Note the difference in behavior between python2 and python3
$ python -c ‘print ("\x37\x8a\x04\x08");’ | hexdump -C
00000000 37 8a 04 08 0a |7…|
$ python3 -c ‘print ("\x37\x8a\x04\x08");’ | hexdump -C
00000000 37 c2 8a 04 08 0a |7…|
Just python no longer works on any of the machines, everything is python3 now. To solve this problem, use :
import sys
sys.stdout.buffer.write(b"\x37\x8a\x04\x08")
In python3, strings are Unicode strings by default, in order to print strings as byte-strings, we have to use sys.stdout.buffer.write
Source: https://discuss.python.org/t/unusal-behavior-of-python3-print-hex-values/15418
narnia x soln.sh indicates that it is the solution to get the password of level x
Example - narnia2soln.sh contains the solution which has to be run as user narnia1, and spawns a shell of user narnia2.
If shell spawned does not carry privileges of the owner, try closing the ssh session and login again, and use the same exploit again, chances are, it will work properly.