Earth's Number One Hacker
It's okay if you don't try it.
Following the IP address, Kevin actually found some clues.
This is a host machine with a very high level of security.
The access control is very well implemented, the firewall authentication is strict, and multiple proxy forwarding mechanisms are in place.
This isn't one of those hacks in Hacknet that you can easily crack with a flick of your finger.
He is now facing a truly airtight and tightly guarded machine.
However, being airtight is only relative, not absolute.
For a true genius like Kevin, all that's needed is time.
He has successfully infiltrated the United States Air Defense Command System, hacked into the Pentagon, and even the Central Intelligence Agency.
This is practically a real-life Lester, at the very least.
3:47 AM.
Kevin succeeded. And inside the heavily guarded server, there was nothing but a set of web page files.
He opened the document with a puzzled look, but only saw a few lines of text.
Welcome, you are the {1}th challenger to arrive here.
I've been waiting for you.
[Congratulations, you have gained access to the Entropy Network Forum.]
[Access IP (valid for 10 minutes):...]
[Username: guest0004]
[Password: 1%c*#!!@al)]
[contact:]
[">s]
His words implied that he had inadvertently stumbled into some serious situation. He had never encountered anything like this before, even when he was outwitting the American government with a phone line.
It's almost as if Gamenova deliberately replicated the initiation test for hacker organizations from Hacknet in real life.
Only after successfully completing a highly complex intrusion will one be accepted by the organization.
This is... starting to get interesting.
Kevin is a person who highly values technology; why wouldn't he delve deeper into something like this?
He quickly copied down all the important information before attempting to access the Entropy Forum listed on the webpage.
BBS forums are nothing new.
Especially in the geek community.
These crazy people, who have been exposed to the online world for many years longer than ordinary people, naturally need a communication tool that operates through the internet.
The earliest BBS forum was established in 1978.
As things stand, although ordinary people don't have a lot of contact with BBS, it has long since begun to show a trend of becoming Volkswagen.
[Entropy][Announcement] [General Discussion]
[Technical Exchange]
[Resource Download/Collaborative Development]
As stated on the previous page, I am the first person in the world to successfully crack the Easter egg left in Gamenova.
He was also the first user to officially access the forum.
The entire forum was quiet, with no activity except for the official post.
But Kevin had a vague premonition.
Before long, this place will probably become a paradise that geeks love to visit.
Because of its high barrier to entry and Stealth, the security after multiple layers of forwarding, and the fact that the account itself must be obtained through extraordinary means.
This forum may not have many people, but everyone there is definitely an elite among elites.
"Resource download..."
Kevin noticed the bottom panel, which seemed to contain items that Gamenova had left there. This gave him a sudden, surreal feeling that he was still playing Hacknet.
"Kali-Linux operating system, an integrated toolkit specifically designed for penetration testing engineers. After applying, you can join the collaborative development of this system branch... what?"
The post included a rather large system archive, which users were required to build themselves and burn to a CD for installation.
According to the description, this is a dedicated operating system that includes a complete set of network packet capture tools, network analysis tools, dictionary cracking tools, network sniffing, information gathering, and other penetration testing tools.
In addition, features such as privacy and network services have been highly optimized.
in other words...
This is the toolbox prepared for hackers!
Even a complete novice with absolutely no experience can transform into a dangerous script kiddie after mastering this system.
"This is terrifying..."
It's like a massive, gleaming cleaver that's been polished to a terrifying shine.
An extremely dangerous attack tool that can do almost anything hackers want to do.
If I had had this thing back then, hacking into the Pentagon would have been as easy as eating and drinking.
But what truly terrified Kevin was something else entirely.
This system is open source.
If he wanted, he could even join the maintenance of Kali and write more reliable and powerful new toolkits for it.
It will evolve infinitely, expand continuously, and eventually grow into a ghost existing in the internet world.
This reminded Kevin of a name he had heard countless times that day—hacknet.
This is practically like the Hacknet operating system in the game.
It just doesn't have a tool as powerful as porthack.
No, it's more accurate to say that Kali is far more powerful than Hacknet, especially for professional penetration engineers like them.
[You have a new email_nmail]
Upon seeing the name in the sender's column, Kevin felt all his remaining strength drain away.
[Hi Kevin, you've become the first user of our Entropy Forum!] [If you're interested in Gamenova's cybersecurity team plans, reply to this email, and we'll get there in no time!]
[If you don't want to, you'll probably have to find a way to remove these traces yourself.]
[Remember to install Kali Linux beforehand; you should know how to use it, right?]
[--Lin Lixin]
By the way, our legal team has already arranged a probation plan for you.
Kevin Mitnick.
Born in Los Angeles in 1963, he was the world's first hacker to be wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He is also one of the most powerful hackers on Earth.
He has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times for cybercrime.
Shortly after his release from prison in 1989, he once again began hacking into the servers of several high-tech companies.
According to official estimates, the total losses caused by this incident amounted to nearly $300 million. It was during this incident that Kevin disappeared from his residence, remaining a fugitive for many years and becoming a ghost in the internet world.
To be honest, in the environment of 1992, it would have been very difficult for a top-tier hacker to be caught if he really wanted to escape.
Unfortunately, this unfortunate individual attempted to attack the test server of the most secure and powerful video game company on Earth.
The next morning.
Kevin Mitnick boarded a flight from North Carolina to California, handcuffed and shackled.
In exchange, Kevin will become a cybersecurity engineer and computer security consultant at Gamenova under his supervision.
In other words, he was whitewashed and made into a white-hat hacker.
"It cost me a lot of money to save you, Kevin. From now on, you'd better work hard at Gamenova to pay off your debts."
After a few days, Kevin had completely lost his temper.
Faced with Lin Lixin's words, he could only force a wry smile; he really didn't know how else to respond. He was currently in California, at Gamenova's headquarters, and there was nothing he could do.
He had considered that he might one day be caught.
Perhaps they were defeated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, perhaps by those powerful white-hat teams, or perhaps by other hackers who were essentially dominating their own communities.
But he never imagined that he would be caught red-handed by a game company.
I admire your skills.
After a long pause, all he could manage to utter was this one sentence.
"That's good. Hey, cheer up! As a cybersecurity consultant for Gamenova, you'll have countless opportunities to engage in attack and defense against the world's most powerful hacker teams."
Regardless of Kevin's mood at this moment, Lin Lixin was in an exceptionally good mood.
This guy, who calls himself the "Hell Hacker," is a true master hacker.
Don't be fooled by Gamenova's abundance of highly skilled programmers.
However, programmers and penetration testing engineers are fundamentally different roles.
Just because everyone sits in front of a computer doesn't mean they're doing the same job. [Kevin Mitnick]
[Overall Rating]: S+ (Online Ghost)
[Hardware Technology]: 101 (Growth Value: s)
[Network Technology]: 256 (Growth Value: s+)
[Program Development]: 112 (Growth Value: s)
[Social Engineering]: 210(s+)
[Literary Writing]: 72 (a+)
These data are absolutely dazzling. Apart from a few super geniuses like Carmack, Lin Lixin has almost never encountered anyone with this level of panel data.
Hmm... perhaps only by bringing out the likes of Turing or Shannon can we see even more outrageous numbers.
In particular, he is a genius in the field of penetration engineering, and such a talent is truly invaluable.
Just like the financial and tax prodigy who attained enlightenment at Longchang in Tilanqiao, if he could save it by spending money, it would definitely be a sure thing.
After all, aside from Gamenova, whether it's their own companies like Lockheed and Motorola, or their rivals like Apple and Microsoft, they all have very high cybersecurity needs. "From today onwards, you're the boss of Entropy. I'm rooting for you!"
Entropy refers to the cybersecurity team that Lin Lixin is building through the "Hacknet" project.
The name was chosen partly as a tribute to the hacker group Entropy in the game.
Secondly, it also carries a symbolic meaning.
As cybersecurity engineers, they are guardians of order, maintaining entropy reduction in the internet world.
But this powerful team can also transform into an entropy-increasing bomb that destroys everything.
Although it's only a framework at the moment.
But as more and more members join, its combat power will naturally become stronger and stronger.
More importantly, this team can also help him continue to improve the Kali system.
As the saying goes, "A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools."
"That's all for now. Sam will show you around the workflow. If you have any questions about Kali, you can contact Linus. All profits from the Hacknet project will go towards Entropy's operating expenses. I still have game projects to manage, so I'll be going now."
After saying that, Lin Lixin was about to get up and leave the reception room. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back to add a sentence.
"By the way, don't try anything sneaky. I can see through it, including your hacker friends in the chat room."