STORY DRIVEN OSINT CTF

easy
medium
hard
insane

Lost in Time

Briefing

Greetings Special Agent.

We have an exciting assignment on our hands. Recently, we took our new GPU cluster into use and started processing our vast image databases. During this procedure, our in-house developed TiberAI alerted us to a photo containing an ancient alien language. The language is believed to be part of the Gorlaer alien species, living closely to the planet of Varnyr where Klumgongyn is from.

What makes this image special, is that besides one sample, there are no marks of this kind in other images. This is the only earthly image which has the language. In 1762 a spaceship from the Gorlaer crashed into our planet in an unknown location. We believe that the survivors of that crash, wrote this message on a wall. The image was then taken by an unknown person, we don’t know when or where. It just showed up in our image database.

We believe the message contains information about where the survivors would wait for help. As we’ve recently taken our new time-warp portal into use, we now have the ability to go back and rescue them. It’s your task to find out where the image was taken and what the message means.

This will most likely lead you to the eventual hiding place and time of our unfortunate guests. We will need to know the exact location and the year, so we can travel back in time without disturbing the timeline of our planet. You are given the only surviving sample of the Gorlaer language. Use this to decipher the writing on the wall.

As always, Special Agent, the contract is yours, if you choose to accept.

Materials

Answer Instruction

Use the answer to unlock the flagfile, this will reward you with your badge.

Combine the initial crash location with the official name of the hiding place, all in English, with the year of going into hiding.

Sample answer format: billy-castle-dim-sum-gang-palace-1820

Flagfile

Be advised, the flagfile is an encrypted ZIP. Make sure your OS supports the ZIP format. Ensure the password contains no hidden characters or formatting, paste in Notepad first if the password doesn’t seem to work.

Download Flagfile here

PS: Don’t forget to claim your Coins and XP, by posting your card in the #card-brag channel in Discord.

Official Write-up

Provided here is the official write-up, it does contain the answer. Use this if you’re stuck, or want to verify if you got the answer correct.

Lost in Time

A crashed alien spacecraft from the Gorlaer species left a message in their language on Earth in 1762. We need to locate the crash site, decode their message, and find their temporal hiding place.

Stage 1: Initial Location

  1. Analyze provided photograph
  2. Identify architectural features
  3. Research location characteristics
  4. Confirm Amber Palace location
  5. Verify Jaipur, India setting

Stage 2: Language Decryption

Using provided sample material:

  1. Study Gorlaer language sample
  2. Compare with wall inscription
  3. Use Kitisakkullian font reference
  4. Decode message components
  5. Extract key information

Stage 3: Clue Analysis

Message reveals:

  1. Location hint: “where monkeys have a penis nose” (Borneo)
  2. Building type: “religious building of three holy people”
  3. Specific location: “Sam Sing Kung Temple”
  4. Time reference: “year my friend buzz was born” (1930)
  5. Additional detail: “secret room in the basement”

Answer Format

Must follow this format:

location-temple-year

Correct format:

amber-palace-sam-sing-kung-temple-1930

Format Requirements

  1. All lowercase
  2. Hyphens between words
  3. English names only
  4. Include complete temple name
  5. Year at end

Research Tools Needed

  1. Historical image databases
  2. Architectural reference materials
  3. Font decoder
  4. Historical timeline verification
  5. Geographic location research

Remember: The solution requires connecting three distinct elements – the crash site location (Amber Palace), the hiding place (Sam Sing Kung Temple), and the specific year (1930).

Creator: Frank Diepmaat