Sudden boom in 'hacker' sites

recently we have all witnessed several more "hacker" sites be created. So, now im going to explain a bit about them.

Everyone seems now think… "oh if i upload php-fusion, call it a hacker site and rip off HBH's challenges… everyone will join my site". Ofcourse this is stupid.

It really isnt that easy. Having a few challenges on your site + a handfull of articles, is not enough for people to start running over to your site. You need some kind of unique featrue / theme for it to actually take off.

HTS - hacktivism HBH - learning / diversity of content / events / the 1 place that has everything enigma - blackhat / unique wargames

These sites have themes and content that attracts members and actually makes them successful.

But recently i havnt seen that. All i can see if php-fusion sites with a few challenges / ideas ripped off from HBH, and relying on those rippied off ideas to make the site survive. Obvioulsy thats not going to work, i mean.. why settle for second best. (challenges such as Javascript/logical/stegano/other - all are very original/unique to hbh)

It seems that the webmasters of these sites really havnt thought things through properly. As i said above, it seems they've just thought "i wanna make a hacking site. i'll uload fusion and add 1 challenge that i ripped from hbh". Then they want to affialte with HBH, expecting we'll publish the link and convert our members to their membership.

It really isnt that easy though. HBH has been online for a year and me and grind have worked non-stop since it was started to get HBH how it is today. Practically every single day something new is added / some script is uploaded/edited. It takes ALOT of work to produce something as popular and diverse as HBH.

So, why do people decide to do this? Well i have thought of 2 answers:

1. fame
2. learn/gain knowlege from maintaining a site

Well, both of those can be acheived here at HBH. How?.. simple, just become a admin or a developer and submit lots of work.

Now, please dont think im paranoid of loosing members / hypocritical(because HBH is indeed php-fusion). HBH is based on php-fusion. I can think of only a few pages that havnt in some way been improved or modded to suit HBH. Obvioulsy because fusion can be a bit buggy and insecure, HBH has had to mod it loads, so now it could be arguably one of the most secure fusion sites on the net.

So in conclusion: THINK before you go starting a php-fusion based hacking site. its been done before (repeatedly) and we dont really need another bog standard fusion hacking site. Not only does it get boring, but it will also confuse new commers who dont konw where to go / what site to use.

Well said, I agree on this, there has been a sudden explosion with these sites, I think there was a news post on the net somewhere loosly based on this.

yeah these suck….. and they spam shoutbox's with them too..

i must say hbh is the only hacking site iv found that is very educational + has a great community, iv become friends with a lot of members in only 5 days and not 1 of them is an SK, that is very rare on the net these days….

yea i agree, personally for me hbh is the best hacking site i found and have learnt nearly everything i know from this site ,i have also made friends with many members who have also been able to tach me alot, so if someones going to try and rip this site off then they're just wasting their time because you wont be able to beat this site:)

I agree the above - HBH is the best hacking site that I've found on the web. The members are great and super helpful, and because of HBH I've learned a ton more than I could on any other site. HellboundHackers.org, as far as I'm concerned, is the only hacking site worth coming to online.

It doesnt have to be a hacking site, my sites a pile of crap, it's only there so I can practice so I dont need it to have a theme, originally it was going to be a hacking site but I realised it was pointless, ie I wouldnt do anythign new so I didnt even bother with that idea.

Yehr I agree. Theres 1 more site (www.bright-shadows.net) that I think is worth adding to the list though, its unique as it has challenges for anything you can think of XD Couple hundred challenges :P

Nothing can stop people from making their own 'mini hbhs', jst dont be dissapointed when nobody wants to join XD

i think this is the best site ever, i was on a couple of other sites before this one, and i was getting put down alot just because i was new to the "hacker world" persay. But here yall accaully helped me out, and im stull learning, i wouldnt go to any other site for help, and the members on here are very nice, for the most part lol and the site in general is put up very nicely :) -hackthis-

I agree. Though I have found it fun to try and make your own challanges, I certainly wouldn't make a site copying another (popular) hacking site and try to promote it.

Hackthis59 wrote: i think this is the best site ever, i was on a couple of other sites before this one, and i was getting put down alot just because i was new to the "hacker world" persay. But here yall accaully helped me out, and im stull learning, i wouldnt go to any other site for help, and the members on here are very nice, for the most part lol and the site in general is put up very nicely :) -hackthis-

i agree :D

i just hate those 'wannebe' sites. they don't put effort in it so it will be death in half a year. they just don't take it seriously.

I REALLY like the HBH community. It's not often you see the owners/admins of a large site posting on the forums, and actually reaching out to help people. It's rare, and I like it, because it makes the whole site more closely-knit.

Last week when I joined up, I thought that the whole site was going to be all "We're 'leeter' than you, you have posted 0 times, so you're a 'n00b'" But to my surprise, everyone's been super-nice, so THANKS, HBH! :D