Challenge list
Linux-Systemd. Checking a Service Unit's Environment Variable
A systemd unit file can set environment variables in its [Service] section. Inspect the registered service definition…
Linux-Symlink Maze. Navigating a Branching Path
Several directories are connected in a tangled web of symbolic links. Without being misled by decoy hint files, follow…
Linux-Script Debug. Fixing a Broken Bash Script
This script has several intentional bugs (typos, syntax mistakes) and fails to run to completion. Use bash's debugging…
Linux-Network Basics. Connecting to a Listening Port
A background service on this system is listening on a specific port. Identify the port with ss/netstat and connect to…
Linux-Backup Finder. Spotting the Real Temp File
The project directory contains several decoy backup/temp files ending in .bak, .tmp, or ~. The real flag is hidden…
Linux-Pipeline. Narrowing Down Logs with grep and awk
The access log contains many entries. One IP address generated a burst of 404s, and stitching together the paths of…
Linux-Package Info. Inspecting Installed Package Details
A custom-built deb package is installed on this system. Use dpkg or apt to inspect the package's details and find…
Linux-Process Hunting. Tracking Down a Running Process
Among several background processes, one has the flag embedded in its command-line arguments. List them with ps and…
Linux-User Investigation. Filtering the Target User with awk
Several users are registered on this system. Parse /etc/passwd with awk to find the one matching a specific condition,…
Linux-Log Rotation. Searching Compressed Historical Logs
Some older log files have been gzip-compressed by log rotation. Use a command that searches inside compressed files…
Linux-Log Explorer. Digging the Flag Out of Multiple Logs
Multiple application and system log files are provided. The flag is embedded in a single DEBUG-level line — narrow it…
Linux-Environment Secrets. Finding the Variable Named FLAG
Several environment variables, including some dummy credentials, are set on this system. List them with env and find…
OSINT Basics - Metadata Analysis
Files recovered from a departed employee's shared drive (photos `IMG_*.jpg` and Office documents) are in…
Text Processing Master - sed & awk
/app/data.csv contains CSV data. Perform these operations: 1. Extract only rows where column 2 (price) >= 1000 2.…
Network Analysis - DNS Zone Transfer Leak
An unauthenticated DNS zone transfer (AXFR) against a misconfigured authoritative server was captured. Download the…
Network Analysis - ICMP Data Exfiltration
Data was exfiltrated from the internal host 10.20.0.15 to the external host 203.0.113.66 disguised as ping (ICMP echo…
Network Analysis - SMB Share Enumeration Leak
An attacker enumerating SMB shares on the network was captured. Download the packet capture (traffic.pcap), follow the…
Network Analysis - Telnet Credentials
A legacy server was administered over Telnet in clear text. Download the packet capture (traffic.pcap), follow the…
Network Analysis - Anonymous FTP Transfer
An anonymous FTP session was captured in clear text. Download the packet capture (traffic.pcap), follow the FTP data…
Network Analysis - Clear-text HTTP Credentials
Analyze traffic intercepted on public Wi-Fi where someone logged in over plain HTTP. Download the packet capture…
Network Analysis - Plaintext SMTP Attachment
The internal host 10.30.0.25 sent an email to port 25 of the mail server 10.30.0.10 without encryption. Download…
Process Hunter - Hidden Process
A process named "secret_service" is running in the background. Find this process and get the following information: 1.…
Log Analysis - Find the Intruder
/app/auth.log contains authentication logs. Detect suspicious activity: - Identify the IP address with 10+ failed…
Compression Maze - Nested Archives
/app/flag.tar.gz is a nested compressed file. Decompress step by step: flag.tar.gz → flag.tar → flag.zip.bz2.gz →…