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Phoenix had spent months hunting a shadowy criminal organization, but each clue led him further down a rabbit hole. The more he uncovered, the more elusive his quarry became. Then one day, the special tactics team informed him that the organization’s leader, nicknamed “Hollow,” had just crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and was now in Malaga. He had rented a car and headed to a hotel for the night.
Without hesitation, Phoenix drove to Malaga, checked into a nondescript hotel, and began surveilling the leader with the help of the special tactics team. After a few hours, they hacked into the hotel’s WiFi and put a tracker on the car. Through the tapped line, Phoenix intercepted an email from the rental company confirming that Hollow would be checking out the car in Zagreb in three days.
Around 10 am the following day, Hollow left his hotel and drove on the motorway towards Valencia. The tracker was working flawlessly, providing real-time updates on his location. But suddenly, as he reached a secluded stretch of road, the GPS signal was lost. Panic set in as Phoenix and the team realized they had lost track of the leader. It was a setback, but Phoenix refused to give up. He knew time was running out.
With grim determination, Phoenix accelerated, scanning the horizon for any sign of the leader’s car. As he pulled into the first gas station for a brief respite, a hooded figure approached him. “Excuse me,” the stranger said urgently. “I am on your side. All you need to know is that I am from the Special Intel & Surveillance Unit. I need to give you something.”
Phoenix was wary but curious. The stranger handed him a small USB stick and said, “It contains sensitive information about the criminal you’re after. You must see it immediately.” Before Phoenix could ask any questions, the stranger vanished, leaving him alone with the USB stick and a million questions. Clueless but determined, he quickly scanned it for malware and plugged it into his laptop.
Hollow’s plan unraveled before Phoenix’s eyes : the criminal organization was planning a devastating attack on an industrial site. Hollow had planned to perform a reconnaissance before joining other members in a secret location to prepare for the attack.
Briefing
Greetings, Special Agent K.
Phoenix’s team has called for help and you have been assigned the task to support him in his investigation. You must find the secret location where the organization will gather and prevent the attack.
Some files in the USB key have caught your attention:
- target.png : an aerial image of the target of the attack
- meeting_location.zip : an encrypted file containing a file named meeting_location.csv
- a README file, whose content is: Reminder. Password for meeting_location.zip in lowercase: city-country
As always, Special Agent K. The Contract is yours, if you choose to accept.
Materials and Answer Instruction
| Answer Format | city-country |
| Answer Sample | zagreb-croatia |
Write-ups: Imminent Threat
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