🛡️ Guardian — Teaser (inksec.io)

Platform: Hack The Box
OS: Linux
Difficulty: Hard
Status: ⏳ Active — Full write-up locked until retirement
Machine Page: https://app.hackthebox.com/machines/guardian
Thumbnail: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inkedqt/ctf-writeups/main/HTB/proofs/guardian.png

Overview (No Spoilers)

Guardian presents a hardened portal with tight service constraints and careful config hygiene. Expect targeted web recon, disciplined enumeration, and a creative escalation that rewards attention to how services are started and restricted.

This page is a teaser only to avoid spoilers while the box is active. The full walkthrough will publish automatically after retirement.

What You’ll Practice

• Focused web enumeration under restricted conditions
• Reading & validating service configuration safely
• Chaining small misconfigurations into meaningful access
• Post-access hygiene and escalation mindset

Suggested Prep (General, Non‑spoiler)

• Review Linux permissions, service users, and systemd/daemon start patterns
• Brush up on Apache basics (vhosts, include paths, privilege boundaries)
• Have a checklist for local enumeration (users, configs, scheduled tasks, unusual binaries)

Publication Policy

Per HTB rules, we do not publish active-box solutions. This page will unlock the complete write‑up when Guardian retires. Until then, you can bookmark this link:

Future full write-up: https://github.com/inkedqt/ctf-writeups/tree/main/HTB/Guardian

If the link 404s while the box is active, that’s expected.

Credits

Author: inkedqt — https://inksec.io