Hack the Boat
Part of Hack the X – ON2IT’s live CTF Mission inside THE GRID.
Season 2026 · Maritime Domain
Hack the Boat is a live, competitive Capture-the-Flag mission inside THE GRID – focused on executing a realistic maritime intrusion scenario targeting a vessel’s ballast control system.
This mission is built to identify talented operators and recuit them to ON2IT’s Security Special Service Team – the top 10% of cyberseurity professionals.
MISSION LOGISTICS
Date: June 4, 2026 | 12:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: ON2IT HQ, Zaltbommel, the Netherlands
Duration: Approximately 6 hours
Format: Competitive, team-based CTF
Access: Limited attendance · Registration required
Cost: Free
Inside THE GRID – the hidden cyber battlespace mirroring Europe’s critical infrastructure – a new instability has surfaced.
Weeks after the Riverside Hospital sector was breached and stabilized, anomalous telemetry begins appearing in the maritime domain.
A military cargo vessel transporting sensitive hardware reports subtle imbalance:
- Trim corrections triggering too frequently
- Ballast tank readings drifting beyond expected tolerance
- Manual overrides responding – but with delay
No explosion.
No visible sabotage.
Just cumulative instability.
Threat intelligence attributes the probing pattern to Solstice Prime (APT-Ω) – known for studying control systems quietly before applying real-world pressure.
The ballast control system is the target.
You are not defending the vessel. You are the adversary.
Your unit must infiltrate the vessel’s digital environment and manipulate ballast control behavior without triggering immediate detection.
You will:
- Manipulate ballast tank telemetry
- Alter automated load-balancing logic
- Introduce gradual instability while staying inside operational tolerances
- Adapt when access paths fail
The goal is precision.
If the ship lists violently, you failed. If it drifts gradually into operational paralysis, you understood the system.
You will not observe instability.
You will create it.
Participants operate in teams, each led by an ON2IT Team Captain – senior operators from the Security Special Service Team.
During the mission, you will:
- Compete in a high-intensity team-based CTF
- Execute maritime intrusion tradecraft aligned with real-world doctrine
- Understand how digital manipulation translates into mechanical consequence
- Work directly with operators who secure critical maritime and OT environments
- Engage with ON2IT’s Chief Commanders on operational standards and performance under pressure
Your mission is clear:
Compromise the ballast control system.
Maintain persistence.
Create instability.
Each unit is led by an ON2IT Team Captain.
They do not solve the mission.
They apply pressure.
They challenge your assumptions.
They measure how you operate when automation lies.
Hack the Boat is part of Hack the X – Season 2026, a series of recruitment events, exploring critical domains – where digital manipulation becomes geopolitical leverage.
Hack the X is not just a challenge. It is a filter.
We use these missions to identify operators who can think clearly when systems drift, automation lies, and time compresses.
The kind of professionals we invite into ON2IT’s Security Special Service Team.
This is for operators who want to prove they understand control-layer compromise in practice – not in theory.
You won’t be measured on speed. You’ll be measured on judgment.
Perform well, and we will notice.
REQUEST MISSION ACCESS
Seats are limited. Access to THE GRID closes when capacity is reached.
