Part time CTF Player learn every day!!
🌠 I Love Hoshimachi Suisei!! 🌠
🌠 I Love Hoshimachi Suisei!! 🌠

OverTheWire Bandit Level 0 tutorial!!

overthewire bandit walkthrough ctf linux beginner

Published on 10 Jan 2023

Ssh

This is the Bandit server login info (top-left on the official page): it shows the Host and Port you need.

ssh bandit0@bandit.labs.overthewire.org -p 2220
# password: bandit0

Task

Log into the game using SSH.

Task

Your goal for this first level is simply to connect to the remote machine successfully.

SSH (Secure Shell Protocol) lets you connect securely to a remote machine over an encrypted channel.
The typical syntax is:
```
ssh <username>@<server> -p <port>
```
Here, bandit0 is the username, bandit.labs.overthewire.org is the host, and -p 2220 uses the custom port 2220 instead of the default 22.
On Windows you can use WSL or PuTTY; on Linux/macOS just use the built-in Terminal.
After a successful login, you land in the user’s home directory (shown by ~ in the prompt).

Further reading:

Open a terminal Use Terminal (macOS/Linux) or WSL/PowerShell/PuTTY on Windows.
Run the SSH command:
```
ssh bandit0@bandit.labs.overthewire.org -p 2220
```
Why? ssh starts a secure session as user bandit0 to the host on port 2220 (Bandit’s custom port).
First-time prompt: accept the host key You may see:
```
The authenticity of host ... can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?
```
Type yes. Why? SSH stores the server’s fingerprint in ~/.ssh/known_hosts so future connections can detect tampering (prevents man-in-the-middle).
Enter the password (hidden input):
```
bandit0
```
Why? SSH does not echo characters for security; just type and press Enter.

Verify you’re in as bandit0 You should see a prompt like:

bandit0@bandit:~$

Optionally confirm:

whoami   # should print: bandit0
pwd      # should print: /home/bandit0 (or similar)

Troubleshooting quick tips

ssh: connect to host ... port 2220: Connection timed out → Check your internet/firewall; make sure -p 2220 is present.
Permission denied → Re-check the username (bandit0) and password (bandit0).
Host key verification failed → If you changed DNS/IP recently, remove the old entry in ~/.ssh/known_hosts and reconnect.

Congrats 🎉 You’re now logged in as bandit0 and ready for the next level.

Until next time — Otsumachi!! 💖☄️✨

Cinema