The Steemit Crypto Challenge #11 - CC2k17.2
Prepare - Uncover - Outwit - Find - WIN!
Welcome to the Steemit Crypto Challenge. You may know this series of puzzles, or not. Let me give you a quick introduction. You are looking to find a solution. Anything can be a hint. You will start with two hints given and need to seek the right path. You think you are good with riddles? Are you a big master of puzzles? Find the answer. Sometimes the hints are hidden, not visible to the eye. But they are here.
Can you follow your intuition and stay on the right track? The first to reveal a hint will win a prize. The first to attain understanding with the right answer will receive their bigger reward.
xIOZm0lgb/kyoe4AN7tsp1O5EqUkKwPsCG2Mv+fudbW1FmVRXycQXoZeI3NgoJwCXyi8ztg==IwEmS
Rules, Terms and Conditions
You will need to employ all of your skills to solve this crypto-puzzle. This isn't for the weak-hearted.
Don't limit your creativity, look forward and look behind the curtain!
Take advantage of:
You will receive hints from time to time.
Stay frosty and don't get lost in time
Don't be limited to the list above, get creative! Think you got in the bag? How hard could it be? Surely, your Code Solvers and Image Manipulation Translators are up to date, piece of cake! All submissions are due by March, 29th@ 6pm (UTC -4) The First Prize reward is 100 Steem. Additional: 10 Steem per new hint uncovered. (This challenge is not impossible, I even made it quite simple this time). Special thanks goes to @blocktrades who sponsors this challenge.
Happy hunting, Tim Said
C2H2 = Acetylene, C2H4 = Ethylene, C2H6 = Ethane ? :D
No, no, no :) you guys miss something. Have a look at the first image. The one with the logo
That's anonymous mask! The group of hackers!
Use photoshop
yeah now that you mention it, there is some .. __ :D .. .... . . ._. ...
........... :D wow this looks awesome I should use it more often
._ ._ .... . . ._. ... !!! if only they didn't hide so strangely hint it's not aa in the start :D start with a C :)
I'm a bit of a manic when it comes to solving these... I keep gong till I find the answer. I don't know if I should get into it as I'm not sure I have enough time. but the game looks absolutely awesome!!! I love it!
Thanks for hosting this and namaste :)
( ╹◡╹)っ━━☆ :｡☆｡:.｡:Ben Swann｡:･☆･*☆ ｡
Hey guys. I apologize, I forgot about this puzzle for a few days.
Decrypted hint2 reveals:
Reverse google search says its Actinomycin-D, link
Bingo! You are right and made it! Congratulation
This puzzle has been solved collectively by steemians.
Big thanks to everyone for participating, I am looking forward to the next one.
If you guys have time I would love to see a walk through of the last two hints and the final decryption. I have never worked a puzzle, let alone a crypto, like this before, thank you this was really fun. I got hung up with the bonds in hint two, than I realized after that I had no idea what I was doing when it came to decryption, even if I would have had the password. I have a lot of experience with PGP for email but nothing like this. Loved it! I want to get better and advice or linked tutorial would be awesome!
finally :D
How did you decrypt it? How did that lead to this ?
Ok, I think I may have a grip on hint2.
The string is comprised of hex part, a few random characters (salt) and base64 part.
I think
EnCt2means Encrypted Cipertext 2, irrelevant.Then we have a SHA-1,
34eec5006fba77efa79febc136a5d9ccc1ea9f66, which starts repeating itself (padding to sha256 size).Then we have a random part,
tL=iqshH, which is used by hashing function (pbkdf2_hmac) as salt.Lastly we have the ciphertext,
sgIxIOZm0lgb/kyoe4AN7tsp1O5EqUkKwPsCG2Mv+fudbW1FmVRXycQXoZeI3NgoJwCXyi8ztg==, which is Base64 encoded output of a 256bit AES inMODE_CTR. We want to crack this part.I wrote a little python script to decrypt it, but now we need a password, which is either in hint1, or some other hint in the puzzle.
try numbers maybe, thanks for doing that :) cryptography is fun after all :) who is ben swann btw :D
30 @digicrypt/36 @jaki01 is what people have counted below, the morse code says count the bonds @digicrypt,
so amount and type of bonds, x,y,z triple double single so one triple, two doubles, 15 so infinity dunno
Fuck it I'm out of hints and so flew my hopes :D good luck guys :) Anonocon :D 2017 :D
Ben Swann is a TV journalist who gained notoriety for covering "alternative" news and challening MSM narratives. That is the only Ben Swann I know off.
Best comment so far
My previous count of 36 bonds is wrong because at first I thought the red color was a hint that there was a mistake in the molecule, so that I made another molecule out of it.
No, if the molecules are sketched correctly, we have altogether 34 bonds:
well timsaid the password is in the counts furion has the "box" you have the key, any hints mate :) can either of you open the pass with either 1215 or 3415 dunno the exact idea behind the count, but he did say it was simple and 1215 sounds simple :D
On point! Sweet :) the password is given within hint 1
Will this be a strange random numeric key or password generated when our answer was? If not have we tried the type of bond(s)? Maybe something like nonpolarcovalenthydrogen or? I am clumsy with the AES 256 been trying to crack. Should be working the whole string or just the section mentioned by @furion?
Hint 3: X = number of tripple bonds, Y = number of double bonds Z = number of single bonds
My morse code is a bit rusty but I think it says
C O U N T T H E B O N D S
My chemistry is awful but I believe the bonds would be 3 12 15 Total=30
Am I barking up the right tree?
Going into the right direction
As @digicrypt wrote, the morse code is C O U N T T H E B O N D S.
But the number of bonds is different in my opinion:
Not to be misleading, and as I wrote already in my other comment, the molecule Y need not to be drawn wrong (it's 1,3-Cyclohexadiene) - I think the red color is used to point out which kind of bonds we shall count. Probably we have to count all double bonds (and if not, then all multiple bonds: double and triple bonds).
Ethylene is a hydrocarbon which has the formula C2H4! Is that the name you are looking for? Ethylene?
Z is a benzene molecule
There is more. There is something hidden
The first molecule is Nitrogen with a triple bond. The triple bond is very strong and Nitrogen is referred to an inert gas.
Much truth in these words