Challenge Description#

A PNG image file that contains hidden information.

Analysis#

The challenge name “Meta” hints at metadata. Image files often contain EXIF metadata that can store various information including hidden data.

Solution#

Simply use exiftool to examine the image metadata:

$ exiftool meta_logo.png
ExifTool Version Number         : 13.10
File Name                       : meta_logo.png
Directory                       : .
File Size                       : 4.3 kB
File Type                       : PNG
File Type Extension             : png
MIME Type                       : image/png
Image Width                     : 300
Image Height                    : 168
Bit Depth                       : 8
Color Type                      : Palette
Compression                     : Deflate/Inflate
Filter                          : Adaptive
Interlace                       : Noninterlaced
Artist                          : scsc26{m3t4_d4t4_d1_im4gE}
Image Size                      : 300x168
Megapixels                      : 0.050

The flag is hidden in the Artist EXIF field.

Alternative Methods#

# Using strings
$ strings meta_logo.png | grep scsc

# Using grep directly on binary
$ grep -a "scsc" meta_logo.png