Challenge

This writeup will present my solving method for the last OSINT challenge of MidnightCTF 2026.

The goal is to find the name of a bar where the surveillance camera recorded the murderers following the victim.

Methodology

I started by analyzing the provided image:

It's the menu of a French bar. We know Lin Xiayu lived in France.

However, the challenge's name, Lin in Paris, suggests Lin was in Paris at the time of the events.

I go back to Lin Xiayu's Strava page, hoping to find routes in the Paris area. And sure enough:

3 additional routes are shared on Strava:

• Route 1

• Route 2

• Route 3

I quickly spot something these routes have in common. They all start from the same place, rue de la Paix, in Paris:

So the goal is to find the bars around rue de la Paix:

Many results appear. I open them one by one in a new tab to analyze the reviews, aiming to find the menu of these bars.

Bars and restaurants often share this information on Google Maps.

After a few minutes checking the reviews and the information shared by the venues, a photo catches my eye:

It's the exact same menu as the one in the challenge statement! Furthermore, Duke's Bar belongs to the Hotel Westminster. So we can assume the victim was staying at this hotel.

The name of the bar is therefore Duke's Bar.

Flag

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