https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/Documenting the art of breaking things to understand how they work. CTF writeups, research, and other digital artifacts. 2026-04-11T23:08:14+05:30 nicetrykiddo https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/ Jekyll © 2026 nicetrykiddo /writeups/assets/img/favicons/favicon.ico /writeups/assets/img/favicons/favicon-96x96.png 2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 2026-04-11T23:07:37+05:30 https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/posts/crest-ctf-transmissionlog/ nicetrykiddo

Challenge: transmission.log [Handshake Reuse / Shadow Protocol] Category: Crypto Difficulty: Easy (once you notice the reuse) Flag: CREST{mantis_reused_the_channel@ghost!} Overview This log is trying really hard to look like “hybrid quantum-resistant handshake” noise, but the actual bug is classic: a session-unique element is reused. In RSA terms, the key tell is: Two different session...

2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/posts/crest-ctf-silentloader/ nicetrykiddo

This was a small reversing challenge, but it does one useful thing to waste time: it embeds a string that looks like the answer even though that string is only used when the flag is printed. The actual solve is recovering the environment variable that passes the checks. Flag: CREST{$il3nt_$tAg3_v3rifi3d} Solve plan I approached it like this: do quick triage with file, strings, and a ba...

2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 2026-03-01T15:08:55+05:30 https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/posts/crest-ctf-researchdaemon/ nicetrykiddo

Research Daemon Writeup This is my full solve note for the Research Daemon pwn challenge. Challenge text: Research Daemon 500 Ghost Mantis operates a background research daemon responsible for processing experimental payload data submitted by internal teams. The daemon runs continuously, parsing input, managing internal buffers, and dispatching handlers based on command types. It was develo...

2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/posts/crest-ctf-read-between-the-lines/ nicetrykiddo

Challenge We are given a memo file: misc/challenge_memo.txt Prompt summary: The memo looks normal. No malicious links or attachments. Ghost Mantis is known for hiding signals in plain sight. We need to recover the hidden communication. Flag format: CREST{} Initial thought process Since the challenge title is Read Between The Lines, I immediately assumed this was not going t...

2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 2026-02-28T19:00:00+05:30 https://nicetrykiddo.github.io/writeups/posts/crest-ctf-operatormistake/ nicetrykiddo

Overview This one is the opposite of ghost_mantis_scanner: the binary looks like it might hide something deeper, but the intended solve is just to pay attention to the environment variable exposed by strings and confirm the branch in disassembly. Flag: CREST{0p-m4nti$-07-0228-4ttrib} Solve plan Because the challenge felt intentionally easy, I kept the workflow simple: run the binary o...