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BlockCTF 2024 Retrospective
I still participate in CTFs about once monthly, keeps my math skills sharp considering the only category I can ever contribute to reliably is crypto (since I’m the only player on the team who likes math, apparently). Recently we participated in Block CTF and I cleared all three crypto challenges within the first ~14 hours. Figured I would write them up for posterity. I’d like to get back into doing writeups more frequently, because its proven that explaining a concept helps ensure that you actually understand it, and I’d like to significantly improve my cryptography skills for the more difficult CTFs.
December 10, 2024
angstromCTF 2022 Retrospective: log log log
This challenge was one of two angstromCTF challenges that I was working on for most of the competition, althoug of the two it was the only one I was able to solve in time. The other was Strike-Slip Fault. Anyway, enough about my failures, let’s talk sucesses in log log log. Challenge Description For this challenge we’re given the following introductory text: What rolls down stairs, alone or in pairs?
May 23, 2022
picoCTF 2022 Retrospective: Sum O Primes
In this write up I’ll look at Sum O’ Primes, a considerably easier (in my opinion) challenge than Very Smooth. This challenge requires only rudimentary algebra and the ability to take integer square roots (which thankfully we have a package for). Challenge Description For this challenge we’re given the following introductory text: We have so much faith in RSA we give you not just the product of the primes, but their sum as well!
April 24, 2022
picoCTF 2022 Retrospective: Very Smooth
This is going to be the first in a series of write ups detailing some of the challenges I solved for picoCTF 2022. I’ll detail some of the math and algorithms necessary to solve the challenges, most of which are cryptography related (since of the four categories that’s the one I’m most well versed in). In this write up we look at Very Smooth. Challenge Description For this challenge we’re given the following introductory text:
April 23, 2022