The official nerds guide to security... Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

mayela mingi: OK, time for this one to go away, but hopefully someone else will hide something here!

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Hidden : 11/21/2007
Difficulty:
4.5 out of 5
Terrain:
4.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The cache is not at the listed coordinates. But it is within 2 miles of it. This is a good place to park if you want to hike or ride to the cache location. It will present both technical challenges, and some physical challenges to retrieve the cache once you've solved the coordinates.

I've decided to do a couple of nerdy security puzzles to give you a fun challenge to find the cache.
Since I like to combine nerdism (if thats a word) with wilderness excursions, you will have to not only be a bit nerdy, you'll have to be a bit adventurous as well to get this one. I will not give tech support on your computers if you discover that you have viruses or adware or spyware or worms running on your computer. But maybe you can follow some of these links and find some tools you can use to deal with some of the bad things on your computer.
You might need some special equipment to grab the cache.

Solve for N AB CD.EFG W HIJ KL.MNO
1. Port Numbers
TCP and UDP are transport protocols used for communication between computers. The IANA (look it up) is responsible for assigning port numbers to specific uses.
You can use this site for research, and for solving this first question. (visit link)
AB = The official port used by computers and the internet for TCP and UDP for checking TIME = __ .

2. IP Addresses

The four numbers in an IP address are called octets, because they each have eight positions when viewed in binary form. If you add all the positions together, you get 32, which is why IP addresses are considered 32-bit numbers. Since each of the eight positions can have two different states (1 or 0) the total number of possible combinations per octet is 28 or 256. So each octet can contain any value between 0 and 255. Combine the four octets and you get 232 or a possible 4,294,967,296 unique values!

Out of the almost 4.3 billion possible combinations, certain values are restricted from use as typical IP addresses. For example, the IP address 0.0.0.0 is reserved for the default network and the address 255.255.255.255 is used for broadcasts.

Some IP addresses are reserved for different countries. Every computer has an IP address, and blocks of them are reserved for different countries.

The first octet, in hexadecimal form for Melbourne, Australia is 79H. Put the decimal 3 digit value into HIJ

If you want you can use this free tool for converting values. (visit link)

3. Binary data. Computers communicate in electronic pulses in binary form, 1 being a pulse over a certain voltage, and 0 being a pulse under a certain voltage.
A series of 1 and 0's are used to translate into human understandable form, base 10 numbers, which can then be translated via ASCII code into characters.
You can use (visit link) for some help.

KL = decimal value for 0011 0110= __

4. ASCII Code or glyph.
E = ascii value for 0011 0000 = ___
CD = EE

5. A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. However, the term "virus" is commonly used, albeit erroneously, to refer to many different types of malware programs. The original virus may modify the copies, or the copies may modify themselves, as occurs in a metamorphic virus. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or the Internet, or by carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, or USB drive. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a file that appears harmless until executed.
Look at the lists of viruses at: (visit link)
F= October 2007 virus named W32/Traxg Position in list = ____
Note: as months go by, you will have to check the archive on this page for October 2007.

6. spyware

Unlike viruses and worms, spyware does not usually self-replicate. Like many recent viruses, however, spyware — by design — exploits infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements; theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers); monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites.

You can read more about spyware and adware at
(visit link)
What is the 2nd digit of the former name of the Zango Spyware program?

2nd digit of a 3 digit number that was Zangos former name= ____ . G= answer -1 = ______.

7. encryption...https
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information (referred to as plaintext) to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information (in cryptography, referred to as ciphertext). In many contexts, the word encryption also implicitly refers to the reverse process, decryption (e.g. “software for encryption” can typically also perform decryption), to make the encrypted information readable again (i.e. to make it unencrypted).

There is an encryption algorithm on this page, used when the hints are encrypted and decrypted.
Using the encryption technique used on this page, decrypt the text "GUERR"
M = _______

8. pinging and smurfing
Go to the Ping page: (visit link)
Try pinging 127.0.0.1. Heres how on a Windows machine. Click start..run... type in 'ping 127.0.0.1'. You are pinging your own machine.
How many bytes were returned? Divide the answer by 4 and subtract 1 for N.

If you didn't get the answer that way, research the value for the packet size, in bytes, that when overrode, results in 'the ping of death'.
Take that number of bytes, divide by 8 and subtract 1 for N.

N= __

9. Web Services
Web Services are little programs that start up when the operating system starts up. Starting up too many can slow performance down. Some of them are installed without your knowledge, and could be timebombs, waiting to unleash their mischief on a certain date.
Read about them at: (visit link)

What are services? By definition, it's a program that runs invisibly in the background. But can't the same thing be said for a number of programs that run in the background such as anti-virus programs? Yes, but the real difference is that services load and start running whether or not anyone logs into the computer, unlike a program that is launched from the Startup Folder under All Programs.

The easiest way to download programs (that can become unwanted services) from the web inadvertently is to open up email attachments, and to click on unknown ads and links on the web. These can even be from people you know, because they might not know that a virus or spyware program is attached to their email. When you open an email attachment, the program can execute and install a resident program behind the scenes that can be doing anything. On windows, you can press , and then select applications. This shows the obvious programs that are running. Now look at the processes tab. This shows services and many other programs that are running on your computer. If your computer is doing a lot of 'work', and you don't know what is up, use the task manager to watch the processes and get familiar with some of the processes that are running. If one process is using a lot of CPU time, and your computer performance is affected, you might try killing the process. If you do this, and its an important windows process, you might have to reboot, and start over.

Then, if you are suspicious about a process, look it up at the link below.

Go to: (visit link)

Here you can determine if the process is legitimate or not.

Now look up the process called "farmmext" in the 'f' link of the database.
Which step refers to their 'ultimate troubleshooter?

Answer = _________.

O = Answer +3 = ________.

Checksum = _54___

Part 2: You've got your coordinates, and you're ready to go get it:
Its somewhere in Nisene Marks forest, and it costs $6.00 to go in past the kiosk. People do get tickets when they ignore the kiosk.
Its not too strenuous to bike or hike in from the entrance.

Possible extra tools needed to retrieve the cache (but you might be able to do it without any of them):
1. rope
2. flashlight
3. small ladder
4. cell phone
5. rubber booties

Go to the coordinates. Go to the center of the obvious structure.
Pick up a round pebble.
Put the pebble on the center of the structure on the East side.
Flick the pebble with your finger, straight out.
Watch the pebble. You will be looking for the cache near the pebble landing site. Not near the pebble launching site.
If you have a phone signal, dial the number (831-688-9896 ). Go to where the phone is ringing.
If you don't have a signal, look for the payphone. Go there.
Find the path between the phone and the coordinates location. There are 2 fairly safe paths to follow (in dry weather), one on each side of the road.

Go get the cache. Do it safely. Not recommended on wet days.
FTF can have a desk clock.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ab uvagf lrg.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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