picoCTF 2019 - So Meta writeup

Description

Find the flag in this picture.

Category: Forensics

Points: 150

Hints:

What does meta mean in the context of files?

Ever heard of metadata?

Problem

For this challenge we are given a PNG file named pico_img.png. The hints suggest that there is metadata hidden within the image.

Metadata is information about other data. An image’s metadata may include the time and place the picture was taken, what device it was taken on, and the name of the image.

One way to view metadata on Linux is by using the strings command.

Solution

Run:

jason@lapras:$ strings -10 pico_img.png
...
...
picoCTF{s0_m3ta_fec06741}}