The $300 Journey from RFI to RCE that Changed Everything

This story dates back to about three years ago, but it’s one of those incidents that stuck with me. So, I thought, why not share it as my first blog on Medium? It’s a story about passion, curiosity, and how a casual call turned into an unexpected adventure in cybersecurity. And before you ask — yes, the screenshots I’ve added here are from my localhost. I recreated everything to document it later because, unfortunately, I can’t share the original screenshots for obvious reasons. So, let’s start from the beginning.

The Story

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when I got a call from my friend, Karan. Now, Karan is one of those friends who never calls unless it’s something major — like needing a kidney or borrowing your bike for a date.

“Bhai, mujhe teri help chahiye, (Bro, I need your help!)” he said, sounding unusually serious.

“What happened? Did you crash your bike again?” I replied, half-joking.

“No, no, it’s about my uncle Rajesh. Remember him?”

“Ah, the legendary Rajesh Uncle. The man, the myth, the teacher who thinks WhatsApp forwards are actual news. Of course, I remember.”

“Listen, his blog has been doing really well lately, but he’s worried about its security. Can you take a look?”