The Legendary Life of Alpha Hackers

Gary, a Londoner, was arrested by the FBI in 2003. He had targeted powerful tech and telecom companies such as Nokia, Fujitsu, Motorola, and illegally breached over 90 U.S. military computer systems. In mid-2003, he infiltrated Citibank, stealing 10 million dollars and transferring the money to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, and other locations before being captured by the FBI.

— Gary was sentenced to five years and was released on parole at the end of 2008.

Yang Tian squinted at the official FBI website, then smirked, murmuring, "He's about to be released. I wonder if he'll regain his former glory. The U.S. government is strict; they'll prohibit him from accessing computers for two more years after release." With a chuckle, he stood up, paused, and added, "Gary, London's myth, will he still be a legend after coming out?" Laughing, he walked towards the window.

At just 20, Yang Tian, a sophomore at Shanghai FD University, rarely attended classes. Despite his somewhat unimpressive appearance, he owned two computers, one for "work" and the other for "fishing," each serving a different purpose.

The black computer, custom-made and worth a significant amount, was used for his "work," demonstrating exceptional speed and performance. Yang Tian, a self-made hacker, earned money by creating and spreading viruses, exploiting vulnerabilities for profit.

Standing by the window, Yang Tian lit a cigarette, gazing at the city lights below. His apartment, not far from the university, offered a view of Shanghai's bustling nightlife.

After about half an hour, finishing two cigarettes, he sat in his chair, contemplating. Turning to the black computer, he mentioned a virus he had spread, wondering if the security team at Tianxing Company had found a solution.

Tianxing, a renowned software development company, unknowingly received virus source codes from Yang Tian, who demanded payment for providing solutions. This cycle persisted for two years, maintaining a lucrative arrangement.

As the virus alert sounded, Yang Tian smirked, pleased with his week-long effort. The virus, named "Indian Lama," infected and disrupted systems, challenging Tianxing's security team.

Receiving an email from the security team, Yang Tian exchanged messages with the technical director, familiar with their past dealings. The director praised his skills, offering him a position at Tianxing, unaware that Yang Tian was the source of the viruses causing their troubles.

Smirking, Yang Tian replied, instructing them to transfer the payment to his VIP Swiss bank account. The director, perplexed by Yang Tian's actions, extended an invitation for him to join the company.

"Screech! Screech!" Yang Tian glanced at the firewall, which was emitting alarms. He sneered and said, "D*mn it, always trying to trace my real IP. If it weren't for the money I make, I would have bombed you already!" Without paying attention to the firewall alerts, he quickly typed a few words and sent them to the other side, seemingly trusting his firewall completely.

He didn't worry because he had personally tested the density of his firewall before. In a short time, it was impossible to trace his real IP. Moreover, the Tianxing security team was not composed of professional hackers, lacking powerful attacking capabilities.

"Stop within 30 seconds, or face consequences similar to a year ago!"

The other party seemed to be wary of his words and quickly replied, "Forget it! I won't force you. Thanks, monster! This time, thank you!"

"D*mn!" Yang Tian cursed, lit a cigarette, and was about to take a puff when he heard a beeping sound from the adjacent branded computer.

Yang Tian quickly turned his chair towards the branded computer, squinted his eyes, and said, "Huh! Which fish is biting so early today!"

The screen displayed a firewall inquiry message: "Illegal intruder detected. Allow or block?"

This computer was solely for Yang Tian's entertainment, running on a Windows 2000 system with only one firewall, named "Great Wall," which he had spent nearly two years developing.

The "Great Wall" was installed on Yang Tian's work computer, while this branded computer had a simplified version of the firewall. Although its security and operational capabilities couldn't match the original "Great Wall," it was far from ordinary and couldn't be easily breached.

To break the monotony of programming languages and the dull 26 letters, Yang Tian used this computer for entertainment.

Smirking, he clicked "allow." Watching someone invade his system, he seemed oddly happy, perhaps reminiscing about his days as a novice.

As he clicked "allow," the firewall displayed a green light, offering no resistance to the intruder.

Smoking a cigarette, Yang Tian squinted at the monitor with a playful smile. Opening the firewall logs, he chuckled, "Hey, he even knows how to use a jump board."

At this point, the mouse on the screen had already started moving. It seemed that the intruder had entered. Yang Tian muttered to himself, "Be careful, there are landmines in my system!"

Indeed, the intruder directly swept through the system, opening various files and applications. Eventually, he opened a TXT document, and the mouse stopped moving.

"Hey! I told you there were landmines, but you had to click!" Yang Tian chuckled, then stared at the TXT document in amazement.

It was a fantasy novel he had downloaded. Could this guy be...

After waiting for three or four minutes without any mouse movement, Yang Tian became even more surprised.

"D*mn! Is this guy here to read novels?" Yang Tian was a bit astonished, muttering to himself.

After waiting a while longer with no signs of activity from the intruder, he was even more intrigued.

"Hey! Looks like he's hooked! I want to see which daring god is so audacious, practically blaspheming against me!" He said, typing a few commands on the keyboard, displaying a command prompt window. Then, he opened a pre-prepared remote backdoor.

The remote backdoor was a Trojan file that Yang Tian had created using the "rebound port" method. If the intruder clicked on the file, their machine would be infected, creating a hidden backdoor that Yang Tian could use for remote control. If the intruder had a camera, he could see them; if they had a microphone, he could hear them.

At this moment, Yang Tian was connecting to the intruder's machine.

The "Great Wall" firewall comes with anti-detection programs, but Yang Tian isn't interested in rookies. Glancing at the other person's machine ports, he chuckles, "Not bad awareness of ports, and the machine is decent, but too bad the person using it isn't."

Connection successful.

Yang Tian opens the remote terminal, choosing to execute both the camera and voice programs.

No camera on the other side, but the voice device is connected.

"Bro! Let me watch for a while!"

A girl's voice? Yang Tian is somewhat surprised; he didn't expect to catch a mermaid while fishing. He chuckles, "Shit! Morality is deteriorating! A woman with a black hat!" He then lights a cigarette, leisurely puffing away, while also listening intently, curious if there's someone else with her.

Indeed, a rough voice comes from the speakers.

"Xiao Jing,