Be respectful to newbies.
We were all there once. Don’t be the gatekeeper scaring away newer generations of hackers. Instead, If you have the time and patience, provide some resources to nudge them in the right direction.
Search before you post.
Before you post, just do a quick search to make sure your topic has not been posted already. If you have a question to ask, its likely someone else did too at one point. We won’t penalize you for duplicating a topic, but your topic might get closed or deleted.
Don’t link to websites that host harmful content.
Avoid directly linking to websites which share sensitive information that has been obtained illegally, distribute malware (github excluded here), or hosts any other kind of morally dubious content. If necessary, it is okay to refer to them by their common names. i.e. “Breach Forums” and “Dread” are okay to use in an investigative or journalistic context, but telling someone where they can find stolen credit cards on “XYZ Forums” is NOT okay.
Explicit language is okay.
Just don’t be excessive about it please.
No sexually explicit content.
None. The only exception to this rule is when it is relevant to a notable security incident. If this is the case, please check with a moderator before posting. Like with our rule on harmful websites, it is okay to refer to adult content providers with their common names when relevant.
Stay on topic.
If the conversation strays from the original discussion, make a new post, or take it to private messages.
Use relevant subcategories and/or tags.
If you would like to post the latest memes, we have a sub for that. If you would like to brag about your latest certification, we have a sub for that. In the event that we do not, in fact, have a sub (or tag) for that, choose the most relevant one. Optionally, make a request in Feature Requests.
No doxxing or brigading.
Any effort or organizing of an effort, by any individual or groups, with the intention of causing emotional harm, reputational harm, financial harm, or any other kind of personal injury on or off of this website - will not be tolerated.
Don’t post about doing illegal things.
Seriously. This is not that kind of forum. If the FBI comes knocking at my door asking for chat logs because you bragged defacing a website in a dm - I’m giving them everything. If you dabble in black hat then save everyone the trouble and keep it to yourself. This is not a safe place to post.
Don’t ask other people to hack things for you.
Absolutely no “Help I need to hire a hacker!!1” posts. Its either illegal, dumb, lazy, or a scam. If you are part of an organization looking to fill a legitimate security professional position, then consider posting in Job Listings.
We reserve the right to enforce rules or policies that might not be listed here.
If an action by a user is not explicitly the rules but is determined to cause problems for others, moderators are empowered to respond as they see fit.
These rules are subject to change at anytime.
This is an organic document, meaning it will change and adapt over time to suit the forum needs. We may or may not post updates when these rules are changed. As a forum user, it is your job to stay informed by checking this post from time to time.