COURSE

Challenge: Episode II - Attack of the Encoders

Course

Adversaries commonly use encoding, encryption, and hashing to obscure their scripts and attacks. As a CTF player, you will need to analyze alerts and uncover the true nature of a suspicious string embedded in a file. Can you help figure out what it’s trying to say?
Full access included with 
Insider Pro
 and 
Teams

1

H

0

M
Time

intermediate

i
Designed for learners who have no prior work experience in IT or Cybersecurity, but are interested in starting a career in this exciting field.
Designed for learners with prior cybersecurity work experience who are interested in advancing their career or expanding their skillset.
Designed for learners with a solid grasp of foundational IT and cybersecurity concepts who are interested in pursuing an entry-level security role.
Experience Level

1

i

Earn qualifying credits for certification renewal with completion certificates provided for submission.
CEU's

Enrollees

Learners at 96% of Fortune 1000 companies trust Cybrary

About this course

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Skills you'll gain

Course Outline

1
Encoding Schemes
1
H
0
Min
No items found.
Course Description

Base64, time to settle the score!

> In this weekly challenge, you are following up on your previous engagement using the help of Alice and her recommended tool, [CyberChef](https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/). It is an open-sourced web application developed by GCHQ for analyzing and decoding data, with the ability to create complex decoding chains. Spin it up, and let's learn even more about Base64!

1. What is the first encoding type? 2. What is the second encoding type? 3. What is the third encoding type? 4. What is the fourth encoding type? 5. What is the fifth encoding type? 6. What is the final flag?

![CySeeker Peculiar](//images.ctfassets.net/kvf8rpi09wgk/qbEzmd4efRzpA1lBEW8vZ/9fb4bc97f855861107cfa48daf666920/CySeeker_Peculiar.png)

Who is this for?

> Early career practitioners. Individuals new to cybersecurity may be challenged but the difficulty rating on this challenge is relatively low. We encourage the use of any internet resources, community/colleague assistance in completion of the challenge.

What resources are available to help solve this challenge?

> Online search, Discord community, colleagues or fellow practitioners.

Are write ups permitted?

> Yes, write ups are permitted; however, please do not post answers directly. All write ups should include an appropriate link back to Cybrary and the Cybrary Course.

Train Your Team

Cybrary’s expert-led cybersecurity courses help your team remediate skill gaps and get up-to-date on certifications. Utilize Cybrary to stay ahead of emerging threats and provide team members with clarity on how to learn, grow, and advance their careers within your organization.

Included in a Path

Instructors

Matthew Mullins
Security Researcher - Adversary Emulation
Read Full Bio
Learn

Learn core concepts and get hands-on with key skills.

Practice

Exercise your problem-solving and creative thinking skills with security-centric puzzles

Prove

Assess your knowledge and skills to identify areas for improvement and measure your growth

Get Hands-on Learning

Put your skills to the test in virtual labs, challenges, and simulated environments.

Measure Your Progress

Track your skills development from lesson to lesson using the Cybrary Skills Tracker.

Connect with the Community

Connect with peers and mentors through our supportive community of cybersecurity professionals.

Success from Our Learners

"Cybrary really helped me get up to speed and acquire a baseline level of technical knowledge. It offers a far more comprehensive approach than just learning from a book. It actually shows you how to apply cybersecurity processes in a hands-on way"

Don Gates

Principal Systems Engineer/SAIC

"Cybrary’s SOC Analyst career path was the difference maker, and was instrumental in me landing my new job. I was able to show the employer that I had the right knowledge and the hands-on skills to execute the role."

Cory

Cybersecurity analyst/

"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community."

Mike

Security Engineer and Pentester/

"Cybrary really helped me get up to speed and acquire a baseline level of technical knowledge. It offers a far more comprehensive approach than just learning from a book. It actually shows you how to apply cybersecurity processes in a hands-on way"

Don Gates

Principal Systems Engineer/SAIC

"Cybrary’s SOC Analyst career path was the difference maker, and was instrumental in me landing my new job. I was able to show the employer that I had the right knowledge and the hands-on skills to execute the role."

Cory

Cybersecurity analyst/

"I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community."

Mike

Security Engineer and Pentester/

"Becoming a Cybrary Insider Pro was a total game changer. Cybrary was instrumental in helping me break into cybersecurity, despite having no prior IT experience or security-related degree. Their career paths gave me clear direction, the instructors had real-world experience, and the virtual labs let me gain hands-on skills I could confidently put on my resume and speak to in interviews."

Cassandra

Information Security Analyst/Cisco Systems

"I was able to earn both my Security+ and CySA+ in two months. I give all the credit to Cybrary. I’m also proud to announce I recently accepted a job as a Cyber Systems Engineer at BDO... I always try to debunk the idea that you can't get a job without experience or a degree."

Casey

Cyber Systems Engineer/BDO

"Cybrary has helped me improve my hands-on skills and pass my toughest certification exams, enabling me to achieve 13 advanced certifications and successfully launch my own business. I love the practice tests for certification exams, especially, and appreciate the wide-ranging training options that let me find the best fit for my goals"

Angel

Founder,/ IntellChromatics.

Challenge: Episode II - Attack of the Encoders

Adversaries commonly use encoding, encryption, and hashing to obscure their scripts and attacks. As a CTF player, you will need to analyze alerts and uncover the true nature of a suspicious string embedded in a file. Can you help figure out what it’s trying to say?
1
0
M
Time
intermediate
difficulty
1
ceu/cpe

Course Content

Course Description

Base64, time to settle the score!

> In this weekly challenge, you are following up on your previous engagement using the help of Alice and her recommended tool, [CyberChef](https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/). It is an open-sourced web application developed by GCHQ for analyzing and decoding data, with the ability to create complex decoding chains. Spin it up, and let's learn even more about Base64!

1. What is the first encoding type? 2. What is the second encoding type? 3. What is the third encoding type? 4. What is the fourth encoding type? 5. What is the fifth encoding type? 6. What is the final flag?

![CySeeker Peculiar](//images.ctfassets.net/kvf8rpi09wgk/qbEzmd4efRzpA1lBEW8vZ/9fb4bc97f855861107cfa48daf666920/CySeeker_Peculiar.png)

Who is this for?

> Early career practitioners. Individuals new to cybersecurity may be challenged but the difficulty rating on this challenge is relatively low. We encourage the use of any internet resources, community/colleague assistance in completion of the challenge.

What resources are available to help solve this challenge?

> Online search, Discord community, colleagues or fellow practitioners.

Are write ups permitted?

> Yes, write ups are permitted; however, please do not post answers directly. All write ups should include an appropriate link back to Cybrary and the Cybrary Course.

This course is part of a Career Path:
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Instructed by

Provider
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Certification Body
Certificate of Completion

Complete this entire course to earn a Challenge: Episode II - Attack of the Encoders Certificate of Completion