CyberKavach QuestCon Series: The Hawkins Paradox

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The Hawkins Paradox


Welcome to the official CyberKavach QuestCon write-up series by PCCOE OWASP Student Chapter! We’ll explore "The Hawkins Paradox," a multi-layered OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) challenge inspired by the Stranger Things universe.

Author: Jay Surana

Challenge Details

  • Category: OSINT

  • Difficulty: Medium

  • Points: 300

  • Flag Format: questCON{flag}


Layer 1: Document & Archive Analysis

Files provided:

  • Hawkings Lab Report.pdf

  • Logs.7z

The journey begins with the Hawkings Lab Report PDF. Within the document, the author and their ID, "ECHOPRIME83," are prominently displayed.

This ID serves as the password to unlock Logs.7z. Extracting the archive reveals a base32 encoded file, investigation.log.b32.

To decode, use a Linux command:

base32 -d investigation.log.b32 > decodedoutput.txt

This produces a log accusing user rxal99 of malicious activity in Hawkings Lab.


Layer 2: OSINT Trail & Steganography

With the username rxal99 in hand, a further search leads to their GitHub profile. True to the Stranger Things theme, a repository named 11eleven is present. It contains seven images of the character Eleven.

Each image carries EXIF metadata, mostly as base58 strings split between XPComment and UserComment fields. Only one image (3.jpg) contains the two halves that, when combined, form a crucial encrypted string; others are decoys.

The encryption chain: Base58 → Rot47 → Morse code → Plain text

Decoding yields a final string, which in turn reveals a website address.

https://sector42.vercel.app


Layer 3: Web Reconnaissance & Real-World Connection


The discovered website displays a single photo. The page title is "S2 MADMAX," referencing Season 2, Episode 1 of Stranger Things. In this episode, the Palace Arcade is the characters' hangout spot.


Participants use Google Street View and reverse search techniques to identify the real address for Palace Arcade.

The flag is the address, formatted as:


questCON6501ChurchSt



Key Takeaways

  • This challenge tests skills in document analysis, archive extraction, base32/base58 decoding, EXIF steganography, and OSINT.

  • Following clues through technical layers and into real-world locations demonstrates the range of modern CTF skills.

  • The approach rewards creativity, persistence, and attention to detail.

Congratulations to all who solved "The Hawkins Paradox"! Insert images at the designated spots for clarity and engagement. No links are included. Stay tuned for more CyberKavach QuestCon blogs!

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