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How to Use KillChain Labs

A practical guide to navigating the platform, completing challenges, and climbing the ranks.

Getting Started

  1. 1

    Create an account

    Sign up with email/password, Google OAuth, or GitHub OAuth. New email/password accounts verify by email OTP before onboarding, and optional MFA can be enabled later from Settings.

  2. 2

    Complete Mission 0

    Finish the short onboarding flow to set your operator handle, mark your IT background, and choose your current security experience level. That setup is what powers the first challenge recommendation on your dashboard.

  3. 3

    Browse challenges

    Head to Challenges to preview the catalog. Create an account when you're ready to submit flags, reveal hints, and track completion.

  4. 4

    Launch the recommended first mission

    Your dashboard's Start Here card points to the best opening lab for a new account. Use that recommendation first if you want the least confusing path into the platform.

  5. 5

    Track your progress

    Your account dashboard shows your rank, points, domain coverage, kill chain progress, and skill radar.

First-mission rule of thumb

If you're new to the platform, start with the recommended difficulty-1 lab on your dashboard before browsing wider. It gives you the cleanest read on how flags, points, hints, and progression work without overwhelming your setup.

Setting Up Your Lab

KillChain Labs challenges require a local secure environment — you work on your own machine and submit the flag you find. You have two options: Docker (fastest, works everywhere) or a dedicated Kali Linux VM.

Option A — Docker (Recommended)

Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Install Docker Desktop from docker.com, then run:

# Pull and launch Kali Linux

docker pull kalilinux/kali-rolling

docker run -it --name kcl-lab \

-v kcl-data:/root \

kalilinux/kali-rolling bash

# Install common tools (run inside the container)

apt-get update && apt-get install -y \

kali-tools-top10 nmap wireshark \

python3-pip git curl wget

To re-enter your lab later: docker start -ai kcl-lab

Option B — Kali Linux VM

A full VM gives you a complete Kali desktop with all tools pre-installed. Download the Kali Linux ISO or pre-built VM image from kali.org/get-kali, then set up a hypervisor for your OS:

Windows

→VirtualBox (free) — download from virtualbox.org. Import the Kali VirtualBox image (.ova) directly.
→VMware Workstation Player (free for personal use) — import the Kali VMware image (.vmx).
!Enable virtualization in BIOS/UEFI (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) if VMs won't start.

macOS

→Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) — use UTM (free, mac.getutm.app). Download the Kali ARM64 installer ISO and create a new Linux VM in UTM.
→Intel Mac — use VirtualBox or VMware Fusion. Import the Kali VirtualBox or VMware image.

Linux

→VirtualBox — sudo apt install virtualbox or download from virtualbox.org.
→KVM/QEMU (native, best performance) — sudo apt install qemu-kvm virt-manager. Import the Kali QCOW2 image.

Prefer a lighter OS? Parrot OS (parrotsec.org) is a solid alternative — smaller footprint, same core tools.

How Challenges Work

Read the scenario

Each challenge presents a realistic cybersecurity scenario. Read carefully — the context contains everything you need to solve the problem.

Submit your answer

Challenges require a specific flag or answer. Flags are validated server-side and matched case-insensitively after trimming whitespace. Type your answer in the submission field and hit Submit.

Earn points

Correct submissions award points based on challenge difficulty. Points are added to your total and update the leaderboard in real time.

The Kill Chain Framework

Every challenge is tagged to one of the 7 phases of the Cyber Kill Chain — a model describing the stages of a targeted attack. Understanding each phase helps you think like both an attacker and a defender.

1
Recon

Passive and active information gathering on a target.

2
Weaponization

Creating malicious payloads and attack tools.

3
Delivery

Transmitting the weapon to the target environment.

4
Exploitation

Triggering vulnerability execution on the target.

5
Installation

Establishing persistence on the compromised system.

6
C2

Command and control channel communication.

7
Actions on Objectives

Achieving the final goal — exfiltration, disruption, etc.

Scoring & Hints

Point Values
Difficulty 150 pts
Difficulty 2100 pts
Difficulty 3200 pts
Difficulty 4300 pts
Difficulty 5500 pts
Hints

Each challenge may have up to 3 hints. Using a hint costs 25% of the base point value per hint.

Hint deductions are applied at submission time. Minimum payout is 10% of base points (floor: 10 pts) no matter how many hints you use.

Use hints strategically — they reduce your score on that challenge permanently.

Difficulty & Unlocks

Progressive Unlocks

Difficulty 3, 4, and 5 challenges are locked until you demonstrate competency at the previous tier. Complete 3 or more challenges at a difficulty level to unlock the next one.

Diff 1

Diff 2

Diff 3

Diff 4

Diff 5

Ranks & Progression

Your rank is determined by total points accumulated. Ranks are purely cosmetic — they reflect your experience level and appear on your profile and the leaderboard.

Recruit0 pts
Analyst500 pts
Operator1,500 pts
Specialist3,500 pts
Expert7,000 pts
Elite15,000 pts

Leaderboard

The Leaderboardranks all operators by total points. You can filter by time period (all time, this month, this week) to see who's been most active recently.

  • → Your rank is always visible in the top banner
  • → Your row is highlighted in teal for quick reference
  • → Rankings update in real time as challenges are completed

Public browsing is available now. Sign up when you want submissions, hints, and saved progress.

Preview Challenges