Summary

Many malicious actors tend to obfuscate their code to avoid it being detected by systems or understood by other developers.

The ability to deobfuscate code is a useful technique that can be applied to various real-world scenarios. It is useful on web application assessments to determine if a developer has used "security by obscurity" to hide JavaScript code containing sensitive data. It can also be useful for defenders when, for example, attempting to deobfuscate code that was responsible for the Phishing website used in an attack.

In this module, you will learn the basics of deobfuscating and decoding JavaScript code and will have several exercises to practice what you learned.

You will learn the following topics:

Locating JavaScript code
Intro to Code Obfuscation
How to Deobfuscate JavaScript code
How to decode encoded messages
Basic Code Analysis
Sending basic HTTP requests

Our final exercise in this module will open a door for many other challenges and exercises in Hack The Box!

Requirements

It is recommended to take the Web Requests module before this one to get a general understanding of how HTTP requests work. If you are already familiar with them, then you should be able to start this module.

Introduction

Welcome to the JavaScript Deobfuscation module!

Code deobfuscation is an important skill to learn if we want to be skilled in code analysis and reverse engineering. During red/blue team exercises, we often come across obfuscated code that wants to hide certain functionalities, like malware that utilizes obfuscated JavaScript code to retrieve its main payload. Without understanding what this code is doing, we may not know what exactly the code is doing, and hence may not be able to complete the red/blue team exercise.

In this module, we start by learning the general structure of an HTML page and then will locate JavaScript code within it. Once we do that, we will learn what obfuscation is, how it is done, and where it is used and follow that by learning how to deobfuscate such code. Once the code is deobfuscated, we will attempt to understand its general usage to replicate its functionality and uncover what it does manually.

The following topics will be discussed:

Locating JavaScript code
Intro to Code Obfuscation
How to Deobfuscate JavaScript code
How to decode encoded messages
Basic Code Analysis
Sending basic HTTP requests

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Relevant Paths

This module progresses you towards the following Paths

Bug Bounty Hunter

The Bug Bounty Hunter Job Role Path is for individuals who want to enter the world of Bug Bounty Hunting with little to no prior experience. This path covers core web application security assessment and bug bounty hunting concepts and provides a deep understanding of the attack tactics used during bug bounty hunting. Armed with the necessary theoretical background, multiple practical exercises, and a proven bug bounty hunting methodology, students will go through all bug bounty hunting stages, from reconnaissance and bug identification to exploitation, documentation, and communication to vendors/programs. Upon completing this job role path, you will have become proficient in the most common bug bounty hunting and attack techniques against web applications and be in the position of professionally reporting bugs to a vendor.

Medium

257 Sections

Required: 1410

Reward: +330

20 Modules included

Web Requests

Fundamental

8 Sections

Reward: +10

This module introduces the topic of HTTP web requests and how different web applications utilize them to communicate with their backends.

Introduction to Web Applications

Fundamental

17 Sections

Reward: +10

In the Introduction to Web Applications module, you will learn all of the basics of how web applications work and begin to look at them from an information security perspective.

Using Web Proxies

Easy

15 Sections

Reward: +20

Web application penetration testing frameworks are an essential part of any web penetration test. This module will teach you two of the best frameworks: Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP.

Information Gathering - Web Edition

Easy

10 Sections

Reward: +20

This module covers techniques for identifying and analyzing an organization's web application-based attack surface and tech stack. Information gathering is an essential part of any web application penetration test, and it can be performed either passively or actively.

Attacking Web Applications with Ffuf

Easy

13 Sections

Reward: +10

This module covers the fundamental enumeration skills of web fuzzing and directory brute forcing using the Ffuf tool. The techniques learned in this module will help us in locating hidden pages, directories, and parameters when targeting web applications.

JavaScript Deobfuscation

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +10

This module will take you step-by-step through the fundamentals of JavaScript Deobfuscation until you can deobfuscate basic JavaScript code and understand its purpose.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Easy

10 Sections

Reward: +20

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities are among the most common web application vulnerabilities. An XSS vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the target's browser and result in complete web application compromise if chained together with other vulnerabilities. This module will teach you how to identify XSS vulnerabilities and exploit them.

SQL Injection Fundamentals

Medium

17 Sections

Reward: +10

Databases are an important part of web application infrastructure and SQL (Structured Query Language) to store, retrieve, and manipulate information stored in them. SQL injection is a code injection technique used to take advantage of coding vulnerabilities and inject SQL queries via an application to bypass authentication, retrieve data from the back-end database, or achieve code execution on the underlying server.

SQLMap Essentials

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +20

The SQLMap Essentials module will teach you the basics of using SQLMap to discover various types of SQL Injection vulnerabilities, all the way to the advanced enumeration of databases to retrieve all data of interest.

Command Injections

Medium

12 Sections

Reward: +20

Command injection vulnerabilities can be leveraged to compromise a hosting server and its entire network. This module will teach you how to identify and exploit command injection vulnerabilities and how to use various filter bypassing techniques to avoid security mitigations.

File Upload Attacks

Medium

11 Sections

Reward: +20

Arbitrary file uploads are among the most critical web vulnerabilities. These flaws enable attackers to upload malicious files, execute arbitrary commands on the back-end server, and even take control over the entire server and all web applications hosted on it and potentially gain access to sensitive data or cause a service disruption.

Server-side Attacks

Medium

19 Sections

Reward: +20

A backend that handles user-supplied input insecurely can lead to sensitive information disclosure and remote code execution. This module covers how to identify and exploit server-side bugs. This module introduces Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI), and Server-Side Includes (SSI) injection attacks, alongside other server-side vulnerabilities.

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +20

Learn how to brute force logins for various types of services and create custom wordlists based on your target.

Broken Authentication

Medium

14 Sections

Reward: +20

Authentication is probably the most straightforward and prevalent measure used to secure access to resources, and it's the first line of defense against unauthorized access. Broken authentication is currently listed as #7 on the 2021 OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks, falling under the broader category of Identification and Authentication failures. A vulnerability or misconfiguration at the authentication stage can devastatingly impact an application's overall security.

Web Attacks

Medium

18 Sections

Reward: +20

This module covers three common web vulnerabilities, HTTP Verb Tampering, IDOR, and XXE, each of which can have a significant impact on a company's systems. We will cover how to identify, exploit, and prevent each of them through various methods.

File Inclusion

Medium

11 Sections

Reward: +10

File Inclusion is a common web application vulnerability, which can be easily overlooked as part of a web application's functionality.

Session Security

Medium

14 Sections

Reward: +20

Maintaining and keeping track of a user's session is an integral part of web applications. It is an area that requires extensive testing to ensure it is set up robustly and securely. This module covers the most common attacks and vulnerabilities that can affect web application sessions, such as Session Hijacking, Session Fixation, Cross-Site Request Forgery, Cross-Site Scripting, and Open Redirects.

Web Service & API Attacks

Medium

13 Sections

Reward: +20

Web services and APIs are frequently exposed to provide certain functionalities in a programmatic way between heterogeneous devices and software components. Both web services and APIs can assist in integrating different applications or facilitate separation within a given application. This module covers how to identify the functionality a web service or API offers and exploit any security-related inefficiencies.

Hacking WordPress

Easy

16 Sections

Reward: +20

WordPress is an open-source Content Management System (CMS) that can be used for multiple purposes.

Bug Bounty Hunting Process

Easy

6 Sections

Reward: +10

Bug bounty programs encourage security researchers to identify bugs and submit vulnerability reports. Getting into the world of bug bounty hunting without any prior experience can be a daunting task, though. This module covers the bug bounty hunting process to help you start bug bounty hunting in an organized and well-structured way. It's all about effectiveness and professionally communicating your findings.

Cracking into Hack the Box

To be successful in any technical information security role, we must have a broad understanding of specialized tools, tactics, and terminology. This path introduces core concepts necessary for anyone interested in a hands-on technical infosec role. The modules also provide the essential prerequisite knowledge for joining the main Hack The Box platform, progressing through Starting Point through easy-rated retired machines, and solving "live" machines with no walkthrough. It also includes helpful information about staying organized, navigating the HTB platforms, common pitfalls, and selecting a penetration testing distribution. Students will complete their first box during this path with a guided walkthrough and be challenged to complete a box on their own by applying the knowledge learned in the Getting Started module.

Easy

42 Sections

Required: 30

Reward: +30

3 Modules included

Web Requests

Fundamental

8 Sections

Reward: +10

This module introduces the topic of HTTP web requests and how different web applications utilize them to communicate with their backends.

JavaScript Deobfuscation

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +10

This module will take you step-by-step through the fundamentals of JavaScript Deobfuscation until you can deobfuscate basic JavaScript code and understand its purpose.

Getting Started

Fundamental

23 Sections

Reward: +10

This module covers the fundamentals of penetration testing and an introduction to Hack The Box.

SOC Analyst

The SOC Analyst Job Role Path is for newcomers to information security who aspire to become professional SOC analysts. This path covers core security monitoring and security analysis concepts and provides a deep understanding of the specialized tools, attack tactics, and methodology used by adversaries. Armed with the necessary theoretical background and multiple practical exercises, students will go through all security analysis stages, from traffic analysis and SIEM monitoring to DFIR activities and reporting. Upon completing this job role path, you will have obtained the practical skills and mindset necessary to monitor enterprise-level infrastructure and detect intrusions at an intermediate level. The SOC Analyst Prerequisites skill path can be considered prerequisite knowledge to be successful while working through this job role path.

Medium

165 Sections

Required: 1220

Reward: +260

15 Modules included

Incident Handling Process

Fundamental

9 Sections

Reward: +10

Security Incident handling has become a vital part of each organization's defensive strategy, as attacks constantly evolve and successful compromises are becoming a daily occurrence. In this module, we will review the process of handling an incident from the very early stage of detecting a suspicious event, to confirming a compromise and responding to it.

Security Monitoring & SIEM Fundamentals

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +20

This module provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and the Elastic Stack. It demystifies the essential workings of a Security Operation Center (SOC), explores the application of the MITRE ATT&CK framework within SOCs, and introduces SIEM (KQL) query development. With a focus on practical skills, students will learn how to develop SIEM use cases and visualizations using the Elastic Stack.

Windows Event Logs & Finding Evil

Mini-Module

Medium

6 Sections

Reward: +20

This module covers the exploration of Windows Event Logs and their significance in uncovering suspicious activities. Throughout the course, we delve into the anatomy of Windows Event Logs and highlight the logs that hold the most valuable information for investigations. The module also focuses on utilizing Sysmon and Event Logs for detecting and analyzing malicious behavior. Additionally, we delve into Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), explaining its architecture and components, and provide ETW-based detection examples. To streamline the analysis process, we introduce the powerful Get-WinEvent cmdlet.

Introduction to Threat Hunting & Hunting With Elastic

Mini-Module

Medium

6 Sections

Reward: +20

This module initially lays the groundwork for understanding Threat Hunting, ranging from its basic definition, to the structure of a threat hunting team. The module also dives into the threat hunting process, highlighting the interrelationships between threat hunting, risk assessment, and incident handling. Furthermore, the module elucidates the fundamentals of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI). It expands on the different types of threat intelligence and offers guidance on effectively interpreting a threat intelligence report. Finally, the module puts theory into practice, showcasing how to conduct threat hunting using the Elastic stack. This practical segment uses real-world logs to provide learners with hands-on experience.

Understanding Log Sources & Investigating with Splunk

Mini-Module

Medium

6 Sections

Reward: +20

This module provides a comprehensive introduction to Splunk, focusing on its architecture and the creation of effective detection-related SPL (Search Processing Language) searches. We will learn to investigate with Splunk as a SIEM tool and develop TTP-driven and analytics-driven SPL searches for enhanced threat detection and response. Through hands-on exercises, we will learn to identify and understand the ingested data and available fields within Splunk. We will also gain practical experience in leveraging Splunk's powerful features for security monitoring and incident investigation.

Windows Attacks & Defense

Medium

16 Sections

Reward: +20

Microsoft Active Directory (AD) has been, for the past 20+ years, the leading enterprise domain management suite, providing identity and access management, centralized domain administration, authentication, and much more. Throughout those years, the more integrated our applications and data have become with AD, the more exposed to a large-scale compromise we have become. In this module, we will walk through the most commonly abused and fruitful attacks against Active Directory environments that allow threat actors to perform horizontal and vertical privilege escalations in addition to lateral movement. One of the module's core goals is to showcase prevention and detection methods against the covered Active Directory attacks.

Intro to Network Traffic Analysis

Medium

15 Sections

Reward: +10

Network traffic analysis is used by security teams to monitor network activity and look for anomalies that could indicate security and operational issues. Offensive security practitioners can use network traffic analysis to search for sensitive data such as credentials, hidden applications, reachable network segments, or other potentially sensitive information "on the wire." Network traffic analysis has many uses for attackers and defenders alike.

Intermediate Network Traffic Analysis

Easy

18 Sections

Reward: +20

Through network traffic analysis, this module sharpens skills in detecting link layer attacks such as ARP anomalies and rogue access points, identifying network abnormalities like IP spoofing and TCP handshake irregularities, and uncovering application layer threats from web-based vulnerabilities to peculiar DNS activities.

Working with IDS/IPS

Medium

11 Sections

Reward: +20

This module offers an in-depth exploration of Suricata, Snort, and Zeek, covering both rule development and intrusion detection. We'll guide you through signature-based and analytics-based rule development, and you'll learn to tackle encrypted traffic. The module features numerous hands-on examples, focusing on the detection of prevalent malware such as PowerShell Empire, Covenant, Sliver, Cerber, Dridex, Ursnif, and Patchwork. We also dive into detecting attacking techniques like DNS exfiltration, TLS/HTTP Exfiltration, PsExec lateral movement, and beaconing through IDS/IPS.

Introduction to Malware Analysis

Hard

9 Sections

Reward: +20

This module offers an exploration of malware analysis, specifically targeting Windows-based threats. The module covers Static Analysis utilizing Linux and Windows tools, Malware Unpacking, Dynamic Analysis (including malware traffic analysis), Reverse Engineering for Code Analysis, and Debugging using x64dbg. Real-world malware examples such as WannaCry, DoomJuice, Brbbot, Dharma, and Meterpreter are analyzed to provide practical experience.

JavaScript Deobfuscation

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +10

This module will take you step-by-step through the fundamentals of JavaScript Deobfuscation until you can deobfuscate basic JavaScript code and understand its purpose.

YARA & Sigma for SOC Analysts

Easy

11 Sections

Reward: +20

This Hack The Box Academy module covers how to create YARA rules both manually and automatically and apply them to hunt threats on disk, live processes, memory, and online databases. Then, the module switches gears to Sigma rules covering how to build Sigma rules, translate them into SIEM queries using "sigmac", and hunt threats in both event logs and SIEM solutions. It's all hands-on, using real-world malware and techniques.

Introduction to Digital Forensics

Medium

8 Sections

Reward: +20

Dive into Windows digital forensics with Hack The Box Academy's "Introduction to Digital Forensics" module. Gain mastery over core forensic concepts and tools such as FTK Imager, KAPE, Velociraptor, and Volatility. Dive deep into memory forensics, disk image analysis, and rapid triaging procedures. Learn to construct timelines from MFT, USN Journals, and Windows event logs while getting hands-on with key artifacts like MFT, USN Journal, Registry Hives, Prefetch Files, ShimCache, Amcache, BAM, and SRUM data.

Detecting Windows Attacks with Splunk

Medium

23 Sections

Reward: +20

This Hack The Box Academy module is focused on pinpointing attacks on Windows and Active Directory. Utilizing Splunk as the cornerstone for investigation, this training will arm participants with the expertise to adeptly identify Windows-based threats leveraging Windows Event Logs and Zeek network logs. Furthermore, participants will benefit from actual PCAP files associated with the discussed Windows and Active Directory attacks, enhancing their understanding of the respective attack patterns and techniques.

Security Incident Reporting

Mini-Module

Easy

5 Sections

Reward: +10

Tailored to provide a holistic understanding, this Hack The Box Academy module ensures participants are adept at identifying, categorizing, and documenting security incidents with utmost accuracy and professionalism. The module meticulously breaks down the elements of a robust incident report and then presents participants with a real-world incident report, offering practical insights into the application of the concepts discussed.