SS//TEAM   ·   PRIVATE10 MEMBERS   /   FIRST EVENT: #377
✳SOUL//SPACE
04 / KNOWLEDGE BASE — OPEN INTELLIGENCE

INTEL
NOTES.

Beginner notes from a team that learns by playing. Not a polished archive, just what we've picked up so far.

WEB / SECURITY

WEB BASICS

Where to start when a challenge is a website.

READ NOTES
  • Open the page source and dev tools first. Comments, hidden fields, and odd scripts are common hints.
  • Use a proxy like Burp or ZAP to see every request and parameter.
  • Check what the server trusts: IDs in the URL, cookies, and headers. Only test this on labs and CTF targets.
  • Injection happens when input becomes part of a command or query. The fix is parameterized queries.
  • XSS is user input shown back as HTML or script. The fix is output encoding.
NOTES 01BEGINNER
DIGITAL / FORENSICS

FOLLOW THE FILE

Look at an unknown file before opening it.

READ NOTES
  • Run file, strings, and exiftool on anything unfamiliar.
  • Compare the real file header (magic bytes) with the extension.
  • For packet captures, open Wireshark and use Follow TCP Stream and Statistics.
  • For hidden data in images or archives, try binwalk, steghide, and zsteg.
  • Write down timestamps and every step as you go.
NOTES 02BEGINNER
OSINT / RESEARCH

PUBLIC CLUES

Finding answers in public info.

READ NOTES
  • Reverse image search first, then look at signs, landmarks, and shadows.
  • Search a username across sites and check the Wayback Machine for old pages.
  • Confirm every finding with a second source.
  • Stay ethical: use it on CTF targets, not on real people.
NOTES 03BEGINNER
CRYPTO / PUZZLES

DECODE FIRST

Figure out what you're looking at.

READ NOTES
  • Identify the encoding: base64, hex, URL encoding, binary.
  • CyberChef's Magic tool guesses a lot of layers for you.
  • Classic ciphers like Caesar and Vigenere fall to frequency analysis.
  • Modern crypto challenges usually have a weak parameter, not a broken algorithm.
  • Never invent your own crypto outside a puzzle.
NOTES 04BEGINNER
REV / BINARY

UNDER THE HOOD

Reading programs without the source.

READ NOTES
  • Run file and strings. Sometimes the flag check is right there.
  • Open the binary in Ghidra, start at main, and rename things as you learn them.
  • Find the line that prints correct or wrong, then trace back to the check.
  • Use a debugger like gdb to watch values while it runs.
  • Only open challenge binaries, and do it inside a VM.
NOTES 05BEGINNER
METHODOLOGY

TEAM HABITS

Small habits that save time.

READ NOTES
  • Read the challenge text twice. The title is often a hint.
  • Write down everything you've tried so nobody repeats it.
  • Stuck for 30 minutes? Ask a teammate.
  • Note the solution right after solving, while you remember it.
  • Practice in TryHackMe rooms between events.
NOTES 06BEGINNER