CTF for Beginners: Bandit, Natas and Your First Challenges
YOUR LEARNING PATH
Identify what a challenge gives you and what it asks you to find, test a hypothesis, and keep a record of the result. Begin with command-line wargames, sample different disciplines and use your sticking points to choose what to study next.
Who is this path for?
Learners with Linux, networking and programming foundations who want to try their first wargame or CTF challenges
Before you begin
Review Linux commands, SSH and basic web concepts first. Read the environment notes and platform rules in each lesson because connection methods and allowed actions differ.
What you will practice
- Separate the provided files, services and objective, then form a hypothesis.
- Choose the next step using command output and experimental evidence.
- Record unsuccessful attempts and concepts to revisit alongside successful solutions.
STEP BY STEP
Your suggested lesson order
Learn a solving workflow with Bandit
- 096 Bandit 0–5 — The Wargame Solving CycleConnect to a remote server over SSH and specify a port
- 097 Bandit 6~10 — Mastering Conditional Searches with findCombine find conditions (-user, -group, -size, -perm, -mtime, -writable) with AND to extract exactly the files…
- 098 Bandit 11~15 — Encoding and Network ConnectionsPerform character substitutions like ROT13 with tr and explain the principle
- 099 Bandit 16~20 — First Encounter with setuidFind open services with a port-range scan and check whether they use TLS
- 100 Bandit 21~25 — The cron Exploitation MindsetRead /etc/cron.d/ and interpret "who runs what, with whose privileges, when"
- 101 Bandit 26~30 — Digging Secrets from git History, and the Finish LineExplain the concept of bypassing a restricted shell by reading files via more/vim
Move into web wargames with Natas
- 102 Natas 0~5 — Opening the Door to Web WargamesPerform the reconnaissance routine — view source → search comments → robots.txt → guess paths — when you meet…
- 103 Natas 6~10 — Reading Server Code and Command InjectionFind and read include paths and comparison logic in PHP source
- 104 Natas 11~15 — XOR Analysis and Your First SQL InjectionRecover the key from a repeating-key XOR cipher with a known-plaintext attack
- 105 ★ Review — Cataloging Wargame TechniquesList every technique you used in Bandit 0–30 and Natas 0–15 without omissions
Explore disciplines and build a review routine
- 176 CTF First Taste 1: Five Web Challenges — Entering the Real Arena
- 177 CTF Taste Test 2: Pwn Challenge (pwnable.kr) — First Encounter with a BinaryExplain the structure of a Pwn challenge (analysis file + target server)
- 178 CTF Taste Test 3: Reversing — Two crackmes + Ghidra — How to Read Without SourceExplain the difference between static analysis (reading without executing) and dynamic analysis (observing whi…
- 179 CTF Taste Test 4: Three Crypto Intros — Cryptography as Math PuzzlesExplain the difference between encoding and encryption
- 180 CTF Taste Test 5: Forensics & Misc 3 — Dissecting Suspicious FilesDetermine a file's real type from its magic bytes (file signature)
- 181 ★ Choosing Your Main Field + Deciding a Secondary — What Kind of Player Am I?Compare the five fields' characters (learning curve, competition weight, career links) in a table
- 279 ★ CTF Competition #1: Full Weekend Participation — The Goal of Your First Competition Is Finishing, Not RankingRun a checklist that inspects environment, tools, and playbook before the first competition
- 280 CTF Debrief Block A: Digging Three Unsolved Problems to the Bottom — Skill Grows in the Debrief, Not the CompetitionApply the criteria for selecting the 3 highest-debrief-value problems from a competition log
- 281 ★ CTF #2: This Time as a Team — The Day You Learn the Efficiency of Division and the Cost of Communication at OnceAgree on field assignments and clue-sharing rules in a 30-minute kickoff meeting
Before you move on
Check whether you can solve the exercise again without hints and explain the key idea. Keep the input, observed result, unsuccessful hypotheses and next question together in your notes.
Check each lesson’s setup and completion criteria. If you already know a section, start with the lessons you need.