mini-contest: try to crack this snippet ("Happy 2007!" Ruby challenge)

[Mauricio Fernandez]

http://eigenclass.org/rubychallenge2007

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the secret message
hidden in a Ruby script, follow the instructions to generate the code that
will prove you've found the message, and report it via eigenclass.org (more
details at the above address).

This script works with Ruby 1.8.5 (also tested with -p12); alternative
versions for Ruby 1.8.2, 1.8.3 and 1.8.4 are also available.
If you want to try to crack the script, it's safer to download it from
http://eigenclass.org/rubychallenge2007 (cut&paste fails too often...)

One request: please don't publish your hints/solutions --- let's try to keep
the challenge interesting for future readers. Thank you.

The script must be saved as happy2007-eigenclass.org-1.8.5.rb (exactly) and
run with Ruby 1.8.5, without RubyGems:
$ RUBYOPT="" ruby happy2007-eigenclass.org-1.8.5.rb

I hope you have fun.

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".instance_eval{|$x|def h(q)q.unpack("m*")[0]end;def k(z);Zlib::Inflate.inflate(
z)end;require'zlib';rr=eval k(h(File.read($0)[-605..-2]));ps=false;puts rr if ps
begin;class<<$<;class<<self;class<<self;def f;end;f;end end end;rescue NameError
p=lambda{rr=(rr.to_i*214013+2531011)&(2**32-1);(rr.to_i>>16)&0xff};begin v=$x.
gsub(/\s+/,"");v2="";h(v[5,k=v[0,5].to_i]).each_byte{|b|v2<<(b^p[])};eval(k(v2)
)[$x];rescue Interrupt;rescue Exception;puts k(h(v[10+k,v[5+k,5].to_i]));exit(
42);end;else$W||=SCRIPT_LINES__={};class<<$<;class<<self;class<<self;def self.x;
end end end end; load($0) end};exit
# Copyright (C) 2005-2007 Mauricio Fernandez <[email protected]>
# http://eigenclass.org
# Get the hidden message and claim your prize at eigenclass.org!
__END__
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[vasudevram]

http://eigenclass.org/rubychallenge2007

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the secret message
hidden in a Ruby script, follow the instructions to generate the code that
will prove you've found the message, and report it via eigenclass.org (more
details at the above address).

This script works with Ruby 1.8.5 (also tested with -p12); alternative
versions for Ruby 1.8.2, 1.8.3 and 1.8.4 are also available.
If you want to try to crack the script, it's safer to download it from
http://eigenclass.org/rubychallenge2007 (cut&paste fails too often...)

One request: please don't publish your hints/solutions --- let's try to keep
the challenge interesting for future readers. Thank you.

The script must be saved as happy2007-eigenclass.org-1.8.5.rb (exactly) and
run with Ruby 1.8.5, without RubyGems:
$ RUBYOPT="" ruby happy2007-eigenclass.org-1.8.5.rb

I hope you have fun.

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z)end;require'zlib';rr=eval k(h(File.read($0)[-605..-2]));ps=false;puts rr if ps
begin;class<<$<;class<<self;class<<self;def f;end;f;end end end;rescue NameError
p=lambda{rr=(rr.to_i*214013+2531011)&(2**32-1);(rr.to_i>>16)&0xff};begin v=$x.
gsub(/\s+/,"");v2="";h(v[5,k=v[0,5].to_i]).each_byte{|b|v2<<(b^p[])};eval(k(v2)
)[$x];rescue Interrupt;rescue Exception;puts k(h(v[10+k,v[5+k,5].to_i]));exit(
42);end;else$W||=SCRIPT_LINES__={};class<<$<;class<<self;class<<self;def self.x;
end end end end; load($0) end};exit
# Copyright (C) 2005-2007 Mauricio Fernandez <[email protected]>
# http://eigenclass.org
# Get the hidden message and claim your prize at eigenclass.org!
__END__
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Mauricio Fernandez - http://eigenclass.org - singular Ruby

Nice one

I guess I must have a built-in Ruby interpreter in my brain. I didn't
even need to read the code, let alone write any, to get the solution


Vasudev Ram
http://www.dancingbison.com

 

[Mauricio Fernandez]

Nice one

I guess I must have a built-in Ruby interpreter in my brain. I didn't
even need to read the code, let alone write any, to get the solution

Impressive! I myself can hardly decode base64 in my mind, let alone
zlib-decompress it or ...

I can see lots of "GET /rubychallenge2007/Happy2007 HTTP/1.1" and similar in
the logs, but AFAICT only 9 people have cracked the code out of 206 so far.
10 including you

 

[_why]

I guess I must have a built-in Ruby interpreter in my brain. I didn't
even need to read the code, let alone write any, to get the solution

Zed Shaw did it blindfolded, hands tied, with a cigar in his mouth. He didn't
even have to say anything. A bit of that white-and-green tractor-fed paper
spilled out of a crease in his forehead.

_why

 

[Evan Weaver]

Pfff. I fail to see Zed on the list.

Evan Weaver