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Advent of Cyber 2025 🎄

Advent of Cyber 2025

This is a walkthrough for the TryHackMe room Advent of Cyber 2025 Prep Track. This room is part of the Advent of Cyber event, to warm up your cybersecurity skills.

The Story 🎅​

The snow ❄️ has started falling in Wareville, home of The Best Festival Company (TBFC). The team is preparing for SOCMAS, the annual cyber celebration, but something’s not right. Systems are glitching, passwords are failing, and McSkidy suspects something is afoot. This name keeps coming up: King Malhare. What could it mean?

Let's complete the missions to join TBFC's cybersecurity team and help save SOCMAS!

McSkidy

Challenge 1: Password Pandemonium challenge1​

Objective:

Create a password that passes all system checks and isn’t found in the leaked password list.

Steps:

  • Enter a password with at least 12 characters.
  • Include uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
  • Ensure it isn’t in the breach database.

Answer: THM{StrongStart}

Challenge 2: The Suspicious Chocolate.exe challenge2​

Objective:

Determine if chocolate.exe is safe or infected.

Steps:

  • Click the “Scan” Button.
  • Review the scan report (49 clean results, 1 malicious).
  • Decide correctly whether the file is safe or dangerous.
challenge2_virus_total

Answer: THM{NotSoSweet}

Challenge 3: Welcome to the AttackBox challenge3​

Objective:

Find and read the hidden welcome message inside your AttackBox.

Steps:

  • Use ls to list files.
  • Use cd challenges/ to change directories.
  • Use cat welcome.txt to read the text file.

Answer: THM{Ready2Hack}

Challenge 4: The CMD Conundrum challenge4​

Objective:

Find the hidden flag file using Windows commands.

Steps:

  • Use dir to list visible files.
  • use cd mystery_data to enter the folder.
  • Try dir /a to reveal hidden ones.
  • Use type hidden_flag.txt to read the flag.

Answer: THM{WhereIsMcSkidy}

Challenge 5: Linux Lore challenge5​

Objective:

Locate McSkidy’s hidden message in his Linux home directory.

Steps:

  • Use cd /home/mcskidy/ to enter his folder.
  • Run ls -la to show all files.
  • Use cat .secret_message to reveal the flag.

Answer: THM{TrustNoBunny}

Challenge 6: The Leak in the List challenge6​

Objective:

Check if McSkidy’s email has appeared in a breach.

Steps:

  • Enter mcskidy@tbfc.com into the breach checker.
  • Review results for each domain.
  • Identify the one marked “Compromised.”

Answer: THM{LeakedAndFound}

Challenge 7: Wifi Woes in Wareville challenge7​

Objective:

Log into the router and secure it with a strong new password.

Steps:

  • Log in with username admin and password admin.
  • Go to “Security Settings.”
  • Set a new strong password that passes validation.

Answer: THM{NoMoreDefault}

Challenge 8: The App Trap challenge8​

Objective:

Find and remove the malicious connected app.

Steps:

  • Review the list of connected apps.
  • Look for one with unusual permissions (like “password vault” access).
  • Click “Revoke Access.”

Answer: THM{AppTrapped}

Challenge 9: The Chatbot Confession challenge9​

Objective:

Identify which chatbot messages contain sensitive information.

Steps:

  • Read each line of the conversation.
  • Select the ones containing private data.
  • Submit your findings.

Answer: THM{DontFeedTheBot}

Challenge 10: The Bunny’s Browser Trail challenge10​

Objective:

Find the unusual User Agent in the HTTP log.

Steps:

  • Read the provided web log entries.
  • Compare them to common browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge).
  • Identify and select the suspicious entry.

Answer: THM{EastmasIsComing}

Completion​

It was fun completing the Advent of Cyber 2025 Prep Track! Ready to join TBFC's cybersecurity team and help save SOCMAS!