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2026.10.21 · ctf · forensics · writeups · author · 1 min read

Securinets Quals CTF 2026 — Forensics Writeups

Securinets Quals CTF 2026 ran as an online qualification round open to teams worldwide. This year came with a twist — agentic AI solvers were heavily restricted across all categories. Every submission went through a strict anticheat layer backed by behavioral detection rules and real-time monitoring. Several teams still tried to push agentic solvers through; the logs were a good friend.

I authored two of the forensics challenges. Here are my writeups.

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DEJA VU

Two servers compromised in a coordinated attack. Reconstruct the full kill chain: initial access via CVE-2017-12615, privilege escalation via CVE-2025-32462, persistence, lateral movement, and a second-stage IoT target.

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Silent Tone: Digging a Whisper Out from Under Two Shouts

Signals forensics. A rare category in CTFs — a whisper hidden under two loud decoys in a radio recording. One of the trickier challenges I've authored.

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