Introduction
Recently, I participated in the Cyber Apocalypse ‘The Cursed Mission’ CTF on HackTheBox with a group of friends. It was a challenging but fun experience I won’t forget.
About HackTheBox
For those who may not know, HackTheBox is an online platform that allows users to hone their hacking skills through various challenges, including CTFs (Capture The Flag) events. These events involve teams or individuals competing to solve security-related challenges ranging from simple to highly complex.
The Cyber Apocalypse CTF
The Cyber Apocalypse, ‘The Cursed Mission’ CTF, was a multi-stage event involving various challenges, from reversing and cryptography to web exploitation and forensics. The challenges were incredibly diverse and required us to think creatively and work collaboratively to solve them.
One thing that stood out about this particular CTF was how much fun it was. While I’ve participated in other CTFs, this was more my style. The challenges were well-designed, engaging, and challenging without being overly frustrating.
Our Performance
We were still proud of our performance but didn’t place in the top rankings. Out of 6,483 teams, we ended up in 544th place. Nevertheless, it was an accomplishment that we were all proud of.
Our Writeup
To help others interested in participating in future CTFs, we created a detailed writeup of our experience and how we solved the challenges. We used Notion to compile our notes and solutions. It might be helpful in the future. But it does not only benefits others. It will also come in handy for us in the future. By documenting our thought processes and solutions, we can refer to it in future CTFs or even use it as a reference in our careers.
Final thoughts
Overall, participating in the Cyber Apocalypse ‘The Cursed Mission’ CTF was an enjoyable experience. It was challenging and engaging. I’m grateful I participated and look forward to competing in more CTFs in the future.