Falaj 13: Readable Bits

Binary files are not meant for human eyes, but they often contain readable text inside: file names, messages, tool names and settings. Analysts extract those fragments first, because a few readable words can tell you what a file is for before you understand a single byte of its structure.

The survey file in your home directory looks like garbage when you print it. Do not print it. Use file to see what the shell thinks it is, and then use strings, which pulls out runs of printable characters and ignores everything else. Among the fragments is a line that carries the password for the next level.

If the output is long, combine strings with grep to narrow it down to what you want. This is a simulated shell over invented files: it understands a teaching subset of commands, and help lists them. When you have the password for level 14, run login 14 <password> or paste it into the answer box.