Final Project with Hack the Box
Due Thurs, Nov 17th by 10:30am (1 hour before the start of our final exam
class session)
Possible Points: 25 (includes 3 points for attending class during final exam week)
Hack the Box (“HTB”) is a cloud platform containing capture-the-flag (“CTF”) exercises. We are
using the free version.
Introduction to HTB:
According to HTB, their mission is to “make cybersecurity training fun and accessible to
everyone.” For an introduction to HTB, visit: https://www.hackthebox.com/universities
Overview of How the HTB Labs Work:
There are 4 free games (i.e., labs), each containing a number of questions that require you to
search online for answers, as well as issue relevant commands at the terminal prompt (if using
Linux) to obtain requested information.
Notice that the series of steps in each game act as breadcrumbs that build on each other to
lead you ultimately in the last step (“task”) to a file named “flag.txt”. Once you find flag.txt file
at the end of a gaming exercise, view its contents in order to retrieve a long character string –
“the flag”. Copy and paste the flag into a textbox on the HTB web page as your answer. You win
the challenge if you “capture the flag” in the last step.
Assignment Summary:
HTB maintains 5 different levels of gaming exercises, based on the level difficulty from “very
easy” to “insane”. We will use the “very easy” games.
1. You choose and complete two of the 4 “very easy”, “free” gaming exercises (Meow, Fawn,
Dancing, Redeemer)
2. Delete these instructions and paste in your answers and screen shots into a blank
document. Clearly format your document, labeling each gaming exercise and what each
screen shot is showing. Points will be deducted if the vast, vast majority of these ~13 pages
of instructions are not deleted.
3. Provide 3 clear, legible, and labeled screen shots for each of the exercises (i.e., 6 screen
shots total in your paper submission):
i. Take one (only) screen shot showing you issuing the most challenging command for the
exercise. Capture in the screen shot: the command issued; your first name in the
terminal prompt; and the first page of output from the command.
Page 1 of 13
, “Challenging” is relative to tasks within a game. For example, an nmap command is
considered more challenging than a Linux command to list files in a directory.
o In this example, if you issued an nmap command, then take a screen shot
showing the nmap command, your name in the Linux terminal prompt, and
the command output.
o Note: credit will not be earned for screen shots that show similar commands for two
different games (e.g., nmap). Instead, show different activity you’ve performed in
each of the two games.
To make your screen shot more readable, consider using “clear” command at the
terminal prompt before issuing the command you want to show In your screen shot;
otherwise, highlight in your screen shot the command issued
To make your screen shot more readable, focus shot on the medium-to-large sized
window that contains the relevant info (not the entire virtual machine’s desktop)
ii. Take one (only) screen shot showing a green flag next to each of the list of tasks you’ve
completed in a game up until the last task. In this screen shot, please highlight your HTB
username (that has a first letter the same as your first name). Your HTB username
appears on the top, left of the HTB window. Here is what a green flag looks like:
o To make your screen shot more readable, focus shot on the medium-to-large sized
window that contains the relevant info (not the entire virtual machine’s desktop)
iii. Take one screen shot of the page that shows after you’ve successfully entered the
contents of flag.txt and received a Congratulations message. This screen shot will show
the name of the game, your HTB username, and the completion date.
Here is an example, where cocobox is my username:
Page 2 of 13
Due Thurs, Nov 17th by 10:30am (1 hour before the start of our final exam
class session)
Possible Points: 25 (includes 3 points for attending class during final exam week)
Hack the Box (“HTB”) is a cloud platform containing capture-the-flag (“CTF”) exercises. We are
using the free version.
Introduction to HTB:
According to HTB, their mission is to “make cybersecurity training fun and accessible to
everyone.” For an introduction to HTB, visit: https://www.hackthebox.com/universities
Overview of How the HTB Labs Work:
There are 4 free games (i.e., labs), each containing a number of questions that require you to
search online for answers, as well as issue relevant commands at the terminal prompt (if using
Linux) to obtain requested information.
Notice that the series of steps in each game act as breadcrumbs that build on each other to
lead you ultimately in the last step (“task”) to a file named “flag.txt”. Once you find flag.txt file
at the end of a gaming exercise, view its contents in order to retrieve a long character string –
“the flag”. Copy and paste the flag into a textbox on the HTB web page as your answer. You win
the challenge if you “capture the flag” in the last step.
Assignment Summary:
HTB maintains 5 different levels of gaming exercises, based on the level difficulty from “very
easy” to “insane”. We will use the “very easy” games.
1. You choose and complete two of the 4 “very easy”, “free” gaming exercises (Meow, Fawn,
Dancing, Redeemer)
2. Delete these instructions and paste in your answers and screen shots into a blank
document. Clearly format your document, labeling each gaming exercise and what each
screen shot is showing. Points will be deducted if the vast, vast majority of these ~13 pages
of instructions are not deleted.
3. Provide 3 clear, legible, and labeled screen shots for each of the exercises (i.e., 6 screen
shots total in your paper submission):
i. Take one (only) screen shot showing you issuing the most challenging command for the
exercise. Capture in the screen shot: the command issued; your first name in the
terminal prompt; and the first page of output from the command.
Page 1 of 13
, “Challenging” is relative to tasks within a game. For example, an nmap command is
considered more challenging than a Linux command to list files in a directory.
o In this example, if you issued an nmap command, then take a screen shot
showing the nmap command, your name in the Linux terminal prompt, and
the command output.
o Note: credit will not be earned for screen shots that show similar commands for two
different games (e.g., nmap). Instead, show different activity you’ve performed in
each of the two games.
To make your screen shot more readable, consider using “clear” command at the
terminal prompt before issuing the command you want to show In your screen shot;
otherwise, highlight in your screen shot the command issued
To make your screen shot more readable, focus shot on the medium-to-large sized
window that contains the relevant info (not the entire virtual machine’s desktop)
ii. Take one (only) screen shot showing a green flag next to each of the list of tasks you’ve
completed in a game up until the last task. In this screen shot, please highlight your HTB
username (that has a first letter the same as your first name). Your HTB username
appears on the top, left of the HTB window. Here is what a green flag looks like:
o To make your screen shot more readable, focus shot on the medium-to-large sized
window that contains the relevant info (not the entire virtual machine’s desktop)
iii. Take one screen shot of the page that shows after you’ve successfully entered the
contents of flag.txt and received a Congratulations message. This screen shot will show
the name of the game, your HTB username, and the completion date.
Here is an example, where cocobox is my username:
Page 2 of 13
