Understanding Potential Security Oversights in Promotional Web Campaigns: A Case Study of Dave & Buster’s “Find the Flag” Initiative in Reno

In the realm of online promotions and interactive campaigns, ensuring that digital assets are adequately protected is critical to maintaining fairness and integrity. Recently, a cybersecurity researcher identified a possible vulnerability within the current “Find the Flag” promotion hosted by Dave & Buster’s in Reno, raising questions about the security measures in place for such activities.

Overview of the Promotion

The campaign, accessible via the official link here, involves participants solving clues to locate hidden flags across the establishment. Such scavenger hunt-style activities often generate significant engagement; however, they must be balanced with appropriate technical safeguards to prevent exploitation.

Discovery of the Potential Exploit

While engaging with the promotion, a user revealed that it was possible to access future clues ahead of schedule. The crux of the issue lies in the structure and hosting of the clue files:

• Predictable URL Patterns: The clues are named using a consistent, date-based nomenclature such as clue-2025-07-16.jpg.
• Public Hosting: These files appear to be accessible via direct URL requests without server-side access controls.

By utilizing standard web development tools (Developer Tools in browsers), a participant with minimal technical expertise could:

1. Inspect the webpage sources, JavaScript files, or image URLs.
2. Modify a date parameter in the URL to a future date (for example, changing clue-2025-07-16.jpg to clue-2025-07-17.jpg).
3. Trigger the browser to retrieve the next-day’s clue instantly.

This method effectively allows early access to clues, which explains why some flags were discovered within minutes of their official release—much faster than would be possible through legitimate puzzle-solving processes.

Implications and Next Steps

The existence of such a vulnerability raises concerns about the integrity of the competition and the potential for compromised user experience. To address these issues, organizations should consider implementing security best practices such as:

• Server-side Validation: Ensuring clues are served conditionally based on user progress or time constraints.
• Access Control: Restricting direct URL access to clues, perhaps through authenticated sessions or tokenized links.
• **Obfusc