What is writeups?

This repository is a collection of "writeups", essentially detailed solution guides, created by the United States Coast Guard Academy's Cyber Team for various cybersecurity competitions and training platforms. If you have ever wondered how someone approaches and solves a hacking puzzle, this project offers a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process, code, and files used to crack those challenges. The content is organized into folders based on where the challenges came from. Some folders cover permanent, always-available training sites (like Over The Wire or Hack This Site), while others are grouped by specific online events that took place during 2015 through 2017. Not every folder contains a full written explanation, some just include the raw code and files used during the competition, while others provide complete, formal walkthroughs. This collection is primarily aimed at people learning about cybersecurity, particularly students or beginners who participate in Capture the Flag (CTF) events. CTFs are competitions where teams solve security-related puzzles to find hidden pieces of text or data, often called "flags." A beginner who gets stuck on a challenge from a past event can look at these writeups to understand the solution, learn new techniques, and see how experienced teammates approached the same problem. The repository serves as a straightforward reference archive. It does not appear to be an active, ongoing project, but rather a snapshot of the team's work over a couple of years. The README does not go into detail about the specific tools used or the difficulty level of the challenges, but it does provide an extensive list of past events for anyone wanting to explore historical cybersecurity puzzles.