Timed Socket Programming / HTTP Coding Challenge

[Aware Fish]

This is what I have so far as code:


=begin

Timed Challenge #1
[http://www.hellboundhackers.org/challenges/timed/timed1/index.php]

RULE: You have 1 second to retrieve/submit this!
GOAL: 1. Decrypt the following random string: a2UpYDkyYjhyLCRebCFneA==
2. Answer like this:
/challenges/timed/timed/index.php?b64=decryptedString

=end


require 'net/http'
require 'socket'
require 'base64'

# The web server
host = 'www.hellboundhackers.org'
# Default HTTP port
port = 80
# The file we want
path = "/challenges/timed/timed1/index.php"

# This is the HTTP request we send to fetch a file
request = "GET #{path} HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n"

# Connect to server
socket = TCPSocket.open(host,port)
# Send request
socket.print(request)
# Read complete response
response = socket.read
# Split response at first blank line into headers and body
headers,body = response.split("\r\n\r\n", 2)
print body

# The encryted message to work on
if(body =~ /\w*==/)
encoded = $1;
end

# Decryption of Base64 string value
decoded = Base64.decode64(encoded)
pre-answer = '/challenges/timed/timed1/index.php?b64='+decoded
answer = "Get #{pre-answer} HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n"

# Submit the decrypted text to "/challenges/timed/timed1/index.php?b64="
socket.print(answer)
response = socket.read
# Split response at first blank line into headers and body
headers,body = response.split("\r\n\r\n", 2)
print body


I am stuck on using login data before submitting anything. I know how to
do this in PHP's cURL library, but not with Ruby.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. No spoiler either. I like to work
for the answer. I would not want to ruin it for my brain.

 

[Martin DeMello]

I am stuck on using login data before submitting anything. I know how to
do this in PHP's cURL library, but not with Ruby.

Do you mean you need to first log into the site, and then get the
challenge page and submit a response? Take a look at the mechanize
library, it's meant for stuff like that.

martin