picoCTF Bases Challenge Writeup
The “Bases” challenge from picoCTF is a general skills exercise designed to test your understanding of base conversion and basic cryptography. Here’s a breakdown of the challenge and its solution:
Description:
You are provided with a string of characters and numbers that appear to be in an unknown base. Your task is to decode the string and find the flag hidden within it.
picoCTF Bases Challenge Writeup
The “Bases” challenge from picoCTF is a general skills exercise designed to test your understanding of base conversion and basic cryptography. Here’s a breakdown of the challenge and its solution:
Challenge Description:
You are provided with a string of characters and numbers that appear to be in an unknown base. Your task is to decode the string and find the flag hidden within it.
Solution:
Identify the Base:
The challenge title and the jumbled nature of the string point towards a base conversion problem. However, the base is not explicitly mentioned. Here are some approaches to identify it:
Trial and Error:
Try converting the string using common high bases like base64 or base36. Online tools like CyberChef or RapidTables can help with this.
Frequency Analysis:
Analyze the frequency of characters in the string. In high bases, characters with smaller numerical values tend to appear more frequently.
Pattern Recognition: Look for repeating patterns in the string. These patterns might hint at the base used.
Decode the String:
Once you identify the base, use a base conversion tool or script to decode the string. This will reveal the underlying message.
Find the Flag:
The decoded message might contain the flag directly, or it might require further manipulation. Look for keywords related to flags (e.g., picoCTF, flag) or hidden clues within the message.
in my case I was able to do it easily thanks to a site that I had already used before here it is:
try it and you will get the answer, especially Pay attention to details and look for hidden clues within the message.
stay hard
