Challenge#

A passenger posted a photo of their flight ticket online. The ticket is heavily pixelated, but some details are still recoverable.

We need to identify:

• Passenger first and last name
• Seat number
• Arrival airport IATA code

Final answer format:

OSINT{NAME_SURNAME_SEATNUMBER_AIRPORTIATA}

Example: OSINT{JOHN_DOE_14A_JFK}

Evidence (given image)#

Step 1 — Check metadata (quick win)#

First, I checked the image metadata using exiftool to see if there was anything useful (author, GPS, description, etc.).

The only “hash-looking” value here is the IPTC Digest. In our file it is:

d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e

That is the MD5 hash for an empty value, so it does not help us identify the passenger or route.

Step 2 — Reverse image search#

Since the content is pixelated, the best approach is to find the original (unmodified) image online.

I used a reverse image search (Google Images / Lens works fine) with the ticket photo.

One of the results matched the same boarding pass layout and background.

Step 3 — Confirm the original source and read the details#

The matching (unpixelated) photo was found on a WordPress blog post:

https://mc3michael.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/a-rare-treat-flying-first-class-internationally-on-an-american-airlines-777-200er/

From the original image, we can extract the needed fields:

• Name: MICHAEL CHEN
• Seat: 3D
• Departure airport: LAX (Los Angeles)
• Date: 09 JUN 2013
• Booking reference (PNR): ONKMIF (not needed for the final flag)

Step 4 — Identify the arrival airport IATA code#

The remaining missing piece is the arrival airport IATA code.

From the original boarding pass image, the destination airport is Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which has the IATA code PVG.

Final flag#

OSINT{MICHAEL_CHEN_3D_PVG}