overthewire-writeups

Bandit05 -> 06: The Great Search

Challenge

Level Description

The password for the next level is stored in a file somewhere under the inhere directory and has all of the following properties:

• Human-readable
• 1033 bytes in size
• Not executable

The Process

This level felt like looking for a needle in a haystack! Inside the inhere directory, there were multiple folders and dozens of files. Checking each one manually would have taken forever.

To solve this, I used the find command. It is a powerful tool that allows you to search for files based on specific attributes like size and type. I combined the clues from the description into a single command:

$ cd inhere
$ find . -type f -size 1033c ! -executable

Here is a breakdown of what those flags do:

• .: Search in the current directory.
• -type f: Look for regular files only.
• -size 1033c: Look for a file exactly 1033 bytes (the c stands for bytes).
• ! -executable: The exclamation mark means “not,” so this looks for files that are not executable.

The command pointed me directly to one specific file. I used cat on that path, and the password was right there!

Password For the Next Level

[SPOILER]

What I Learned

• Precision Searching: I learned how to use the find command to filter files by very specific metadata.
• The Power of ‘!’: I learned that the exclamation mark can be used to negate conditions (find things that are not something).
• Size Units: In the find command, c is the suffix used for bytes, which is crucial for finding files with an exact size.

Helpful Reading Material

• Mastering the search: Find command examples
• Understanding file permissions: Linux File Permissions Guide