Writeups for retired machines from the Hack The Box platform. Each writeup documents the full attack chain — from initial reconnaissance to root flag.
Note: Writeups are published only for retired machines in accordance with HTB rules.
htb-writeups/
│
├── <machine_name>/
│ └── writeup.md
│
├── <machine_name>/
│ └── writeup.md
│
└── README.md
| Machine | Difficulty | OS | Key Topics | Writeup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| coming soon | — | — | — | — |
Every writeup follows a consistent methodology:
- Summary — one-liner with the attack chain overview
- Reconnaissance — port scanning, service detection
- Enumeration — directory fuzzing, version fingerprinting, vulnerability research
- Exploitation — initial foothold, CVE / custom exploit
- Privilege Escalation — local enumeration, escalation path
- Flags — user.txt & root.txt
- Lessons Learned — key takeaways and techniques worth remembering
| Phase | Tools |
|---|---|
| Scanning | Nmap, Rustscan |
| Web | Burp Suite, ffuf, Gobuster, curl |
| Exploitation | SQLMap, Metasploit, custom scripts |
| Post-Exploitation | LinPEAS, WinPEAS, GTFOBins, pspy |
| Cracking | John the Ripper, Hashcat |
| General | Python, CyberChef |
These writeups are published strictly for educational and documentation purposes.
Only retired machines are covered. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal.
Always obtain proper authorization before testing.