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Porthaven

A forgotten web server hides its admin panel behind a port-knocking sequence left in a public config file. Find the knock, open the gate, grab the cleartext credentials the sysadmin left in the page source, and follow one GTFOBin straight to root.

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Walkthrough, Tips and Tricks

Walkthrough

Objective

Discover a port-knocking sequence from an exposed configuration file, unlock a hidden service, and escalate to root via sudo find.

Phase 1: Recon & Knock Discovery

  1. Scan all TCP ports: nmap -p- TARGET
  2. Enumerate HTTP — find a /configs/ directory listing.
  3. Download the exposed config file and extract the three-port knock sequence.
  4. Replay the sequence: knock TARGET PORT1 PORT2 PORT3
  5. Rescan — a previously closed SSH port is now open.

Phase 2: Credential Extraction

  1. Browse the newly unlocked HTTP admin path.
  2. View source — credentials embedded in an HTML comment.
  3. SSH as the discovered user, capture user flag.

Phase 3: Root Escalation

  1. sudo -l — (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/find
  2. sudo find . -exec /bin/sh \; -quit → root shell.
  3. Capture root flag.

Tips

  • knock package: apt install knockd
  • Port numbers may be UDP — try knock -u TARGET P1 P2 P3
Tips and Tricks

Tips

  • Try both TCP and UDP for the knock sequence.
  • View source on every page — HTML comments are the most common quick win.
  • sudo find . -exec /bin/sh \; -quit gives an instant root shell.

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