Hack The Box Hardware Exploitation Track: Low Logic

Low Logic is the second challenge in the Hardware Exploitation track on Hack The Box. This challenge is a brilliant reminder that hacking doesn’t always start with a terminal or a cyber tool — it can begin with something as deceptively simple as a picture of a circuit.

The challenge description includes - "I have this simple chip, I want you to understand how it's works and then give me the output."

Challenge: Low Level Category: Hardware Exploitation Difficulty: Very Easy Points: 10 Link: Challenge Link

Initial Foothold

First things first, we grab the downloadable ZIP file provided with the challenge, aptly named Low Level.zip, and unzip it with the ever-reliable password (hackthebox):

unzip 'Low Level.zip'

This drops us into a directory named hw_lowlogic, which contains two files:

cd hw_lowlogic 
ls

Files received:

• chip.jpg — the star of the show
• input.csv — our digital test bench

We confirm their types using:

file *

File Breakdown

Chip.jpg

Opening this image reveals a simple but rich schematic diagram of a circuit.

The diagram features four labeled inputs — IN0 to IN3 — flowing into what looks like a cluster of resistors and transistors, and finally resulting in a single output: OUT0.

The layout screams logic gates, and sure enough, once you squint a bit, you can identify the patterns of AND and OR gates built from transistors. It’s basically a visual puzzle that needs translating into logical operations.

Transistors are acting as logic switches here. When configured in series or parallel, they behave like ANDs and ORs respectively.