This is one of my first attempts at writing a pwn challenge. More variants may be added in the future, but for now it's just the one.

SPOILER WARNING: the source code is commented with descriptions and hints that reveal the intended solution.

This software is intended as practice for cybersecurity capture-the-flag challenges. It contains one or more intentional vulnerabilities, and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY WHATSOEVER.

This example challenge is not terribly different from many other beginner pwn challenges, but it was written from scratch on a whim. While this isn't directly taken or based upon one specific challenge as far as I'm aware, it's not the most original work. Credit for inspiration and the knowledge that let me write this goes to all the other challenge authors out there whose pwn challenges I've attempted and sometimes even managed to solve!

CTFs that deserve some credit for leading me down this path:

• OregonCTF challenges
• OSUSec's DamCTF 2020 (Spring and Fall)
• NCL
• CSI CTF 2020
• UTCTF 2020

The Makefile uses several compiler options to disable security features that are standard in modern C compilers. For fun and education, try removing them or adding -fomit-frame-pointer and observing how that changes the resulting binary.

A starter pwn challenge masquerading as a program that sets a password on first use. Can you get it to accept your password?