Challenge Library
330 specifications across all categories
AWS SCP policy
Cloud
Analyze an AWS Service Control Policy JSON to find the flag in a Sid field.
Azure RBAC role assignment
Cloud
Find the flag hidden in an Azure RBAC role assignment JSON document.
Cloud function misconfig
Cloud
Exploit a misconfigured serverless cloud function to obtain the flag.
CloudFormation credentials leak
Cloud
Find the flag exposed as a CloudFormation parameter default value.
Cognito unauthenticated role
Cloud
Parse a Cognito identity pool config to find the flag in the unauthenticated role ARN.
Cross-account trust no ExternalId
Cloud
Spot the confused deputy vulnerability in a cross-account trust policy and find the flag.
Hardcoded credentials in git history → S3 pivot
Cloud
A developer accidentally committed a .env file containing AWS credentials to a git repository. Player inspects the commit history, extracts the credentials, then accesses a private S3 bucket to retrieve the flag.
IAM policy misconfig
Cloud
Exploit an overly permissive IAM policy to access the flag.
IAM wildcard policy → Lambda env pivot → S3 exfil
Cloud
A three-hop cloud attack chain: an overprivileged IAM policy with lambda:* wildcards exposes a function's configuration including hardcoded S3 credentials in env vars. Player enumerates the IAM policy, pivots to the Lambda function config, extracts S3 credentials, then downloads the flag from a private bucket.
IMDS credential theft → S3 lateral pivot
Cloud
An EC2 IMDSv1 endpoint is accessible without token protection. Player traverses /latest/meta-data/iam/, retrieves temporary IAM credentials, then pivots to a private S3 bucket using those credentials to download the flag.
Kubernetes RBAC misconfiguration → S3 pivot
Cloud
A Kubernetes cluster has an overprivileged service account with secrets:get across all namespaces. Player reads a K8s Secret containing AWS credentials, base64-decodes them, then pivots to a private S3 bucket to retrieve the flag.
Lambda env var leak → S3 lateral pivot
Cloud
A misconfigured serverless function exposes its environment variables or source code through an unauthenticated debug endpoint. Player discovers S3 credentials in the env vars, then accesses the private bucket to retrieve the flag.
Lambda role excessive permissions
Cloud
Audit an overly permissive Lambda execution role policy to extract the flag from a Sid.
Metadata token leak
Cloud
Use a leaked cloud instance metadata token to retrieve the flag.
S3 bucket leak
Cloud
Find a flag exposed in a public or misconfigured S3 bucket.
S3 bucket policy public access
Cloud
Spot the public read misconfiguration in an S3 bucket policy hiding the flag.
Secrets Manager resource policy
Cloud
Read a Secrets Manager resource policy to find the flag in a condition value.
Terraform state leak (service mode)
Cloud
Leaked Terraform state file exposed in a misconfigured S3 bucket. Player enumerates the bucket, downloads terraform.tfstate, and extracts the flag from the sensitive admin_token output.
Terraform state sensitive output
Cloud
Inspect a Terraform state file to recover the flag from a sensitive output value.
Dockerfile secret leak
Docker
Discover a secret leaked in a Dockerfile intermediate build layer.
Exposed Docker socket
Docker
Find a flag exposed through a misconfigured Docker socket.
Misconfigured volume
Docker
Exploit a misconfigured Docker volume mount to access the flag.
Privileged container
Docker
Escape a privileged container to retrieve the flag from the host.
Exposed dashboard
Kubernetes
Access an exposed service dashboard to find the hidden flag.
RBAC misconfig
Kubernetes
Exploit a Kubernetes RBAC misconfiguration to read the secret flag.
Secret in configmap
Kubernetes
Extract a flag stored in plaintext inside a Kubernetes ConfigMap.
Service account abuse
Kubernetes
Abuse an overprivileged Kubernetes service account to get the flag.
Hidden branch
Logic
Find and trigger a hidden code branch to reveal the flag.
License key generation
Logic
Reverse engineer a license key algorithm to generate a valid key.
Password check
Logic
Reverse engineer a binary password check to derive the correct input.
Patch required
Logic
Patch a binary instruction to bypass a check and reveal the flag.
Base layered encoding
Obfuscation
Decode multiple nested base encodings to recover the flag.
Custom VM
Obfuscation
Reverse engineer custom virtual machine bytecode to get the flag.
String encoding
Obfuscation
Decode an obfuscated string encoding to find the flag.
XOR chain
Obfuscation
Reverse an XOR chain obfuscation to extract the hidden flag.
ECDSA nonce k reuse attack
Asymmetric
Recover the ECDSA private key from two signatures sharing the same nonce k.
Faulty RSA signature
Asymmetric
Exploit a faulty RSA signature implementation to extract the key.
RSA broadcast attack
Asymmetric
Mount a Hastad broadcast attack on RSA to recover the plaintext flag.
RSA low entropy primes
Asymmetric
Factor weak RSA primes generated with low entropy to decrypt.
RSA no padding
Asymmetric
Exploit textbook RSA without padding to recover the plaintext flag.
RSA small exponent
Asymmetric
Exploit RSA with a small public exponent (e=3) to decrypt the flag.
Caesar variant
Classical
Decrypt a Caesar cipher variant to find the hidden flag.
Columnar transposition
Classical
Reverse a columnar transposition cipher to decode the flag.
Monoalphabetic substitution cipher
Classical
Decrypt a monoalphabetic substitution ciphertext using frequency analysis.
Vigenère
Classical
Break a Vigenère cipher to recover the plaintext flag.
LCG weak PRNG
PRNG & Entropy
Reverse a Linear Congruential Generator to recover the flag from PRNG outputs.
Timestamp seed PRNG
PRNG & Entropy
Predict Python random output by brute-forcing a Unix timestamp seed.
Weak randomness in token
PRNG & Entropy
Exploit weak randomness in token generation to forge the flag.
Custom MAC flaw
Protocol Flaws
Exploit a broken custom MAC scheme to forge an authenticated message.
DH small subgroup
Protocol Flaws
Exploit a Diffie-Hellman small subgroup attack to recover the key.
HMAC length extension
Protocol Flaws
Perform a hash length extension attack to forge an HMAC.
Insecure key exchange
Protocol Flaws
Exploit a flawed key exchange to recover the shared session key.
JWT crypto misuse
Protocol Flaws
Exploit a JWT cryptographic flaw to forge an authentication token.
bcrypt pepper leak
Symmetric
Find the bcrypt pepper leaked in a config comment and verify it against the hash.
CBC padding oracle
Symmetric
Mount a CBC padding oracle attack to decrypt the flag.
CTR nonce reuse
Symmetric
Exploit CTR mode nonce reuse to recover the plaintext flag.
ECB leak
Symmetric
Exploit AES-ECB block reuse patterns to recover the plaintext flag.
Hardcoded key
Symmetric
Find a hardcoded encryption key in source code to decrypt the flag.
Key reuse across users
Symmetric
Exploit a shared encryption key across users to recover the flag.
Linux shadow file (sha512crypt)
Symmetric
Flag embedded as the sha512crypt ($6$) password hash of a target user in a synthetic /etc/shadow file. Solver parses the shadow format, extracts the $6$ hash, and cracks it with hashcat mode 1800 or john --format=sha512crypt.
MD5 collision artifact
Symmetric
Identify an MD5 collision between two blocks and extract the flag from the suffix.
NTLM credential dump
Symmetric
Flag embedded as the NT password hash of a target user in a secretsdump-style credential dump (username:RID:LM_HASH:NT_HASH:::). Solver identifies the target account, extracts the NT hash, and cracks it with hashcat mode 1000 (MD4 of UTF-16LE password) or passes the hash.
Weak KDF
Symmetric
Exploit a weak key derivation function to crack the encryption.
XOR key reuse
Symmetric
Exploit XOR key reuse across multiple ciphertexts to recover the flag.
Corrupted archive
Archive Analysis
Repair a corrupted archive and extract the hidden flag.
Nested archive
Archive Analysis
Extract nested compressed archives to reach the flag inside.
Weak zip password
Archive Analysis
Crack a weak ZIP password to access the protected flag file.
ZIP archive forensics
Archive Analysis
Flag hidden inside a ZIP archive: comment field, disguised filename, local extra field, or password-protected nested archive.
ext2/ext3 superblock analysis
Disk
Flag embedded in the ext2/ext3 superblock volume label field (offset 0x78, 16 bytes) and last_mounted field (offset 0x88, 64 bytes). Solver must identify the 0xEF53 magic number and navigate to the known fixed offsets to recover the flag.
FAT deleted file entry recovery
Disk
Flag stored in the cluster data of a deleted FAT 8.3 directory entry (first byte 0xE5). Solver must parse the 32-byte directory entry to locate the first cluster number, then read the corresponding data sector.
FAT32 boot sector analysis
Disk
Flag hidden in the FAT32 BIOS Parameter Block OEM name field (offset 3–10, 8 bytes) and repeated in the bootstrap code area. Solver must locate the BPB structure in the raw image and extract the flag bytes at the known fixed offset.
File slack space recovery
Disk
Flag appended in the file slack space — the unused bytes between the end of a file's content and the end of its allocated cluster. Solver must calculate the cluster size, locate the file end offset, and extract the bytes that follow up to the cluster boundary.
MBR bootstrap code analysis
Disk
Flag embedded in the MBR bootstrap code area (offset 0x000–0x1BD). Solver reads the raw MBR, verifies the 0x55AA signature, and extracts the flag from the bootstrap region using strings or a hex editor.
NTFS MFT entry analysis
Disk
Flag embedded in a synthetic NTFS MFT record — located in the resident $DATA attribute (type 0x80) and/or $FILE_NAME attribute. Solver must parse the MFT record structure to recover it.
DOCX revision comment forensics
Document Forensics
Flag embedded as the text of a Word revision comment in word/comments.xml. Visible via the Review panel in Word/LibreOffice, or by extracting comments.xml from the DOCX ZIP.
DOCX revision history (track changes)
Document Forensics
Flag hidden inside a deleted run (w:del / w:delText) in the document track-changes markup. Visible via Show Markup in Word, or by searching for <w:delText> in the raw XML.
PDF comment stream forensics
Document Forensics
Flag embedded as a PDF comment line (% prefix) appended to the raw PDF byte stream. Not visible in a PDF viewer but readable with strings or a hex editor.
PDF hidden AcroForm field forensics
Document Forensics
Flag stored as the /V value of a hidden AcroForm text widget (/FT /Tx, /F 2) appended as a PDF incremental update. Invisible in any PDF viewer; readable via qpdf --json or pdf-parser.py.
PDF incremental update revision forensics
Document Forensics
Two-revision PDF: revision 1 contains the flag in the content stream; revision 2 replaces that stream with innocent text. PDF viewers show only revision 2; forensic analysis of bytes before the first %%EOF recovers revision 1.
PDF JavaScript action forensics
Document Forensics
Flag stored as a JavaScript variable inside a /JavaScript action object appended as a PDF incremental update. Not executed by the viewer; recoverable with pdfid.py, pdf-parser.py, or qpdf --json.
XLSX cell comment forensics
Document Forensics
Flag embedded as the text of a cell comment (note) anchored on cell A1 in xl/comments1.xml. Visible by hovering over A1 in Excel/LibreOffice, or by inspecting comments1.xml directly.
XLSX hidden cell forensics (white-on-white)
Document Forensics
Flag hidden in cell Z1 formatted with white font on white background — invisible unless the cell is selected or reformatted. If hidden_sheet=true the entire worksheet must be unhidden first.
XLSX hidden worksheet forensics
Document Forensics
Flag in cell A1 of a hidden worksheet (state="hidden" in xl/workbook.xml). The sheet is invisible in the tab bar but can be revealed via Format > Sheet > Unhide in Excel/LibreOffice.
XLSX named range forensics
Document Forensics
Flag stored as the value of a defined name (_secret) in xl/workbook.xml. Visible via the Name Manager in Excel/LibreOffice or by inspecting workbook.xml directly.
XLSX very-hidden worksheet forensics
Document Forensics
Flag in cell A1 of a very-hidden worksheet (state="veryHidden" in xl/workbook.xml). The sheet does not appear in the Unhide dialog — solver must inspect workbook.xml directly and change or remove the state attribute.
File carving (JPEG fragment)
File Carving
Flag embedded in the JFIF COM comment field (marker FF FE) of a JPEG fragment hidden in unallocated disk space. Solver must carve the file using SOI/EOI markers and extract the comment with exiftool or strings.
Hidden ZIP in image
File Carving
Extract a hidden ZIP archive embedded inside an image file.
DOCX core metadata forensics
File Metadata
Flag hidden in the DOCX core properties XML (docProps/core.xml). Solver extracts the document package and reads the keywords, subject, or description field with exiftool or direct XML inspection.
DOCX extended app properties forensics
File Metadata
Flag hidden in the extended application properties (docProps/app.xml), specifically in the Company field. Visible via exiftool or by extracting app.xml from the DOCX ZIP.
EXIF metadata
File Metadata
Find a flag hidden in JPEG EXIF metadata fields.
PDF metadata forensics
File Metadata
Flag hidden in the PDF /Info dictionary (Author, Keywords, or Subject field). Solver reads document metadata with exiftool or pdfinfo.
PNG metadata stego
File Metadata
Extract a flag hidden in PNG chunk metadata fields.
XLSX core metadata forensics
File Metadata
Flag hidden in the XLSX core properties XML (docProps/core.xml). Solver extracts the spreadsheet package and reads the keywords or description field with exiftool or direct XML inspection.
Brute → pivot
Logs & SIEM
Trace a brute-force attack followed by lateral movement in system logs.
C2 beaconing detection
Logs & SIEM
Identify a C2 beacon in network flow logs by detecting periodic connections with consistent jitter to an external IP.
Cron persistence
Logs & SIEM
Identify a malicious cron job used for persistence in system logs.
DNS exfil trace
Logs & SIEM
Detect DNS-based data exfiltration in captured DNS query logs.
DNS exfiltration trace
Logs & SIEM
Detect and decode a DNS-based data exfiltration channel by identifying high-entropy subdomain patterns and reassembling the exfiltrated payload.
Group privilege escalation
Logs & SIEM
Trace unauthorized group membership changes enabling privilege escalation.
Hash chain break
Logs & SIEM
Find the broken link in a log hash chain to locate tampering.
Lateral movement trace
Logs & SIEM
Trace lateral movement through system logs to find the flag.
Log injection
Logs & SIEM
Detect injected log entries to uncover the attacker's hidden flag.
Log rotation gap
Logs & SIEM
Detect a gap created by log rotation manipulation to find the flag.
Log tampering
Logs & SIEM
Detect tampered log entries and recover the original flag.
Pass-the-hash simulation
Logs & SIEM
Trace a simulated pass-the-hash attack through authentication event logs.
Privilege escalation trace
Logs & SIEM
Follow privilege escalation events in logs to recover the flag.
Ransomware initial access
Logs & SIEM
Detect the initial foothold of a ransomware operator via WMI execution, scheduled task creation, and encoded PowerShell in Windows event logs.
Service persistence
Logs & SIEM
Identify a persistence mechanism hidden in service configuration logs.
Service persistence trace
Logs & SIEM
Detect a persistence mechanism planted via a new Windows service registration following a privilege escalation event.
Shadow access detection
Logs & SIEM
Identify unauthorized access to the shadow password file in logs.
sudo timestamp reuse
Logs & SIEM
Detect sudo timestamp manipulation in authentication logs.
SUID escalation trace
Logs & SIEM
Find SUID binary abuse leading to privilege escalation in audit logs.
Timestamp skew
Logs & SIEM
Identify timestamp anomalies in logs to reconstruct attack timing.
Web attack trace
Logs & SIEM
Reconstruct a web application attack chain from access logs and WAF events: SQL injection → path traversal → web shell upload → post-exploitation command.
Environment block memory leak
Memory
Flag embedded in the process environment block; variable name and value encoding are obfuscated at higher difficulties.
Password in memory
Memory
Find a plaintext password stored in a process memory dump.
Process injection detection
Memory
Identify a malicious process injection event in a memory image.
Split-chunk memory artifact
Memory
Flag split into N chunks scattered across the dump; each difficulty tier changes the marker scheme and chunk ordering strategy.
Volatility extraction
Memory
Extract a hidden flag from a memory dump using Volatility.
Wide-string memory leak
Memory
Flag stored as a UTF-16LE wchar_t string in a process heap dump; strings without -e l will not reveal it.
XOR-encoded memory artifact
Memory
Flag XOR-encoded with a 1-byte key stored visibly elsewhere in the dump; solver must locate the key and apply XOR.
ARP spoofing detection
Network
ARP poisoning captured in PCAP; flag encoded in crafted MAC address or ARP payload field.
DNS tunneling detection
Network
Detect and decode a flag hidden in DNS tunnel traffic.
FTP data exfiltration
Network
”Generate PCAP of FTP session with flag in RETR response body.”
gRPC traffic analysis
Network
gRPC over HTTP/2 captured; flag embedded in a protobuf field within a request or response frame.
HTTP session reconstruction
Network
Reconstruct an HTTP session from a PCAP to find the flag.
ICMP covert channel
Network
”Generate PCAP with flag hidden in ICMP echo request data payload. Noise is benign TCP/UDP traffic.”
IRC botnet C2
Network
”Generate PCAP of IRC session with flag in PRIVMSG body; hard mode: base64-encoded.”
Kerberoasting AS-REP
Network
”Generate PCAP of Kerberos AS-REP exchange with flag base64-encoded in enc-part cipher field.”
LDAP query enumeration
Network
LDAP query/response PCAP; flag stored in a custom attribute value returned by the directory.
mDNS service reconnaissance
Network
mDNS/Bonjour traffic captured; flag encoded in a TXT record of an advertised service.
Modbus register leak
Network
”Generate Modbus TCP PCAP with flag encoded as register byte values in a Read Holding Registers response.”
PCAP corruption repair
Network
”Generate a structurally corrupted PCAP (truncated, fragmented records, or invalid headers); player must repair the binary before analysis.”
PCAP credential extraction
Network
Analyze a network capture to extract plaintext credentials.
PCAP FTP credential leak
Network
Analyze an FTP session PCAP to find the flag in a server response.
PCAP gRPC metadata leak
Network
Parse HTTP/2 gRPC frames in a PCAP to find the flag in a custom metadata header.
PCAP IRC exfiltration
Network
Find the flag exfiltrated via an IRC PRIVMSG in a captured network session.
PCAP Kerberoasting ticket
Network
Inspect a Kerberos AS-REP in a PCAP to find the flag in the encrypted ticket field.
PCAP LDAP data exfil
Network
Inspect an LDAP search response PCAP to extract the flag from a DN attribute.
PCAP mDNS TXT record
Network
Extract the flag from an mDNS TXT record response in a PCAP capture.
PCAP Modbus ICS data
Network
Decode Modbus register values from a PCAP to reconstruct the hidden flag.
PCAP SIP VoIP leak
Network
Inspect a SIP REGISTER packet in a PCAP to extract the flag from the Contact header.
PCAP SMTP email interception
Network
Intercept an SMTP session PCAP and find the flag in an email Subject.
PCAP Telnet session
Network
Reconstruct a Telnet terminal session from a PCAP to find the flag.
PCAP TLS session key recovery
Network
Use a simulated NSS keylog entry in a PCAP comment to decrypt the TLS flag.
PCAP WebSocket message
Network
Parse WebSocket frames from a PCAP to recover the flag in a text message.
Raw TCP stream analysis
Network
Flag transmitted in a generic raw TCP session payload; solver follows the stream and extracts plaintext.
SIP call interception
Network
SIP INVITE exchange captured; flag encoded in SDP body or custom SIP header value.
SMTP exfiltration
Network
”Generate PCAP of SMTP session with flag in Subject header, optionally MIME-encoded.”
Telnet credential intercept
Network
Telnet session captured in PCAP; flag delivered character-by-character in login exchange.
TLS fingerprint anomaly
Network
Identify a suspicious TLS fingerprint anomaly in captured traffic.
TLS session key leak
Network
PCAP of TLS session provided with NSS key log file; player decrypts traffic in Wireshark to extract flag.
WebSocket data exfiltration
Network
”Generate PCAP with HTTP 101 upgrade followed by WebSocket text frame carrying flag.”
Alpha channel LSB stego
Steganography
Flag embedded in LSB of the alpha transparency channel; image appears fully opaque.
Bit plane image stego
Steganography
Flag hidden in bit plane N (1–4) of blue channel; revealed via stegsolve bit-plane viewer.
DCT block image stego
Steganography
Flag embedded in LSB of DCT AC coefficients across 8×8 pixel blocks; no JPEG quantisation loss.
DOCX acrostic steganography
Steganography
Flag encoded as an acrostic: the first letter of each paragraph in order spells the flag. Solver reads the document, extracts the first character of every paragraph, and concatenates them.
DOCX hidden text forensics
Steganography
Flag hidden in a paragraph with the w:vanish run property (hidden text). Invisible in normal Word view; revealed via Format > Hidden text, or direct XML inspection of word/document.xml.
LSB RGB stego
Steganography
Flag embedded in LSB of all three RGB channels sequentially; extracted with zsteg.
PDF first-letter acrostic forensics
Steganography
Flag encoded as the first letter of every Nth word across the document body — a visual acrostic. Solver must extract the body text and collect the correct first-letter sequence.
PDF hidden text layer forensics
Steganography
Flag rendered as white text on a white background in the PDF content stream — invisible in a normal PDF viewer but present in the page object stream.
Steganography
Steganography
Uncover a flag concealed within an image using steganographic techniques.
Text acrostic steganography
Steganography
Flag hidden as an acrostic: the first letter of each non-empty line spells the flag.
Text whitespace steganography
Steganography
Flag encoded using zero-width Unicode characters (U+200B=bit-1, U+200C=bit-0) hidden inside normal-looking text.
WAV echo stego
Steganography
Flag encoded via echo-hiding: each bit modulates the delay of a faint echo added to the carrier.
WAV LSB stego
Steganography
Extract a flag hidden in the least significant bits of a WAV file.
WAV metadata stego
Steganography
Flag hidden in WAV RIFF LIST/INFO chunk metadata (ICMT or INAM+IART base64-split).
WAV spectrogram stego
Steganography
Flag encoded as visible text in the audio spectrogram via additive frequency synthesis.
XOR two-image stego
Steganography
Two companion PNG files whose pixel-wise XOR reveals the hidden flag.
Bacon cipher
Encoding
Decode a Bacon A/B binary cipher to find the hidden flag.
Baudot encoding
Encoding
Decode Baudot/ITA2 5-bit encoded data to find the flag.
Brainfuck encoding
Encoding
Execute a Brainfuck program to reveal the hidden flag output.
Custom encoding
Encoding
Decode a multi-layer custom encoding scheme to find the flag.
Leetspeak obfuscation
Encoding
Reverse leet-speak character substitutions to recover the flag.
Morse encoding
Encoding
Decode a Morse code message (dots and dashes) to reveal the flag.
Multi-layer encoding chain
Encoding
Reverse multiple stacked encoding layers to extract the flag.
NATO phonetic alphabet
Encoding
Decode NATO phonetic words to spell out the hidden flag.
QR code artifact
Encoding
Scan a QR code image to retrieve the hidden flag.
Zero-width steganography
Encoding
Find a flag hidden in invisible Unicode zero-width characters.
CVE Exploitation
Corporate Pentest
Single CVE-vulnerable box deployed behind a WireGuard VPN gateway. The attacker connects via VPN and has direct access to the target box — no pivot required. Ideal for focused CVE exploitation training on a specific Vulhub service. The deployment URL is the VPN server endpoint; VPN credentials are provided in the challenge description.
OFFSEC Easy — 1 internal box via pivot
Corporate Pentest
Easy OFFSEC topology: WireGuard VPN → pivot_box (dual-homed) → 1 Vulhub box on internal network. Player must compromise pivot first, then pivot to internal target. Flag chain: collect /flag_proof from pivot + internal box, submit both proofs to flag_validator.
OFFSEC Hard — 2 internal boxes via pivot
Corporate Pentest
Hard OFFSEC topology: WireGuard VPN → pivot_box → 2 Vulhub boxes on internal network. All internal targets require pivot compromise. Player collects proofs from 3 boxes.
OFFSEC Insane — 2 internal + 1 external box
Corporate Pentest
Insane OFFSEC topology: WireGuard VPN → pivot_box + 1 external Vulhub reachable from VPN + 2 internal Vulhub boxes only via pivot. Player must exploit all 4 boxes and submit proofs to flag_validator.
OFFSEC Medium — 1 internal + 1 external box
Corporate Pentest
Medium OFFSEC topology: WireGuard VPN → pivot_box + 1 external Vulhub (both reachable from VPN) + 1 internal Vulhub (only via pivot). Player collects proofs from all 3 boxes and submits to flag_validator.
Chat message OSINT
OSINT
A mobile messaging app shows conversations between contacts. One message in a specific conversation contains the flag, either in plain text or lightly encoded. The player browses conversations and identifies the relevant message. Difficulty: easy.
Cloud four-service pivot chain IMDS to Lambda to K8s to S3
OSINT
Four-hop cloud attack chain: IMDS provides Lambda invocation credentials, Lambda env vars expose a K8s service account token, K8s secret holds S3 credentials, and the S3 document contains an insane-encoded flag.
Cloud IMDS credential theft
OSINT
A cloud instance metadata service (AWS IMDSv1) is directly accessible (simulating an SSRF target or an exposed service). The player browses the /latest/meta-data/ tree to find the attached IAM role, retrieves the temporary credentials, and extracts the flag embedded in the secret_access_key.
Cloud IMDS credential theft to S3 to git repository chain
OSINT
Three-hop cloud chain: IMDS exposes temporary S3 credentials, S3 document references a private git repository URL, and the flag is hidden in git commit history.
Corporate email to S3 artifact pivot
OSINT
Player reads a corporate inbox and finds an internal email referencing a file stored in an S3 bucket. The file contains the flag.
Corporate website employee OSINT
OSINT
A company website exposes a Team/About page with employee profiles. One of the profiles contains a flag hidden in the bio or in an HTML comment. The player inspects the profiles, source code, and page metadata.
Corporate website to LDAP to employee inbox chain
OSINT
Three-service corporate investigation: team page reveals an employee username, LDAP directory contains that user's inbox password as a hidden attribute, and the corporate inbox contains the flag in an email.
Cross-platform social username pivot
OSINT
Player receives a seed clue (Instagram profile name or post) and must pivot to the same persona's Twitter/X account to find the flag embedded in a profile field.
Darknet alias to pastebin pivot
OSINT
Player browses a darknet forum to find a post linking to a pastebin paste. The paste contains the flag embedded among realistic leaked data.
E-commerce order to confirmation email pivot
OSINT
Player enumerates fake shop orders to find an order ID, then locates the corresponding order confirmation email in the webmail inbox containing the flag.
E-commerce to cloud infrastructure to chat flag chain
OSINT
Atypical five-service chain mixing commercial and cloud infrastructure: shop order reveals a git repository, git exposes IMDS credentials, IMDS leads to S3, and a S3 document references a chat conversation with the insane-encoded flag.
Five-platform digital dossier reconstruction
OSINT
Maximum digital footprint reconstruction: five social/corporate/technical platforms converge on an OAuth private_data field containing the insane-encoded flag. Player builds a complete identity dossier step by step.
Full corporate breach five-service chain
OSINT
Five-hop investigation: corporate team page → LDAP credential extraction → git S3 keys → S3 document reference → inbox email with the encoded flag. Full corporate breach simulation.
Full social footprint reconstruction across 4 platforms
OSINT
Four-hop social investigation: Twitter bio references Instagram, Instagram caption reveals a chat contact, a chat message links to a pastebin paste, and the paste contains the encoded flag.
Geo-OSINT map forensic note
OSINT
An interactive map displays points of interest in a geographic area. A forensic analyst note in the sidebar or a POI reference field contains the flag, embedded inline or as a base64 string. The player explores the map, reads POI popups and sidebar notes, and extracts the flag. Difficulty: medium.
Git commit reference to pastebin data leak
OSINT
A developer referenced a pastebin paste in a git commit message or commit log comment. Player traverses the commit history, finds the paste URL, and retrieves the flag from the paste content.
Git history secret discovery
OSINT
A code repository platform hosts a project where a developer accidentally committed a .env file containing credentials, then deleted it in a subsequent commit. The flag survives in the git history. The player clones the repository and inspects past commits.
Hardcoded S3 credentials in git repo
OSINT
A developer accidentally committed S3 credentials to a git repository. Player finds the credentials in git history, then uses them to access a private S3 bucket containing the flag.
Infrastructure identity chain LDAP to OAuth to K8s to git to pastebin
OSINT
Five-service identity-to-infrastructure chain: anonymous LDAP recon provides OAuth credentials, forged JWT exposes K8s SA token, K8s secret yields a git PAT, git commit references a pastebin paste with the hard-encoded flag.
JWT weak secret to K8s service account to git repository
OSINT
Three-service chain: crack a weak JWT secret to forge a privileged OAuth token, use the token to extract a Kubernetes service account secret, then authenticate to a private git repository using that secret to find the flag.
Kubernetes secret enumeration
OSINT
A Kubernetes cluster exposes a mock API. A leaked kubeconfig grants access via an overprivileged service account. The player enumerates namespaces, lists Secrets, and decodes the flag from base64 in a Secret object in the production namespace.
LDAP anonymous recon
OSINT
An LDAP server exposes its directory in anonymous read mode (intentional misconfiguration). The player enumerates OUs, user accounts, and service accounts via ldapsearch or the web browser. The flag is hidden in a custom attribute of a service account.
Map POI to Instagram photo geolocation
OSINT
Player explores a map to find a POI note referencing an Instagram account or hashtag. The Instagram profile contains a geotagged photo whose EXIF metadata embeds the flag.
Map POI to Instagram steganography to chat message chain
OSINT
Three-service chain combining physical and digital investigation: a map POI note hints at an Instagram photo with a steganographic clue, which leads to a chat contact; the chat conversation contains the flag.
OAuth JWT weak-secret crack
OSINT
A corporate OAuth2/OIDC server signs its JWTs with a too-short HS256 secret (6–8 chars). The player authenticates as a normal user, retrieves an access_token, cracks the secret offline via hashcat/wordlist, forges an admin token, and accesses the protected resource containing the flag in the custom_claims.
OSINT infrastructure pivot
OSINT
An anonymous read-enabled LDAP server exposes a service account whose custom attributes contain S3 credentials. The player enumerates the directory, extracts the credentials, then accesses the associated S3 bucket to download the file containing the flag. Difficulty: hard.
OSINT multi-service employee dossier
OSINT
The player cross-references three sources to reconstruct the identity of a target. They find the professional email address of an employee on the corporate website, trigger an OAuth password reset, intercept the reset link in the target's webmail inbox, authenticate on the OAuth server, and read the flag in the account's custom_claims. Difficulty: hard.
Pastebin credential leak
OSINT
A public pastebin service contains multiple pastes. One paste holds a leaked set of credentials or API key that encodes the flag. The player browses the paste index, reads paste content, and extracts the flag embedded inline in the text or as a labelled key. Difficulty: easy.
Pastebin pivot from email
OSINT
An email in the corporate webmail references a pastebin URL. The player reads the email to extract the paste slug, navigates to the pastebin service, and reads the paste content to find the flag. Difficulty: medium (cross-service correlation required).
SMTP inbox OSINT
OSINT
The player accesses a pre-loaded webmail interface with about ten corporate emails. One message contains a secret (token, credentials, flag) in its body or subject. The other messages are realistic decoys (HR, IT, alerts). Difficulty: easy.
Social photo to private chat pivot
OSINT
Player finds a Messenger/Telegram username in the persona Instagram profile, then navigates to a chat conversation containing the flag embedded in a message.
Social trail cross-reference
OSINT
The Instagram profile of a target contains, hidden in their bio, an alias used on a darknet forum. The player identifies this alias, locates the posts of this account on the forum, and extracts the flag from a message posted in plaintext in a discussion thread. Difficulty: medium.
Underground identity reconstruction across 4 social platforms
OSINT
Player traces a threat actor from their public Twitter persona through Instagram to a darknet forum alias, then locates a private chat conversation where the encoded flag is hidden in a message.
WHOIS registrant to corporate employee lookup
OSINT
Player queries WHOIS for a domain and finds a registrant name/email. That person appears on the company team page with the flag hidden in their employee profile.
WHOIS to corporate directory to email pivot chain
OSINT
Three-step investigation: player queries WHOIS to identify the registrant, matches them to a corporate directory employee, then accesses the employee inbox to find the flag in an email.
WHOIS to LDAP to corporate email investigation
OSINT
Player correlates a domain registrant via WHOIS, enumerates LDAP to extract the person's email password, then accesses their inbox to find the flag in an email generated by email_dump.
Arbitrary write
Format Strings
“Require multiple %n writes to build target address.”
GOT overwrite
Format Strings
“Allow %n writes to overwrite GOT entry of exit() to win().”
Leak addresses
Format Strings
“Binary prints user input via printf(user_input). Leak stack/libc.”
Tcache double-free poisoning
Heap Exploits
Exploit a tcache double-free to corrupt the free-list fd pointer, redirecting a subsequent malloc() to an attacker-chosen address. Write a function pointer there to call win().
Use-after-free
Heap Exploits
“Menu-based allocator with use-after-free allowing overwrite of function pointer.”
Integer overflow
Logic Bugs
“Integer overflow in length calculation allows overflow of buffer.”
Off-by-one
Logic Bugs
“Off-by-one overwrites null terminator leading to control.”
Signedness issue
Logic Bugs
“Signed integer used as unsigned index.”
Type confusion
Logic Bugs
"Type confusion via out-of-bounds negative index dispatches wrong function pointer (win)."
Seccomp bypass
Sandbox Escape
“Simulate seccomp by manually filtering allowed commands; bypass via logic bug.”
Sigreturn-oriented programming (SROP)
Sandbox Escape
"Minimal ROP: only syscall+pop_rax gadgets. Craft sigreturn frame to call open/read/write."
Canary bypass
Stack Exploits
“Binary includes stack canary; leak via format string, then overflow.”
One-gadget libc exploit
Stack Exploits
Leak a libc address via a format string primitive, compute the libc base, and redirect execution to a one_gadget — a single address in libc that spawns a shell when register constraints are met.
PIE leak + ROP
Stack Exploits
"Round 1: format string leaks code pointer → compute PIE base. Round 2: BOF → ROP to win()."
Ret2libc
Stack Exploits
“Enable NX, disable PIE, leak libc address via printf, require ret2libc to call system.”
ROP chain
Stack Exploits
“Binary must require ROP chain to call win() or system. Provide clear leak primitive.”
Shellcode injection (executable stack)
Stack Exploits
Inject and execute shellcode directly on the stack (NX disabled). The binary reads user input into an executable stack buffer and jumps to it. Easy variant prints the buffer and win() addresses.
Simple buffer overflow
Stack Exploits
“Generate a C binary with classic stack overflow (gets or vulnerable scanf). Compile with -fno-stack-protector -no-pie. Flag printed via hidden function.”
Stack pivot via leave;ret gadget
Stack Exploits
The overflow is limited to 8 bytes past saved RBP — not enough for a full ROP chain. Plant a ROP chain in a global BSS buffer (via an unlimited first read), then use a leave;ret gadget to pivot RSP into it.
CORS misconfiguration
Access Control
Exploit a CORS misconfiguration to steal data cross-origin.
GraphQL overexposure
Access Control
Exploit an over-exposed GraphQL schema to extract sensitive data.
Hidden admin endpoint
Access Control
Discover a hidden admin endpoint to access privileged functionality.
Horizontal privilege escalation
Access Control
Escalate horizontally to access another user's account data.
IDOR (numeric)
Access Control
Exploit numeric IDOR to access another user's private data.
IDOR (UUID guessable)
Access Control
Predict a guessable UUID to access unauthorized resources.
Mass assignment
Access Control
Exploit mass assignment to set privileged fields on a user object.
Multi-tenant data leak
Access Control
Exploit a multi-tenant isolation flaw to access another tenant's data.
Parameter pollution IDOR
Access Control
Use HTTP parameter pollution to bypass access control checks.
REST verb confusion
Access Control
Use HTTP verb confusion to bypass authorization on a REST endpoint.
Role misassignment
Access Control
Exploit a role misassignment vulnerability to gain elevated permissions.
Vertical privilege escalation
Access Control
Escalate privileges vertically to gain admin-level access.
X-Forwarded-For bypass
Access Control
Player receives an HTTP exchange artifact and must manipulate the X-Forwarded-For header to bypass IP-based access control.
API key leakage
API
Leak API key in JS bundle or debug endpoint; key grants access to /admin/flag.
Batch endpoint abuse
API
Abuse a batch API endpoint to exfiltrate bulk sensitive data.
Pagination bypass
API
Manipulate pagination parameters to access out-of-bounds records.
Rate limit bypass
API
Bypass rate limiting to perform unrestricted brute-force or enumeration.
Swagger exposed secrets
API
Expose /swagger or /openapi.json containing hidden admin endpoints or example API keys leading to flag.
2FA logic flaw
Authentication
Exploit a two-factor authentication logic flaw to skip verification.
Account lockout bypass
Authentication
Bypass an account lockout mechanism to authenticate as admin.
Blind SQLi login
Authentication
Exploit blind SQL injection in a login form to bypass authentication.
Boolean-based auth flaw
Authentication
Exploit a boolean-based authentication logic flaw to gain access.
Cookie tampering
Authentication
Tamper with a predictable cookie value to escalate privileges.
CSRF token forgery
Authentication
Player receives a CSRF token artifact and must understand why the token is predictable or mis-scoped to complete the attack.
Email verification bypass
Authentication
Bypass email verification logic to access a restricted account.
GraphQL token abuse
Authentication
Player receives a GraphQL bearer token artifact and must decode or forge the token to access privileged queries.
HMAC secret brute force
Authentication
Brute force a weak HMAC secret to forge authentication cookies.
Insecure remember-me token
Authentication
Exploit a predictable remember-me token to bypass authentication.
JWT alg=none
Authentication
Forge a JWT by exploiting the algorithm=none vulnerability.
JWT key confusion
Authentication
Exploit RS256/HS256 algorithm confusion to forge a valid JWT.
JWT kid injection
Authentication
Inject a malicious kid header to forge a trusted JWT token.
Login bypass (SQLi simple)
Authentication
“Vulnerable login uses string-concatenated SQL. Provide /login + /flag gated by auth. Deterministic bypass with ' OR 1=1--.”
OAuth misconfiguration
Authentication
Exploit an OAuth misconfiguration to steal user access tokens.
Open redirect → OAuth token theft
Authentication
Chain an open redirect with OAuth to steal an authorization token.
OTP reuse
Authentication
Exploit one-time password reuse to authenticate without valid credentials.
PASETO weak key
Authentication
Player receives a PASETO token with a weak or deterministic symmetric key and must forge a token with elevated claims.
Password reset token predictability
Authentication
Predict a password reset token to take over a victim account.
Refresh token no expiry
Authentication
Player receives a refresh token that never expires and must exploit the lack of rotation/expiry to elevate privileges.
SAML signature bypass
Authentication
Bypass SAML signature validation to forge an authentication assertion.
Session fixation
Authentication
Exploit session fixation to hijack an authenticated user session.
Session hijacking
Authentication
Steal and replay a session token to access a protected account.
Weak password policy exploit
Authentication
Exploit a weak password policy to brute-force the admin account.
Coupon stacking
Business Logic
Stack coupons beyond the intended limit to unlock the flag reward.
Double-spend
Business Logic
Exploit a double-spend vulnerability in a credit balance system.
Feature flag abuse
Business Logic
Abuse a feature flag to enable a hidden admin-only capability.
Logic-based privilege escalation
Business Logic
Exploit application logic flaws to escalate to admin privileges.
Order status tampering
Business Logic
Tamper with order status transitions to unlock a restricted flag.
Payment bypass
Business Logic
Bypass a payment flow to access a premium feature without paying.
Quantity manipulation
Business Logic
Manipulate order quantities to access premium features for free.
Race condition
Business Logic
Win a race condition to bypass a one-time-use token check.
TOCTOU
Business Logic
Exploit a time-of-check/time-of-use flaw to access restricted data.
Archive bomb (simulated)
File Handling
Analyze a simulated archive bomb to safely extract the flag inside.
Content-type bypass
File Handling
Manipulate Content-Type headers to bypass upload restrictions.
Extension bypass
File Handling
Bypass file extension filtering to upload a malicious file.
Insecure deserialization (generic)
File Handling
Exploit insecure deserialization to achieve remote code execution.
PHAR deserialization (simulated)
File Handling
Trigger a PHP PHAR deserialization gadget to execute code.
Pickle deserialization
File Handling
Exploit Python pickle deserialization to execute arbitrary code.
Prototype pollution (Node)
File Handling
Pollute JavaScript object prototypes to bypass security checks.
Unrestricted file upload
File Handling
Upload a web shell by bypassing file type restrictions.
YAML unsafe load
File Handling
Exploit YAML unsafe deserialization to execute arbitrary commands.
ZIP slip
File Handling
Exploit ZIP path traversal to overwrite files outside the target directory.
Argument injection
Injection
Inject extra arguments into a system call to read protected files.
Command injection
Injection
Inject shell commands through an unsanitized input to get the flag.
LDAP injection
Injection
Inject LDAP filter syntax to bypass authentication or leak data.
LFI
Injection
Exploit local file inclusion to read the flag from the filesystem.
NoSQL injection
Injection
Inject NoSQL operators to bypass authentication and extract data.
Path traversal
Injection
Traverse the filesystem using ../ sequences to read the flag file.
RFI
Injection
Exploit remote file inclusion to load and execute a remote payload.
SQL injection (classic)
Injection
Exploit classic SQL injection to extract the flag from the database.
SQLi blind time-based
Injection
Use time-based blind SQL injection to extract the flag character by character.
SQLi second order
Injection
Exploit second-order SQL injection triggered by stored user input.
SSTI chain
Injection
Chain multiple SSTI steps to achieve remote code execution.
SSTI to RCE chain
Injection
Chain SSTI with code execution to achieve full RCE and read the flag.
Template injection (Jinja2/Twig)
Injection
Exploit server-side template injection to execute code and get the flag.
Basic SSRF
SSRF
Exploit SSRF to make the server fetch internal resources.
DNS rebinding (simulated)
SSRF
Exploit simulated DNS rebinding to bypass same-origin policy.
Gopher SSRF
SSRF
Use Gopher protocol SSRF to interact with internal TCP services.
SSRF → internal admin
SSRF
Use SSRF to reach an internal admin panel and extract the flag.
SSRF → Redis (mocked)
SSRF
Chain SSRF with Gopher to send commands to an internal Redis instance.
SSRF filter bypass
SSRF
Bypass SSRF protections using URL encoding or redirect tricks.
SSRF to metadata (mocked)
SSRF
Use SSRF to access the mocked cloud instance metadata endpoint.
SSRF via PDF renderer
SSRF
Exploit a PDF renderer to perform SSRF against internal services.
SSRF via webhook
SSRF
Exploit a webhook URL parameter to pivot SSRF into internal networks.
AngularJS expression injection
XSS
Inject AngularJS template expressions to execute arbitrary JavaScript.
CSP bypass
XSS
Bypass Content Security Policy to execute a malicious XSS payload.
DOM-based XSS
XSS
Exploit DOM-based XSS to execute JavaScript in the victim's browser.
File upload XSS
XSS
Upload a malicious file to trigger stored XSS in the admin panel.
Markdown rendering XSS
XSS
Exploit unsafe Markdown rendering to inject and execute XSS.
Reflected XSS
XSS
Inject a reflected XSS payload to steal the admin's session cookie.
Service worker abuse
XSS
Register a malicious service worker to intercept user requests.
Stored XSS
XSS
Plant a stored XSS payload to exfiltrate the admin's cookie.