Hacknet Simulates Hacking Firewalls — No Textbook Required

Learning to program (let alone hacking) can be an intimidating prospect, but Hacknet promises no actual prior knowledge is required to dive into the game.

promises no actual prior knowledge is required to dive into the game. It’s a hacking simulator that hardly holds hands, but teaches enough real-world commands through gameplay to let anyone jump in.

In Hacknet , the player takes on the role a person who stumbled across Bit’s legacy. Bit, murdered for creating the most invasive hacking system ever seen, left behind a trail of messages to ensure the software never fell into the wrong hands. The player uses real UNIX programs and command prompts to fulfill missions and unravel the mystery behind Bit.

Hacknet teaches the player enough to get started on taking down firewalls and using commands to navigate the software. There are no levels to follow, so each task is presented in an email from Bit. Among .txt files to read and servers to hack, the game tackles themes on internet privacy, corporate greed, and the abilities many hackers can utilize.

The game, developed by Team Fractal Alligator, will traverse the dark net and find back door access to Steamon August 12. Hacknet will be compatible with Windows, with no current plans for release on Mac or Linux. Follow the game on Twitterfor more announcements.