Objective

We are given a .wav file and the following hint: not a steg challenge i promise

Attachments provided: /assets/img/ctf_assets/wave.wav

The goal is to find the flag hidden within this file.

Initial Thoughts

The hint clearly states that this is not a steganography challenge.
This suggests we shouldn’t waste time using tools like binwalk, zsteg, or deep audio analysis.

Instead, we should start with the basics:

  • Run strings to search for any readable text inside the file.
  • Look at file metadata, as .wav files often contain comments or metadata sections.

Exploration

We begin by listing the directory contents:

ls

Output:

wave.wav

Now, let’s run strings on the file:

strings wave.wav | head -n 10

Output:

COMM
ictf{obligatory_metadata_challenge}
RIFF
WAVEfmt 
data8
%	b	
)	h	
?	w	
	W	Y
 	]

Analysis

From the very first few lines, we immediately spot the flag:

ictf{obligatory_metadata_challenge}

This confirms the challenge was purely about checking the file metadata or raw contents — no hidden data or steganography required.

Why This Approach Works

  • The challenge explicitly hinted: “not a steg challenge i promise” This suggests that basic inspection is the correct path.
  • .wav files can store metadata tags like:
  • COMM (Comments)
  • RIFF (Standard header structure) Running strings revealed that the flag was stored in the COMM (comment) section.- Using complex steganography tools like binwalk would be unnecessary and a waste of time here. —

    Final Flag

    The flag is:

    ictf{obligatory_metadata_challenge}