How I Lost My 7-Day Hacking Streak (And Why It Matters)
Understanding TryHackMe Streaks
This post goes out to all the free-to-play TryHackMe hackers and those who hack for the clout! I lost my 7-day hacking streak yesterday… sad, I know. I’ll break it down like this for everyone:
What is a THM hacking streak?
In short, a hacking streak on TryHackMe is as simple as the picture above, completing a question every day.
What does “every day” mean? From what I’ve been told by some great folks on the THM discord, it resets at midnight based on the time zone associated with your account’s country. If you don’t have a country associated with you account, it’s midnight in Universal Time Coordinated. If you need a world clock to reference, go here.
There are multiple places to see your streak but just pay attention to the green flame with the number an you’ll be fine.
How I lost my streak - life
Amongst the chaos of the weekend - meal preparation, rollerskating with my daughter and her friend, spending time with my partner, playing with my newborn, I felt something missing - hacking.
As I guided the tribe of humans and animals into their bedtime routines I decided, "Let me hop on TryHackMe and knock out an easy room or answer a few questions at least, just to keep my streak going” I quickly rushed to my computer after checking the locked doors and closing the windows. My screen came up. Quick - TryHackMe! C’mon profile….load…..there….
My heart dropped…my flame was at 0! My mind began racing to understand the series of events that had led to this moment. “I got up at 5 A.M. this morning. I know I logged into TryHackMe. I had my cup of coffee. I talked to my friend…”
Then it hit me - I spent the morning watching my friend’s hacking stream and attempting my first THM King of the Hill instead of working on a room! My streak had ended…I was disappointed
Why does this matter? As a paid THM subscriber, not too much actually, except my pride. But for a free-to-play user or someone with a long streak? It might be more painful. Now let’s break down what you get from a streak and why it matters.
Perks of a streak
1. Access to learning networks
For the free-to-play users, these streaks are critical to getting access to the Wreath and two Active Directory networks to improve your skills. Each room is drastically different and helpful in your journey to become a force to be reckoned with.
Wreath Pivoting
Breaching Active Directory
Enumerating Active Directory
2. Badges
There are various badges you can achieve and share to show off your skills and experiences. Feel free to succumb to the gamification and enjoy getting these badges.
There are some very specific badges to these streaks, with the highest being 365 days!
3. Personal Satisfaction
There is nothing more satisfying than making a commitment and having the visual indicator continue to rise, knowing that you are showing up every day.
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits
Tips to Maintain Your Streak
Establish a schedule that allows for a daily session of TryHackMe.
Contact THM support to adjust your account’s country so you can be certain when the reset happens.
Save the introductory rooms in case you can’t find the time to study - introductory rooms have tons of no-answer submission tasks.
Wrapping Up
While my previous post, TryHackMe Top 10% in 6 Days and 23 Rooms, shows how intense focus can achieve results, this experience reminded me that daily habits are very important to continue my improvement.
For the free-to-play users, I hope this post helps you maintain your streak as you navigate TryHackMe and you get the opportunity to do these more advanced rooms. You will learn a ton.
What’s the largest streak you’ve achieved? Drop the badge in the comments! For me, 7 is it for now.
If you think this post might be helpful to someone in your network, please share. If you have any feedback, comment below or connect with me @kirkedcarter on all socials.