Extras⚓︎

Everything below this point is non-essential to the technical write-up, but fun to document for completeness and posterity.

Scoreboard⚓︎

I finished #63 on December 22, 2025!

Vendors⚓︎

Identified the sponsors, merchandise booths, and other vendors scattered throughout the environment.

Achievements⚓︎

This year, there were 47 achievements total. Of these, 19 were character conversation-based, and 1 was tied to a Jason-finding Easter egg, with the remainder tied to challenges and objectives.

Chat with Charlie Goldner - Congratulations! You spoke with Charlie Goldner!
Chat with Chris Davis - Congratulations! You spoke with Chris Davis!
Chat with Chris Elgee - Congratulations! You spoke with Chris Elgee!
Chat with Ed Skoudis - Congratulations! You spoke with Ed Skoudis!
Chat with Eric Pursley - Congratulations! You spoke with Eric Pursley!
Chat with Evan Booth - Congratulations! You spoke with Evan Booth!
Chat with Janusz Jasinski - Congratulations! You spoke with Janusz Jasinski!
Chat with Jared Folkins - Congratulations! You spoke with Jared Folkins!
Chat with Josh Wright - Congratulations! You spoke with Josh Wright!
Chat with Kevin McFarland - Congratulations! You spoke with Kevin McFarland!
Chat with Kyle Parrish - Congratulations! You spoke with Kyle Parrish!
Chat with Lynn Schifano - Congratulations! You spoke with Lynn Schifano!
Chat with Mark DeVito - Congratulations! You spoke with Mark DeVito!
Chat with Maurice Wilson - Congratulations! You spoke with Maurice Wilson!
Chat with Paul Beckett - Congratulations! You spoke with Paul Beckett!
Chat with Thomas Bouve - Congratulations! You spoke with Thomas Bouve!
Chat with Tom Hessman - Congratulations! You spoke with Tom Hessman!
Chat with Torkel Opsahl - Congratulations! You spoke with Torkel Opsahl!
Chat with Yori Kvitchko - Congratulations! You spoke with Yori Kvitchko!
Dosis Network Down - Congratulations! You have completed the Dosis Network Down challenge!
Find Frosty's Snowglobe Machine - Congratulations! You have completed the Find Frosty's Snowglobe Machine challenge!
Forgotton IP - Congratulations! You have completed the Forgotton IP challenge!
Fri Ski - Congratulations! You have completed the Google SecOps challenge!
Gnome Tea - Congratulations! You have completed the Gnome Tea challenge!
Going in Reverse - Congratulations! You have completed the Going in Reverse challenge!
Hack-a-Gnome - Congratulations! You have completed the Hack-a-Gnome challenge!
Holiday Hack Orientation - Congratulations! You have completed the Holiday Hack Orientation challenge!
IDORable Bistro - Congratulations! You have completed the IDORable Bistro challenge!
I found Jason!!! - Congratulations! You found Jason!
Intro to Nmap - Congratulations! You have completed the Intro to Nmap challenge!
Its All About Defang - Congratulations! You have completed the Its All About Defang challenge!
Mail Detective: Curly IMAP Investigation - Congratulations! You have completed the Mail Detective: Curly IMAP Investigation challenge!
Neighborhood Watch Bypass - Congratulations! You have completed the Neighborhood Watch Bypass challenge!
Quantgnome Leap - Congratulations! You have completed the Quantgnome Leap challenge!
Retro Recovery - Congratulations! You have completed the Retro Recovery challenge!
Rogue Gnome Identity Provider - Congratulations! You have completed the Rogue Gnome Identity Provider challenge!
Santa's Gift-Tracking Service Port Mystery - Congratulations! You have completed the Santa's Gift-Tracking Service Port Mystery challenge!
Schrödinger's Scope - Congratulations! You have completed the Schrödinger's Scope challenge!
Signals - Congratulations! You have completed the Signals challenge!
Snowblind Ambush - Congratulations! You have completed the Snowblind Ambush challenge!
Snowcat RCE & Priv Esc - Congratulations! You have completed the Snowcat RCE & Priv Esc challenge!
Storage Secrets - Congratulations! You have completed the Storage Secrets challenge!
Token Exposure - Congratulations! You have completed the Token Exposure challenge!
Too Powerful to Fail - Congratulations! You have completed the Too Powerful to Fail challenge!
Visual Firewall Thinger - Congratulations! You have completed the Visual Firewall Thinger challenge!
Visual Networking Thinger - Congratulations! You have completed the Visual Networking Thinger challenge!
You Won! - Through your diligent efforts, you have restored peace at the Dosis Neighborhood and saved the holidays! Congratulations! Feel free to show off your skills with some swag - only for our victors!

Easter Eggs⚓︎

Map Layout⚓︎

The map layout closely resembles HHC 2015.

HHC 2015 (The Dosis Neighborhood RPG):

Jason⚓︎

Found jason.png behind the Sasabune on a fire hydrant.

Jason

Hi there, I'm Jason! Hmmm, I guess I’m in streaming mode this year!

Interacting with him, we are awarded an achievement.

Achievement

Congratulations! You found Jason!

Puppies⚓︎

Found maggie_[0.5].png outside of the Data Center.

Found jsgirl.png outside of 24-Seven.

Park Easter Egg⚓︎

I found an Easter egg in the park - it literally says literallyjustaneasteregg.png.

Feedback⚓︎

What a whirlwind Holiday Hack Challenge 2025! This year's journey was nothing short of unforgettable-packed with twists, challenges, and those aha! moments that make hacking so rewarding.

Pushing my skills to the limit and diving deep into the puzzles was an absolute blast, and I hope this write-up captured at least a fraction of that excitement.

Massive thanks to the brilliant team at Counter Hack-your creativity and dedication continue to deliver experiences that challenge us, teach us, and inspire us long after the event ends.

Here's to carrying these lessons forward, breaking new barriers, and making 2026 a year of discovery, growth, and even bolder adventures. If anything in this write-up sparks questions or curiosity, feel free to reach out-I'd love to chat.