Can you crack it? - GCHQ

antijoke · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:02

I give up.

Delvis · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:02

anticonscience said:
I give up.

Tell me where to begin?

antijoke · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:08

Delvis said:
Tell me where to begin?

I began by simply typing the URL, took one look, looked at the page source code to see if there was anything there that jumped out at you, and then I closed the tab. Lol.

Docaroo · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:18

I can only deduce that it's Hex

nothing more ...

miceormen · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:22

Dumb question?

If there's only one word, and its formulated from only the letters displayed - what's to stop someone using an anagram solver and just trying every permutation?

Hatter The Mad · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:23

miceormen said:
Dumb question?

If there's only one word, and its formulated from only the letters displayed - what's to stop someone using an anagram solver and just trying every permutation?

Hint: The encoding you are given on the website does not immediately decode to a word

denby · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:25

anticonscience said:
I began by simply typing the URL, took one look, looked at the page source code to see if there was anything there that jumped out at you, and then I closed the tab. Lol.

i looked at the HTML code too

told me the answer is 16 chars

...i think

cHk4 · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:27

denby said:
i looked at the HTML code too

told me the answer is 16 chars

...i think

bigtastyandchips

paddy · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:34

denby said:
i looked at the HTML code too

told me the answer is 16 chars

...i think

The input field is 16 characters wide - no limit or requirement on size set

miceormen · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:38

Hatter The Mad said:
Hint: The encoding you are given on the website does not immediately decode to a word

That's just what they'd expect you to think..

paddy · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:40

Solved it

Spec-Chum · 1 Dec 2011 at 14:53

I still think you're all looking in the wrong place

The hex codes are not a message, they're an x86 program. You need to put this hex codes into a .com file and run it (I've already disassembled it above, but if you're paranoid run it from a VirtualBox machine). From a quick glance it performs some bit logic then displays a message as int 0x80 is the print to screen interrupt.

Hope this helps

rancid_elf · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:02

TBH you really need a few programming skills if you wanna crack this.

The actual numbers are just numbers making up some 8086 code. If you check in the png image ( the actual image with numbers on it ) you will find some encrypted data in the header of the png

nicely hidden.

Basically write yourself a little program to take the numbers from image + data in png header and either complie this to an executable or run it in memory with a loader. you are on your way.

joelk2 · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:04

has anyone tried converting the hex into decimal base to see if that helps the situation.

if the keyword is 16 characters long as some suggests then there are 16 pairs from left to right.

Abraham · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:05

it's been posted already but the intial message leads you to:
http://www.canyoucrackit.co.uk/15b436de1f9107f3778aad525e5d0b20.js
which gives you a set of memory entries and the instructions to run them through.
I can see what to do, but I cannot be arsed.

robgmun · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:09

Monserrat said:
Then if shortlisted, you have to go through a four-month security clearance period where they check your background. (MOD is two months clearance).

I got interviewed by this bunch in the summer of 2001. Got past to the second stage then didn't go any further. I think it was because at the second interview it didn't seem to go down well that i had a couple of grand on my credit card

God know what they would find in a background check with me, i know for a fact they would never hire me now! Let alone back then! espically if they know my surfing history

anything I don't mind · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:09

its a scene from the matrix, right ?

MikeHunt79 · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:12

Spec-Chum said:
I still think you're all looking in the wrong place

The hex codes are not a message, they're an x86 program. You need to put this hex codes into a .com file and run it (I've already disassembled it above, but if you're paranoid run it from a VirtualBox machine). From a quick glance it performs some bit logic then displays a message as int 0x80 is the print to screen interrupt.

Hope this helps

How easy is it do get an ASM86 debugger such as SoftICE working on a VirtualBox machine?

It's been years since I've touched ASM and as I'm using OSX I need to use VirtualBox in order to do Windows stuff.

rancid_elf · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:17

MikeHunt79 said:
How easy is it do get an ASM86 debugger such as SoftICE working on a VirtualBox machine?

It's been years since I've touched ASM and as I'm using OSX I need to use VirtualBox in order to do Windows stuff.

Personally I would not do this in windows as windows it a nightmare on memory usage etc. Best off using linux

MikeHunt79 · 1 Dec 2011 at 15:21

rancid_elf said:
Personally I would not do this in windows as windows it a nightmare on memory usage etc. Best off using linux

Thanks, I'll have a play, if anything it will be nice to learn a little extra about Linux while I'm at it.