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docs: update format of readme
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00-mini-hack-overview.md
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00-mini-hack-overview.md
···
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```
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External Network (172.20.0.0/16)
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├── Kali External: 172.20.2
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├── Kali External: 172.20.0.2
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├── Router External: 172.20.<team>.1
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└── Scoring Server: 172.20.1
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└── Scoring Server: 172.20.0.1
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Internal Network (192.168.<team>.0/24)
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├── Router Internal: 192.168.<team>.1
···
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### 1. Find Your Team Number
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**On Kali External**:
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```bash
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ip addr show # Look for 172.20.X
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# If you see 172.20.2, your team number is 2
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# Check scoreboard at http://172.20.1 for confirmation
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```
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Check scoreboard at http://172.20.1 for team number (username: `sandbox` pass: `password`).
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### 2. Configure Router
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**Login to MikroTik** (via ProxMox console or SSH):
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```bash
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# Default login
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admin
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```
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**Assign IP addresses**:
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```bash
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/interface print
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# External interface
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/ip address add address=172.20.<team>.1/16 interface=ether3
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/ip address add address=172.20.<team>.1/16 interface=ether#
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# Internal interface
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/ip address add address=192.168.<team>.1/24 interface=ether4
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/ip address add address=192.168.<team>.1/24 interface=ether#
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# Verify
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/ip address print
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```
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**Or use Web GUI**: `http://172.20.<team>.1:8080`
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- Login: `admin` / `<your password>`
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- Go to **Quick Set**
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- Enter external IP: `172.20.<team>.1/16`
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- Enter internal IP: `192.168.<team>.1/24`
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- ✅ **Check "Enable NAT"** (required!)
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- Click **Apply Configuration**
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The webgui can't be used here because there are no ip addresses assigned to it yet.
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### 3. Configure Ubuntu Web Server
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**Assign static IP**:
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```bash
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sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-network-manager-all.yaml
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```
···
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ping 192.168.<team>.1 # Test router connectivity
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```
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or open settings -> enable wired and config there
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**Start Apache**:
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```bash
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sudo systemctl restart apache2
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sudo systemctl status apache2 # Should show "active (running)"
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```
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**Test locally**:
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```bash
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curl http://192.168.<team>.2 # Should return HTML
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sudo vi /var/www/html/index.html # change team number
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```
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### 4. Configure Port Forwarding (Router)
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**Web GUI Method** (recommended):
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**Web GUI**:
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```
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http://172.20.<team>.1:8080
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```
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1. Go to **Quick Set** → **Port Mapping**
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1. Go to **Quick Set** → **Port Mapping** (enable nat here and change gateway to `172.20.1.1`)
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2. Click **New**
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- Name: `www-tcp`
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- Protocol: `TCP`
···
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### 5. Test From External Network
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**On Kali External**:
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```bash
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ping 172.20.<team>.1 # Router should respond
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curl http://172.20.<team>.1 # Should show web content from internal server
···
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All lights should be green!
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## Quick Troubleshooting
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| Problem | Check |
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|---------|-------|
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| Router not pingable | Verify IP on ether3: `/ip address print` |
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| Web not accessible | 1. Is Apache running? 2. Did you enable NAT? 3. Port forwarding rules exist? |
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| Internal server can't reach router | Check internal IP on ether4, verify gateway in netplan |
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| Lights still red | Wait 30 seconds for scoring refresh, check exact IPs match topology |
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## Configuration Files Reference
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**Router**: Web GUI at `http://172.20.<team>.1:8080` or CLI via console
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**Ubuntu Web Server**:
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- Network: `/etc/netplan/01-network-manager-all.yaml`
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- Apache: `sudo systemctl restart apache2`
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- Website content: `/var/www/html/`
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**Kali Machines**: For testing only, no configuration needed
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## Common Mistakes
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❌ Forgot to enable NAT on router
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❌ Port forwarding only has TCP rule (need UDP too)
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❌ Wrong team number in IP addresses
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❌ Apache not started on Ubuntu
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❌ Netplan syntax error (YAML is whitespace-sensitive)
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❌ Router interface names wrong (check with `interface print`)
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## Time-Saving Tips
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1. Use **web GUI for router** - faster than CLI for NAT/port forwarding
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2. Copy/paste team number once you know it - avoid typos
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3. Test each step before moving on (ping, curl, status checks)
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4. If stuck, verify each light's requirement on scoreboard
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README.md
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README.md
···
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# Linux Service Configuration Writeups
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# NCAE Linux Competition Tools
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> [!CAUTION]
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> These writeups are tailored for NCAE cybersecurity competitions and may not reflect production best practices.
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>
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> Focus is on speed and competition scenarios, not enterprise deployment.
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Quick reference guides for configuring services in Linux competitions. Assumes basic Linux knowledge (filesystem navigation, systemctl, ssh, etc.).
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## Writeups
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## The Layout
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0. **[Mini-Hack Quick Start](00-mini-hack-overview.md)** - Complete mini-hack walkthrough checklist
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1. **[Services Overview](01-services-overview.md)** - General approach to any service
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2. **[Apache Web Service](02-apache-web-service.md)** - HTTP/HTTPS server configuration
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3. **[SSH Service](03-ssh-service.md)** - Remote access, keys, security
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4. **[Network Configuration](04-network-configuration.md)** - Static IPs across different distros
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5. **[DNS, Rsync, Cron](05-dns-rsync-cron.md)** - Name resolution and automated backups
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6. **[UFW Firewall](06-ufw-firewall.md)** - Ubuntu firewall configuration
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7. **[Active Connection Defense](07-active-connection-defense.md)** - Monitor and kill malicious connections
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8. **[MikroTik Router](08-mikrotik-router.md)** - Router configuration (2025 competition)
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```bash
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~/ncae-tools
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├── 00-mini-hack-overview.md # Complete mini-hack walkthrough checklist
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├── 01-services-overview.md # General approach to any service
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├── 02-apache-web-service.md # HTTP/HTTPS server configuration
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├── 03-ssh-service.md # Remote access, keys, security
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├── 04-network-configuration.md # Static IPs across different distros
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├── 05-dns-rsync-cron.md # Name resolution and automated backups
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├── 06-ufw-firewall.md # Ubuntu firewall configuration
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├── 07-active-connection-defense.md # Monitor and kill malicious connections
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└── 08-mikrotik-router.md # Router configuration (2025 minitik)
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```
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## Service-Specific Quick Reference
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### Apache Service Names
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```bash
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apache2 # Ubuntu/Debian/Kali
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httpd # CentOS/RHEL
···
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### Network Configuration Files
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| Distribution | Config Location |
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|--------------|----------------|
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| Kali/Debian | `/etc/network/interfaces` |
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| Ubuntu | `/etc/netplan/*.yaml` |
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| Distribution | Config Location |
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| ------------ | ---------------------------------------- |
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| Kali/Debian | `/etc/network/interfaces` |
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| Ubuntu | `/etc/netplan/*.yaml` |
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| CentOS/RHEL | `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-*` |
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### SSH Key Permissions
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```bash
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chmod 700 ~/.ssh/
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chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa # Private key
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```
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Regenerate host keys on cloned VMs:
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```bash
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sudo ssh-keygen -A
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sudo systemctl restart sshd
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```
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### UFW Firewall
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```bash
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sudo ufw enable
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sudo ufw allow ssh
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```
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### Active Connection Monitoring
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```bash
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sudo netstat -tunap # All connections with PIDs
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sudo netstat -tunap | grep ESTABLISHED # Only active
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```
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### MikroTik Router
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**CLI**:
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```bash
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/ip address print
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/ip address add address=192.168.1.1/24 interface=ether3
···
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Default login: `admin` / (blank password)
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### Rsync + Cron
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**Rsync common patterns**:
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```bash
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rsync -av source/ dest/ # Basic sync
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rsync -av --delete source/ dest/ # Mirror (delete extra files in dest)
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```
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**Cron syntax**: `minute hour day month weekday command`
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```
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0 2 * * * /path/to/backup.sh # Daily at 2 AM
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*/15 * * * * /path/to/script.sh # Every 15 minutes
···
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## Distribution Differences
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| Feature | Ubuntu | Kali | CentOS/RHEL |
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|---------|--------|------|-------------|
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| Apache service | `apache2` | `apache2` | `httpd` |
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| Network config | netplan YAML | interfaces | ifcfg-* scripts |
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| Firewall | UFW | iptables | firewall-cmd |
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| Cron service | `cron` | `cron` | `crond` |
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| Feature | Ubuntu | Kali | CentOS/RHEL |
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| -------------- | ------------ | ---------- | ---------------- |
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| Apache service | `apache2` | `apache2` | `httpd` |
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| Network config | netplan YAML | interfaces | ifcfg-\* scripts |
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| Firewall | UFW | iptables | firewall-cmd |
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| Cron service | `cron` | `cron` | `crond` |
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**Router (2025)**: All distributions use MikroTik (replaces CentOS router)
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···
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## Critical Configuration Locations
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| Service | Config File(s) |
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|---------|---------------|
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| SSH | `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` |
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| Apache (Ubuntu) | `/etc/apache2/apache2.conf`, `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` |
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| Apache (CentOS) | `/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf`, `/etc/httpd/conf.d/` |
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| Network (Kali) | `/etc/network/interfaces` |
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| Network (Ubuntu) | `/etc/netplan/*.yaml` |
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| Network (CentOS) | `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-*` |
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| DNS resolution | `/etc/resolv.conf` |
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| Cron jobs | `crontab -e` (per-user), `/etc/crontab` (system-wide) |
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| Service | Config File(s) |
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| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
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| SSH | `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` |
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| Apache (Ubuntu) | `/etc/apache2/apache2.conf`, `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` |
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| Apache (CentOS) | `/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf`, `/etc/httpd/conf.d/` |
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| Network (Kali) | `/etc/network/interfaces` |
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| Network (Ubuntu) | `/etc/netplan/*.yaml` |
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| Network (CentOS) | `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-*` |
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| DNS resolution | `/etc/resolv.conf` |
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| Cron jobs | `crontab -e` (per-user), `/etc/crontab` (system-wide) |
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## Credits
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These writeups are based on real NCAE competition experience and consolidate knowledge from:
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- NCAE Cyber Games competition materials
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- Various Linux distribution documentation
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- Hands-on competition debugging and troubleshooting
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> [!NOTE]
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> The main repository is hosted on [tangled.org](https://tangled.org/dunkirk.sh/ncae-tools), with GitHub serving as a mirror.
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<p align="center">
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<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/taciturnaxolotl/carriage/master/.github/images/line-break.svg" />
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</p>
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<p align="center">
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© 2025-present <a href="https://github.com/taciturnaxolotl">Kieran Klukas</a>
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</p>
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<p align="center">
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<a href="https://github.com/taciturnaxolotl/ncae-tools/blob/main/LICENSE.md"><img src="https://img.shields.io/static/v1.svg?style=for-the-badge&label=License&message=MIT&logoColor=d9e0ee&colorA=363a4f&colorB=b7bdf8"/></a>
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</p>