Think. Hack. Secure. CTF — Full Writeup

📰 Medium · Cybersecurity

Learn how to complete a Capture The Flag (CTF) challenge by following a step-by-step guide on reconnaissance, vulnerability exploitation, and privilege escalation

intermediate Published 18 Jun 2026

Action Steps

Perform a full port sweep to identify open ports using tools like Nmap
Use scripting scans to gather more information about open ports and services
Exploit vulnerabilities in FTP, SMB, and HTTP services to gain initial access
Use SQL injection and remote code execution to escalate privileges
Conduct lateral movement and privilege escalation to gain root access

Who Needs to Know This

Security teams and penetration testers can benefit from this guide to improve their skills in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities

Key Insight

💡 A thorough reconnaissance phase is crucial in identifying potential vulnerabilities and attack surfaces