thwack Monthly Mission - November 2014

Happy November to ya! I hope you all enjoyed that extra hour last night.  I mean, unless you're in Arizona (go Sun Devil's! 7-1) or somewhere in Hawaii... and in that case, you still win.  In other news… another data breach has happened! It seems like security breaches are regular fixture in headline news this year… so we want to help by sharing tips on security best practices which will help you proactively avoid threats and prepare for other potential security issues. Be better prepared to learn how to manage logs, meet compliance, and conduct root-cause analysis with SolarWinds Log & Event Manager. This month, you, "the good guys", will defeat the evil hackers!

November Mission

You're on a mission to solve the Hacker thwacker Cryptogram! Not quite the Security Pro? Not to worry - we're featuring a track geared towards Network and System Admins as well, so keep paying attention.  One question will be released each day starting November 3rd (Monday - Thursday).  After correctly answering a question, you will be given a "code" bit which will help you to solve the Cryptogram.  Make sure to grab a copy of the attached Cryptogram to fill out as you go.  Correctly answer all 4 questions in a given week and then submit that week's "phrase" each Friday to be entered to win that week's prize (listed in the rules below).  Correctly answer all 3 weeks of questions and submit the final phrase before November 26th to be entered to win the grand prize - a Samsung Galaxy Tablet S 8.4" 16 GB, Titanium Bronze tablet!

Mission Rules

1. One question will be released in each track everyday starting November 3rd.
   1. Once a question opens, it will remain open until November 26th.  Check the schedule below for exact open/close times.
2. 50 points will be awarded for each correctly answered question.  There are 15 questions in each track which means you can earn up to 750 points by completing a single track.
   1. You may complete more than one track.  You will earn an additional 750 points for each track completed.
   2. Points and badges will be applied to profiles once the mission has closed.
3. You must correctly answer each day's question to move on and enter your thwack username and retrieve that day's "code".If you guess wrong, the page will simply refresh.
   1. You are allowed to guess an unlimited amount of times for each question, but you will only move on to the next page once the correct word has been entered.  We've tried to accommodate every variation of the answer so capitalization and other minor details should not be a problem.  Please contact me if you feel you have the correct answer but are having trouble moving forward.
4. Those who successfully complete all 4 questions + enter the correct phrase during a given week, will be entered to win that week's prize (listed in the schedule below).
   1. You will receive 1 entry to the drawing for completing a single week in any given track.  Completing additional tracks will award points but will not earn extra entries to the weekly drawing.
5. Those who successfully complete all 15 questions in a single track over the course of the month will be entered to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet S 8.4" 16 GB, Titanium Bronze tablet!
   1. You will receive 1 entry to the drawing for completing a single track.  Completing additional tracks will award points but will not earn extra entries to the grand prize drawing.
6. On November 24th, 25th, and 26th, there will be a survey featured each day.  Complete the surveys before November 30th to receive 250 points each.

Click on a track to access your schedule and questions!

DOWNLOAD THE CRYPTOGRAM .PDF ATTACHED TO THIS DOCUMENT TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS!