Re: "First Mission" just finished...but "Hackers" will start soon...

[Janne Kemppi <jkemppi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Janne Kemppi <jkemppi@ees2.oulu.fi> writes
> >       As far as the hacker is concerend, I am thinking of moving
> >       away from established cliche of late-teens nerd with cool 
> >       name who runs after each skirt. I have been thiking of making
> >       the hacker into real-life professional hacker: early-30's,
> >       male, Computing M.Sc., several years as programmer in major
> >       company at first followed by years as a computing consultant,
> >       low morals enough to be beswaiged to use his skills for a job
> >       with no questions asked. Works mostly legally but does extralegal
> >       work now and then when the price is right.
> >
> Personally I think that's a wise idea. The hackers who tend to hang
> around cyber-cafes boasting about their exploits while forging mail
> headers for their spams are little more than script kiddies or aolamers.
> Most of the serious hackers don't boast, rarely meet up with other
> hackers (the exception being hacker conventions, and those guys are
> fairly closely monitored), and if they work as part of a group they do
> so virtually rather than ftf.
> 
> From my own experiences in a computer security role, your idea is a lot
> more accurate (though the MSc in computing isn't essential). Age might
> even be into the early 40's, somebody doing their first degree just at
> the time when PCs became available and the fledgling Internet was
> starting to grow. Most of the serious guys have worked in the computer
> industry, and most still do work for smaller Internet/computer companies
> rather than the big corporations or as freelance consultants (there's
> always some exceptions though).
> 
> One option for the character: use the cybercafe to get some idea of the
> jargon, then visit a computer security consultancy posing as a potential
> customer with a problem... using the jargon learned from the script
> kiddies. They'll soon put you right, telling you how to marginalise that
> threat; a wining smile from an attractive woman could soon get them
> regaling you with stories about real hackers, and possibly a few leads
> to contact the genuine article.

	The adventure could be turned into direction that almost 
	surely Miss FBI is going to ask help from hackers working 
	for BE for advice. Since she is new employee (having been 
	just one month in BE) and alone (entire Cell 10 consists
	of just her, they decide to play a bit of practical joke
	with her and give her pointers to go into cyber-cafe to 
	waste her time a bit. (False lead as starters would get 
	some extra roleplaying inside BE.)

	Then, with more info got from cyber-cafe, such as some jargon
	and possibly annoying kid 'hacker' attention, she could look
	forwards towards university computing people, who surely know
	plenty of real people in industry, who will surely give her
	pointers on what kind of people she should really seek. 

	This should naturally lead to looking at place where real
	computer people go, perhaps talking a bit on to get idea on
	how industry works, and then a name of suitable cumputer
	security consultant company (one man operation). Next phase
	would be some walking around issue and slipping few words of
	right jargon to get her message across. Then she should get
	idea on where real hacker can be found after some discussion
	(perhaps over dinner).

	Meeting could be arranged after series of phone calls in 
	other place where Miss FBI will handle suitable place for
	both Hacker and BE's Client to discuss by themselves on 
	details of actual computer crime.

	I am thinking of continuing the adventure by next putting
	Miss FBI to assist Hacker in the conmputer crime (that is, 
	she does all kinds of support work, like buys necessary HW
	and suitable place to work for the gig)...