Making it seem like the real thing

Hacknet

Kevin Mitnick slammed the game cartridge box on the counter and took out his money to pay.

As an experienced "telephone shopper" and "cyber hacker," many people might think that they would definitely use some magical methods to obtain a copy of the game.

Kevin thought to himself, a slight smile unconsciously curving his lips.

But the reality may disappoint many.

For him, coming directly to a physical store to buy is the simplest and most reliable way.

For the hacker community, Gamenova has always been a company shrouded in mystery.

The technology is highly opaque, making it exceptionally difficult to crack.

Throughout history, it's not that no one has ever successfully cracked it.

Just like those products from earlier years, because the encryption technology was not yet mature and the hardware and software were not yet integrated, many of them have been successfully cracked by today.

However, any current mainstream game is virtually impenetrable in terms of defense.

What's even more frightening is that they also control Nexus, one of the most mainstream commercial ISPs in the US. This leaves them with no opportunity to exploit the network.

Whoever can breach Gamenova's firewall will become a legend in the hacker community, both now and for a long time to come.

Kevin Mitnick boasts that his skills are no less than anyone else's.

Naturally, they wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

Since his debut at the age of 16, he has been arrested and imprisoned more than once for hacking.

Compared to Morris, the unfortunate guy who almost destroyed the online world unintentionally, Kevin's actions were entirely driven by his own subjective will.

He wasn't after the hidden economic benefits; rather, it was pure curiosity and a desire to challenge technology that drove him to return to the online world time and time again, even after being imprisoned multiple times.

For such a genius hacker, Gamenova was like an extremely tempting lure.

It's simply impossible to resist its allure.

Kevin tossed the box onto the passenger seat and glanced at it casually.

This work is exceptionally different.

Because the developer section didn't list any studio names, but only two: [Lin Lixin] and [Linus Benedict Torvalds]

The publisher is Gamenova, though.

But this is definitely not an ordinary matter.

According to the information he found online, Linus was an unofficial staff member at Gamenova headquarters, responsible for the early development of the OS operating system and some network security maintenance work.

As for [Lin Lixin]? Any United States would probably recognize this name.

The fact that the developer's name is listed like this only means one thing: this project is a relatively independent small project.

The only participants were these two pure tech enthusiasts.

That's very strange.

The game's name, "Hacknet," and its description of it as an "immersive, Unix/Linux terminal-based hacker simulator," add another layer of mystery to the game.

Frankly speaking, I doubt any guy like Kevin would resist playing a round of it when he saw it.

Hacking games are nothing new in the world of video games.

However, the vast majority of those works are merely using a hacker theme as a shell; their essence is still what the author wanted to write. They are essentially traditional games in a shell.

It's not that doing it this way is bad.

But for players like Kevin who genuinely enjoy hacker simulation games, there will certainly be a significant gap between expectations and reality, leading to serious disappointment.

He has sworn never to fall for that kind of trick again.

But when he saw Hacknet, he still decisively grabbed a copy.

Because this is a Gamenova product.

A great game is amazing from the very beginning.

Based on past experience, Gamenova games usually feature very exaggerated opening animations.

Whether used for plot introduction or simply to showcase game content through technical demonstrations.

But this time, just as the packaging says, it's a [terminal-based hacking simulation].

On the black screen, terminal output began to pop up continuously. [hacknet kernel version 1.0.0...]

First, there's a bunch of data from the operating system itself: date, time, and various parameters.

Then came a whole bunch of initialization information.

Even those in the know might be a little confused after seeing this, let alone those who don't.

It's almost as if a real operating system kernel called [hacknet] has been integrated into the game.

But...

Despite its claim of being realistic, it is still a video game, and it's impossible to set a high barrier to entry that excludes complete beginners.

The necessary tutorials will still be available.

To connect to a computer, type "connect [ip]" in the terminal or click a node on the network graph.

To cater to most PC users with limited technical skills, the game doesn't actually just show a terminal command-line interface.

The entire command line actually occupies less than a third of the space on the right.

Aside from the taskbar on the far left, the central part of the screen displays the GUI (Graphical User Interface). Go to Bing Search to see the latest chapter!

Just like connecting a computer here.

A newbie might not know how to type commands in the terminal, but they'll definitely drag the mouse over and click the green node.

However, upon seeing this, Kevin suddenly frowned.

He suddenly felt a little disappointed.

Can I connect to the target computer with just one "connect" line?

Real-world cyberattacks are not so easy to carry out.

"It has been simplified a lot after all."

He pursed his lips, but quickly composed himself.

At least so far, this game is top-notch in terms of both fidelity to the source material and coolness.

It was said that the connection could be made by clicking, but Kevin still obediently entered the command on the terminal on the right.

A skilled hacker, to conserve interface resources, would never use a mouse on their computer. Theoretically, with a terminal in hand, they can do anything.

The tutorial is not complicated.

Instruct him to connect to a computer with the IP address 53.108.158.41.

Use the probe or nmap command to automatically analyze the current computer.

Well...

Kevin scratched his head.

Both probe and nmap are indeed commands that exist in reality.

But this game simplifies the process a bit.

Normally, penetration testers need to specify the nmap type and target IP to perform scans on different ports.

But for this game, all you need to do is type nmap and press Enter.

It can scan all open ports on the network in one go.

And that's where it gets the most outrageous. This operating system, called hacknet, seems to have a program called [porthack].

Once it is run, the target computer can be directly hacked.

"What's this? Now I'm a script kiddie?"

Hilarious! If such a magical tool existed in real life, countless kids could instantly transform into script wizards.

True hacking requires hackers to constantly discover potential vulnerabilities and attempt to exploit them.

If it were so easy to obtain administrator privileges, or even a shell terminal, the online world would have been in complete chaos long ago.

Well, things are actually quite chaotic right now.

Regardless, Kevin could understand why the game made that choice.

Just for fun.

Run [porthack].

After playing a nonsensical but incredibly cool geometric wireframe diagram in the window, Kevin successfully gained access to the target computer.

From this point on, he suddenly had a feeling. He felt as if he had entered his comfort zone.

Because the terminal is now completely open to him, he can do whatever he wants.

For example...

He quickly entered several commands.

`ls` lists all files, `cd` changes directories, `cat` lets you peek at files, and you can even use `rm *` to wipe files off someone else's computer with a single click.

The final step in the beginner's tutorial is to have him find the tutorial's process ID and kill it.

"Buzz--"

Just as he completed this step, an email popped up in the upper right corner of his inbox.

The sender's signature is [bit].

Bit, a name that sounds very geeky, is the smallest unit of information; one bit is one digit in a binary number.

Hi, I don't know you, and unfortunately, I won't have the chance to get to know you anymore...

"This is... the main storyline? It can be like this?" Kevin read the text in surprise.

He's played hacker-themed games, like Neromancer, which has a complete storyline, since it's essentially an RPG.

But none of the games he had ever played presented the storyline in such a way as Hacknet.

The contents of the letter were not complicated.

It's roughly saying that this guy named Bit died for some reason.

His deadly system detected that a user had not been online for more than two weeks and automatically activated some kind of emergency backup program.

The protagonist is someone who was accidentally drawn into the incident.

[A tracking software will soon automatically activate on your computer; delete it immediately.]

[Just reply to this email when you're done, hurry up! - bit0]

Despite it being a game, Kevin was a seasoned professional hacker, and in an instant, as if triggering PTSD, he quickly reconnected to his PC.

A quick scan of the folder instantly pinpointed a suspicious file named [Security Trace.exe]. Kevin deleted it almost instinctively.

To be honest...

Although all operations have been greatly simplified.

But after the main storyline begins, or rather, after the core players of the game start to be revealed step by step.

Kevin's impression of the game was like a rollercoaster ride, quickly rising again.

Lin really understands.

It looks much simpler.

But these were all deliberate designs.

He kept the most fun parts and simplified the parts that Kevin usually found tedious.

This approach... while sacrificing some of the game's depth, definitely makes it more fun.

This is practically... a scriptboy simulator!

Furthermore, the protagonist is now embroiled in a massive hacker conspiracy, instantly creating a strong sense of immersion in the game.