Video

[glitchinthesystem]

[ Movie marathons on the network seem to be a thing now don’t they? Glitch and Hiro have finally decided that life has sucked enough for them that they would rather watch other people’s fictional misery.

Hiro mostly doesn’t care what they watch, so he asked Glitch to bring something and then set up the living room of Aunt Cass’ place for viewing. Popcorn, gummi bears, the works. He’s even hauled in every pillow and beanbag he owns to make a den of cushions they can get lost in if necessary. (It often is when Hiro watches horror movies, as loathe as he is to admit it…)

Glitch pulls out a dvd from his bag and all but tosses the bag aside. His comm spills out unnoticed and both teens come into view as the thing begins to air live. ]

Didn’t really know what was good but I surfed the internet a bit and people said this was apparently really fucking good and A+ material. Figured out how to do that whole torrenty thing, so, ta-dah- free movie.

[The DVD is just in one of those standard no name cases on a plain old dvd. Unceremoniously Glitch will just shove the DVD into the player. Meanwhile, Hiro rolls his eyes affectionately. ]

Hey, good job. You caught up with the 21st century. C’mon, what’d you get us anyway?

[ The answer makes itself clear very quickly: some troll has replaced their crappy horror film with something even more horrifying. A home video of someone giving birth. Mercifully, Hiro knocks Glitch’s comm over before much gets broadcasted, although the comm still has a great view of their horrified reactions. Hiro is immediately yanking off his glasses so he doesn’t have to see any more details. ]

What the hell did you download!?

[Glitch is probably the worst of them. His mouth a gape as a hollowesc scream escapes his mouth. He has the curse of twenty twenty vision. What is his life?]

I DON’T EVEN FUCKING KNOW! I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME SHIT CALLED SQUIRRELNAMI! HOW WOULD I-OH MY GOD, WHAT’S COMING OUT OF HER?!

[There might be the sound of a woman screaming in pain at this point. It may be joined by Glitch’s own frightened yelling. He only manages between yells to direct a question they both desperately need answered: ]

SPIKES, HOW DO YOU TURN THIS SHIT OFF?!

Comments

[hypnotherapy]

Just like that. Very good.

[ It's an odd visual distortion, but it makes perfect sense in a digital space; Hiro can connect and access the data within, since he's found a way through, an open connection.

He brings up another one; this one is differently coloured, sparking with 'light'. When Hiro accesses it, it does nothing initially, but Hiro will feel it scanning, seeking the proper authorisation. If he leaves it too long, the firewall will reject his probing. However, there are 'openings', of a sort; it's letting certain things through, while rejecting others. ]

Now, there are several ways of getting through something like this. Either you fool the firewall by producing the 'proper' authorisation, or you find some way of cracking it - either from the outside or the inside.

Any ideas as to what to try first?

[microbrobotics]

[ Hmmm. That's trickier. One method seems simpler but more difficult at the same time... ]

I guess - I have to figure out what it wants and change myself to match? How do I do that?

[hypnotherapy]

It tells you what it wants, if you pay attention. [ Magicman himself would have simply sent in a packet with a well hidden virus, then commanded it to make off with the data without being seen, but different methods exist for everyone.

When Hiro touches the firewall again, it requests a certain type of identification from him - this is a simple learning tool, so it wants a 'key object' of some kind. It even shows the shape of the 'object', a silhouette that needs to be fitted. ] If you were coding as a human being would, this might take the form of an IP address or an authentication code, but things are slightly different in here.

I know you've learned the basics of manipulating data in this space, so show me how well you can imitate the shape of this silhouette. If you're successful, the firewall will let you through.

[microbrobotics]

The shape of it ...

[ That's a bit trickier. He's managed minor size modifications - all a matter of perspective, that - but shape? That's weird. And difficult even for someone as brainy as him to properly visualize. He strains a few times, trying to fit that large silhouette exactly ... and then bounces back to his usual form.

Damn. He needs a new angle. ]

This is way harder than just trying to get through.

[hypnotherapy]

Think of it as augmentation or a disguise. You're not editing your own shape - you're adding on. [ Editing shapes wholesale is fairly easy if you know how, but most navis tend to keep one shape because it's much easier. The 'silhouette' implies added, distinct programs that are necessary to identify an authorised navi. ]

Perhaps try to think of it as armor? You have enough knowledge in making that, I would think.

[microbrobotics]

[ Armor. That's the angle he needed. He brightens immediately, reshaping the data into small clusters - like a cross between microbots and plates of armor. All a vaguely transluscent shade of indigo, layering thicker and more deeply until it's lifting him a bit, matching the shape easily. ]

Like that?

[hypnotherapy]

Yes, like that. [ When Hiro tries to enter, it will scan for shape - and then permit him to pass. ] Very good.

Of course, firewalls all have different requirements. And they won't show what they're looking for that clearly, for this reason - but, of course, you can reveal their authentication requirements by other things.

[ He pulls up another firewall; this one is less solid than the others, looking like it's composed of lasers rather than a barrier. It shifts constantly, creating spaces and closing them just as quickly - though since this is, again, a teaching tool, it moves much slower than a professional one would. A data packet sits innocuously in the middle. ]

What firewalls can also have are defense systems, and responses. This one won't hurt you - it will just eject you or give you a slight sting at best.

See if you can get in and out with the data in hand. If you get caught, you'll have to start again.

[microbrobotics]

[ Whoa. He frowns at the shifting field of lasers, not even sure how to start. ]

Can I disable it?

[hypnotherapy]

You'll alert people if a firewall is suddenly turned off, and the network will log the action anyway. That's the downside.

I'm not saying you can't do it, though. [ He takes a moment to add on a small number of paths, a shifting interface that seems initially confusing. ] You'll need to 'unplug' the device to turn off the firewall, but that should be easy for you.

I think you should at least attempt to get through the firewall, though. Remember, data moves much more quickly than you might expect.

[microbrobotics]

Speed, huh...

[ Isn't that relative too? As long as he's fast enough to react, then surely he can manage something ... He darts forward when he spots an opening - and then gets ejected wince a wince. Ow. That stings. ]

-- Not fast enough.

[ But he's totally gonna try again. ]

[hypnotherapy]

[ It's kind of hard for him to explain the concept to a human, even one who's as quick on the uptake (and more naturally inclined to a digital space) as Hiro. ]

It's a binary, remember. Either it's open for a set period of time, or closed. It's a matter of precision.

Try again. We have time.

[microbrobotics]

Binary, huh ...

[ He furrows his brows again, watching closely. Then - he summons up a little console so that he can do some quick programming internally. Green when it's open, red when it's not. He uses it to track what's going on, to give himself a visual ...

Then, when he's sure he has the rhythm down, he tries again. Trying to go through simultaneous with it being open. ]

[hypnotherapy]

[ It takes Hiro a few attempts, but he gets through. ]

Now you can see the pattern, you can get in. You can get out again, I'd hope. [ He sounds mildly amused. ] Hesitation doesn't help when tackling a security system. The process of cracking a code is uncertain, but once the code is uncovered, that's all there is. You're either correct, or you're not.

[microbrobotics]

[ Getting back out isn't so bad. He just reverses the timing. No big deal. ]

Yeah ... yeah. That's a good way to look at it. Man, this is really interesting stuff. How'd you learn it?