Bandit Level 6: The Needle in the Digital Haystack (System-Wide Search)

(The short answer for this challenge is available at the end of this post.)

Introduction: The System-Wide Scavenger Hunt

You’ve used find to pinpoint a file by its type, size, and executability within a specific directory. Impressive! But Bandit Level 6 takes the gloves off. This time, the password isn’t just in some directory; it’s “somewhere on the server,” and you’ll need to use more advanced find parameters to unearth it.

The level description for Bandit Level 6 lays out the treasure map:

The password for the next level is stored in a file somewhere on the server and has the following properties:

• owned by user bandit7
• owned by group bandit6
• 33 bytes in size

Okay, so we’re looking for a file that’s like a specific person’s lunchbox (owned by bandit7), carried by a specific club (bandit6), and weighs exactly 33 bytes. This is where find truly shines as your digital bloodhound.

Level 6: The Triple-Threat find (User, Group, Size!)

You’ve just logged in as bandit6 with the password from Level 5. A quick ls won’t cut it here; the password could be anywhere on the entire file system!

The find Command: Full System Mode

To search the entire file system, you need to tell find to start its search from the root directory, which is /.

Here are the new find parameters we’ll be adding to our arsenal:

• /: Start the search from the root directory, meaning it will look everywhere.
• -user bandit7: Filter for files owned by the user bandit7.
• -group bandit6: Filter for files owned by the group bandit6.
• -size 33c: We need a file that is exactly 33 bytes in size. The c denotes bytes.

Putting it all together, our powerful find command looks like this:

find / -user bandit7 -group bandit6 -size 33c

Now, there’s one small catch when searching the entire file system: you’ll likely encounter directories where your current user (bandit6) doesn’t have permission to read. If you just run the command above, your terminal will be flooded with “Permission denied” errors, making it impossible to see the actual result.

Silencing the Errors: 2>/dev/null

To make the find command quietly ignore all those permission errors, we’ll redirect the standard error output (2) to /dev/null (which is essentially a black hole for unwanted output). This keeps your terminal clean and only shows the results you care about.

The final, polished command:

find / -user bandit7 -group bandit6 -size 33c 2>/dev/null

Type this carefully into your terminal and press Enter. It might take a few seconds, as find is now traversing the entire system. When it finishes, it should (hopefully!) print out a single file path.

It will look something similar to:

/var/lib/dpkg/info/bandit7.password

Or some other deeply nested path. That path leads directly to your password!

The Grand Finale: cat the Target

Once you have that glorious path, all that’s left is to cat its contents. Remember to use the full path provided by the find command:

cat /var/lib/dpkg/info/bandit7.password # (Use the actual path find gave you!)

And there it is! The password for bandit7. Copy it, savor it, you’ve earned it!

Moving Onward:

Got that password? Fantastic!

exit

Then, connect to the next level:

ssh [email protected] -p 2220

Enter your hard-won password, and poof! You’re logged into bandit7. You’re now officially a master of find!

Conclusion: The find Command, Your Ultimate Detective Tool

You’ve successfully conquered Bandit Level 6, solidifying your command over one of Linux’s most powerful utilities:

• The ability to perform system-wide searches.
• Filtering files by owner (-user) and group (-group).
• Combining multiple criteria for precise file identification.
• Suppressing error messages (2>/dev/null) for cleaner output.

Mastering find is a monumental step in becoming proficient in Linux, whether for cybersecurity, system administration, or just finding that one elusive file you swore you saved somewhere.

SPOILER ALERT: Short Answer for Bandit Level 6

1. Log in as bandit6.
2. Use the find command to search the entire filesystem for a file with the specified properties, suppressing errors:
   find / -user bandit7 -group bandit6 -size 33c 2>/dev/null

3. cat the filename that find outputs (e.g., cat /path/to/the/found/file).
4. The output is the password for bandit7.

Continue to Bandit Level 7!