Rating:

# IceCTF 2016 – Matrix

## Problem

>I like to approach problems with a fresh perspective and try to visualize the problem at hand.

## Solution

Import the challenge file as a list of strings.

```mathematica
matrix = Import[
"https://play.icec.tf/problem-static/matrix_adf1a8f010f541cb171910f7afe1f86d41ce1669c51e318bb84c3c2e4397e2f4.txt",
"List"]
```

```
{"0x00000000", "0xff71fefe", "0x83480082", "0xbb4140ba",
"0xbb6848ba", "0xbb4a80ba", "0x83213082", "0xff5556fe", "0xff5556fe",
"0x00582e00", "0x576fb9be", "0x707ef09e", "0xe74b41d6", "0xa82c0f16",
"0x27a15690", "0x8c643628", "0xbfcbf976", "0x4cd959aa", "0x2f43d73a",
"0x5462300a", "0x57290106", "0xb02ace5a", "0xef53f7fc", "0xef53f7fc",
"0x00402e36", "0xff01b6a8", "0x83657e3a", "0xbb3b27fa", "0xbb5eaeac",
"0xbb1017a0", "0x8362672c", "0xff02a650", "0x00000000"}
```

Convert each hex number to a list of binary digits.

```mathematica
binary = IntegerDigits[FromDigits[StringTrim[#, "0x"], 16], 2, 32] & /@ matrix
```

```
{{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0},
{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0},
{0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0},
{0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0},
{0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0},
{1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0},
{0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0},
{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0},
{1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0},
{1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0},
{1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0},
{1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0},
{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}}
```

Attempt to create a QR code from the data. There is some corruption that looks like duplicated rows or columns.

```mathematica
ColorNegate@Image@binary
```

![corrupted qr code image](qrcode-corrupt.png)

Delete duplicate rows, then transpose the matrix to delete duplicate columns.

```mathematica
cleaned = DeleteDuplicates@Transpose@DeleteDuplicates@binary;
```

Create an image from the cleaned up data.

```mathematica
image = ColorNegate@Image[cleaned]
```

![qr code image](qrcode.png)

Read the QR code.

```mathematica
BarcodeRecognize[image]
```

```
IceCTF{1F_y0U_l0oK_c1Os3lY_EV3rY7h1N9_i5_1s_4nD_0s}
```

Original writeup (https://github.com/bburky/mathematica-ctf-writeups/tree/master/QR%20code).