Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using HackAdvisor Labs ("the Platform"), operated at labs.hackadvisor.io as part of the HackAdvisor ecosystem, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and HackAdvisor ("we", "us", "our"). By creating an account, accessing any challenge, or using any feature of the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. Description of Service

HackAdvisor Labs is an educational cybersecurity training platform that provides hands-on security challenges in isolated container environments. Each challenge simulates a realistic web application with intentional vulnerabilities for authorized security testing and learning purposes only. The Platform offers individual training labs, organizational team assessments, code review challenges, leaderboards, certificates of achievement, and related educational services. Challenges are generated using AI technology and reviewed by human experts before publication. The Platform is designed exclusively as a learning environment and must not be used as a tool for unauthorized testing of third-party systems.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years of age to create an account and use the Platform. If you are between 16 and 18 years of age, you represent that you have obtained parental or legal guardian consent to use the Platform. By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements. Organizations creating accounts on behalf of their teams are responsible for ensuring that all team members meet the eligibility requirements.

4. User Accounts

You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You must use a valid, non-disposable email address for registration. You must notify us immediately at admin@hackadvisor.io of any unauthorized use of your account or any other security breach. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or engage in suspicious activity. You may not transfer your account to another person without our prior written consent.

5. Acceptable Use

The Platform is intended exclusively for educational purposes and authorized security training. You may use the Platform to:

• Learn about web application vulnerabilities and security concepts through provided challenges

• Practice penetration testing and vulnerability discovery techniques within the provided isolated environments

• Develop and improve your cybersecurity skills in a legal and controlled setting

• Participate in leaderboards and earn certificates of achievement

• Conduct authorized team training and candidate assessments through organizational accounts

6. Prohibited Activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited. Violation may result in immediate account termination and, where applicable, referral to law enforcement:

• Using knowledge, techniques, or tools gained from the Platform to attack, probe, or test any system, network, or application without explicit written authorization from its owner

• Attempting to access other users' accounts, data, challenge instances, or personal information

• Sharing challenge flags, solutions, or exploit details publicly or with other users in a manner that diminishes the educational experience

• Publishing direct challenge walkthroughs, step-by-step solutions, or writeups without our explicit written permission

• Attempting to escape container isolation, access host systems, or exploit the Platform infrastructure itself

• Using automated tools, bots, or scripts to solve challenges for the purpose of leaderboard manipulation or unfair advantage

• Creating multiple accounts to gain unfair advantages, circumvent bans, or manipulate rankings

• Using the Platform for any illegal activity, including but not limited to unauthorized access to computer systems, data theft, or fraud

• Attempting to disrupt, overload, or interfere with the Platform's infrastructure, services, or other users' experience

• Reselling, sublicensing, or commercially redistributing access to the Platform or its content without our written consent

7. Container Environments

Challenge containers are provided as isolated sandbox environments with strict resource limitations (memory, CPU, storage, and network restrictions). Each container is ephemeral and will be automatically destroyed after the allocated time based on challenge difficulty. Any data stored within containers is not persistent and will be lost upon container termination. Containers operate with read-only filesystems, dropped capabilities, and network isolation -- they have no outbound internet access. You acknowledge that containers may be terminated at any time for maintenance, resource management, or security reasons. You are limited to one active container at a time. We make no guarantees regarding container uptime, performance, or availability.

8. Organization Accounts

Organizations may create accounts to manage teams, assign challenges, conduct assessments, and track team progress. The organization owner (the user who creates the organization) is responsible for the conduct of all team members and for ensuring compliance with these Terms. Organization administrators may invite members via email, manage roles (Owner, Admin, Member, Viewer), and access team analytics and audit logs. Organization data, including member activity, assessment results, and vulnerability reports, is isolated from other organizations. By uploading vulnerability reports or proprietary materials to the Platform, the organization retains ownership of such content. We encrypt vulnerability reports using AES-256-GCM. Organizations on paid plans are subject to the additional terms specified in their service agreement.

9. Assessment Terms

Organizations may create assessments to evaluate candidates' cybersecurity skills. Assessment candidates access the Platform via a unique, time-limited token and are not required to create a full account. By participating in an assessment, candidates agree to these Terms. Assessment results, including challenges attempted, completion time, and hints used, are shared with the organization that created the assessment. Candidates are informed of this data sharing at the start of the assessment. Organizations are responsible for obtaining any necessary consent from candidates before inviting them to an assessment. Assessment tokens expire after the deadline set by the organization.

10. Points, Leaderboards, and Certificates

Points are awarded for successfully solving challenges. Point values are determined by challenge difficulty and may be adjusted at our discretion. Using hints reduces the points earned for a challenge. Leaderboard rankings are based on accumulated points and are publicly visible (displaying username, points, and solve count). We reserve the right to remove points, reset rankings, or disqualify users who violate these Terms or engage in unfair practices. Certificates of achievement are issued for completing challenges and are verifiable via a unique public URL. Certificates represent educational accomplishment on our Platform and do not constitute professional certification or accreditation.

11. Intellectual Property

All challenge content, educational materials, writeups, hints, platform code, design, and branding are the intellectual property of HackAdvisor Labs and are protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, publicly display, or commercially exploit any of our content without explicit written permission. Challenge solutions and techniques learned may be discussed in private educational contexts (such as internal team discussions or personal study notes) but must not be published as direct walkthroughs or solutions. The HackAdvisor and HackAdvisor Labs names, logos, and associated branding are trademarks of HackAdvisor.

12. User-Generated Content

Users may submit lab proposals, vulnerability reports (within organizations), and profile information. By submitting content to the Platform, you grant HackAdvisor Labs a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and process such content for the purposes of operating the Platform. You retain ownership of your original content. You represent that you have the right to submit any content you provide and that it does not infringe upon the rights of any third party. We reserve the right to remove any user-generated content that violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. CHALLENGES MAY CONTAIN BUGS BEYOND THEIR INTENDED VULNERABILITIES. CHALLENGE AVAILABILITY, CONTENT, AND DIFFICULTY RATINGS MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SKILLS LEARNED ON THE PLATFORM WILL RESULT IN ANY PARTICULAR EMPLOYMENT, CERTIFICATION, OR PROFESSIONAL OUTCOME.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HACKADVISOR LABS AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO HACKADVISOR LABS IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED EUROS (EUR 100). THIS LIMITATION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY AND EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HackAdvisor Labs and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; (d) your use of techniques learned on the Platform against systems you are not authorized to test; or (e) any content you submit to the Platform.

16. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Platform at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Grounds for termination include, but are not limited to: violation of these Terms, suspected fraudulent or abusive behavior, extended inactivity, or at our sole discretion. Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately, and any active containers will be destroyed. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time through the account settings page or by contacting admin@hackadvisor.io. The following provisions survive termination: Sections 6 (Prohibited Activities), 11 (Intellectual Property), 13 (Disclaimer), 14 (Limitation of Liability), 15 (Indemnification), and 17 (Governing Law).

17. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the European Union and the applicable national laws of the jurisdiction in which HackAdvisor operates, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be submitted to the competent courts. Nothing in these Terms shall limit your rights under mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence.

18. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform via a prominent notice or by email to the address associated with your account at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Platform and may request account deletion.

19. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable, or if modification is not possible, shall be severed from these Terms. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions, which shall continue in full force and effect.

20. Contact

For questions, concerns, or notices regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us at admin@hackadvisor.io