Category : OSINT

Hop on, hop off #1

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The first challenge provided us with the following description:

Enjoying brunch. Flag format: KSUS{Name_Of_Brunch_Spot}

and the following picture:

To solve this challenge, a quick search with Google Lens returned this result:

This matches perfectly. We can verify it by checking features such as the road sign on the left or the column with a “stone effect.”

By visiting this TripAdvisor page, we can confirm that this brunch spot is in Budapest, near the address: Petofi Sandor u. 7, Budapest 1052, Hungary.

The name of the place in front of this restaurant appears to be Cafe Muse.

Thus, the first flag is: KSUS{Cafe_Muse}.

Hop on, hop off #2

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This second challenge, starts with this description,

I went to the closest place where I could send my postcards and caught 
the first bus (unfortunately not a trolleybus) I saw, which brought me 
here... Flag format: KSUS{NumberOfBusLine_IDOfOriginBusStop}. 
Note: this happened after 2023.

First, we need to determine where this person could send a postcard. Two possibilities come to mind: post boxes or post offices.

Using Overpass Turbo, we can easily find the closest post box and post office with these two queries:

[out:json];
node["amenity"="post_box"](around:500,47.4937775,19.0547081);
out body;

[out:json];
node["amenity"="post_office"](around:500,47.4937775,19.0547081);
out body;

These queries return the following results:

Now, we need to determine where the person got off the bus, based on the provided image:

This time, a simple Google Lens search is insufficient; we need to dig deeper. Examining the image closely, we can see a sign with the inscription Kálvária tér. Additionally, there is a shop called vegyes kereskedés, which translates to “general store.” Searching these details on Google leads us to this location.

Once again, we can easily confirm that this place is the same as the place on the picture. Indeed, the Kálvária tér sign and the damaged side of the building serve as key verification points.

Now, we need to determine which buses connect this location to one of the post locations found with Overpass Turbo. Going on the Budapest’s transport website we can see bus line 9 connects Astoria M to Kálvária tér. Although bus number 72 follows a similar route, the challenge specifies that trolleybuses should be excluded. Next, we need to extract the ID of the Astoria M bus stop. A quick Google search provides the necessary information:

Finally, here is the flag : KSUS{9_F01012}

Hop on, hop off #3

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I hopped off and walked until I came across this... 
I couldn't find the entrance, can you tell me where I was? 
Flag format: KSUS{Name_Of_Mysterious_Place}. 

Note: if there are accents on any letters, simply write the 
letter without the accent, and only write the initials of each 
word in caps, not the rest. The name must be in its native language.

To solve this challenge, I initially had no idea how to proceed. However, given the presence of various plants, I considered botanical gardens as a potential lead. A quick Google search returned three relevant locations. Eliminating those too far from our previous bus stop, we are left with Jardin de Simples or ELTE Füvészkert.

Checking Google Street View, we find this location :

Confirming the location is trickier since the plastic mushroom visible in the challenge photo does not appear on Street View. Additionally, the challenge photo seems to have been taken in winter, whereas the Street View images date from May 2014. However, key verification points include:

• The house on the left resembles the one in the challenge image.
• The arrangement of the trees matches.
• The ground is nearly identical.
• The street lamp is in the same position as in our image.

(Additional verification could be done, but this should be sufficient.)

Since we have identified the correct location, the flag is the name of the place in its native language: KSUS{Elte_Fuveszkert}