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Comments
Challenge 4 was easy.
@Dstrout: I have found the 'secret' on the login page, now I do not know what I am looking for?
GET URL ?
The page says this:
Good work! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, a new problem. Here is the hint:
@Drukpa That applied to @vld, not you. Take the hint and go from there.
@Damian Wow the encryption method I didn't even think just decoded! lol! Guess kids have no clue about those old encryptions
Totally confused by #5.
5 was admittedly a harder one. For one thing, it's not server related. For another thing - well, I can't really say any more. But it's not impossible. Someone has succeeded, so take heart.
Does it involve a lot of reading? My eyes hurt
Is it a one word or multiple word?
!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I'm stuck on 5 as well
Is the link on the word "se"cret a hint?
Yes, the link is a hint, actually more like an important first step. The answer is one word, and doesn't necessarily involve a lot of reading.
Still stuck.
Once you have decrypted you need to do some maths
@Damian Your comment about the base encryption on curtisg
Think about this: how did you find the secret link in the first place?
After 10, i got a 404 /11 page. Now what? Is that the end of it?
Same although the 404 URL doesn't match the URL I'm actually at. But then it sends me back to the start of the quiz
Yes, it shows a 404 for /12
We have a winner! @murky! As the challenges have been completed, here are the details:
Step 1: The text in the first post is base 64 encoded. You can find lots of base 64 decoders with Google, and once decoded, the text says this:
Columbus: 1492
Declaration of Independence: 1776
1492+1776=3268
sqrt 3268 = 57.166
Round down: 57
Squared: 3249
So the URL is challenge.dstrout.net:3249 - hope you have IPv6
Step 2: Enter "lowendtalk" (of course)
Step 3: the first string of characters is a SHA1 sum of "sim", the second is an MD5 sum of "ple". Since these are simple strings, you can find them in any SHA1/MD5 database. Once decrypted and put together, they make "simple", which you enter in the box.
Step 4: Login as root with the password shown. Run these commands / key presses:
cd /etc/ssh
vi sshd_config
press "i"
press "end"
use backspace to get rid of "Yes", and type "No" in it's place
press "esc", then enter :wq
service ssh restart
Step 5: Go to https://challenge.dstrout.net/4, then press the button.
Step 6: Click the "se" of secret. That will open a window with my site "CheapHTTPS.info". Scroll to the bottom and click the copyright sign. That will open the secret page, which has a bunny on it. The answer for challenge 5, then, is "bunny".
Step 7: Get the site's IP (ping, Google, whatever. If you can't do this, you've no business owning a domain
. Do an IP WHOIS lookup, which should reveal that the IP is owned by RamNode. That's the answer.
Step 8: There are lots of sites that will do an MD5 or SHA1 hash for you. Google it. The answers are:
MD5 of test 1 is: 5a105e8b9d40e1329780d62ea2265d8a
SHA1 of test 2 is: 109f4b3c50d7b0df729d299bc6f8e9ef9066971f
Step 9: This is a reference to the Grinch, the correct answer being "Seasick Crocodile". However, that appears as an option twice. Choose the second one. There is a comment in the page's source code that shows this as well.
Step 10: I shouldn't have to tell you this, but here are the matches.
First list: RamNode
Second List: DigitalOcean
Third list: NoUptime (the joke)
Fourth list: ChicagoVPS
Step 11: The first post on LowEndBox.com can be found here. The last word (and the answer) is "them".
Step 12: After finishing challenge 10, you'll see a 404 page. However, it is fake. If you notice, the page says "/12" couldn't be found, but the URL is "/11". During the last three challenges, I sarcastically said that I definitely would add a secret extra challenge - but I did. To get past this one, click the "/12" and wait a moment. All the elements on the page will slowly fade, then be replaced by a message saying you win, and giving you a code to PM me to redeem your domain. However, as I said, the domain has been claimed. Hope you had fun; I did!
Damn, so close. Yet so far away.
I have to learn to read better -_-
Awesome challenge tough!
@Jono20201 Shoulda checked the source code. Don't anyone worry - I'm already brewing ideas for a sequel.
Yup. Was occupied with customers on Live Help at the time though. Thanks for the fun though!
It was great fun and kept me occupied for a little while! Thanks @DStrout
Would love to see more of this kind of thing. Maybe some VPS providers could chip in with a prize for the fastest and maybe even runners up prizes.
OK, surprise runner-up: first one to PM me a link to a straight IP address that serves a page that says "Hello dstrout" gets a free .info (cause they're cheap
Hope y'all have a server or two hanging around to pull this one off.
Registered via Namecheap and pushed to you, as before.
Amazing - done already! Congrats @KernelSanders!
Woo
Wow this wascool, wish i saw this earlier, nice one!
@DStrout this really made my day!
I loved that
How long did you need setting this up?