HTB: interface Writeup

Machine Information

Machine Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (7.0/10)

Difficulty Assessment:

• Enumeration: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
• Real-world: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
• CVE: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
• CTF-like: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Summary

interface is a Medium-difficulty Linux machine running a Next.js application. Initial reconnaissance identified missing security headers and an uncommon refresh redirect. Complete exploitation notes are not available in the source documentation.

Available Information: HTTP service enumeration via nmap and Nikto identified potential attack surface on a Next.js application with security header misconfigurations.

Reconnaissance

Port Scanning

nmap -p 80 --script http-* 10.129.x.x

Results:

HTTP service identified on port 80 with basic http-* script enumeration performed.

Web Application Scanning

nikto -h 10.129.x.x

Key Findings:

• Server: Next.js (identified via X-Powered-By header)
• Missing Security Headers:
  • X-Frame-Options header (absent)
  • X-XSS-Protection header (absent)
  • X-Content-Type-Options header (absent)
• Uncommon Headers: ‘refresh’ header with redirect to /3M2gPkva
• Potential False Positives: Nikto detected potential Drupal/eZ Publish XSS references (likely scanner false positives)

Service Enumeration

Hostname: interface.htb

echo "10.129.x.x interface.htb" >> /etc/hosts

Initial Foothold

Exploitation Path

[Notes incomplete - exploitation path not documented in source notes]

Known Attack Surface:

• Next.js application running on port 80
• Missing critical security headers (potential XSS/clickjacking vectors)
• Unusual refresh redirect to /3M2gPkva endpoint (purpose unclear from notes)

User Compromise

Credential Discovery

[Notes incomplete - credential discovery method not documented in source notes]

User Flag

[Notes incomplete - user flag not documented in source notes]

Privilege Escalation

Enumeration

[Notes incomplete - privilege escalation enumeration not documented in source notes]

Exploitation (Root/Administrator)

[Notes incomplete - privilege escalation method not documented in source notes]

Root Flag

[Notes incomplete - root flag not documented in source notes]

Attack Chain Summary

Based on available notes:

1. Reconnaissance: nmap with http-* scripts on port 80
2. Web Scanning: Nikto identified Next.js server with missing security headers
3. Identified Attack Surface: Unusual /3M2gPkva redirect endpoint
4. Further Steps: [Not documented in source notes]

Tools Used

Key Learnings

• Thorough enumeration is critical — every open port and service can be a potential entry point.
• Configuration files and databases often contain credentials that enable lateral movement.
• Privilege escalation frequently depends on misconfigurations rather than software vulnerabilities.

Author

D3vnomi

Disclaimer

This writeup is for educational purposes only. All activities described were performed in a controlled, legal environment (HackTheBox platform). Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal.

Last Updated: 08 Mar 2026

Tags: #HackTheBox #Linux #Medium