Introduction
Helix is one of the most realistic OT/ICS (Operational Technology / Industrial Control System) machines on Hack The Box.
Unlike normal Linux boxes, Helix combines:
Web exploitation
Apache NiFi abuse
H2 JDBC injection
Remote Code Execution
Internal OT protocol interaction
OPC UA exploitation
Industrial safety logic manipulation
Maintenance-mode privilege escalation
This machine teaches an important real-world lesson:
In OT environments, understanding industrial process logic is just as important as understanding Linux privilege escalation.
The machine simulates a realistic industrial infrastructure where maintenance windows, PLC-style behavior, and sensor values directly influence privileged operations.
Step 1 - Reconnaissance
The very first step was performing service enumeration.
We started with an Nmap scan.
nmap -sC -sV -oN helix_nmap.txt helix.htb
Why These Flags?
Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
-sC | Run default NSE scripts |
-sV | Detect service versions |
-oN | Save output to file |
Nmap Output
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH 8.9p1 Ubuntu 3ubuntu0.15
80/tcp open http nginx 1.18.0 (Ubuntu)
Initial Observations
Only two ports were open:
Port | Service |
|---|---|
22 | SSH |
80 | HTTP |
The HTTP page title was:
Helix Industries | Industrial Automation & Critical Infrastructure
This immediately suggested:
Industrial environment
OT/ICS concepts
Internal infrastructure
Potential SCADA/PLC technologies
At this stage we knew:
Enumeration would be critical.
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