Writeup: Hack The Box - Machines - Valentine
Description
- Name:
Valentine - IP:
10.10.10.79 - Author:
mrb3n - Difficulty:
4.1/10
Discovery
nmap -sV -sC -Pn -p 1-65535 -T5 10.10.10.79
1 | 22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH 5.9p1 Debian 5ubuntu1.10 (Ubuntu Linux; protocol 2.0) |

Using dirsearch we found a /dev/ directory with two files:
1 | 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 42 45 47 49 4e 20 52 53 41 20 50 52 49 56 41 54 45 20 4b 45 59 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 0d 0a 50 72 6f 63 2d 54 79 70 65 3a 20 34 2c 45 4e 43 52 59 50 54 45 44 0d 0a 44 45 4b 2d 49 6e 66 6f 3a 20 41 45 53 2d 31 32 38 2d 43 42 43 2c 41 45 42 38 38 43 31 34 30 46 36 39 42 46 32 30 37 34 37 38 38 44 45 32 34 41 45 34 38 44 34 36 0d 0a 0d 0a 44 62 50 72 4f 37 38 6b 65 67 4e 75 6b 31 44 41 71 6c 41 4e 35 6a 62 6a 58 76 30 50 50 73 6f 67 33 6a 64 62 4d 46 53 38 69 45 39 70 33 55 4f 4c 30 6c 46 30 78 66 37 50 7a 6d 72 6b 44 61 38 52 0d 0a 35 79 2f 62 34 36 2b 39 6e 45 70 43 4d 66 54 50 68 4e 75 4a 52 63 57 32 55 32 67 4a 63 4f 46 48 2b 39 52 4a 44 42 43 35 55 4a 4d 55 53 31 2f 67 6a 42 2f 37 2f 4d 79 30 30 4d 77 78 2b 61 49 36 0d 0a 30 45 49 30 53 62 4f 59 55 41 56 31 57 34 45 56 37 6d 39 36 51 73 5a 6a 72 77 4a 76 6e 6a 56 61 66 6d 36 56 73 4b 61 54 50 42 48 70 75 67 63 41 53 76 4d 71 7a 37 36 57 36 61 62 52 5a 65 58 69 0d 0a 45 62 77 36 36 68 6a 46 6d 41 75 34 41 7a 71 63 4d 2f 6b 69 67 4e 52 46 50 59 75 4e 69 58 72 58 73 31 77 2f 64 65 4c 43 71 43 4a 2b 45 61 31 54 38 7a 6c 61 73 36 66 63 6d 68 4d 38 41 2b 38 50 0d 0a 4f 58 42 4b 4e 65 36 6c 31 37 68 4b 61 54 36 77 46 6e 70 35 65 58 4f 61 55 49 48 76 48 6e 76 4f 36 53 63 48 56 57 52 72 5a 37 30 66 63 70 63 70 69 6d 4c 31 77 31 33 54 67 64 64 32 41 69 47 64 0d 0a 70 48 4c 4a 70 59 55 49 49 35 50 75 4f 36 78 2b 4c 53 38 6e 31 72 2f 47 57 4d 71 53 4f 45 69 6d 4e 52 44 31 6a 2f 35 39 2f 34 75 33 52 4f 72 54 43 4b 65 6f 39 44 73 54 52 71 73 32 6b 31 53 48 0d 0a 51 64 57 77 46 77 61 58 62 59 79 54 31 75 78 41 4d 53 6c 35 48 71 39 4f 44 35 48 4a 38 47 30 52 36 4a 49 35 52 76 43 4e 55 51 6a 77 78 30 46 49 54 6a 6a 4d 6a 6e 4c 49 70 78 6a 76 66 71 2b 45 0d 0a 70 30 67 44 30 55 63 79 6c 4b 6d 36 72 43 5a 71 61 63 77 6e 53 64 64 48 57 38 57 33 4c 78 4a 6d 43 78 64 78 57 35 6c 74 35 64 50 6a 41 6b 42 59 52 55 6e 6c 39 31 45 53 43 69 44 34 5a 2b 75 43 0d 0a 4f 6c 36 6a 4c 46 44 32 6b 61 4f 4c 66 75 79 65 65 30 66 59 43 62 37 47 54 71 4f 65 37 45 6d 4d 42 33 66 47 49 77 53 64 57 38 4f 43 38 4e 57 54 6b 77 70 6a 63 30 45 4c 62 6c 55 61 36 75 6c 4f 0d 0a 74 39 67 72 53 6f 73 52 54 43 73 5a 64 31 34 4f 50 74 73 34 62 4c 73 70 4b 78 4d 4d 4f 73 67 6e 4b 6c 6f 58 76 6e 6c 50 4f 53 77 53 70 57 79 39 57 70 36 79 38 58 58 38 2b 46 34 30 72 78 6c 35 0d 0a 58 71 68 44 55 42 68 79 6b 31 43 33 59 50 4f 69 44 75 50 4f 6e 4d 58 61 49 70 65 31 64 67 62 30 4e 64 44 31 4d 39 5a 51 53 4e 55 4c 77 31 44 48 43 47 50 50 34 4a 53 53 78 58 37 42 57 64 44 4b 0d 0a 61 41 6e 57 4a 76 46 67 6c 41 34 6f 46 42 42 56 41 38 75 41 50 4d 66 56 32 58 46 51 6e 6a 77 55 54 35 62 50 4c 43 36 35 74 46 73 74 6f 52 74 54 5a 31 75 53 72 75 61 69 32 37 6b 78 54 6e 4c 51 0d 0a 2b 77 51 38 37 6c 4d 61 64 64 73 31 47 51 4e 65 47 73 4b 53 66 38 52 2f 72 73 52 4b 65 65 4b 63 69 6c 44 65 50 43 6a 65 61 4c 71 74 71 78 6e 68 4e 6f 46 74 67 30 4d 78 74 36 72 32 67 62 31 45 0d 0a 41 6c 6f 51 36 6a 67 35 54 62 6a 35 4a 37 71 75 59 58 5a 50 79 6c 42 6c 6a 4e 70 39 47 56 70 69 6e 50 63 33 4b 70 48 74 74 76 67 62 70 74 66 69 57 45 45 73 5a 59 6e 35 79 5a 50 68 55 72 39 51 0d 0a 72 30 38 70 6b 4f 78 41 72 58 45 32 64 6a 37 65 58 2b 62 71 36 35 36 33 35 4f 4a 36 54 71 48 62 41 6c 54 51 31 52 73 39 50 75 6c 72 53 37 4b 34 53 4c 58 37 6e 59 38 39 2f 52 5a 35 6f 53 51 65 0d 0a 32 56 57 52 79 54 5a 31 46 66 6e 67 4a 53 73 76 39 2b 4d 66 76 7a 33 34 31 6c 62 7a 4f 49 57 6d 6b 37 57 66 45 63 57 63 48 63 31 36 6e 39 56 30 49 62 53 4e 41 4c 6e 6a 54 68 76 45 63 50 6b 79 0d 0a 65 31 42 73 66 53 62 73 66 39 46 67 75 55 5a 6b 67 48 41 6e 6e 66 52 4b 6b 47 56 47 31 4f 56 79 75 77 63 2f 4c 56 6a 6d 62 68 5a 7a 4b 77 4c 68 61 5a 52 4e 64 38 48 45 4d 38 36 66 4e 6f 6a 50 0d 0a 30 39 6e 56 6a 54 61 59 74 57 55 58 6b 30 53 69 31 57 30 32 77 62 75 31 4e 7a 4c 2b 31 54 67 39 49 70 4e 79 49 53 46 43 46 59 6a 53 71 69 79 47 2b 57 55 37 49 77 4b 33 59 55 35 6b 70 33 43 43 0d 0a 64 59 53 63 7a 36 33 51 32 70 51 61 66 78 66 53 62 75 76 34 43 4d 6e 4e 70 64 69 72 56 4b 45 6f 35 6e 52 52 66 4b 2f 69 61 4c 33 58 31 52 33 44 78 56 38 65 53 59 46 4b 46 4c 36 70 71 70 75 58 0d 0a 63 59 35 59 5a 4a 47 41 70 2b 4a 78 73 6e 49 51 39 43 46 79 78 49 74 39 32 66 72 58 7a 6e 73 6a 68 6c 59 61 38 73 76 62 56 4e 4e 66 6b 2f 39 66 79 58 36 6f 70 32 34 72 4c 32 44 79 45 53 70 59 0d 0a 70 6e 73 75 6b 42 43 46 42 6b 5a 48 57 4e 4e 79 65 4e 37 62 35 47 68 54 56 43 6f 64 48 68 7a 48 56 46 65 68 54 75 42 72 70 2b 56 75 50 71 61 71 44 76 4d 43 56 65 31 44 5a 43 62 34 4d 6a 41 6a 0d 0a 4d 73 6c 66 2b 39 78 4b 2b 54 58 45 4c 33 69 63 6d 49 4f 42 52 64 50 79 77 36 65 2f 4a 6c 51 6c 56 52 6c 6d 53 68 46 70 49 38 65 62 2f 38 56 73 54 79 4a 53 65 2b 62 38 35 33 7a 75 56 32 71 4c 0d 0a 73 75 4c 61 42 4d 78 59 4b 6d 33 2b 7a 45 44 49 44 76 65 4b 50 4e 61 61 57 5a 67 45 63 71 78 79 6c 43 43 2f 77 55 79 55 58 6c 4d 4a 35 30 4e 77 36 4a 4e 56 4d 4d 38 4c 65 43 69 69 33 4f 45 57 0d 0a 6c 30 6c 6e 39 4c 31 62 2f 4e 58 70 48 6a 47 61 38 57 48 48 54 6a 6f 49 69 6c 42 35 71 4e 55 79 79 77 53 65 54 42 46 32 61 77 52 6c 58 48 39 42 72 6b 5a 47 34 46 63 34 67 64 6d 57 2f 49 7a 54 0d 0a 52 55 67 5a 6b 62 4d 51 5a 4e 49 49 66 7a 6a 31 51 75 69 6c 52 56 42 6d 2f 46 37 36 59 2f 59 4d 72 6d 6e 4d 39 6b 2f 31 78 53 47 49 73 6b 77 43 55 51 2b 39 35 43 47 48 4a 45 38 4d 6b 68 44 33 0d 0a 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 45 4e 44 20 52 53 41 20 50 52 49 56 41 54 45 20 4b 45 59 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d |
and
1 | To do: |
Pwn
The pattern of the hex file (2d 2d 2d 2d 2d) is the one used as header in a public key file: http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/PGP_public_key.
Using a python2 one-liner we got the private key file open("hype_key").read().strip().replace(" ", "").decode("hex")
1 | -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- |
The private key, though, had a passphrase to unlock it and it’s not possible to use to SSH into the machine.
From the note.txt file we discovered another two pages: /encode and /decode but using some fuzzy strings to execute shell and PHP commands we didn’t found anything.
Back to the enumeration we see that a HTTPS port is open with an old Apache running so we tried using the Heartbleed bug to dump parts of memory of the server. On the leaked informations we can see:
1 | ......[1e..O......._...,..[".W.^Am......f.....".!.9.8.........5.............................3.2.....E.D...../...A....................................... |
Where $text=aGVhcnRibGVlZGJlbGlldmV0aGVoeXBlCg is heartbleedbelievethehype and is the passphrase for the private key; we can new generate the new unlocked private key: openssl rsa -in priv.key -out priv\_free.key.
Using the private key to SSH into the server with valentine as user we was prompted for a password (which is not the one found above): we need to dig further to find the password or we need the correct username to login.
After some guessing on the username using informations from passphrase, machine name, web application we got a shell for the hype user and the first flag.

Checking on /etc/passwd we saw no other users to privesc except root.
But even before trying to search exploits and enumeration we checked on .bash_history just to see a tmux socket saved in /.devs/dev_sess.

Attaching to that socket with tmux -S /.devs/dev_sess we got a root shell and the flag.
