Fieldnotes Week 13/2025

I did nothing to write a post about

Like seriously, everything I did this week seems basic. Wanted to work a little on string algorithms, maybe figure out the Knuth-Morris-Pratt string searching algorithm myself, but I maxed out at finding anagrams. Learned I can’t have a cool anagrammed pseudonym.

I did more CTFs, all of them classified by sites as easy, they even could be simplified to a three step playbook.

1. Scan with “nmap -sC -sV [IP]”
2. Find a vulnerability and ready to use exploit
3. Get reverse shell

Though they were about “classic” vulnerabilities and had cultural and historical value. It’s fun to read about them and actually see that memory safety is trending for a reason.

Links

So here are a few links to things I liked.

• Hacking Wordle using Probability

  Some strategy to play Wordle. I’ve been working on similar thing myself, though with another game, Octordle.

• RAM Timings: Explained

  I was seeing them recently when reading on CPU vs GPU based rendering, finally have some idea of what they even mean.

• SpeedGuide TCP/IP Ports Database

  Information about port assignments and vulnerabilities, you can google all that but it’s just convenient to have it ready in one place.

• The Heartbleed Bug

  Major bug in OpenSSL (from 2014) explained. I’ve used it in a CTF this week.

• Heartbleed Highlights a Contradiction in the Web

  Article about it by Nicole Perlroth, fantastic writer, I strongly recommend her book on cyber security and warfare. Link should give you free access to the article.

• Using the most unhinged AVX-512 instruction to make the fastest phrase search algo