Pwnote hackthebox
AI agent skills for Pwnote Pentest Notebook
npx -y skills add Pwnote/skills --skill pwnote-hacktheboxAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
2 things to look at
- 14 days oldThe repository was created 14 days ago. New is not bad, but a brand new repository carrying a familiar-sounding name is the shape a typosquat arrives in, and there has been no time for anyone else to find a problem with it.
- 3 stars3 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
What its author says it does
Copied from the file, not written here
Use whenever the user is working a HackTheBox (HTB) machine or challenge — structuring recon/foothold/privesc notes, building an enumeration checklist, tracking a multi-hop attack path, or writing a writeup (respecting HTB's retirement rules before publishing). Trigger on "HTB", "HackTheBox box", "pwn this machine", or "root this box", even without the word "skill".
SKILL.md
3.3 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
HackTheBox Workflow
Reference for structuring notes on an HTB machine from initial recon through root, and for producing writeups once the box is eligible for public writeups.
1. Machine Note Structure
One pwnote doc per phase:
01_Recon — port scan, service enum, initial findings
02_Foothold — initial access vector and how it was gained
03_PrivEsc — privilege escalation path
04_Flags — user.txt / root.txt with timestamps
For multi-target/Pro Labs-style engagements, add a 00_Network_Overview doc and use a topology board to track hosts and pivot paths.
2. Enumeration Checklist
Standard checklist block to run against every new box before diving into a specific service:
{
"title": "Initial Enumeration",
"items": [
{ "text": "Full TCP port scan (all 65535)", "done": false },
{ "text": "Service/version detection on open ports", "done": false },
{ "text": "UDP scan of common ports", "done": false },
{ "text": "Web: directory/vhost enumeration if HTTP(S) present", "done": false },
{ "text": "Web: identify tech stack/CMS/framework", "done": false },
{ "text": "SMB/NFS/FTP: check for anonymous/guest access", "done": false },
{ "text": "Check for default/weak credentials on any discovered service", "done": false },
{ "text": "Note OS fingerprint for privesc reference selection", "done": false }
]
}
3. Privilege Escalation Reference
Keep OS-specific privesc categories in reference files rather than inline — load the relevant one once you know the target OS:
references/linux-privesc.md— enumeration categories for Linux privescreferences/windows-privesc.md— enumeration categories for Windows privesc
These are checklists of what to look for, not exploit code — the actual technique/command should come from your own tooling/notes at execution time.
4. Writeup vs Private Note Distinction
Before generating a public-facing writeup, confirm the box is retired. HTB's terms prohibit publishing writeups (including spoilers/flags) for active machines. If the user asks for a writeup and hasn't confirmed retirement status, ask before producing public-facing content — private working notes are fine regardless of retirement status.
Public writeup structure once eligible:
# HTB: [Machine Name] ([Difficulty])
## Recon
[methodology, not just raw scan output]
## Foothold
[vulnerability class + how it was identified and exploited, explained]
## Privilege Escalation
[misconfiguration/technique class explained]
## Flags
[redact actual flag values]
5. Attack-Path Board
For boxes with a non-linear path (multiple services chained, credential reuse across hosts), use a killchain or topology board with nodes for each host/credential/finding and edges labeled by relationship ("credential", "pivot", "exploits") — matches the pwnote board schema directly.