"口牙" is a slang term meaning "ya" or "yah." Chen Xu rolled his eyes and asked, "How did he know we were foxtail grass?"
There was still no reply. Another line of text appeared on the whiteboard: "Hmm, you must be wondering how we know your identities, right? It's simple. Because at this time, another server of ours was also hacked. They claimed they didn't know what name to choose, so I thought I'd call them over and have a chat."
Chen Xu and the others broke out in a cold sweat. This world is indeed very harmonious! Of the three teams in the same group, two were targeting the same team, and this seemingly unlucky team was actually having the best time because they had already dug a trap and were waiting for someone to jump in!
Chen Xu quickly saw five IPs connect to the computer, and a line of red text appeared on the notepad: "Haha, we didn't know what to name ourselves, brothers and sisters of Foxtail Grass, hello!"
Is this a hacker war?!
This person is clearly just here to chat casually!
Zhan Jing helplessly put the keyboard back and told Chen Xu, "Why don't you talk to them first?"
Chen Xu switched the font to blue, typed a line of "..." to represent speechlessness, and then said, "Looks like we've all thought of the same thing."
The team with the black text replied, "Haha, it's not just us, all nine groups are starting to fight now. My friend just told me that he was bored and tried to hack into Big Sister Baby's computer, and then Big Sister Baby threw a logic bomb at him, destroying the system. He's reinstalling it now. Hehe."
The player with the red text, "Don't Know What to Name," said, "It's okay, it's okay. The competition is mainly for friendly competition, so play however you like. We're not aiming for first place anyway." "We're not aiming for first place either!" the betting team quickly chimed in. "Big Sister Baby and Boss Lion are too strong. So we're just here for fun. What about you guys?"
Chen Xu replied, "We didn't expect that, it was just for fun." A hacker competition turned into a chat competition. Sigh, this kind of life!
However, this hacking competition, which was basically an internal event for the Red Hacker Alliance, was completely devoid of any tension. Honestly, everyone here is an open community, so there's no need to create any conflict. Moreover, it was a battle between experts. The outcome was clearly defined, unlike a football match where a weaker team might win by taking advantage of a stronger team's poor performance or through a counter-attacking strategy. In such cases, the victory wouldn't be taken so seriously.
Hacker skill is a binary choice: either 1 is 1, or 0 is 0. The difference in skill level is either too great or the skill level is evenly matched.
The significance of the hacker battles lies not in the outcome of one or two matches.
At this point, the betting team asked, "ICE, FOX, aren't you two newcomers who have been racking up points quickly on the Red Hacker battlefield lately? I've watched your matches, and your skills have improved rapidly, especially ICE. Your fundamentals are very good, and your defense just now was also spot-on. You have potential!"
Upon realizing he had been recognized, Chen Xu was frustrated. Why didn't he change his identity?
So he said, "Damn it, you all know we're newbies, why aren't you going easy on us? A big brother should act like a big brother, okay?"
"Style my ass!" "Don't know what name to choose" said: "I'm begging you, even if you were to fight me right now, I might not be able to beat you, and you're saying you'd let me win! We're newbies too!"
"Hahaha," the betting team chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, we're all newbies!"
"How lewd!" Chen Xu turned to look at Ying Nian, who was precocious and fat: "Who are these two groups of guys pretending to be young? With such a lewd style, they should be easy to recognize, right?"
Young and overweight, he shrank back and uttered a single sentence: "Apart from a few leaders, the Red Hacker Alliance is basically full of lewd people. How am I supposed to guess..."
"..." Chen Xu was speechless.
At this point, the betting team said, "Now that we're all together, why don't we play a three-way free-for-all? You know, according to the rules, each team has to play two matches, which is too boring. How about a single match to decide the winner?"
The suggestion was immediately met with strong agreement from "Who Doesn't Know What to Name." Chen Xu looked at Zhan Jing, who was prematurely overweight, and thought, "Why not? What's the big deal?" Zhan Jing thought for a moment, nodded, and said softly, "That'll save us trouble."
Seeing that Chen Xu had agreed, the members of the betting team immediately got excited and typed on the screen: "Hey, there are too many rules in the regular competition, it's so boring. Let's play something exciting. We can use any botnet we want, and release all the viruses and Trojans we want. Let's use this piece of junk botnet as our battlefield, how about it? Or if you think we're getting a good deal, we can switch to another one. Anyway, I only installed two suicide programs on this botnet."
"It's fine, I don't think we need to replace it. This botnet is pretty good." The user, who doesn't know what to name, said, "Vulnerabilities, haha, countless vulnerabilities! How did you do that? How come it didn't patch a single XP vulnerability? Let me check... damn, the earliest vulnerability was officially announced by Microsoft in November 2001?! Could this botnet be running the legendary initial version of XP?!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu was quite embarrassed. As everyone knows, Microsoft's operating systems require frequent patching. Once Microsoft discovers a system vulnerability, it will provide a patch for download on its official website. Later, there were even major upgrades, such as upgrading XP to XP SP2, SP3, and so on.
But the fact that this botnet didn't have a single security patch installed is a miracle. Even pirated CDs are generally up-to-date; to get an operating system completely free of vulnerabilities is truly exceptional.
The betting team chuckled: "This is the earliest Russian cracked version, I've treasured it for years and haven't been able to bear deleting it! How about it, you little weed, dare to have a three-way free-for-all?!"
"What is there to be afraid of?!"
Chapter 237 The Great War of the Three Kingdoms (Part 2)
"Our three hacker groups will decide whoever breaches this server and holds it for ten minutes wins. The winner automatically advances. Losing one game or several games is the same as losing anyway. The two losing groups will automatically withdraw from the competition. Okay, pinky promise, whoever lies is a dog!"
The last two sentences really shocked everyone.
Are people still swearing like that these days?!
Isn't it so cute?!
But jokes aside, since the decision has been made, we have to fight.
Chen Xu looked at Zhan Jing and the others, suddenly realizing that he hadn't consulted them when he agreed. Feeling a little flustered, he quickly said, "Um, everyone, get ready. Does anyone object to starting a Three Kingdoms battle right now?"
"I have to agree even if I don't want to be a puppy." Young and fat stretched lazily: "Besides, I prefer to get things done all at once, it saves trouble."
"Although playing one more game will give me more experience, playing against two teams at the same time is also a rare experience, so I don't mind."
"I don't care."
Wu Yuan and Zhong Ziyu both expressed their opinions, while Chen Xu looked at Zhan Jing with a somewhat timid gaze. Zhan Jing found it amusing: "Don't look at me like that. As the captain, you shouldn't be thinking about whether your order was right or wrong. Because it's too late to think about that now. What we need to discuss now is how to win this game. Just follow your decision completely."
To be honest, Chen Xu was a little intimidated by Zhan Jing, because this girl was just like Zhong Ziyu said. She didn't usually express her opinions, but when she did, it was hard to ignore them.
But since she brought it up, Chen Xu perked up: "Let's devise a strategy for later. How should we attack? Should we directly capture this botnet first and then defend it? Or should we let them capture it first and then attack?"
“I think we should wait,” said Young Fat. “If we attack first, we will definitely be attacked simultaneously by two hacker groups. I think it’s better to defeat them one by one.”
This view was strongly endorsed by Zhong Ziyu, who said, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." It's better to play it safe in these situations.
Chen Xu looked at Wu Yuan: "What do you think, boss?"
Wu Yuan's technique is the worst here... Ignoring Gao Xiaojie... Moreover, Wu Yuan is not someone who likes to express his opinions, but after thinking about it, he said: "I think if we want to win, it's best to occupy the territory first, so that we will at least have the advantage."
Chen Xu looked at Zhan Jing. Zhan Jing then looked at Gao Xiaojie: "Tell me your thoughts?"
"Huh? Me too?" Gao Xiaojie waved her hand and said, "Never mind, I'm a newbie, I'm afraid it might mislead you if I say it."
"It's alright, go ahead and say it!"
“Alright then,” Gao Xiaojie said, “I also think we should take this chicken first.”
"Oh? Why?"
"Taking the botnet doesn't necessarily mean we have to just defend. We can launch an attack first. But if we have a base, I think Jingjing is capable of at least holding this place. Jingjing will focus on defense, and Chen Xu, you will focus on offense. I think we can handle both teams at the same time. Besides, this botnet is full of vulnerabilities. Our ultimate goal is to take over this computer, so we must patch the vulnerabilities... That will take time."
"Our ultimate goal..." Chen Xu muttered for a moment before saying, "Okay, I agree with your opinion. Zhan Jing? What's your opinion?"
Chen Xu regretted asking the question as soon as he did, because Zhan Jing had said that since he had already made up his mind, there was no need to ask any more questions, and their next task was simply to follow her instructions.
But Zhan Jing seemed to see the embarrassment on his face and said calmly, "I also think Xiao Jie is right. Although we might be attacked from both sides at the same time if we take over the botnet first, it is also a kind of training. Moreover, in real hacker battles, unless the strength is similar, the number of people does not play a significant role. One against two, everyone should take it easy. Just treat it as a one-on-one fight."
Hearing Zhan Jing's encouragement, Chen Xu immediately perked up!
"Alright, once inside, Wu Yuan, you and Zhan Jing will stay inside the botnet, patch it, and install a firewall. I'll launch the attack. Zongzi, you and Feifei will assist me!"
Seeing that Chen Xu had given the order, Zhong Ziyu and Yingnian Zaofei, despite their differing opinions, were still obedient.
At this moment, Chen Xu typed on the keyboard: "We are ready."
The two teams on the other side quickly responded: "We're ready too."
Since there were no referees, the betting team called out: "It's 16:37:02 Beijing time now. Hmm, that was the time just now. 16:40. On time!"
Chen Xu and the other team both typed "OK". Chen Xu said, "Wu Yuan, you and Zhan Jing need to prepare the system patch right now. You should have it on your computers, right?"
"Yes, I have them!" As a hacker, all these vulnerability patches were prepared, and they were all critical patches... You know, for an operating system from so many years ago, Microsoft's update patches totaled at least several hundred MB. Installing them one by one would probably take too long, and Microsoft's systems have a very annoying problem: after installing a patch, you have to restart the system for it to take effect. Of course, hackers have their own ways of dealing with this.
Having patches for critical vulnerabilities is essential for hackers. Otherwise, even with a firewall installed, the entire system is like a honeycomb, riddled with vulnerabilities, allowing hackers to easily enter as if it were their own backyard.
Chen Xu opened a small software program and started a countdown, setting the time to 4:39:50 PM. He needed to be ready ten seconds in advance.
"Start the ten-second countdown, brothers, open all your software, configure all your compromised machines, lock onto the target IP, leave port 8002 open, 3, 2, 1. Attack!"
As soon as the keyboard was pressed, a surge of data immediately flooded the compromised computer. Chen Xu's method involved blocking most network ports with the data flow, leaving port 8002 as a backdoor for entry. This way, anyone trying to access the computer through other ports would experience a delay, thus losing the initiative.
Chen Xu also noticed the system's slowdown when he tried to access it. It was obvious that the other party was using the same method, although they couldn't have chosen the same port as him, so their data flow was also blocking the 8002 port he was trying to access.
In that case, it depends on whose computer runs faster and whose botnet attack is more aggressive!
Three seconds. As soon as the address of the botnet administrator account was refreshed on the system, Chen Xu immediately clicked on the account name with the mouse, pressed the shortcut key F2 to change the administrator name to ICE, right-clicked the account to enter the password, and added four super administrator accounts.
Almost a second later, Zhan Jing and the others also obtained their own administrator accounts. Wu Yuan quickly copied the patch to the other computer and ran it, while Zhan Jing entered the DOS emulation system to encrypt and transfer the system's password file.
As the saying goes, both the spear and the shield are constantly evolving.
When Microsoft systems were first released, password files were specially encrypted and protected, making it impossible for users to modify or delete them through ordinary means, even if they found the password file. However, unlocking software and special deletion software later appeared, allowing passwords to be deleted directly within the Windows system… Previously, there was also a method that involved entering the DOS system, which rendered XP's protection settings ineffective.
As hacking techniques became more sophisticated, defensive measures naturally needed to be strengthened. This involved modifying the registry to "transfer" the Windows password configuration file to a different location, and then hiding and disabling the registry keys. This way, if another hacker tried to delete the password file using previous methods, it would be ineffective.
The patch installation takes time. After Chen Xu took over the administrator account, he immediately transferred a small detection software there, ready to counterattack any ports found to be under attack. Meanwhile, Yingnian Zaofei and Zhong Ziyu also began to help. Now, everyone was doing their best to buy time for Wu Yuan and Zhan Jing, time to patch the system.
"Wow, that's brutal! It's just brothers sparring, there's no need to take it so seriously!"
Seeing the betting team shout like that, Chen Xu smiled and said, "You make it sound so easy, but why are you launching such a desperate attack if you're not going to take it seriously?"
That's how competitions are sometimes; once they start, you start to care about things you didn't before. It's like competing for monthly tickets—once you're in the top ranks, you don't want to fall back down… For example, last month, Old Cat held the top spot for newcomers for 29 and a half days, only to be overtaken by Little Potato at the last minute. He was incredibly frustrated! Rumor has it that Cat has been eating potatoes for every meal lately!
"Don't know what name to choose" launched an attack without saying a word.
Chen Xu could see the data flow and system load. The opponent's number of botnets was definitely no less than his own, and being on the front lines, Chen Xu felt like he was in a torrent of data. He could only focus all his energy on mobilizing his botnets to launch a fierce attack.
When Chen Xu was in the midst of it all, he felt like a general in ancient times, commanding his troops and leading the charge. Yingnian Zaofei and Zhong Ziyu were his adjutants; wherever the arrow pointed, they would charge forward without hesitation!
I recall Zhan Jing saying before that a hacker without botnets is not a true hacker.
Chen Xu finally understood her words; he was now the king!
Chapter 238 The Great War of the Three Kingdoms (Part 2)
To put it simply... many people have probably played a classic Three Kingdoms game... Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The hacker's attack is very similar to the battle mode in the Three Kingdoms Heroes game.
The hacker is the commander, and the botnets are the soldiers following behind. How to control these soldiers to serve you, how to make your soldiers fight against other soldiers, and even directly kill the enemy commander, is a skill in itself.
Therefore, the types of units you send, the "zombie" units, require careful consideration. If the data streams you send are all junk information, then this single attack method can easily be blocked by the enemy.
Simply put, a data stream attack involves sending a connection request command to a computer. This command can take many forms, but all exploit vulnerabilities in current computer software to send a request to the computer, instructing it to connect. After the request is sent, the computer responds, but the compromised computer intentionally doesn't reply, creating a response time for the attacked computer and consuming memory resources.
However, such requests come in many forms; the example above is just one instance. If there were only one method, then it could be completely solved by using blocking techniques… Never underestimate human ingenuity!
So Chen Xu is currently using bots to keep the game close while analyzing data streams to locate the positions of the opponent's key players.
The saying "To catch the thief, first catch the king" applies everywhere.
The location of the enemy's main force is easy to pinpoint. Because with botnets, it's impossible for one person controlling thousands of them to issue commands as freely as a real person. Botnets' attack methods are singular and unchanging, operating entirely like a computer. Human attack methods, on the other hand, are extremely unpredictable and varied. Once you find their main force and attack it, you can ultimately drive them out of the battlefield, or even destroy the host computer they control… This destruction doesn't mean blowing up the computer; even hackers generally don't have the skill to do that. This destruction means using software or similar methods to disrupt the enemy's system, rendering their computer inoperable.
However, it's important to understand that finding the opponent's key player from this vast stream of data is no easy task.
Chen Xu withstood the onslaught of a massive data stream. The opponent's data flow was so powerful that he dared not let his guard down. Fortunately, his compromised computers were helping to alleviate the pressure. Otherwise, if all the data streams were directed at his computer, without a hardware firewall, the computer would simply crash.