OSINT Industries Christmas 2025 CTF

Find the Masked Man

Description

In this first challenge, a photograph was taken on December 3rd, 2023 around 18:00 and we must identify the nearest metro station in Paris. We also get a hint that the scene is located near the intersection of a Rue and an Avenue.

Solution

I crop on the part of the image that shows shops.

I can distinctively read “Julien”, and then perhaps “Brasserie” or “Creperie” or something like that, and a shop name ending “Aid” (maybe an English name).

I upload the image in Google images, but it doesn’t find anything that strikes me as interesting. Then, I ask ChatGPT we answer bulshit (it reads Brasserie Aid and Creperie Julien etc).

There is a brasserie named Chez Julien, but it doesn’t look the same, and the street doesn’t look the same either (the picture was taken 2 years ago, shops may change, but not buildings !).

Then I realize this is maybe “patisserie”. And there is a Patisserie Julien. So, I get the address: 73 av Franklin D Roosevelt, 75008 Paris.

Now, I head to Google Maps and find the nearest metro station which is Saint Philippe du Roule

According to flag format, the flag is OSINT{SAINT_PHILIPPE_DU_ROULE}.