analyze

name	analyze
description	Analyze CTF challenge files to detect category and suggest next steps. Use when starting a new challenge, receiving unknown files, or needing triage. Triggers: file, strings, xxd, binwalk output, unknown binaries, .bin .dat .raw .enc files, "what is this file", "analyze this", "identify challenge type". Routes to crypto/forensics/stego/web/pwn/ reverse/osint/misc skills based on detection.

CTF Analyze

Analyze challenge files to determine type and suggest approaches.

When to Use

Use this command when you have new challenge files and need to:

• Identify the challenge category (crypto, forensics, stego, web, pwn, reversing, OSINT, misc)
• Detect file types and formats
• Get initial suggestions for tools to use
• Understand what you're working with

Bundled Scripts

• check-tools.sh — Verify required analysis tools are installed
• triage.sh — Multi-step triage pipeline: file type → strings → binwalk → category suggestion. Produces a JSON summary with detected category, confidence score, and recommended next skill.
• run-strings.sh — Extract strings with pattern detection (flags, URLs, hashes, credentials). Outputs JSON with categorized findings.

Instructions

1. First check tool availability: bash scripts/check-tools.sh

2. Recommended: Run the full triage pipeline for automatic category detection:

   bash scripts/triage.sh $ARGUMENTS
   

   The triage script chains: file → strings → binwalk → exiftool, then outputs a JSON summary including:

   • category: detected challenge type (crypto, forensics, stego, etc.)
   • confidence: detection confidence (0-100%)
   • suggested_skill: which /ctf-kit:* command to use next
   • findings: flags, URLs, hashes, base64 strings found
   • embedded_signatures: files hidden inside the challenge file

3. For strings-only analysis with pattern detection:

   bash scripts/run-strings.sh $ARGUMENTS
   

4. Or run the CLI analysis:

   ctf analyze $ARGUMENTS
   

5. Read the JSON output at the end of each script. It contains structured data you can use to decide next steps. The suggestions field tells you exactly what to do next.

6. Based on the triage results, use the recommended skill:

   • /ctf-kit:crypto for cryptography challenges
   • /ctf-kit:forensics for forensics challenges
   • /ctf-kit:stego for steganography challenges
   • /ctf-kit:web for web security challenges
   • /ctf-kit:pwn for binary exploitation challenges
   • /ctf-kit:reverse for reverse engineering challenges
   • /ctf-kit:osint for OSINT challenges
   • /ctf-kit:misc for miscellaneous challenges

Output Format

All scripts produce a === PARSED RESULTS (JSON) === section with structured data. Key fields:

Field	Description
category	Detected challenge category
confidence	Detection confidence (0.0-1.0)
suggested_skill	Which skill to invoke next
findings.flags	Any flags found in strings
suggestions	Actionable next steps

Example Usage

/ctf-kit:analyze challenge.bin
/ctf-kit:analyze ./challenge-folder/

Related Commands

• /ctf-kit:crypto - Crypto-specific analysis
• /ctf-kit:forensics - Forensics analysis
• /ctf-kit:stego - Steganography analysis