Ghost Track - Lvl 7: Ghost in the Machine

This level is about Environment Variables. These are values stored in the shell's memory that programs use for configuration (like API keys or Database URLs).

Start by listing all current environment variables:

env

You'll see a massive list. Look for anything that looks like a secret. I spotted API_DIGEST=M252X0wzNGtzXzN2M3J5dGgxbmc=.

That string ends in = and looks like random characters—this is a classic sign of Base64 encoding. Base64 isn't encryption; it's just a way to represent binary data as text.

To decode it:

echo "M252X0wzNGtzXzN2M3J5dGgxbmc=" | base64 -d

Result: REDACTED

TL;DR: Always check env when you land on a box. Developers often leave "secrets" in environment variables, and if they look like random gibberish, try base64 -d.