OSINT Write-Up: Visual to Verbal 🇹🇷

Challenge Overview

Category: OSINT / BOOSTER Challenge Name: Visual to Verbal Flag Format: SECE{Name}

We are given a single image and one important hint:

“The author loves everything in Turkish. Keep that in mind.”

Our task is to analyze the image, extract meaningful information, and convert it into the correct flag format.

Step 1: Initial Image Analysis

At first glance, the image shows:

• A massive historic building with a large central dome
• A minaret on the left side
• The text “Istanbul, Turkey” written on the image
• The year 2024 displayed in the corner

This already tells us a lot:

• The location is clearly Istanbul, Turkey
• The building is religious and historically significant

So now the question becomes: 👉 Which iconic structure in Istanbul looks like this?

Step 2: Identifying the Landmark

Anyone familiar with Istanbul landmarks will immediately recognize this structure as Hagia Sophia.

Key visual indicators:

• Massive Byzantine-style dome
• Ottoman minarets
• Unique fusion of church and mosque architecture

However, here’s where the hint becomes crucial.

Step 3: Using the Hint (Turkish Language)

The challenge explicitly says:

“The author loves everything in Turkish.

So instead of using the English name Hagia Sophia, we should use its Turkish name.

In Turkish, Hagia Sophia is called:

Ayasofya

This matches both:

• The visual clue
• The linguistic hint perfectly

Step 4: Constructing the Flag

The flag format is:

SECE{Name}

Substituting the correct Turkish name:

SECE{Ayasofya}

✅ Final Flag

SECE{Ayasofya}

Conclusion

This challenge is a great example of visual OSINT combined with cultural context. While identifying the landmark is straightforward, the key difficulty lies in paying attention to the hint and choosing the correct language.

A simple challenge — but only if you read carefully 👀