Puppycode

Platform: CUSTOM | Category: Crypto | Type: Challenge | Difficulty: Easy | OS: N/A | **Author: XESXOR Techniques: IDN domain name decoding, Punycode decoding

Summary

Walkthrough of the CUSTOM Crypto Puppycode. Task: Punycode-encoded domain name. Solution: Decode using Python punycode decoder to reveal Unicode flag.

Description

Punycode-encoded domain name. Decode to get Unicode flag.

Solution

data.encode('ascii').decode('punycode') → spbctf{REDACTED} ‍​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍

Key Takeaways / Lessons

• Mastering IDN domain name decoding, Punycode decoding was key to this challenge.
• Always check for common misconfigurations and verify assumptions.

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Crafted by XESXOR Research • 2026-03-08 • CUSTOM • Puppycode • Difficulty: Easy