Hoppers Origins - Advent of Cyber Side Quest - Part 1 Walkthrough 2025

???? From HopSec Island, Eggsploits whisper through TBFC - Origins of how SOC-mas became EAST-mas.

???????? Room link: https://tryhackme.com/room/ho-aoc2025-yboMoPbnEX

???? Note: in this room we will use TryHackMe Attackbox. ????

This is part 1 which include: (web & db sever)

???? - Lab setups and enumeration, discovering live hosts and port opens
???? - VanChat SOCBOT 3000 AI prompt injection: first we make AI reveal soc commands which will give us initial access to web server.
???? - Privilege escalation using sudo CVE-2025-32463.
???? - Accessing DB server using ssh key found on the web server.

???? Script used in this room: ????

CVE-2025-32463: https://github.com/kh4sh3i/CVE-2025-32463/tree/main

???? Tools Used: ????

???? Penelope Shell handler: https://github.com/brightio/penelope

???? Challenge Stance ????

This is a non-guided red-team scenario. This is not an elf-guided sleigh ride; you’ll make your own map If your first instinct is to “ping it” to see if it lives, this Warren will likely eat you alive. Many bunnies tried. Few returned. Bring craft, patience, and real tradecraft.
What You Should Already Know

???? Network ingress, pivoting, and lateral movement across multiple segmented zones
???? Active Directory realities (auth flows, delegation, tickets/tokens, trust, or the lack of it)
???? Post-compromise staging and Living Off the Land

⚠️ Educational Purpose Only
This content is for educational and authorized penetration testing purposes only. Always ensure you have permission before testing on any systems.

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