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📸 Images & Metadata

Photos carry hidden information called metadata — details recorded automatically by the camera. You'll also find messages hidden inside image files themselves. Time to dig deeper than the pixels.

0/6 solved · 0/120 pts

📋 How to View Image Metadata on Windows

Download an image, then:

Right-click the image file in File Explorer

Click Properties at the bottom of the menu

Click the Details tab at the top of the Properties window

Scroll down — you'll see camera details, dates, GPS coordinates, and comments

The Details tab shows EXIF data — information automatically embedded in photos by cameras and phones.

This classified photo has a secret date hidden in its metadata. Download it, right-click → Properties → Details, and find the Date taken field.

📥 Download Photo 1
Enter the date as: agent{day-month-year} using numbers only (e.g. agent{3-january-2022}). The month is a word, the day and year are numbers.

After downloading, right-click the file → Properties → Details tab. Look in the "Origin" section for "Date taken". It shows as YYYY:MM:DD — convert that to day-month-year for the flag (e.g. 2022:01:03 → agent{3-january-2022}).

✓ The photo was taken on 15 July 2023! Cameras record the date and time automatically — even if someone tries to hide when a photo was taken.

Photos store the camera make and model in EXIF data. An investigator can use this to identify which device took a photo. Find out what camera took this photo.

📥 Download Photo 2
In Properties → Details, find the Camera maker and Camera model fields. Enter the model name (manufacturer + model, hyphens between words) as the flag: agent{maker-model-letters-numbers}.

In the Details tab, scroll to the Camera section. You'll see "Camera maker" and "Camera model" listed separately. The flag combines both (all lowercase, hyphens between words): e.g. "Sony Alpha A7" becomes agent{sony-alpha-a7}.

✓ A Canon EOS R5! Phone photos also embed the phone model — investigators use this to match photos to specific devices.

Many phone cameras embed GPS coordinates in photos. This tells investigators exactly where a photo was taken — even if the photographer didn't intend to share that.

📥 Download Photo 3
In Properties → Details, find the GPS latitude and GPS longitude fields. Then plug those coordinates into Google Maps to find the location.

Hint: You're looking for coordinates near central London.
Format in Properties: deg ° min ' sec " N/S and E/W

The famous landmark at those coordinates (two words, hyphen between) is the flag: agent{location-name}.

In the Details tab, look for "GPS latitude" and "GPS longitude". Convert degrees/minutes/seconds to decimal (or just type the numbers into Google Maps, e.g. "51.508, -0.128"). The location is a very famous landmark in central London — you'll recognise it instantly when you see it on the map.

✓ Trafalgar Square! Every time you take a photo on a phone with location services on, this information is recorded. That's why it's important to check before sharing!

The EXIF format includes fields for the photographer to leave notes — like a "Description" or "Comment" field. These fields can contain anything, including secret messages.

📥 Download Photo 4
In Properties → Details, scroll through the fields and look for a Comment or Description field. It contains the flag directly.

In the Details tab, scroll down to the "Description" section. Look for a field named "Comment" or "Subject" — one of these contains the flag starting with agent{.

✓ Hidden in the comment field! Digital forensics investigators always check metadata fields — they often contain evidence that people forget they left behind.

This image looks normal. But image files are just collections of bytes — and anyone can add extra bytes to the end of a file. The image viewer ignores the extra bytes, but a text editor reveals them.

📥 Download the Image
After downloading, open the file in Notepad (right-click → Open with → Notepad). Most of the file will look like gibberish (binary data), but scroll to the very end of the file — you'll find readable text there.

In Notepad, use Ctrl+End to jump to the end of the file immediately. The hidden message is at the very bottom, after all the binary data.

At the end of the file, you'll see a section that looks like: --- HIDDEN MESSAGE --- followed by the flag, then --- END ---.

✓ Hidden in the bytes! This technique — hiding data after an image — is used in real steganography. Image viewers only show the pixels; a text editor shows everything.

These two photos look identical. But one of them contains a hidden message. Download both and figure out which one — then find the flag.

Photo A

📥 Download A

Photo B

📥 Download B

✓ File size reveals all! In real investigations, comparing file sizes can reveal when data has been hidden inside a file — a technique called steganography.