[CRYPTO] Walzer

Type your comment> @xct said:

Chris left August.

???

Dumb question. Why do authors feel so smart when they create guessing challenges like this one. This is so much like the guy who made Future Bender bragging about creating a terrible challenge.

@sampriti said:
This is so much like the guy who made Future Bender bragging about creating a terrible challenge.
Exactly, in my opinion this challenge is about XOR, 3DES or something, but every time we should BRUTEFORCE a key. Its just guessing…

Another misc OSINT+smth challenge)
I like it. We should think out of the border)

Type your comment> @sampriti said:

Dumb question. Why do authors feel so smart when they create guessing challenges like this one. This is so much like the guy who made Future Bender bragging about creating a terrible challenge.

Hi @sampriti, this is not a dumb question. And, believe me or not, I don’t feel smart (or smarter) at all.

When I created this challenge, more than one year and a half ago, I was trying to prove that, talking about this kind of exercises (that I don’t like), information asymmetry is of the essence.

What I did not realize - and I realize now - is that I got myself trapped, trying to point to information asymmetry with an example of… asymmetry.

That’s why is so difficult to give a hint without spoiling the entire solution.

If any of you feel mocked, I beg your pardon. I can assure that this was never my purpose. In fact, now I need you to get out of this impasse. Only a solution of this challenge can save me from my own trap. I know for sure that there is people among you who can solve it.

P.S. If I remember well, I submitted the challenge as 80pts. I silently blamed the tester when I saw it was demoted to 40pts. Now I don’t blame him anymore: I made him fall into my trap too. Again, I have to apologize.

I’m not really sure about what path we’re supposed to take with this challenge. In essence the asymmetry aspect of it makes absolute sense, but doesn’t make for a fun challenge.

The waltz hint is something that I think most people had already figured out, and unless I’m not reading into it enough, that’s everything we have to go on to solve this…

Welp, I’ve been trying so many different things that combine the ideas of the waltz and simple forms of encryption for so long, but to no avail. This guessing game is a real struggle…

I’ve had enough guessing challenges. Definitely in no rush to tackle this one.

My head turned.
https://media.giphy.com/media/QVZgIPOTsT8ffoeAZ1/giphy.gif

New hint today ?

Ok man you brainfucked us! we must admit it, you win… but it seems more hints are needed if you want to somebody to solve it. I think all of us are running out of ideas trying random crypto-crazy stuff x3. That’s all we have… something x3 and it seems is not any typical stuff. :open_mouth:

Type your comment> @0xEA31 said:

I talked with the admins and I’ll release a hint at 19:00 UTC (more or less), if no one solve it in the meanwhile. See you later!

19:00 has come and gone my man

Type your comment> @xct said:

New hint today ?

When @xct is asking for hints you know the pain is real. lol

I hope that tomorrow nobody has solved it because I get 4 1080ti for my crakingstation. :slight_smile:

Type your comment> @xct said:

New hint today ?

Yes, I’m actually writing it down. It should be ready for 23:30 UTC (more or less).

As you may have noticed in the video, basic Walzer is a repeated sequence of three steps. The teacher calls them “step”, “side”, “close”.

Since easy cryptography is involved, you should map these steps with some kind of basic cypher algorithms.

Looking at the starting position, an educated eye should catch the first “step” immediately. What about the others? You choose, but choose wisely because, after three steps, you have to be in a different place, but in the same position.

And remember: you’re dancing, come on don’t be shy, let the music flow and continue. After all, the teacher says: “we can keep that going until the end of the song”. And we do know when the music stops, don’t we?

ok I see. no idea why this considered as a crypto challenge!

How this challenge got approved is beyond me.

Who the ■■■■ rated this challenge as very easy?

Type your comment> @xct said:

How this challenge got approved is beyond me.

Yea, I agree. I may not be the best and still learning. But f*** I thought the crypto challenges at work for our CTF were difficult… I cracked most of those within a couple of minutes and the hardest one taking me an hour and actually using pen and paper. This one… holy ■■■■!!!

@vancehill said:
Who the ■■■■ rated this challenge as very easy?

Lol! I saw that when I logged in to… don’t know what they had in their water that they were drinking!