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Bandit Level 11 to 12: Cracking the Caesar Cipher (ROT13)

Introduction

After decoding Base64, we now face our first real cipher in Bandit Level 11 to 12. The password isn’t encoded for data transport; it’s been deliberately obfuscated using a simple character-shifting algorithm.

This level introduces the Caesar cipher, one of the oldest and most well-known forms of encryption. We’ll learn how to crack it with tr, a command-line utility for translating characters. 📜


The Challenge: Level 11 Goal

The level’s objective is described as follows:

Bandit Level 10 to 11: The Secret Language of Base64

Introduction

So far, we’ve located files, filtered their contents, and even extracted text from binary data. Bandit Level 10 to 11 introduces a new core concept: data encoding. The password is in plain sight, but it’s been transformed into a different format.

This level teaches us how to recognize and reverse Base64 encoding, a common method for representing binary data as text. 🧑‍💻


The Challenge: Level 10 Goal

The objective for this level is straightforward:

Bandit Level 9 to 10: Sifting Through Binary Data with 'strings'

Introduction

In our journey so far, we’ve dealt mostly with plain text files. Bandit Level 9 to 10 introduces a new type of challenge: extracting information from a binary file. These files are compiled for machines, not humans, and reading them with cat results in a mess of unreadable characters.

This level teaches us how to use the strings command, a specialized tool for finding and printing the sequences of readable text embedded within binary data. 🧐