Hack The Box Starting Point — Tier 0: Foundations | 02 — Fawn

Very Easy · Linux · FTP

Enumeration

I started by enumerating the target with Nmap and discovered that FTP was running on port 21.

21/tcp open  ftp

21/tcp open  ftp

During the FTP enumeration, I noticed:

Anonymous FTP login allowed

Anonymous FTP login allowed

This indicated that the FTP server allowed users to connect using the anonymous account without providing a real password.

Exploitation

I connected to the FTP service:

ftp <target_ip> 21

ftp <target_ip> 21

When prompted for a password, I left it blank and was successfully authenticated.

After logging in, I listed the available files and found the flag. I downloaded it using:

get flag.txt

get flag.txt

The lab was then completed.

What I Learned

This machine taught me the importance of service enumeration and checking for misconfigurations.

The process was:

Nmap → Identify FTP → Check configuration → Anonymous login → Access files → Retrieve flag

Key takeaways:

• FTP commonly runs on port 21.
• Nmap can identify exposed services and sometimes reveal useful configuration information.
• Anonymous FTP access can expose files to unauthorized users.
• Always check the authentication configuration of discovered services.
• A misconfigured service can provide access without needing to crack a password.