The Goal

The password for Level 2 is stored in a file named - in the home directory.

The Problem

Typing cat - does not open a file named -. The shell interprets - as a convention meaning standard input (stdin), so the terminal waits for keyboard input rather than reading the file. Something else is needed.

The Solution

Specifying an explicit path bypasses the stdin interpretation. Using cat ./- tells the shell to look for a file named - in the current directory:

bandit1@bandit:~$ cat ./-
password

Commands Covered

  • cat ./-, read a file named - by specifying it as an explicit path