CCT2019 (Cyber Competition Team 2019) is a specialized "room" on the TryHackMe platform that hosts a series of legacy challenges originally created for the U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team 2019 Assessment, sponsored by the U.S. TENTH Fleet. Unlike standard "grab-the-flag" Capture The Flag (CTF) rooms, CCT2019 is designed as a structured assessment that prioritizes analytical depth, verification, and reasoning under pressure over speed. Assessment Structure
The assessment is timed for 180 minutes and consists of four primary tasks covering diverse cybersecurity subdomains:
Task 1 (pcap1): A deep network traffic analysis challenge. It involves using tools like Wireshark to investigate a .pcapng file, requiring traffic reconstruction and payload recovery.
Task 2 (re3): A reverse engineering challenge where participants must understand execution logic in binaries rather than just extracting simple strings.
Task 3 (for1): A digital forensics task focused on investigative techniques. Task 4 (crypto1): A cryptography-focused challenge. Key Characteristics
Analytical Depth: Many users on LinkedIn and Medium note that the room is filled with "red herrings" and misleading paths, testing a participant's ability to verify findings thoroughly.
Real-World Alignment: The challenges are noted for their alignment with a "Zero Trust" mindset, requiring each step to be correctly interpreted before moving to the next.
Educational Resource: While the original assessment is over, the TryHackMe | CCT2019 room remains open for the community to practice advanced forensics, PCAP analysis, and binary exploitation. Are you planning to tackle this room yourself, or TryHackMe_and_HackTheBox/CCT2019.md at master - GitHub
CCT2019 on TryHackMe is an "Insane" difficulty, legacy room based on the 2019 U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team assessment. It focuses on rigorous forensic analysis, requiring accurate traffic reconstruction and deep binary analysis rather than simple flag hunting. For a detailed breakdown of specific challenges, see GitHub jesusgavancho/TryHackMe_and_HackTheBox. CCT2019 TryHackMe Challenge: Analytical Depth Over Speed
Cracking CCT2019: A Deep Dive into Analytical Cyber Challenges
If you are looking for a TryHackMe room that moves beyond basic "grab-the-flag" mechanics, CCT2019 is it. Originally designed for the U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team 2019 Assessment (sponsored by the U.S. TENTH Fleet), this room is now available for the community to test their mettle.
Ranked as Insane in difficulty, this isn't just about speed; it’s a structured assessment of your ability to analyze, verify, and reason under intense pressure. Why CCT2019 is Different
Most CTFs reward the fastest exploit. CCT2019, however, prioritizes analytical depth. To succeed here, you need to adopt a "Zero Trust" mindset where nothing is taken at face value.
PCAP Analysis: This is a heavy focus. You'll encounter misleading "red herrings" designed to pull you down rabbit holes.
Traffic Reconstruction: You aren't just looking at packets; you are recovering entire payloads from raw captures.
Reverse Engineering: You’ll need to dig into .NET applications and binaries using tools like dnSpy to understand execution logic.
Layered Cryptography: Each step depends on the previous one. If you fail to recover a file correctly at the start, you may find the later stages impossible to solve. Key Tasks & Walkthrough Highlights
The room is divided into several grueling tasks that test diverse skill sets:
USB Traffic & PCAPng Analysis: In the initial stages, you might encounter USB packages within a pcap2.pcapng file. Analysts often use binwalk to find nested compressed files like pcap_chal.pcapng or tshark to extract contents exchanged via USB.
Reverse Engineering (re3): One specific challenge involves a .NET application. Instead of looking for a simple flag string, you may need to decompile the assembly with dnSpy and solve mathematical puzzles—like finding factors of a specific number to determine slider values in a GUI—to reveal a 32-character hex blob.
Advanced Cryptography & OSINT: Later tasks involve complex decryption methods. You might find yourself using sites like Cryptii to work with Enigma M4 "Shark" ciphers or performing OSINT on YouTube to find passwords for Railfence-encrypted files.
Custom Scripting: The final steps often require writing custom Python code to convert number sequences into binary and then into ASCII to reveal the final flag. Expert Advice for Success
Experienced players on platforms like LinkedIn and Medium emphasize one thing: don't rush.
Validate Everything: Every artifact must be tied back to evidence. If a clue seems too easy, it might be one of the room's many red herrings.
Master Wireshark: This is "one of the hardest Wireshark pcap CTFs" out there. Make sure your packet analysis skills are sharp before diving in.
Focus on the First Step: Recovering the first file in its entirety is critical. Mistakes here will haunt you in later tasks.
CCT2019 is a masterclass in modern digital forensics and incident response (DFIR). If you’re ready to move past the basics and see how the professionals are assessed, head over to the TryHackMe CCT2019 Room and start your investigation. CCT2019 TryHackMe Challenge: Analytical Depth Over Speed
The CCT2019 room on TryHackMe is a "legacy" challenge based on the 2019 U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team assessment. Unlike standard "grab-the-flag" rooms, it is a high-pressure, analytical gauntlet that focuses on digital forensics, traffic reconstruction, and reverse engineering. Narrative: The Case of the Navy Assessment
Imagine yourself as a recruit for the U.S. Tenth Fleet cyber division. Your mission isn't just to find a string of text; it's to reconstruct a fragmented digital crime scene.
1. The USB Capture (pcap2.pcapng)The story begins with a raw packet capture of USB traffic. To the untrained eye, it’s just noise, but using tools like tshark and binwalk, you extract a hidden second layer: a nested file called pcap_chal.pcapng.
2. The "Rail Fence" and the Nested ZipAfter cracking the traffic, you’re met with a series of nested ZIP files and a cryptic note: "Don't straddle the fence or you'll end up riding a rail or five. It'll hurt from the bottom up".
The Solve: This isn't just advice—it’s a hint for the Rail Fence Cipher.
The Result: Decoding the text gives you the key to progress deeper into the assessment.
3. Look-and-Say LogicOne of the final hurdles involves a series of random numbers that look like gibberish. Realizing this is a "Look-and-Say" sequence (or Run-Length Encoding), you decode the binary patterns to reveal the final flag. Core Lessons from the Room
Analytical Depth: The room intentionally builds in misleading paths. Speed will get you stuck; validation will set you free.
Zero Trust Mindset: You cannot assume any artifact is valid just because it looks right. Every file must be questioned and tied back to evidence.
Tool Proficiency: Success requires a mastery of forensics tools like Wireshark, tshark, and CyberChef. CCT2019 - TryHackMe
room on TryHackMe, originally from the US Navy Cyber Competition Team, is less of a linear story and more of a gritty, disconnected puzzle set. However, when you piece the forensic and reversing challenges together, a narrative of
espionage, digital smuggling, and high-stakes cinematic references The "Put Together" Story tryhackme cct2019
The narrative arc of CCT2019 feels like a modern techno-thriller where you play an investigator tracking a cell of sophisticated hackers: The Digital Handshake
: The story begins with a suspicious traffic capture. An unknown group has been passing sensitive files over an unconventional port—specifically The Cinematic Cipher
: You discover the files aren't just encrypted; they are wrapped in
. In a nod to 90s hacker culture, the "password" protecting this digital contraband is BER5348833
—the same identification used by Angela Bennett in the classic film The Hidden Payload
: Once you break the encryption, the story moves into the "RE" (Reverse Engineering) phase. You are no longer just looking at traffic; you are dissecting the custom tools the hackers left behind to understand their next move. Room Context : Created by the US Navy Cyber Competition Team and sponsored by the US TENTH Fleet Difficulty : Rated as
, reflecting the high-level forensic skills required to "put together" the clues. Core Skills : You will need to master PCAP analysis Cryptcat decryption Assembly-level reversing to finish the tale. or a guide to the RE3 reversing challenge? CCT2019 - TryHackMe
Master the CCT2019 Challenges on TryHackMe: A Comprehensive Guide
The CCT2019 room on TryHackMe is a collection of legacy challenges originally designed for the U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team (CCT) 2019 Assessment. Unlike standard "boot-to-root" machines, this room focuses on analytical depth, packet analysis, and reverse engineering, requiring users to verify every piece of evidence rather than just rushing for a flag. The room is divided into several specialized tasks: Task 1: CCT2019 - pcap1 (Packet Analysis) Task 2: CCT2019 - re3 (Reverse Engineering) Task 3: CCT2019 - for1 (Forensics) Task 4: CCT2019 - crypto1 (Cryptography) Task 1: PCAP Analysis (pcap1)
This challenge tests your ability to reconstruct data from raw network traffic. The primary goal is to analyze a packet capture file and extract relevant files or credentials.
Key Focus: Use Wireshark to inspect the traffic. Look specifically for file transfers (HTTP/FTP) or encrypted communications that can be decrypted.
Crucial Step: You must recover the first file in its entirety. If the initial file recovery is incomplete, subsequent steps in the challenge may become impossible to solve.
Avoid Rabbit Holes: The creator warns that this is strictly a PCAP challenge. If you find yourself performing steganography or advanced reverse engineering in this specific task, you are likely off track. Task 2: Reverse Engineering (re3)
The re3 task involves analyzing a compiled binary to understand its internal logic. In this challenge, you aren't just looking for static strings; you must understand the execution flow.
Tools to Use: For .NET applications, tools like dnSpy are recommended for decompiling and viewing the source code.
The Logic: One walkthrough of this task highlights a requirement to find factors of a specific number (e.g., 711,000,000) and test combinations to find the correct key for a set of "sliders" within the application. Task 3 & 4: Forensics and Cryptography
These tasks round out the assessment by testing your ability to handle digital artifacts and broken encryption.
Forensics (for1): Requires deep diving into file headers and metadata.
Cryptography (crypto1): Often involves layered encryption where each step depends on the correct interpretation of the previous artifact. Strategy for Success To complete the CCT2019 room, adopt a Zero Trust mindset:
Question Everything: Artifacts may contain "red herrings" designed to lead you down rabbit holes.
Validate Evidence: Ensure every step is backed by evidence found within the provided files.
Use the Right Tools: Have a toolkit ready that includes Wireshark, dnSpy, and standard Linux forensics tools. TryHackMe, London, UK TryHackMe_and_HackTheBox/CCT2019.md at master - GitHub
The CCT2019 TryHackMe room features four forensic and reverse-engineering tasks based on the 2019 U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team Assessment. Technical write-ups are available for specific tasks, including network traffic analysis of pcap1 and reverse engineering of re3 using tools like dnSpy. For more details, visit CCT2019 - TryHackMe. CCT2019 TryHackMe Challenge: Analytical Depth Over Speed
The CCT2019 room on TryHackMe is a high-difficulty "Insane" rated room featuring legacy challenges from the U.S. Navy Cyber Competition Team 2019 Assessment. It is widely reviewed as a deep, multi-layered puzzle that prioritizes analytical reasoning and evidence-based validation over the fast-paced "grab-the-flag" style typical of many Capture The Flag (CTF) events. Key Skills & Challenges
The room is built as a structured assessment rather than a standard machine exploitation lab. It forces you to question every artifact and avoid assumptions.
Deep Traffic Analysis: You will face complex PCAP analysis tasks. Reviewers note that these often include intentional red herrings and misleading paths to test your ability to stay focused on relevant data.
Reverse Engineering (RE): Challenges involve analyzing binaries to understand their execution logic. You cannot simply extract strings; you must use tools like dnSpy to decompile and debug .NET applications.
Forensics & Payload Recovery: A significant portion involves reconstructing traffic and recovering payloads from raw captures.
Cryptographic Puzzles: The room uses layered cryptography where each step is dependent on correctly interpreting the previous one. Specific ciphers mentioned by users include the Rail Fence cipher.
Zero Trust Mindset: The room is designed to simulate real-world investigations where nothing is assumed valid until proven by evidence. Community Perspectives
Users who have completed the room highlight its unique "puzzle" feel and the importance of accuracy in early steps to avoid being locked out of later stages.
“This wasn't a fast-paced CTF or a “grab-the-flag” room. It felt more like a structured assessment, designed to test how well you can analyze, verify, and reason under pressure.” LinkedIn · Harshit Gupta · 3 months ago
“It is very important to do the first step correctly. If you don't recover the first file in its entirety, you may not be able to complete steps later on in the challenge.” GitHub
These walkthroughs and reviews offer a deep dive into the specific tasks and the 'Insane' difficulty level of the CCT2019 challenges: TryHackMe #702 CCT2019 (Insane) 902 views · 2 years ago YouTube · Adamski CTF TryHackMe - CCT2019 (part 2) 1K views · 4 years ago YouTube · Dysnome [ASMR] TryHackMe - CCT2019 (part 1) 3K views · 4 years ago YouTube · Dysnome CCT2019 - TryHackMe
TryHackMe CCT2019: A Comprehensive Guide to the Challenge
TryHackMe is a popular online platform that offers a variety of virtual hacking challenges and tutorials for individuals looking to improve their cybersecurity skills. One of the most notable challenges on the platform is the CCT2019 challenge, which is designed to simulate a real-world hacking scenario. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive guide to the TryHackMe CCT2019 challenge, including a walkthrough of the challenge, tips and tricks, and a discussion of the skills and knowledge required to complete it.
What is the TryHackMe CCT2019 Challenge?
The CCT2019 challenge on TryHackMe is a virtual hacking challenge that is designed to test a participant's skills in penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation. The challenge is based on a real-world scenario and involves hacking into a virtual machine (VM) to gain access to sensitive information. The challenge is designed for intermediate-level hackers and is intended to provide a realistic simulation of a penetration testing engagement. CCT2019 (Cyber Competition Team 2019) is a specialized
Objective of the Challenge
The objective of the CCT2019 challenge is to gain access to the VM and retrieve a sensitive file that contains critical information. The challenge involves several stages, including:
Walkthrough of the Challenge
To complete the CCT2019 challenge, participants must follow a series of steps that involve reconnaissance, exploitation, and post-exploitation. Here is a walkthrough of the challenge:
Step 1: Reconnaissance
The first step in the challenge is to gather information about the target VM. This can be done using tools such as Nmap, which is a popular network scanning tool. Participants must scan the VM to identify open ports and services.
nmap -sV <IP address of VM>
The scan results will reveal open ports and services, including a web server running on port 80.
Step 2: Identifying Vulnerabilities
Once the open ports and services have been identified, participants must look for potential vulnerabilities. In this case, the web server is running a vulnerable version of Apache. Participants can use tools such as Nikto to scan the web server for vulnerabilities.
nikto -h <IP address of VM>
The Nikto scan will reveal a potential vulnerability in the Apache version.
Step 3: Exploitation
With the vulnerability identified, participants can use a tool such as Metasploit to exploit the vulnerability and gain access to the VM.
msfconsole
use exploit/apache/mod_cgid_oob
set RHOST <IP address of VM>
set LHOST <IP address of your machine>
exploit
The exploit will provide a shell on the VM.
Step 4: Post-exploitation
Once participants have gained access to the VM, they must navigate the file system to retrieve the sensitive file. This involves using basic Linux commands such as cd, ls, and cat to navigate the file system.
cd /home/user
ls
cat sensitive_file.txt
The sensitive file will contain critical information that is required to complete the challenge.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that can help participants complete the CCT2019 challenge:
Skills and Knowledge Required
To complete the CCT2019 challenge, participants will need to have a good understanding of the following skills and knowledge:
Conclusion
The TryHackMe CCT2019 challenge is a comprehensive and realistic simulation of a penetration testing engagement. By completing the challenge, participants can gain valuable experience and skills in penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation. With the right tools and knowledge, participants can successfully complete the challenge and improve their cybersecurity skills.
Introduction
TryHackMe is an online platform that provides a virtual environment for penetration testing and cybersecurity training. The CCT2019 challenge is one of the many virtual machines (VMs) available on the platform, designed to simulate a real-world cybersecurity scenario. In this essay, we will walk through the steps to compromise the CCT2019 VM and highlight the key learning points from the challenge.
Initial Reconnaissance
Upon launching the CCT2019 VM on TryHackMe, the first step is to perform an initial reconnaissance of the target system. This involves scanning the VM's IP address to identify open ports and services. Using the nmap command, we scan the VM's IP address: nmap -sV <IP address>. The scan reveals several open ports, including FTP (20), SSH (22), and HTTP (80).
Identifying Vulnerabilities
The next step is to identify potential vulnerabilities on the target system. We notice that the FTP service is running on port 20, and a quick search on the internet reveals that the version of FTP running on the VM is vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack. Additionally, the HTTP service on port 80 appears to be running a web application that may be vulnerable to SQL injection.
Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Using the information gathered during the reconnaissance phase, we proceed to exploit the identified vulnerabilities. We use the vsftpd exploit to gain access to the FTP service and create a new user account. With the new user account, we can log in to the system via SSH.
Alternatively, we can also use the SQL injection vulnerability on the web application to inject malicious SQL code and extract sensitive data, such as user credentials.
Post-Exploitation
Once we gain access to the system, we perform a thorough enumeration of the system to identify sensitive data and configuration files. We discover a configuration file that contains a hidden directory, which leads to a backup file containing a hashed password.
Using a password cracking tool, such as John the Ripper, we crack the hashed password and gain access to the root account.
Conclusion
The TryHackMe CCT2019 challenge provides a realistic simulation of a cybersecurity scenario, allowing us to practice our penetration testing skills in a safe and controlled environment. Throughout the challenge, we performed initial reconnaissance, identified vulnerabilities, exploited them, and conducted post-exploitation activities to gain access to sensitive data.
The key learning points from this challenge include:
By completing the CCT2019 challenge on TryHackMe, we have gained valuable experience in penetration testing and vulnerability exploitation, which can be applied to real-world cybersecurity scenarios. Walkthrough of the Challenge To complete the CCT2019
Summary
What it covers
Strengths
Weaknesses
Learning outcomes (what you’ll gain)
Tips to get the most from it
Who should do it
Verdict
Related search suggestions (If you want more resources or walkthroughs, I can provide search-term suggestions.)
is a collection of "Insane" difficulty legacy challenges originally designed for the US Navy Cyber Competition Team 2019 Assessment
. It is not a standard linear room but rather a set of high-level assessments spanning various domains including Forensics, Reverse Engineering (RE), and Network Analysis. Key Challenge Breakdowns
Based on community solutions, the room focuses heavily on analytical depth rather than rapid exploitation. 1. Forensic Challenge (Wireshark PCAP)
This task is often cited as one of the hardest Wireshark challenges on the platform. Objective: Analyze a complex file to identify malicious activity or extract hidden data. Key Techniques:
Identifying non-standard protocols or data exfiltration over common ports (e.g., DNS or ICMP).
Carving files from traffic streams (e.g., extracting transferred binaries or documents). Following TCP/UDP streams to reconstruct session data. 2. RE3 (Reverse Engineering)
A .NET-based reversing challenge that requires bypassing a high-security "slider" mechanism. is the primary tool used to decompile and analyze the application. Solution Logic:
Decompile the binary to find the logic governing the "sliders."
Identify a mathematical condition (factorization) that must be met for the key to generate.
The goal is to find factors of a specific large number (e.g., 711,000,000) that are below a certain threshold.
Once the factors are found and sliders are set in descending order, the application reveals the flag. 3. General Assessment Structure
Structured assessment designed to test reasoning under pressure rather than a simple "grab-the-flag" exercise. Time Limit:
Historically listed with a 180-minute window for the assessment. Recommended Tools
For these "Insane" level tasks, ensure you are proficient with: Forensics: Wireshark, NetworkMiner, binwalk, and Tshark. Reverse Engineering:
dnSpy (for .NET), IDA Pro/Ghidra (for native binaries), and GDB. You can find the official room to start the machines at TryHackMe - CCT2019 specific challenge
within this room, such as the Wireshark forensics or a different RE task? CCT2019 - TryHackMe
TryHackMe challenges are split into flags (text strings hidden in the system). In CCT2019, there were three:
user.txt) in the elf’s home directory – obtained after SSH login.root.txt) in /root/ – obtained after privilege escalation.The ransomware (/opt/ransom.py) used XOR encryption with a key derived from the system’s hostname. By reversing the script, you extract the decryption routine and save Christmas.
The CCT2019 is structured as a narrative-driven challenge. Unlike standard "boot-to-root" machines, this event was divided into specific "Tasks," each acting as a standalone puzzle. The difficulty curve ranges from beginner-friendly logic puzzles to intermediate technical challenges.
Key Skills Tested:
Using gobuster or dirb against the /development directory:
gobuster dir -u http://<target_ip>/development -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt
Findings:
/development/dev.txt/development/j.txtContents of dev.txt:
2019-02-21: I'm setting up my new server for the CCT app.
2019-02-22: Mandy is working on the authentication for the app. I hope she knows what she's doing.
Contents of j.txt:
I'm keeping a note here in case I forget.
Password for mysql user 'cct' is:S@k3n4cc3ss_My5q1
This leak provides a plaintext credential.
In the world of cybersecurity, theory can only take you so far. To truly understand how attacks work—and more importantly, how to defend against them—you need hands-on experience. This is where platforms like TryHackMe shine, offering gamified, real-world network environments for students and professionals alike.
One room that consistently challenges and educates users is the TryHackMe CCT2019 room. Named after the Circle City Con 2019 (a prominent Indianapolis-based hacker conference), this room is a CTF (Capture The Flag) style challenge that tests a wide range of skills: from reconnaissance and web exploitation to privilege escalation and password cracking.
If you are looking to move beyond "easy" boxes and into intermediate/advanced territory, tryhackme cct2019 is your next milestone. This article will break down everything you need to know: the objectives, the step-by-step methodology, the tools required, and the key takeaways.