is introduced to the game. Access to the Stock Market can be purchased - you can search for it in finder, or you will receive email how to do it, when you have more than $150.

• Fixed: fix saving position of CPU/RAM widget

Thank you all for the support and patience for this update! While the existing saves will work, personally I would recommend starting new game as it will be the best experience of the changes. This is not the end of the related changes, and subsequent updates will come this week as well. But I didn't want to postpone first part of it any longer :)

• Added: better versioning + displaying the game version in main menu
• Changed: limited terminal history display up to 200 lines
• Changed: "help" command prints only available commands/programs. To show specific help details, use "help {command}"
• Added/Changed/Fixed (depending on interpretation): Terminal allows now free text selection + text copy with combination: left ctrl + left shift + C
• Fixed: company pages text will fit the browser width correctly
• Fixed: when removing alias, it was also removing original command temporarly (until save reload)
• Fixed: autocompletion by context for aliases will work correctly
• Fixed: added missing translations related to memory/cpu widget
• Changed: better mission generation and selection of tools required to complete it
• Changed: increased ftp service appearance on the computers
• Changed: missions are not started automatically, player picks up the mission from mission board
• Changed: up to 4 missions available at the same time for player to choose
• Changed: reject button option
• Changed: slight changes in tools pricing (new game only)
• Added: loan - option to borrow money from bank
• Added: wifi comparison page + adjustments to wifi speeds (e.g. the cheaper internet won't have much better speed than expensive ones, if at all)

Hello! I am deeply sorry that this update has not been released yet as planned. It is due to the issues I encountered while changing the mechanics of the gamequite a lot of changes in terms of missions, how they are created, and how they can be picked up by players. Also, there are changes to the options to earn money "outside" of missions and some "options" to spend money on. On top of that, there are a few improvements included, the biggest of which is related to copy-and-paste terminal output. This update is bigger than the previous changes and changes the dynamics of the game significantly. That also means I underestimated some of the work needed to be done :) So to sum up, I still need a few more days to work on those features, balance them together, and fix bugs before I am ready to release them. This won't take too long now, I promise!

• Fixed: fix terminal auto focus on input when reopen using taskbar button
• Changed: SFX and Music audio separate volume settings
• Changed: majority of NPCs will have less money, only limited percentage of npcs will be rich (between 8-20%) (NEW GAME ONLY)

Hello, just a small comment on the next update. You probably noticed that recently I uploaded more minor and small updates. Most of them were to address issues that were raised to me and they felt immediate enough to take priorities. However, there's a bigger update in progress. It's probably the biggest so far since the release :) I really do hope to publish it somewhere this week, or weekend. It is also the one that is directly related with the items from the roadmap I hope you'll like it when it goes live :)

• Added scrolls to the shop pages (workaround for not visible purchase button, before I upload the new shop version)
• Couple technical updates behind the scene

This patch is for Linux version only:

• Fixed: black desktop, desktop animation that didn't work on linux
• Fixed: linux scroll density was too low, and scroll direction was reversed
• Fixed: linux Steam Cloud paths were nested incorrectly

• Fixed: "{command} -h" will always work the same as "help {command}" for all commands and print the same help.
• Changed: moved audio slider to main menu, removed it from the game window - there is couple of reasons for it: inside a game it was set per profile, and when I introduce separate audio settings for music & system sound, it will be much more clear in the main menu which slider affects which sounds. There's no need for it to be duplicated. Plus it takes important space on the taskbar.
• Added: more text files content added to the game

• Fixed: separate taskbar buttons for multiple terminal windows to allow reopen terminal when minimized
• Fixed: taskbar button for NetworkVisualizer to allow reopen window when minimized

• Changed: changed name of free, default network from "Beginner Network" to "Public"
• Changed: clicking anywhere on the terminal makes it and its text field input active

• Added: tldr tool to display bare bones help details (command prompts only), if you just want to see syntax without printing full help, you can use this small tool.
• Added: you can now upload and start services on another computers
• Fixed: when backdoorRAT file was installed and then copied to another computer, it was detected as already installed
• Changed: MemoryReader - if violation of memory access happens, it increases detection risk for the player significantly
• Changed: bank transfer suspicious amount is dynamic and can depend on NPC current money amount
• Added: ftp tool + FauxFTP service interactions.

FTP

• Changed: autocomplete improvements. Now autocomplete is different depending on context.
• Changed: sudo su prompt when waiting for password
• Changed (technical): some performance optimizations and improvements on commands execution.
• Added: few more ambient music

Autocompletion with context:

• autocomplete files and folders nested paths (that worked before) - example commands: ls, cat, rm, exif. Now it will work with all commands that take files as parameter, so you don't have to be in the same folder.
• autocompletion for IPs that you used or discovered with whois/networkAnalyzer - example commands: ssh, ssh-crack, ssh-fuzzer
• autocompletion for usernames discovered with ssh-fuzzer: ssh, ssh-crack
• autocompletion for passwords discovered with ssh-crack: ssh
• autocompletion for hashes: hashmate, evilrm, mimidogz
• also the autocompletion will work for filenames for scp upload (local files) and scp download (host files)

Hello! It's been already over a month since the early access release and I want to express my gratitude to all of you for your support, feedback and ideas during that time. I am trying to keep updating game often, release updates and fixes to have the game constantly improving. I will continue doing that. I hope that you enjoy how the game changed so far! On that occassion, I'd like to show you the short-term roadmap of some of the content I plan to release. By short-term I mean that I plan to deliver below items by the end of February 2024 :) It is a challenging, ambitious but possible to achieve goal. They will be coming frequently, in iterations, week by week. The below list is not in particular order, however in general you could expect that items at the beginning of the list would be delivered before the items at the end of the list. Also this list includes only big items and while I also want to deliver other changes, I think it would make the list very unreadable if I included everything here.

Social Engineering

More balancing changes, immersive "tutorial"

Shops and hacker groups

Quality of Life

New missions and new missions types

In-game programming

Better networks system

Introduction of disk sizes, file sizes, tools use change and different OS, new tools

Introduction of 3D world

Hello! Today a small, but important update, especially if you use bounce connections:

• Fixed: network visualizer graph was incorrect when connected to the network through bounce of computer from different network
• Fixed: fix displaying ip addresses on network visualizer graph

• Fixed: if you buy 16GB RAM, and then 8GB RAM, total memory would be decreased. After fix, you will get notification that you already have better hardware.
• Fixed: shop immediate button disable after purchase, to avoid purchasing multiple times the same tool by accident
• Fixed: when running networkanalyzer --graph on remote server and memory is full it is no longer stuck
• Fixed: fixed chat conversations when mission was not created for any reason (removing empty chat)
• Changed: small fonts adjustments for chatter
• Changed: slight changes in chances for generating certain mission types (e.g. a little higher chance for bank balance and missing person missions)
• Added: social credit score for npcs - this is just another step for social engineering launch, as well as prerequisite for new missions

Hello! Today small hot fix :)

• Fixed: issue introduced recently that missions with computers inside local networks were very unlikely to generate. With current fix, it will gradually increase chance for computers with local networks as you keep completing more missions.

• Added: ambient music to play occasionally during gameplay (turns off when situational music starts to play)
• Changed: different way of connection has different detection rate (e.g. exploits are loud :))
• Changed: new balance on detection rate and detection process
• Changed: difficulty level has influence on detection rate
• Fixed: fix upload blocked for mission type where upload is required
• Added: In-game Calculator conversions between HEX and DEC

• Fixed: update all files with root password when password changes.
• Fixed: bug when cd nested path allowed to go to file instead of folder
• Fixed: bug when rm -rf used without folder name
• Fixed: bug when network is connected but web browser shows that there's no connection
• Changed: Changes to mission generator to less likely have root access after few completed missions
• Changed: Changes to mission generator to have higher chance of computers with local networks after completing multiple missions
• Changed: Adjusted temporary ip blocks on computers with chance to get blocked depending on more factors. Hint: you can do bouncing from other computers to bypass the block. I'll make bouncing easier in the future (so you won't have to do all the SSH commands again and remember the credentials), right now the blocks are really short to not be too much of annoyance.
• Changed: more chances for git privilege escalation, instead of hash or plain text password
• Added: "ps" command that shows active users on the computer
• Added: memoryReader that allows to escalate privileges if there is active user on the computer
• Added: NPC social pages, NPCs are adding posts based on what happens in the game, and they react to player actions. Global social wall exists as well - chatter.hthi This is just a first step for more complex NPC simulation and behavior. Please note that they don't post against all actions, and also they don't post immediately when something happens.
• Added: Difficulty level (Normal & Guided (easy)). The guided difficulty shows hints what steps can be executed to complete the mission. Right now hints are only for active mission - no easter eggs or hidden activities are covered. Hints are shown for first couple of missions only - this is to help you get more familiar with game and tools, but then give a bit of challenge.

• Shop changes which I mentioned last week - this change is bigger than I anticipated, especially in context to not break current saves. I will work on that soon :)

• Fixed: when terminal was closed with "X" during SSH session, no disconnect log was created on the server
• Fixed: data generator - duplicated usernames & folders on same server (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Fixed: duplicated usernames in ssh-fuzzer
• Fixed: network issue when player has been detected and player has multiple paid wifi connections
• Fixed: browser allow to type long url
• Changed: ssh-fuzzer usernames output order by name, root first
• Changed: Services files on computers + services states: OPEN/CLOSE (some local users can start/stop services)
• Changed: Added stack-overflow remote addon + some services are vulnerable to stack overflow
• Changed: Added git folders structure as a way to escalate privileges
• Changed: If player has been detected, the ip of origin computer will have a chance to be temporarly blocked on the target computer
• Changed: Added "rm -rf" option to remove folder with subfolders and subfiles: "rm -rf {folderName}".

Hello! Today small update to the game. I didn't plan to upload today however due to the major issue raised to me (first bullet) I decided to push it. All changes are applicable to both existing and new saves. Enjoy! Also, if you have questions, feedback or ideas for the game you can always contact me on Steam Discussions, on the Discord channel, or leave a feedback as a Steam review. I read all discussions, questions and suggestions and take them into consideration :)

• Fixed: chat issue when follow-up mission is generated for NPC that is no longer on chat list
• Fixed: songs will properly respect the in-game audio volume
• Fixed: browser login page fixed input text wrong position when backspaced
• Changed: Added the Mbps unit for wifi description
• Changed: Added Personal Info App (will be expanded in next updates)
• Changed: HackableSQL url added to Network Analyzer output

Hello! I wanted to give you a highlight of upcoming changes in this week. Despites the bug fixes, quality of life improvements, this week I'm also going to include following:

Memory Reader

Difficulty settings

Social and personal NPC websites

Shop changes

• Fixed: fix browser default finder page when no internet connection
• Fixed: fix image gallery navigation arrows
• Fixed: When player is typing in notepad, shortcuts (e.g. ctrl+c) should not impact the terminal
• Changed: NPC computer IP used for bank will have listed public access gateway

• Changed: periodically recreate file necessary for mission for specific mission type
• Fixed: fix mv command when no destination filename is provided (ends with folder)

• Fixed: mission expected incorrect password when root password has changed
• Fixed: incorrect terminal behavior when download/upload is blocked and scp download/upload is used

• Fixed: Some browser pages slight changes and fixes for: duplicated scrollbars, resizability (not all pages yet)
• Changed: Finder is a home page now for normal browser
• Changed: metaexploits accepts both "purchase" and "buy" commands
• Changed: metaexploits different color for exploits already purchased and owned

All changes and fixes are applicable to existing saves, unless stated otherwise. All mission changes are applicable only to the new generated missions.

• Added: New missions and new mission types
• Added: New tool "computerDestroyer" (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Added: New way to escalate privileges
• Changed: Small improvements to existing missions
• Fixed: When terminal was closed during "sudo su" command it was not properly reinitialized when reopened
• Added: Random pictures generated on the computers (SFW)
• Changed: "ls" command allow nested path
• Changed: "ls" command directories displayed first
• Added: "alias -list" to display created command aliases
• Fixed: "find" command fix when file found on the top path
• Fixed: fixed terminal switching focus bug when command finished, but player is typing in another terminal

• I uploaded a video on how to use stack-overflow in-game app stack-overflow explanation
• I'm streaming again tomorrow on my twitch account: twitch In fact, for now I'll be streaming the game every Friday at 9 PM CET.

Hello, With last patch I said that next one will focus on missions mostly. But I decided to upload something in between, because I think below changes add pretty much quality of life. So here are the fixes and improvements, and the next one will be purely focused on missions (and bug fixes if needed). Hope that makes sense :) All changes and fixes are applicable to existing saves, unless stated otherwise. All mission changes are applicable only to the new generated missions.

• Added: commands alias - alias
• Changed: attempt to make less repetetive missions: make missions less likely to be the same one after another
• Fixed: networkanalyzer show ip when using with hostname
• Added: mv command
• Changed: cd command allow nested paths, e.g. cd /home/user
• Changed: cat command allow nested paths, e.g. cat /home/user/file.txt
• Changed: rm command allow nested paths, e.g. rm /home/user/file.txt
• Changed: improved autocompletion for nested paths
• Changed: ssh default folders
• Changed: bank - suspicious activity detection
• Changed: detection system some variety between systems (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Added: ctrl+c to stop processing command
• Fixed: fix proxy impersonification command not ending properly
• Added: new random text files contents
• Fixed: fix stack-overflow app reset
• Added: networkAnalyzer: kerberos services info

All changes and fixes are applicable to existing saves, unless stated otherwise.

• Fix: Numpad enter key submits actions like normal enter
• Fix: missing input in messaging app
• Fix: Bank Balance mission password difference bug fixed (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Fix: Bank Balance mission better generator fit for current player in-game situation (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: MetaExploits price increased (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: MetaExploits not always plays a music upon start
• Changed: networkAnalyzer can accept both IP and Hostname to work with --host parameter
• Changed: networkAnalyzer order services by port
• Changed: type "reject" in mission messaging input to abort mission - this is a temporary workaround
• Changed: added notification when email attachment is downloaded and saved locally
• Fix: scp upload for "/" folder
• Changed: allowed to get police fine higher than player money amount, player goes to debt
• Fix: notes scroll to the top when notepad focused back is fixed

Hello! Player Quinn is going to do live stream of a game. Check this out: [previewyoutube=QLb1-9KlLt4;full][/previewyoutube]

Hello! I'm happy to share that I'm going to stream game on this Friday at 9 PM CET (12:00 PM PST). I will play the game, show you some tips, and give you some insights on the next steps. I know there are some challenging moments in the game, and some confusion happens, so we can take a look what we can do in such moments. It will be on my twitch account: Twitch See you!

All changes and fixes are applicable to existing saves, unless stated otherwise. All mission changes are applicable only to the new generated missions.

• Fixed terminal previous/next command to happen only if active input for specific terminal
• Fixed Browser shortcuts (ctrl+w; ctrl+t)
• Fixed ordering in chat
• Chat: limit displayed conversations number to the recent ones
• Chat: ability to resize it to smaller size to cover less screen
• Fixed: Notes saving
• Changed: Tor secret files across computers - more leaked data, less NSFW content (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: Adjustments to mission generation & hack techniques required to balance game better
• Changed: Find command - changed the way it displays output
• Changed: Find command - changed the way it's working - find command will not show files if user has no read permissions to the parent folder of the file
• Changed: Metaexploits - slightly increased rate of vulnerable services on computers (PARTIALLY NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: More services names (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: More npc names (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: SSH - different messages output between "Access denied" (incorrect password) and "SSH Blocked" (correct password but can't directly login with SSH). This should help avoid confusion.
• Fixed: menu button position for deleting profile not always visible
• Fixed: German language translations
• Fixed: autocompletion of mission person missing type
• Changed: Increased rate of ssh-crack music
• Changed: mission types chance rate % (Please note that first 3 missions will have guaranteed easy path to complete. It is to get familiar with the game and allow player to collect some money).
• Changed: Added Finder website to Favorites by default in WebBrowser (NEW GAME ONLY)
• Changed: Different outcomes for some missions

• Added: rm * - to remove all files from current folder at once (doesnt remove folders)
• Change: when removed log file, the same log file will not be created again
• Change: small increase rate of exploitable services
• Fix: when internet is disconnected, the tracing is stopped as well as remote sessions are closed
• Fix: correct icon when internet is disconnected

All changes & fixes are applicable to both new and existing save games, unless stated otherwise.

• Button to delete current profile save data.
• Button to go back to main menu.
• Adjustments to detection threshold during SSH session
• More text files with content, and more content for the files
• Fix: For missions with targets to read a file, downloading a file and reading/opening it locally should also complete an objective. [ONLY NEW MISSIONS]
• Fix: For missions with targets to read a file, when file is deleted the mission will fail [ONLY NEW MISSIONS]
• Fix: email missions automatically completed
• Fix: activate tool which was downloaded but not activated and could not be purchased again
• Fix: terminal fix. When closed during some commands processing (e.g. networkAnalyzer), after reopen of terminal it would not work until game was restarted
• Fix: fix random generated mission issues when player is stuck, mission is validated against players tools and money to determine if possible to complete [ONLY NEW MISSIONS]

I'm thrilled to announce that the Early Access for my game is finally going public on 18th September 2023. This marks the start of an exciting adventure where your input will significantly shape the game's future. The initial release game mode is a procedurally generated world with hackable computers, websites, npcs and tools. The roadmap ahead is still long with upcoming big changes to the game, but those will come step by step with regular updates. See you in next week!

Hey everyone! I wanted to express my appreciation to all of you who have been waiting for "How To Hack In?". It's been a long journey, with some unexpected hurdles along the way, but I'm grateful for your patience and support. Despite the challenges, I'm excited to announce that the game has been advancing under stealth development. In the upcoming weeks, I'll be revamping the Steam page with fresh information, visuals, and screenshots, as the existing content dates back to before Q1 2020 and no longer reflects the game's evolution. Additionally, I will be sharing the plans for the game's release, including a high-level roadmap that outlines the future of "How To Hack In?". I truly believe that the mix of roleplay, action and simulation elements, as well as the immersive world and dynamic NPCs, will create an unique experience in the hacking games world. Thanks again for all your support. I ask you just for a bit more patience.