Eco1CTF7

Eco1CTF7 is a cybersecurity capture‑the‑flag (CTF) challenge that was featured in the Eco1CTF 2023 competition. The name “Eco1CTF7” indicates that it was the seventh challenge in the series, and it was designed to test participants’ skills in web exploitation, reverse engineering, and binary exploitation. The challenge is distributed as a zip archive containing a web application, a binary executable, and relevant source code. Participants are required to compromise the provided web application in order to obtain a flag, which is usually a string formatted as “eco1{…}”.

In the web exploitation component, contestants must discover and exploit a hidden vulnerability that allows them to bypass authentication and read a secret file. The application is built with PHP and utilizes an open-source framework, making it a realistic environment for testing common web‑app weaknesses such as file inclusion, SQL injection, or improper session handling. For the binary exploitation part, a compiled ELF binary is provided; the challenge requires the user to identify a classic buffer overflow and craft a payload to leak or execute code, thereby retrieving the flag from a restricted memory region.

Documentation provided in the challenge includes a brief readme, an initial list of potential vulnerability points, and sample logs demonstrating normal traffic. Solutions released after the competition detail common pitfalls, such as overlooking redirect chains, and suggest a systematic approach: enumerate input vectors, use tools like Burp Suite or pwndbg, and verify findings manually. Descriptions of the exploited vulnerability and the exploitation technique are kept generic to avoid encouraging malicious activity, adhering to the typical open‑source community practice of responsible disclosure.