Richie Havoc
Security Researcher | Student | Pentester | CTF Player 🎉
Latest Posts
View all →
From Zero to Root: A Beginner's Complete Guide to Solving HTB Easy Machines in 2026
New to Hack The Box? This complete 2026 beginner's guide walks you through every step — from setting up your VPN to rooting your first Easy machine. Tools, methodology, tips, and real examples inside.
AI is Now Your Biggest Enemy in CTFs - Here's How to Fight Back
AI agents are solving CTF challenges faster than human experts in 2026. This opinion piece breaks down what that means for your skills, your career, and how to stay relevant as a hacker in the age of agentic AI.
How to Write a CTF Writeup That Gets 10,000 Views (SEO + Structure Guide)
Want your CTF writeup to actually get read? This complete guide covers SEO, structure, storytelling, images, and the #1 reason most writeups get zero traffic — and how to fix it.
HTB VariaType Complete Writeup — CVE-2025-66034 & Font Exploitation
VariaType is a cutting-edge HackTheBox machine from Season 10 featuring a web-based variable font generator. The exploitation chain involves chaining three critical vulnerabilities—fontTools CVE-2025-66034 for initial webshell creation, FontForge CVE-2024-25081 for lateral privilege escalation to the steve user, and a setuptools PackageIndex path traversal vulnerability for root access. This writeup provides complete step-by-step instructions with detailed technical analysis of each exploit mechanism.
CCTV HackTheBox Writeup — Season 10 Linux Machine Walkthrough
A comprehensive walkthrough of the CCTV machine from HackTheBox Season 10. This Medium-difficulty Linux machine writeup covers ZoneMinder default credentials, exploiting CVE-2024-51482 SQL injection to extract and crack bcrypt hashes, leveraging a tcpdump Linux capability to sniff plaintext credentials from Docker network traffic, SSH port forwarding to expose an internal MotionEye instance, and achieving root via CVE-2025-60787 remote code execution using Metasploit. A must-read for penetration testers tackling multi-step Linux exploitation chains.
Pirate HackTheBox Writeup — Complete Season 10 Machine Walkthrough
A comprehensive walkthrough of the Pirate machine from HackTheBox Season 10. This Hard-difficulty Windows machine writeup covers initial access with provided credentials, Active Directory enumeration, lateral movement strategies, privilege escalation techniques, and achieving SYSTEM access. Learn how to compromise this challenging HTB Windows machine with detailed methodology, practical command examples, and SEO-optimized content for cybersecurity professionals.