Based on the detailed steps and analysis provided, here is a summary of how you solved the challenge:
Challenge Overview:
You were given an encrypted file (encrypted.zip) that contained two PDF files: IMF-Mission.pdf and IMF-Report.pdf. The goal was to decrypt these files and extract the flag.
Steps Taken:
-
Extracting Files:
- You extracted the contents of
encrypted.zip, which resulted in two encrypted files (IMF-Mission.encandIMF-Report.enc).
- You extracted the contents of
-
Identifying Encryption Method:
- By analyzing the file structure, you determined that AES encryption was used.
- The key for decryption was found to be a string:
CyberDefenders{N3v3r_eX3cuTe_F!l3$.
-
Decrypting Files:
- You wrote a PowerShell script to decrypt the files using the provided key and IV (Initialization Vector).
- After running the decryption script, you obtained two decrypted PDF files:
IMF-Mission.pdfandIMF-Report.pdf.
-
Analyzing Decrypted PDFs:
- Upon opening `IMF-M
Read the full article at DEV Community
Want to create content about this topic? Use Nemati AI tools to generate articles, social posts, and more.

![[AINews] The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Closing the Loop](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.nemati.ai%2Fmedia%2Fblog%2Fimages%2Farticles%2F600e22851bc7453b.webp&w=3840&q=75)



