How Does Hacking Work in Upload Labs: Completing and Solving Roles

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Once you have the basics of Upload Labs down, the next step is to learn more advanced features, starting with hacking. Like many of the late-game options, hacking takes some time to get started, but once you do, it produces valuable resources that give you big advantages.

If you’re confused about how hacking and breaching work in Upload Labs or what your goals are, this guide explains it all clearly.

Hacking and Breaching

After unlocking hacking from the research screen, you can place the Hack Interface node. This is the starting point for all your hacking activities. The node’s level determines how much Hack Power it generates, which can be used in attack nodes to cause damage. These attacks are then directed at targets to break into them.

Hack Power can be divided among multiple attacks and targets. You decide whether to hit several targets at once for smaller amounts or focus everything on one. When you unlock Hack Skills, you can also modify attacks by routing damage through Skill nodes before reaching the target.

Your initial attack is called Launch Payload, which does damage based on how much Hack Power it gets. Later, you can unlock Infect, which causes more damage over time if left attacking longer. Both can be upgraded and customized with Skills.

Breaching Targets

At first, you can only hack one target: Anonymous. As you progress and unlock more research, you’ll be able to hack into corporations, governments, and banks. These different targets work similarly, but they offer different rewards.

When you send attack damage to a target, a timer at the bottom of its node starts counting down. Usually, it’s five seconds, but you can buy the Sneak Attack upgrade to increase it. To successfully breach a target, you need to deal enough damage before the timer hits zero.

If the target has any Firewall remaining, your attack damage will first remove it. After the Firewall is gone, damage fills a breach meter. The hack is successful when this meter is full; the node flashes green, and the rewards are either stored or sent to the output node if available. If the timer ends first, the node flashes red, and you get no rewards for that attempt. There are no penalties, just no gains.

Threat Level

The Threat Level of a target shows how tough it is to hack. It affects the Firewall and breach meter strength. All targets start at Threat Level 1. You unlock higher levels by successfully breaching the level below at least once. Once unlocked, you can freely raise or lower the Threat Level up to the highest one you’ve unlocked.

It’s generally better to hack targets with higher Threat Levels because they give better rewards. So aim to handle the highest Threat Level you’re comfortable with.

Breach Targets and Rewards

Trojans

As you advance, you’ll gain the ability to produce Trojans at your Hack Terminal. These are generated automatically based on the Terminal’s level and do not require Hack Power—they’re a separate resource. Trojans can be sent to an Inject Trojan node, where they get added to files placed in that node. This process doesn’t change the file size or value.

Placing a Trojan into a file that has been scanned for viruses will remove its Scanned status. When you sell a file with an attached Trojan, it produces a new resource called Infected Computers. These can be sent to a Drain Node, which connects to a Network, Processor, or GPU to boost its performance. The more Infected Computers connected, the higher the performance boost you’ll receive.