## Private Investigator

We have hired you to help investigate this private key. Please use it to
connect to the server like so:  
##### ssh -i id_rsa [email protected] -p 50004  
\---  
  
Solution

1\. Let's download given ssh private key

2\. try to connect to the remote machine using private key  
  
type `ssh [email protected] -p 50004 -i id_rsa` and see that message:  
  
  
> load pubkey "id_rsa": invalid format  
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
> @ WARNING: UNPROTECTED PRIVATE KEY FILE! @  
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
> Permissions 0666 for 'id_rsa' are too open.  
> It is required that your private key files are NOT accessible by others.  
> This private key will be ignored.  
> Load key "id_rsa": bad permissions  
> [email protected]'s password:  
  
  
3\. private key is invalid , let's see one:

> \-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----  
> b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAABlwAAAAdzc2gtcn  
> NhAAAAAwEAAQAAAYEAsLiZbT/+tg8qtA3BensRcqBTP+cqchTkDR40FKpuD5e+TqzyLIYZ  
> II6MiU7icNw9Nb01vNQvrYxc4E/HxT8rAUBX5Yj0kqk+2V70jH2JK7dpPKJq8XLyZUUMSc  
> 0SNjaAHNWSmvDHGCw+w0PGUqCPz9XcGZPiurmT5i54ZMPgXrAOeeX4yhyQoVos4ELm4HYS  
> 0z0f78UIZNuaI7D9xaUGT9fy7eF256Exj+oJdvX4VNvckiurGMyOIynhysP+8iquXEOU5r  
> FVaGbn0C4exprRDp5He/E3DYEF64KV0VYPhmxWF/kmMB+2R3WSufT41fCcqItYuA0UWSHY  
> 9JtCA2HrWh8by/tuGmacaDThoEhckG/cOuOGaywPeLcDQk4On3NxJH2bnCvzJrv2Nah1Dc  
> HFDAzn5IL8APupvYNwBId+rBAOl6+61KfLnQiryiIjwzE7/X5vsZFaa21zdZiE02LQ2K78  
> s3RqG2b/8+j2B+nPbcZSjW3muiyYmC4NN+LLGEOdAAAFgPKq7U7yqu1OAAAAB3NzaC1yc2  
> EAAAGBALC4mW0//rYPKrQNwXp7EXKgUz/nKnIU5A0eNBSqbg+Xvk6s8iyGGSCOjIlO4nDc  
> PTW9NbzUL62MXOBPx8U/KwFAV+WI9JKpPtle9Ix9iSu3aTyiavFy8mVFDEnNEjY2gBzVkp  
> rwxxgsPsNDxlKgj8/V3BmT4rq5k+YueGTD4F6wDnnl+MockKFaLOBC5uB2EtM9H+/FCGTb  
> miOw/cWlBk/X8u3hduehMY/qCXb1+FTb3JIrqxjMjiMp4crD/vIqrlxDlOaxVWhm59AuHs  
> aa0Q6eR3vxNw2BBeuCldFWD4ZsVhf5JjAftkd1krn0+NXwnKiLWLgNFFkh2PSbQgNh61of  
> G8v7bhpmnGg04aBIXJBv3DrjhmssD3i3A0JODp9zcSR9m5wr8ya79jWodQ3BxQwM5+SC/A  
> D7qb2DcASHfqwQDpevutSny50Iq8oiI8MxO/1+b7GRWmttc3WYhNNi0Niu/LN0ahtm//Po  
> 9gfpz23GUo1t5rosmJguDTfiyxhDnQAAAAMBAAEAAAGBAKM1eY0qYyTlEP1FDwD9E/oXE4  
> ubBNpjbNKoqFTFqewAqqOime6A0kf9HtHY5sxwup8c5bpFBNt1HHmVdNw4IJGBSSwVtjqU  
> 0BSU26m8bqjPNQPoxHfFPxREFrs6B63F27/FhyZNZLJwem5/83NwEiFSU3nT2Lu2lF8rX8  
> lAFcGdO2FdAM44X2KFE5jycKOwqGYqt4oLIFt1bP+1gEm+xPuMZzFG3zfA6TMOZDtXo0dL  
> 3oOojNXUZRkYnw1SwewJeYCPxoEE932EccR6KLZD227L6a+SYgnnOkr2yRMU5P1QKOUNMy  
> Lvp58brdyXaUgCIcIFEHzBAT6POZFLqIb+wSPeJzrlunzeW7IWxsj43380iGpijwt3gYzy  
> Lu08asFrQF/m+uAvuilxC2nbC4LpEATi6Z/tr8+BqXZLKvCrdwxkXhaabBZTDZ3uFG287V  
> hUbFXmy4rdAWIJN7TLS8etxlnCkP3Dao7LQlAtXZb8/eLINqOejDiT+QdNIcCzc/T+SQAA  
> AMBfnEHQ6H1FyGKWYK2vTuC7jKAaAxLamJ+TNTzdpCrZIBk+9j9FRt9oQFSokuU+rW5vlM  
> RIgkHZ/1KpsGL5WR3lx8UVRxMQSj/N5sQqs94W0YU7Ku+zOJrME2U9HsD4sGZrThKXz7Vp  
> 6wDm5FFfZe+Xty4oyCBvxc/IZojGZY8ts+m4T6O9eQPAEPJ4RBH+pwDntX5Fsj5/3VxGrJ  
> GfAKEL8jEgzSKEe43HKQelFlhZl/H5RVnVKYpbbKsoUhMLkkMAAADBAOTvRkg5gBtPF21J  
> M5q+fDPIBlXboclTDC0UiGEh5Y82trHN+vi2fzNpqmU8t3fovo27b1M9tuHAUoliu4NO8W  
> v8PrXOTPDTY6okc8CCFHhUCxKsTiWA/EudAj7RuVqMyDdEK43sqZhUPoxWkbYZ0map4ryx  
> sMftkZEL3ZHvCRdR2bt2Sc5pXLTvfX3X02i5IzABuAvVG4yhXuEPrhgANuWR6cB+9pRVTi  
> RHjf5G+VkpvpuiRFKXfBHtNoEwTGN5jwAAAMEAxZ0TrjrSz+XDm+r2QEUvKHG06i0Xv3VP  
> moqgnrq3GyogMYBcQPMY6woVsBlMrf9vTkqM+DjENHEHu2ZvH/Sfy4qI3NYArTi9bDYRnp  
> KaP9UzkTce5yj374uYI6RLVI8VOX65OPr8ifv+o3bU+ppKcawDHyzZPSj06Fe5/IvJ5Ovo  
> zLmagUlFCbu7F+FFkAiaJopjxrChTijg7a54ou57blFMO7KQL7hv6HN5XEvyyJAwCti0Wa  
> hokSgOriX8OuITAAAACmpvaG5AeHBzMTU=  
> \-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

4\. it's openssh private key, but we need RSA private key , so let's translate
it to RSA:  
  
`puttygen id_rsa -O private-sshcom -o newkey`  
  
  
`ssh-keygen -i -f newkey > newkey_in_right_format`

  
5\. We got RSA private , let's run command:  
`ssh [email protected] -p 50004 -i newkey_in_right_format ` and see that
message:  
  
> Permissions 0644 for 'newkey_in_right_format2' are too open.  
> It is required that your private key files are NOT accessible by others.  
> This private key will be ignored.  
> Load key "newkey_in_right_format2": bad permissions

6\. let's change access right:  
` chmod 400 newkey_in_right_format `

7\. run command:  
`ssh [email protected] -p 50004 -i newkey_in_right_format ` again , connect to
remote machine and see file flag.txt  
  
8\. cat flag.txt

flag{dont_ever_forget_that_newline}

Original writeup (https://github.com/wetox-
team/writeup/tree/master/hacktivitycon/Private_Investigator).