Start Here!

Challenge Description

This challenge will teach you to use the Visual Studio Code workspace, which is where you will work on challenges. You can start this challenge using the Start button below. Wait for confirmation that it started, and then click on the "Workspace" tab in the navigation bar at the top of the screen (or, if you are quick enough, the Workspace link in the brief popup)! Once VSCode loads, launch a terminal (press Control-Shift-Backtick or click the ☰ button in the top left corner, select the Terminal menu, and click New Terminal) and run the challenge! Note that you can drag the top of the terminal up and down to give more space as needed.

When we detect that you have launched the terminal in VSCode, we will give you the flag! As a reminder, this platform uses flags to track your progress. Flags are cryptographic tokens that are given to you when you solve challenges. Once you see it, copy-paste it into the submission box below and submit! To copy/paste, highlight the flag "pwn.college{...}", then use CTRL+C to copy and CTRL+V to paste. Then, once you get the confirmation that the flag was correct, move on to the next challenge!

Challenge Steps

1. Start the challenge
2. Open VSCode Workspace
3. Open a terminal
4. Submit the flag

Challenge Description

Most challenges will have files stored in the /challenge directory. A directory is just a folder that you can store files in. The last challenge ran a file automatically when the terminal was opened, but this challenge requires you to run the file yourself. You will need to run the /challenge/solve file to get the flag. There are a few different ways to run files, depending on the file type. For most challenge files, you simply need to type the program name and hit Enter

Challenge Steps

1. Start the VSCode Workspace
2. Open a terminal
3. Type /challenge/solve in the terminal and press Enter
4. Copy/paste the flag to submit!

Challenge Description

You can also make your own files! The pre-made files that belong to each challenge are stored in the /challenge directory. Files that you make should typically be stored in your "home" directory (/home/hacker).

There are several different types of files you can make. Different files will have different "file extensions". You may have experience with .docx (Microsoft Word) files or .pptx (PowerPoint) files. Some other types of files/file extensions:

• .txt (text) files hold plain text (no images, no formatting)
• .c files hold C code
• .py files hold python code

To make your own text file in VSCode, click the Menu ☰ button in the top left corner -> File -> New Text File. This will make a new text file that does not have any data stored in it. Then start typing! Try typing your name, "hello world!", or whatever you want.

To make other types of files, use the Menu ☰ -> File -> New File... and name your file with a different extension.

Once you have some text in your file, you will need to save it. Press CTRL+S to save your file. VSCode will ask you what name to give the file, and it will usually give you a suggestion based on what you typed in the file. You can keep the suggested name, or replace it with your own.

Note: Do not remove the /home/hacker/ that comes before your file name. This tells VSCode that you want to save your file in your "home" directory.

To solve this challenge, make a text file in your home directory called "myfile.txt" and save some text in it. Then run /challenge/solve, which will verify that you solved the challenge and print your flag.

Challenge Steps

1. Start and open VSCode workspace
2. Make a new text file, and save text in it
3. Save this file with the name "myfile.txt"
4. Run /challenge/solve to receive your flag

Challenge Description

You may also want to edit an existing file. There are many ways to do this, but one simple option is to use the "Explorer" option in the VSCode Menu. First, click the Explorer button - directly below the menu ☰ button in the top left, the Explorer button looks like 2 pieces of paper. From there, you should see a blue button "Open Folder". Click that, and then you will be able to type and search for which folder you want to open. If you leave the default "/home/hacker", you can see all of the files you have created in your home directory.

Note: If you are asked "Do you trust the authors of the files in this folder?", check the box, and click "Yes, I trust the authors".

In your home directory, you should see your myfile.txt that you made in the previous challenge. You will also see some system files (.bashrc, .profile, etc.) - these files are needed for the VSCode Workspace to run properly. Don't edit them!

When you see a file you want to re-open, click on that file name to open it in VSCode. After editing a file, CTRL+S will save your changes.

In this challenge, your task is to re-open myfile.txt and edit the contents of the file so it contains the phrase "Hello World!". (Make sure to save it!)

Once you have updated this file, open a terminal and run /challenge/solve to verify your solution and receive your flag!

Note: Most pwn.college challenges are case sensitive and must match the requirements exactly - "Hello World!" is different from "hello world"

Challenge Steps

1. Start and open the VSCode Workspace
2. Open your home directory/folder in the Explorer Menu
3. Open myfile.txt, and replace the contents with "Hello World!"
4. Run /challenge/solve to receive the flag