🔐 Can you crack this modern KeePass 4.x encrypted vault using advanced techniques?

Welcome to KeePass Breaker! In this challenge, you'll encounter a KeePass 4.x database that contains sensitive credentials and confidential information. The database is protected by a master password, but your mission is to crack this protection using specialized password cracking techniques and tools to access the encrypted vault and extract the hidden flag.

• Master KeePass 4.x database security assessment and password cracking techniques
• Learn to use specialized tools for encrypted password manager analysis
• Understand direct brute force attacks on modern password databases
• Practice systematic approaches to password vault security evaluation

You are provided with a KeePass 4.x database file (challenge_vault.kdbx) containing what appears to be corporate backup credentials and sensitive access information. The database uses the modern KDBX 4.x format and is encrypted with a master password. Your task is to crack the master password using appropriate tools and techniques, then extract the flag from the database contents.

KeePass 4.x databases use strong encryption algorithms (AES-256 and ChaCha20) with enhanced key derivation functions like Argon2. Traditional hash extraction tools like keepass2john do not support the KDBX 4.x format, requiring direct brute force approaches. This challenge demonstrates modern password manager vulnerabilities and the critical importance of strong master passwords.