Human Connection Challenge: Season 1 – Scanning Walkthrough Guide (Official Version)
Time’s Up! Congratulations to everyone who completed Lab 2: Scanning from the Human Connection Challenge: Season 1. In this walkthrough, I'll share some strategies for efficiently completing the lab, based on my perspective as the author. Remember, there are often multiple ways to approach a challenge, so if you used a different method and succeeded, that's perfectly fine! The goal is to learn, and I hope these notes help clarify any steps and reinforce key concepts for the next challenge. This challenge has now ended, but the lab remains available for practice. While prizes are no longer up for grabs, you can still complete the lab and use this walkthrough guide for support if needed. I’ve also used placeholders in some of the commands that would give away an answer directly, so if you see anything enclosed in angle brackets, such as <name server>, please make sure you replace it with the actual value, such as nameserver. With all that considered, let's get started. Overview Task: Identify the name server records of tinytown.bitnet. 1. What is the IP of the first name server for tinytown.bitnet? You’ll first need to open a Terminal on the Kali desktop. Next, you’ll need to query the DNS Server IP (found in the Machines panel) about the tinytown.bitnet domain using the nslookup (Name Server Lookup) tool. You’re specifically looking for NS (Name Server) records, so you can use the -type=ns parameter with nslookup to specify this: nslookup -type=ns tinytown.bitnet [DNS Server IP] The output of this command will return two name servers for the domain labelled with 1 and 2. Your next step is to identify what IP address is associated with the first name server (1). To do this, you can use nslookup along with the name server, domain, and DNS Server IP: nslookup <name server>1.tinytown.bitnet [DNS Server IP] This command will then return an IP address for the name server. 2. What is the IP of the second name server for tinytown.bitnet? As you’ve already identified both name servers, you’ll just need to run the previous command, except with the second (2) name server: nslookup <name server>2.tinytown.bitnet [DNS Server IP] You’ll then find the IP address associated with it. Task: Identify port service information for Target 1. 3. What service version is running on port 53? A network scanning tool like Nmap can help you identify the service version running on a specific port. To do this with Nmap, you can use the -sV option for service detection: nmap -sV [Target 1 IP Address] The output will show what service version is running on port 53. 4. What is the full service banner of port 22? There are a couple of ways to find the full service banner of port 22 – such as with Nmap or Netcat. If you’re using Nmap, you can modify the previous command to include the “banner” script along with the port number: nmap -sV -script=banner [Target 1 IP Address] -p22 The command line will then display the service banner from port 22. You can alternatively use netcat to manually connect to the SSH server. When a client connects, Netcat may present a banner that contains version information. To use Netcat, you’ll need the nc command along with the Target 1 IP address and specify you want to connect to port 22: nc [Target 1 IP Address] 22 When you run this command, the banner appears before the terminal hangs. Task: Identify a token on one of the ports. 5. What is the token? With the previous Nmap command, you initially found that three ports were open on Target 1. However, you’ll need to do a more thorough network scan to find another open port, one not initially found with the previous scans. To do this, you can expand your port scan to cover a much wider range by using Netcat to scan for open ports from 1 through 9000: nc -zvn <Target 1 IP Address> 1-9000 Here, -z will scan for listening services but won’t send any data, -v is verbose mode, which provides more detailed information, and -n tells Netcat not to resolve hostnames via DNS. This command will reveal a fourth open port. Now, you can use Netcat to connect to this port: nc <Target 1 IP Address> <open port> The token will then be displayed in the terminal. Task: Scan the TLS configuration on Target 2. 6. How many protocols are enabled? To scan for SSL/TLS configurations, you can use the sslscan tool. By default, sslscan scans port 443 and will return supported server ciphers, certificate details, and more. You can use sslscan like this: sslscan <Target 2 IP Address> The returned output will be verbose, but you can find and count the number of enabled protocols under the SSL/TLS Protocols subheading. 7. Name an enabled protocol. Using the previous output, name one of the enabled protocols. 8. What exploit are the protocols NOT vulnerable to? Using the same output, scroll down through the results until you find a subheading that’s named after a vulnerability and contains a similar string to: <Protocol> not vulnerable to <vulnerability name> The vulnerability has the same name as the subheading. Task: Identify and extract information from an SMB share on Target 3. 9. What Disk shared directory can you access? To extract information from an SMB (Server Message Block) share, you can use the smbclient tool. First, you’ll need to list the SMB shares on the target using the -L flag (the list/lookup option) with: smbclient -L //<Target 3 IP> You’ll then be prompted for a password, but you can press Enter to skip this. A list of SMB shares will then be displayed, three of which are shown to be a Disk type, so you know the answer will be one of these. You can now begin to go through the list and try to connect to the shares with: smbclient //<Target 3 IP>/<Sharename> However, this time when you’re prompted for a password and you press Enter, you might encounter a message when you try and connect to a share: NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED If you attempt to connect to all shares, you’ll find you can connect to one share without a password. You’ll then be greeted with the following prompt to show the successful connection: smb: \> 10. What is the token stored in the directory? Now that you’re connected, you can execute commands to interact with the SMB share. If you run ls, you’ll find a token.txt file in the current directory. You can then download the file from the share onto your local machine with: get token.txt On the Kali desktop, open the Home folder and the token.txt will be inside. Open this file and find the token. 11. What is the username stored in the directory? After you’ve run ls in the SMB share, you’ll find not only token.txt, but also a file named creds.txt. Use the same command as you just did previously to download the file onto your machine: get creds.txt This file will also be downloaded to the Home folder, where you can find a username and password. Task: Identify open services on Target 3. Task: Connect to Target 3 with the previously found credentials. 12. What is the token stored in the user's /Documents directory? For this final task, you first need to scan the target using Nmap. You’ll find that if you attempt to scan the target without using the -Pn flag, you’ll get a response saying that the host seems down. However, if you run Nmap with -Pn, you’ll find some ports are open: nmap -Pn <Target 3 IP Address> However, the ports returned from this command don’t offer a way to connect to the target. You’ll also need to scan the 6000 most popular ports: nmap -Pn --top-ports 6000 <Target 3 IP Address> These results will now show two additional ports are open regarding the Web Services Management (Wsman) protocol, which is used to communicate with remote machines and execute commands. One of the tools that implement this protocol is Windows Remote Management (WinRM) which is Microsoft’s implementation of Wsman. Knowing this, you can now use Metasploit to interact with the target. In your terminal, run: msfconsole Once loaded, you can use the the following auxiliary module to connect to a system with WinRm enabled and execute a command with: set cmd ls You’ll then need to set the following options, using the credentials you found in the creds.txt file: set username <username> set password <password> set rhosts <Target 3 IP Address> Next, you need to set the cmd option with the command you want to run. If you use the ls command, you’ll be able to find what out files are in the directory you connect to: set cmd ls With all the options set, you can now run the module: run The results of the executed command will be printed on the screen and also saved to a directory, but both show the existence of a token.txt file in the current directory. You can now set the cmd option to type token.txt in Metasploit: set cmd type token.txt Once set, use the run command to send the updated command: run The contents of token.txt will then be displayed on the screen and outputted to a file. Tools For this challenge, you’ll use a range of tools including: Nslookup Nmap Netcat Sslscan Smbclient Metasploit Tips You can use different tools and parameters within those tools to scan for and find information, so don’t be afraid to try out a few different things! If you want to learn more about some of the tools within this lab, take a look at the following collections: Reconnaissance Nmap Infrastructure Hacking Introduction to Metasploit Post Exploitation with Metasploit Conclusion The steps I’ve laid out here aren’t the only way to find the answers to the questions, as long as you find the answer, you did it – well done! If you found another way to find some of these answers and think there’s a better way to do it, please post them in the comments below! I hope you enjoyed the challenge and I’ll see you for the next one.
Web App Hacking (Lab series): CVE-2022-2143 (iView2)
Hello all, I have spent way to long trying to complete the iView2 exploit. I was expecting a text box on the page for command entry, but I cannot get anything like that. I have been able to send a post request to the NetworkServlet page using the provided exploit string and I know that the test.jsp is created because I can use the query parameter ?cmd=whoami and I get the mysqldump output showing "nt authority \system". I cannot get any other query parameters to execute, even simple ls or dir commands. I found y4er's blog post and everything I see in terms of the syntax of the exploit appears to be identical to the lab. Any directions/suggestions/hints would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. J
Enter The Maze Challenge: Immersive’s Most Advanced Collection Yet
Today marks the release of the Maze Challenge, Immersive’s most advanced and cunningly designed offensive cybersecurity collection yet. This new series of labs is more than just a test of skills. It's a puzzle, a game, and a creative brain-bender, crafted by two of Immersive’s most brilliant minds: StefanApostol and SabrinaKayaci. Stefan, known to many as the "evil genius" behind the Human Connection Challenge, and Sabrina, who recently inspired our London community meetup attendees with her predictions on AI within the AppSec space, have teamed up to create something truly unique. We sat down with them to get their insights on what makes the Maze Challenge so special, so challenging, and so much fun. What was the main inspiration behind the maze theme, and how did you translate that narrative into a collection of technical labs? The core idea for the Maze Challenge, as Stefan explained, came from a shared love of games. "Both Sabrina and I are geeks. We like games, and we wanted to create a challenge with an overarching goal that was more than about earning a completion token." While our labs have always awarded tokens for completion, Stefan and Sabrina wanted to create a narrative that would engage users on a deeper level. "A maze is the perfect example of that," Stefan said. "We wanted to include a game element in these challenges." This isn't just a series of technical scenarios. It's a cohesive puzzle where each lab is a step toward a larger objective. The maze narrative encourages participants to think creatively, connecting different skills and techniques in a way that feels more like a game than a traditional capture the flag (CTF). I’ve heard that this is the most advanced lab collection yet. So, what makes these labs more challenging than the thousands of others in Immersive's catalogue? This collection is Immersive's most advanced to date, introducing a range of techniques not yet widely covered in the platform. The labs are a combination of real-world examples drawn from the creators' past experiences and internal testing, all woven together with a good deal of imagination. While the challenge covers a broad spectrum of offensive skills, including web, Linux, Windows, and Active Directory, Stefan was quick to name binary exploitation as an obvious concept that will have participants scratching their heads. The team collaborated with BenMcCarthy on this particular lab, and Ben being Ben, he poured all his creativity into it, making even Stefan nervous to attempt this mean challenge! Sabrina added that the real difficulty lies in the type of thinking required. "Some of them will really require outside-the-box thinking," she said. "They're unusual in a way that requires not just the technical skill, but some creativity and more critical thinking." This is a key theme throughout the collection. Participants can't rely on a simple, formulaic approach. Instead, they must be flexible and resourceful. Sabrina noted that some challenges will require "multiple sets of skills," forcing users to chain together their expertise in different areas to find a solution. Without giving away any spoilers, can you describe a moment in one of the labs that you're particularly proud of designing? Sabrina beamed as she recalled the Inner Maze lab. "I really enjoyed creating Inner Maze," she said, before adding a cryptic twist. "When you break out of that maze is when you're really trapped." She was particularly proud of her ability to create and then beat her own challenge, finding the exploit even more difficult than the design itself. Can you give users any hints or tips? The Maze Challenge is designed to be tough, and you should certainly expect it to be just that. However, the creators want everyone to have a fair shot, so they’ve some advice for those who might feel intimidated. Use the platform to your advantage. Stefan noted that around 98% of concepts within this challenge can be learned in the rest of our lab catalogue. “If you get stuck on a specific skill, take a break from the maze, find the relevant labs on the platform, and then come back with your newfound knowledge.” We encourage you to learn along the way, and persistence is always rewarded! Failure can be a sign of progress. Sabrina shared a key insight: "Sometimes it's important to take note of what it is you're doing that's failing... If you're failing at the same spot in a particular approach, that could actually mean that you're doing something right." Go figure that one out! Don't go it alone. Sabrina advises anyone starting their journey to ask others for advice and help. Our community help forum is a great resource for sharing knowledge and getting tips from fellow participants. We want you to have fun, and part of that fun is collaborating with your industry peers along the way. In the end, what do you hope participants will take away from this experience, beyond the technical skills? Stefan and Sabrina both hope it's a "desire for more challenges”! They also dropped a teaser for a community Halloween challenge… That’s all you’re getting for now! 👀 Want a head start? Join Stefan and Sabrina for a Labs Live webinar on August 19th. They’ll be solving the Improbable Maze lab live on the call, in collaboration with you. Attendees are encouraged to play along, offer their suggestions, methods, and frustrations. It’s the perfect opportunity to see the creators’ thought process and gain some momentum for your own journey through the maze. See you there!Threat Research: Dependency Confusion Lab
Hello Community, I am almost finished Threat Research: Dependency Confusion Lab, but I am stuck with the last question "What is the token found in /root/token.txt on the target server?". I have followed all instructions, setup listener, up to python reverse shell (setup.py) but at the end, I don't know how to access token.txt file. Any help would be appreciated. Below are the screenshots from terminal listener and terminal where all commands are executed. Thanks so much Octavio
Trick or Treat on Specter Street: Widow's Web
I am very stucked in Trick or Treat on Specter Street: Widow's Web I can't do none of the questions, but in any case I start by 4th that is the first answerable one Your first task is to simulate the loyal Crawlers. Run legitimate-crawler and inspect the output in Lab-Files to observe their behavior. To simulate the rogue Crawlers, you must discover the hidden paths on the website. Read the blog posts – they contain clues. Disallow these in Website-Files/robots.txt and run malicious-crawler. Inspect the output in Lab-Files. What is the token? I have created the robots.txt file since I understand that malicious-crawler goes expressedly there. My robots.txt contains all url's I can imagin Disallow: /secret Disallow: /treat Disallow: /hidden Disallow: /crypt Disallow: /warden Disallow: /rituals Disallow: /witch-secrets Disallow: /admin Disallow: /vault Disallow: /uncover Disallow: /post1 Disallow: /post2 Disallow: /post3 Disallow: /post4 Disallow: /contact Disallow: /drafts/rituals But the result of malicious-crawler.txt doesn't give me either a token nor a hint I have curl-ed all pages looking for words as token and nothing. I have found some key words in http://127.0.0.1:3000/witch-secrets as intercepted-incantations, decoded them and nothing. I have searched in spider-sigthings.log what hapened at 3.00 am but nothing Can someone gime me a hint?
Labs Live: Reverse Engineering
#Recorded on September 16th 2025 Ever felt totally stuck with a lab? Getting frustrated? Maybe you could have used the helpful guidance of an expert? Join our Labs Live webinar, a ground-breaking community webinar series from Immersive! We're bringing you live, interactive lab sessions led by seasoned professionals. In each Labs Live webinar, you'll collaborate directly with an expert as they navigate a challenging lab. They'll share their techniques, answer your questions, and together, you might even discover new insights. This isn't just a demonstration; it's a hands-on learning experience. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to elevate your cyber skills. This Labs Live session will be hosted by BenMcCarthy, Lead Cyber Security Engineer, as he tackles one of our new Reverse Engineering labs.
