Black Hat hackers featured in the Penumbra Database spy thriller

 

Black Hat hackers are criminals who break into computer networks with malicious intent. They also delight in releasing malware that destroys files, holds computers hostage, or steals passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information.

     There are dozens of Black Hat hackers who will stand in historical infamy. Perhaps the most famous known hacker is Julian Assange, who most people know for creating WikiLeaks. He began hacking at age 16, using the name 'Mendax'. It is a lucrative business, for those who lack a conscience. One study reveals that even “mid-level” hackers could earn as much as $900,000 annually – more than double the US presidential salary.

     A study conducted several years ago found that more than 300 Internet crimes were committed every hour- with a victim hit every ten seconds on average. Three million online crimes were reported... and that's only the number reported. Black Hat hackers attack computers every 39 seconds and according to the University of Maryland, they attack computers 2,244 times a day as result of weak user names and passwords. A recent FBI paper on Internet crime complaints topped 300,000 in 2010! These complaints have soared each year since then.

    Despite the recent arrest of one of its leading members, the professional hacker group known as ANONYMOUS has law enforcement officials concerned, since they vowed to expand their hacking operations. This particular hacking group is amazing, and I don’t mean in a complimentary way. It is loosely assembled with hackers scattered throughout the world, and they conduct a new form of guerrilla warfare, including seizing news media headlines and penetrating the most secretive of government operations. The latter is what eventually led to many of their arrests. 

     Yes, Hollywood has made movies surrounding the lives and actions of Black Hat hackers like those in ANONYMOUS. Here’s 10 of the best:

• 1. The Matrix (1999)
• 2. Hackers (1995)
• 3. War Games (1983)
• 4.TRON (1982)
• 5. Sneakers (1992)
• 6. 23 (1998)
• 7. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
• 8. Mr. Robot (2015–)
• 9. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
• 10. The Net (1995)

      In the PENUMBRA DATABASE spy thriller, CIA spymaster Corey Pearson hunts down a Black Hat hacker, nicknamed “BHH”, through the Florida Keys into the Bahamas. He stole a deep datamining algorithm that U.S. Intelligence used to preemptively identify terrorist sleeper cell throughout the Caribbean:

     Corey grabbed an icy Kalik from the minibar. “It was a tough call, recruiting BHH. I liked his genius and the safety precautions he took at the convention. He paid the entrance fee with cash only, registered with a false name that passed the hacker convention’s security check, and never carried a credit card. Your instructions were to go there and recruit cybersecurity experts to harden-up CBIF’s computer networks.”

          “Well, I have to admit, after we hired him, I’m glad I assigned BHH to Operation Jeannie. He found security holes in Jeannie and devised strategies to safeguard her against cyberattacks.”

          Corey thought about the Jeannie operation involving BHH. His thoughts returned to pre-9/11 when Duane’s father, Drew Collier, CBIF’s mole inside the Pentagon, created the deep data mining algorithm, code name Jeannie. It was kept as a cryptic program in Drew’s Pentagon computer and a duplicate was installed into the War Room computer at CBIF HQ in Key West, Florida. Morrison assigned BHH to ferret out any cyber threats to it.

     And now the fucker’s heading to Abaco, Bahamas with the Jeannie algorithm to meet with narco-terrorists. He took another swig of Kalik.

     “Not surprising he was able to do so, sir. At the Las Vegas hacker’s convention, I decided to approach him after he won a game called ‘Flag Village’. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Dozens of hackers ventured out of this make-believe village and attacked each other’s computers by solving complex codes. They attacked each other while defending their own computers. A flag was added or taken away depending upon if they attacked or defended successfully or not. At the end, BHH amassed a forest of flags while most of the others retreated back inside ‘Flag Village’ and refused to come out. He won a second contest by planning out how to break into an airplane’s navigational system by using its own Wi-Fi signal and entertainment system.”

     Morrison sighed. “We had no idea our White Hack hacker wore a black hat all along.”                                                                            ~  ~  ~

    Lastly, enjoy this fascinating video of a Russian hacker breaking into a computer system:

Robert Morton is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers and enjoys writing about issues facing the U.S. Intelligence Community. He also delights in traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. Why not combing both passions? He authors the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series.