After taking a break and re-evaluating my approach, I decided to try a different tactic. I used the enum command to gather more information about the VM’s users and shares.
enum \10.10.10.59 This revealed a share called “Users” that I had previously missed. I mounted the share using SMBclient and found a user named “bill” with a password hint. hackthebox red failure
psexec \10.10.10.59 -u bill -p password123 After taking a break and re-evaluating my approach,
With this information, I decided to focus on the HTTP port and browsed to http://10.10.10.59 . The webpage appeared to be a simple IIS 7.5 server with a “Hello World” message. I attempted to use DirBuster, a tool for discovering hidden directories, but didn’t find anything of interest. I mounted the share using SMBclient and found
In the end, my “hackthebox red failure” turned into a valuable learning experience. I realized that success in CTF challenges often requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. By analyzing my missteps and adjusting my approach, I was ultimately able to gain access to the VM.
For those who may not be familiar, Hack The Box is a platform that offers a variety of virtual machines (VMs) with intentionally vulnerable configurations. The goal is to exploit these vulnerabilities and gain access to the VM, ultimately earning points and badges. The “Red” machine, in particular, is a Windows-based VM with a reputation for being challenging.
Hack The Box Red Failure: A Post-Mortem Analysis**