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wtf is vaultbreaker?

wkt21/vaultbreaker — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-25

2PHPAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TL;DR

A practice hacking lab simulating easy capture-the-flag challenges. It teaches web exploits and Linux privilege escalation through three guided flag captures in a safe virtual environment.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Mimics CTF challenges
      Three flags to capture
      Easy difficulty rating
    Tech stack
      PHP web app
      Docker deployment
      VirtualBox OVA image
    Use cases
      Learn file inclusion
      Practice password cracking
      Practice privilege escalation
    Audience
      Security students
      CTF beginners
      Training instructors

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Practice exploiting local file inclusion bugs to read protected files.

REASON 2

Learn to crack password hashes and gain admin access to a web app.

REASON 3

Deploy a PHP reverse shell via file upload and escalate to root.

REASON 4

Run a ready-made CTF challenge for security training classes.

What's in the stack?

PHPDockerSQLiteVirtualBoxQEMU

How it stacks up

wkt21/vaultbreakerbixuehujin/blink-sentryelreydetoda/uncc-itis_4221
Stars222
LanguagePHPPHPPHP
Last pushed2024-07-312019-03-26
MaintenanceStaleDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasymoderate
Complexity3/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Easiest path is Docker, building the full OVA image requires a Linux host with debootstrap and QEMU utilities.

No license information is provided in the repository.

Wtf does this do

VaultBreaker is an intentionally vulnerable training environment built to mimic challenges found on penetration testing platforms like Hack The Box. It is written in PHP and ships in two interchangeable formats: a Docker setup for quick deployment, and a full bootable virtual machine image for VirtualBox or VMware. The difficulty is rated easy, and the challenge spans web and Linux privilege escalation skills. The goal is to capture three flags in sequence. The first flag requires exploiting a local file inclusion bug in a document viewer to read a protected file. The second flag involves leaking the application configuration and SQLite database through that same bug, then cracking an administrator password hash to log into an admin console. The third flag asks the attacker to abuse the admin file upload feature to deploy a PHP reverse shell, then use sudo misconfiguration to gain root access and read the final flag. The repository contains the vulnerable web application, the flag files, a PHP reverse shell payload, and build scripts for generating the OVA image. Documentation includes a full worked solution and a guide for importing and networking the virtual machine. The OVA build process requires a Linux host with tools like debootstrap and QEMU utilities to construct the image from source. For instructors, the README lists every flag value, the administrator password, and console credentials. It also provides a vulnerability summary mapping each step to a corresponding Common Weakness Enumeration identifier. The intended learning path covers file inclusion, password cracking, unrestricted file upload, and sudo privilege escalation. The project is meant for educational use only. The README warns that the image is deliberately insecure and should be run in isolation, never on untrusted networks. The virtual machine allows root login over SSH for convenience, which should be hardened before broader deployment.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up the VaultBreaker Docker environment locally and walk me through finding the first flag via the file inclusion vulnerability.
Prompt 2
I have the leaked SQLite database from VaultBreaker. Guide me through cracking the admin password hash and logging into the admin console to get flag two.
Prompt 3
Walk me through using the admin file upload feature in VaultBreaker to deploy a PHP reverse shell and then exploit sudo misconfiguration to capture the root flag.
Prompt 4
Explain how each VaultBreaker flag maps to its Common Weakness Enumeration identifier and what real-world mitigation would prevent each exploit.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is vaultbreaker?

A practice hacking lab simulating easy capture-the-flag challenges. It teaches web exploits and Linux privilege escalation through three guided flag captures in a safe virtual environment.

What language is vaultbreaker written in?

Mainly PHP. The stack also includes PHP, Docker, SQLite.

What license does vaultbreaker use?

No license information is provided in the repository.

How hard is vaultbreaker to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is vaultbreaker for?

Mainly developer.

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