Looming Specters

​by RUYI WEN

Labyrinthine by quapan | Flickr

Some call us hackers.

We drop through an opening in the ceiling we have made, three pairs of feet landing silently upon the floor. No one can match our ability to infiltrate even the most secure of server rooms, no matter if they are underground, underwater, under the radar.

Our true strength, however, lies in knowing what to do once we’re inside.
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Many people think hacking is an activity of brute force, a desperate charge with a battalion of bots and a battering ram. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ahead of each mission, we fine-tune strategy and finesse our plays. Many hours of planning go into a few moments of action so we can complete our task with the lightest touch. Most times, all that’s required is a gentle tug on a loose end that unravels everything.

Some call us witches.
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How does that saying go? Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic?

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