RootMe - Hidden Include & Backup

RootMe – Hidden Include & Backup

Mission
Find the password to solve the challenge.

Analysis

• The challenge loads an empty page with no visible content.
• Inspecting the page source reveals an HTML comment hinting at an included file:

  <!-- include("admin/pass.html") -->
  

  This suggests the page might dynamically include admin/pass.html, but it’s not loading properly (or is empty on purpose).

Solution steps

1. Directly access the hinted path:
   http://challenge-url/admin/pass.html
   → Nothing interesting appears (likely empty or restricted).

2. Navigate to the parent directory:
   http://challenge-url/admin/
   → This reveals a backup file (common naming like admin.php~, admin.bak, .admin.swp, etc., or perhaps admin.txt).

3. Open the backup file → it contains admin.txt (or similar) with the hardcoded password: LINUX.

Finished. Happy Hacking!

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