Mission 0x44

🔎 Solution

After connecting to the machine as paula, the mission file gives a subtle hint related to trust and group membership.

paula@venus:~$ cat mission.txt 
################
# MISSION 0x44 #
################

## EN ##
The user karla trusts me, she is part of my group of friends. 

Checking the current group memberships shows that paula belongs to a secondary group named hidden, which stands out as a potential lead.

paula@venus:~$ groups
paula hidden

To investigate further, I searched the filesystem for files owned by the hidden group. Only one file matched.

paula@venus:~$ find / -group hidden -type f 2>/dev/null
/usr/src/.karl-a

Reading the contents of this file reveals what appears to be a password.

paula@venus:~$ cat /usr/src/.karl-a
gYAmvWY3I7yDKRf

Using this password, I was able to log in as the next user.

ssh karla@venus.hackmyvm.eu -p 5000

Once inside, retrieving the flag completes this step.

karla@venus:~$ cat flagz.txt 
8===SARQC95X3AWK9K4BBTMJ===D~~

🚩Flag

8===SARQC95X3AWK9K4BBTMJ===D~~