Hacking Cat
A serious game to raise awareness about cybersecurity
Context
In an increasingly connected world, cybersecurity has become a major concern for both individuals and for organizations. Every day, new threats appear and exploit technical and human flaws of digital systems.
However, despite the severity of these risks, it remains quite difficult for the general public to deeply understand how cyberattacks work and how to protect themselves.
And that's how Hacking Cat was born.
Project
Hacking Cat
Hacking Cat offers an interactive experience that explores the mechanics of cybersecurity. Rather than limiting yourself to theoretical explanations, we’ve chosen to immerse players in situations inspired by real-world scenarios.
In the game, players take on the role of an attacker and must identify vulnerabilities to exploit in order to learn how to better protect themselves. By turning cybersecurity awareness into a fun experience, Hacking Cat helps players better understand the risks of the digital world and develop the right reflexes when facing threats.
How the game works
In Hacking Cat, you join Chacha, a cat who has unfortunately lost everything he owns. To help him get his belongings back, you’ll need to make your way through different levels and complete the challenges they present.
Each level is based on a scenario inspired by a cybersecurity issue. By completing the challenges, you’ll unlock the next levels and earn coins that let you buy Chacha’s belongings and help him get back everything he’s lost.
As you progress, the levels become more complex and introduce new concepts related to various cyber threats. Every success brings you a little closer to the goal!
Topics Covered
The game covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics, including:
Social Engineering
Social Engineering encompasses all psychological manipulation techniques aimed at deceiving an individual into revealing confidential information or performing harmful actions.
Phishing
Phishing is a social engineering technique that involves manipulating a victim into revealing sensitive information such as their login credentials, passwords, or financial data.
Masked Attack
Masked attacks constitute an optimized variant of brute-force attacks relying on known password patterns.
Heuristic Attack
Heuristic attacks involve guessing passwords by exploiting common human habits: typographical variations, inversions, duplications, etc.
Account Ecosystem
An account ecosystem represents the complete set of a person's online accounts, regardless of whether they are linked by the same email address, similar usernames or recovery mechanisms.
Our Team
Hacking Cat is developed by 4th-year students in the Computer Science (INFO) department at INSA Rennes.