In that case, her participation in this hacking competition is probably quite significant.
Blue Baby wanted to tell Zhan Jing to ask ICE if he was interested in joining the Red Hacker Alliance. Lion had just urgently retrieved all the information about ICE and discovered that he had only entered the Red Hacker arena around the New Year. At that time, he demonstrated a very solid foundation in computer science, and his hacking skills improved rapidly. In just three months, he went from a complete novice to someone capable of defeating top-tier hackers. Such progress could only be described as genius; no wonder SMMH took him on as an apprentice.
According to LION's analysis, ICE has reached a bottleneck. The only way to quickly improve him is to have him fight against top hackers of various styles, accumulating experience and growing in the process. The Red Hacker Alliance is an excellent choice, and such a person joining the Red Hacker Alliance would greatly benefit it.
Therefore, Blue Baby hopes that Zhan Jing can help persuade ICE to achieve this win-win situation, so as to strengthen the connection between the Red Hacker Alliance and the Internet God of SMMH.
But at that moment, Blue Baby's computer screen suddenly turned white, becoming a completely blank white screen. At the same time, the computer screens of the other people in the room—the top players of the Red Hacker Alliance, LION, Wind Chasing Moon Shadow, and Sea Rhyme—also turned into this strange white screen!
Blue Baby and the others were top-notch experts after all, and they immediately realized that their computers were infected with a virus!
At that moment, a line of blood-red text appeared on the white screen...
Chapter 249: The Provocative Virus!
The Blue Babies and their friends finally realized that this wasn't text appearing after the screen went completely white; it was a Flash animation that had suddenly started running automatically. This Flash animation automatically went full-screen, covering the entire screen and couldn't be stopped. On the Flash animation, blood was flowing horribly from the top of the white screen, and in the very center of the screen, a line of Chinese characters with outstretched claws appeared:
"SMMH and all Chinese hackers, the time has come for you to pay the price... This is just the beginning!"
There was only this one sentence on the screen, accompanied by those blood-red, ferocious characters, which was particularly shocking.
Just then, the phone rang loudly. Blue Baby quickly pulled out her phone. Lion and the others exchanged glances, preparing to start dealing with the virus. But at that moment, Blue Baby's face suddenly changed: "What did you say? You said all your computers are infected? White screen with bloody text?! Okay, I understand. Don't act rashly. Let's try to crack this virus."
"What happened?" Lion asked.
“Some other members of the Red Hacker Alliance have also been infected. The call came from Husky; their computers are exactly the same as ours.” Blue Baby sat down. The most urgent task right now is to solve this virus.
"I don't know what kind of virus this is, or how it got into our firewall. How come we didn't notice anything?" Feng Zhuiyueying said. "Judging from what you're saying, it seems to be an overseas organization, an enemy of SMMH? How far has this virus spread? Is there any news yet?"
“Not yet,” Blue Baby said. “Haiyun, contact Guan Pingchao now and have him use his methods to investigate the extent of the virus’s impact… Hopefully, this is just a localized virus and hasn’t spread. LION, you’re in charge of this for now. Try to figure out the mechanism of this virus as soon as possible and see if you can crack it. I’m going to call Hao Aiguo… I think this matter is not so simple. The other party is targeting SMMH. We should inform him.”
LION nodded and began preparing to enter the system to crack the virus, while the others went about their own business.
Feng Zhuiyueying is right. Judging from the tone of the other party, this was obviously done by a foreign organization. Moreover, his words not only challenged SMMH, but also provoked hackers all over China!
How can this be forgiven so easily?
Therefore, Lion and his team were very annoyed and began to work hard to crack the virus.
However, it must be said that this virus is extremely malicious. For ordinary people, they can't even close the automatically running Flash. This is because once the Flash is open, it disables almost all system services, leaving only a few core processes. Then it deletes some critical processes on the computer, the most important of which is the taskmgr.exe process… This process is the Task Manager; after the process is deleted, the Task Manager program cannot be opened, making it impossible to terminate the virus through that program.
There were many other disgusting methods as well. In the end, Lion managed to delete the FLASH by restarting using an external hard drive, but he found that his emergency boot hard drive could no longer be opened at this time.
I'm infected? This virus's ability to spread is terrifying!
Meanwhile, Zhan Jing also began her attack on the virus.
Not only Blue Baby and her team, but all the computers participating in this hacking competition were infected with this virus! The sheer terror and destructive power of this virus is maddening; it relentlessly replicates and damages systems, spreading through any available opening. Even more importantly, it constantly pops up that provocative Flash animation, and this Flash animation cannot be deleted!
Of the computers in Chen Xu's work group, only Chen Xu's computer, which was infected with numerous viruses, remained unaffected. This was because Chen Xu had just shut down and reinstalled the system before the unknown, mysterious virus outbreak, thus preventing the virus from running on his computer.
At this moment, Zhan Jing received a call from Blue Baby. After hearing what Blue Baby said on the other end of the phone, even the usually calm Zhan Jing couldn't help but gasp.
Following Guan Pingchao's urgent investigation, all computers in the Red Hacker Alliance have been infected! This unknown virus has rapidly spread through the botnets, infecting countless websites. At the same time, a group of hackers of unknown origin launched an attack on several major Chinese portal websites. Sohu and Sina have already fallen, their homepages displaying that provocative Flash animation. The military's official hackers have been urgently mobilized, but the virus is spreading simultaneously across all websites. The origin of this virus is unknown, and many server groups have already been infected.
Moreover, due to the globalization of the internet... not to mention anything else, even Chen Xu's botnets are mostly based in London. Therefore, this virus spread rapidly through the internet, infecting many websites and users abroad. But what's even more infuriating is that this virus seems to recognize the operating system language; it uses Chinese on Chinese operating systems and English on English operating systems.
But it all comes down to the same thing over and over again:
SMMH and all Chinese hackers, the time has come for you to pay the price... This is just the beginning!
From the initial sudden outbreak of the virus to its near-global pandemic, only half an hour passed. It's absolutely impossible to say that no one was manipulating things behind the scenes! But who has the audacity and the power to do this?!
This virus's ability to spread is in no way inferior to the Beacon virus!
Chen Xu was furious, his eyes blazing. He felt Xiao Min vibrating on his wrist, indicating someone was contacting him. And it was obvious the other party had come knocking on his door—how could Chen Xu not be enraged?!
But he can't leave at this time!
Because Zhan Jing has now discovered a method and is trying to find a way to deal with this virus.
Once this virus activates, the system is essentially unusable. Zhan Jing just restored the system but discovered that this virus is a hard drive-resident virus, which cannot be removed using ordinary methods. And the virus runs along with the system, still erasing critical system data.
So how do we deal with this virus?
The most important thing now is to obtain a sample of the virus and analyze its operating mechanism. However, if the virus has already started running but the initial sample cannot be found, then things will be very troublesome.
But it's not like you can't find them at all!
It's on Chen Xudi's computer!
Based on the intelligence obtained by Blue Baby, the primary detection mechanism of this virus has been analyzed. Hackers are very sensitive to viruses; while not everyone possesses this sensitivity, many advanced hackers have a habit of recording time. This is similar to how police officers record the exact time of death or the time the body was found when they discover someone dead… Doctors also have this habit.
According to the hackers' records, these viruses all broke out at 9:37 PM Beijing time. This means the virus was pre-installed on the computer and its activation was scheduled precisely at 9:37 PM.
So, there's a very simple way to prevent this virus from activating... change the computer's time to before the virus's activation date. That way, the virus won't activate temporarily after the system starts running. Then you can try to find the virus's source code... because an automatically running virus like this couldn't possibly have been running unprepared beforehand!
So Zhan Jing grabbed Chen Xu's computer, went straight into the BIOS and changed the system time. She moved the time forward by two years, and also modified the month and date. After successfully booting up, the system didn't display a white screen as expected.
This completes the first step; the next step is to locate the virus.
Although Chen Xu's computer had just been formatted and the operating system reinstalled, the virus was a hard drive-resident virus, so even this low-level formatting couldn't remove it. Therefore, the virus was definitely still in the system and was already running stealthily.
Finding this virus by meticulously examining every system file on every hard drive would be incredibly exhausting. However, it's important to understand that even the most powerful virus can never defy the rules of a computer. This means that this virus has already begun operating secretly in some way. This mode of operation is so stealthy that even the most skilled hackers in the Chinese Red Hacker Alliance are completely unaware of it.
But a program is still a program. If this stealthy virus can fool the system firewall while it's lurking, then naturally no one will notice it. But once it appears, it's impossible not to find it if you're really looking for it!
Just like Huo Du in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" who used the alias He Shiwo, it would have been fine if he had just stayed in the Beggars' Sect and kept a low profile, but he actually wanted to compete for the position of Beggars' Sect leader, which was a gross underestimation of Huang Rong.
Zhan Jing meticulously searched all loaded processes and DLL database files, checking their locations and signatures. Even ordinary users with decent computer skills can recognize commonly used system processes. Advanced hackers like Zhan Jing, however, had memorized the functions of many DLL databases within the system.
However, this virus wasn't so easy to find and eliminate. Otherwise, it wouldn't have escaped the notice of top hackers like Lion and Blue Baby, and their firewalls. Zhan Jing guessed that this virus must have exploited an undiscovered system vulnerability. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to miss it.
"Let me give it a try!" Just as Zhan Jing was carefully searching through these processes and DLL files one by one with her beautiful eyebrows furrowed, Chen Xu suddenly said, "I've thought of a method that might work!"
There is no information in Chapter 250 of the main text.
Zhan Jing looked at him and saw Chen Xu move a chair and sit next to her. He took the mouse and said, "I have some software on my computer that the SMMH boss gave me. This software is a virtual system used to detect virus attack mechanisms. That virtual system is completely independent. I'll copy the database from this computer into it and try it out."
Gao Xiaojie had seen a similar virtual system before, when Chen Xu used it during his analysis of the Panda Burning Incense virus. However, the virtual system Chen Xu was using now was a step further. The previous system's shell wasn't strong enough, allowing some viruses to penetrate it. But this new system, while mimicking Windows XP, used cutting-edge technology from decades in the future, making it virtually impossible for any virus to penetrate it.
Hearing Chen Xu say this, Zhan Jing moved aside to allow Chen Xu to operate.
Chen Xu first copied all the current system executable files into the virtual system... because this virtual system is essentially a picture-in-picture, an executable system within the main system. The files in the virtual system might not be infected, but the files in the main system were, so this method was equivalent to making a copy, and then observing the results.
After doing all this, Chen Xu set the virtual system time to 9:36 PM. In just one more minute, he would be able to see how the virus would take effect.
That minute felt incredibly long; everyone stared at the screen, not daring to blink. Although there were other methods, everyone was racing against time—every second counted! The virus had already broken out, and if it couldn't be contained as quickly as possible, the resulting losses would be incalculable.
Moreover, the creators and distributors of this virus are openly challenging Chen Xu and all the hackers in China!
Using such methods, they have crossed Chen Xu's bottom line!
The minute was finally up. Chen Xu stared intently at the data log column next to the virtual system. When the minute hand turned 37, countless pieces of information suddenly appeared on the log column!
The reason I say "countless" is because all this information suddenly refreshes, causing the drop-down menu next to it to get smaller and smaller—meaning there's so much data! It's impossible to see anything clearly!
What a resolute virus!
However, this virus could not break through the shell of the virtual system and infiltrate the real computer, but its operating mechanism was clear to Chen Xu.
Upon seeing this, Chen Xu couldn't help but curse.
Data doesn't lie. This virus was initially embedded in a DLL dynamic link library belonging to the system service SERVICES.EXE process. Moreover, this library was disguised extremely well; not only its size, but also the data signature, modification date, and all other critical data that might be detected by firewalls or antivirus software were modified, making it appear completely legitimate!
This external DLL file may have exploited a vulnerability; otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to access the computers of experts like Zhanjing, Blue Baby, and LIO.
But they didn't have time to deal with the specific vulnerability for the time being; Chen Xu and his team began researching the virus's activation mechanism, striving to develop a dedicated removal tool for it as soon as possible.
According to the information, once this virus activates, it automatically deletes critical system programs, essentially removing everything that can be deleted. That's not all; the virus continuously replicates and attacks other system programs, infecting them all, while simultaneously disabling the system registry and infiltrating everywhere it can. The entire computer—every folder, even subfolders—is infected. And the first thing this virus does upon entering the system is delete data, regardless of its type.
That means if you get this virus, let's not even talk about whether your computer can boot up. Even if it can boot up... you'll find your computer completely empty, like a floor licked by a dog!
All the data has been destroyed!
This is a completely malicious virus; its sole purpose is destruction! Unbridled destruction!
The person who developed this virus is absolutely insane! Zhan Jing quickly sent the detected data to Blue Baby and the others... They have now found a computer and are able to access the internet, but the computer they were using before is completely unusable.
Zhan Jing gave them the information because this virus is definitely not something that one person can solve alone; it requires everyone's cooperation. If there really is one person in the world who can solve this virus, then that person must be... SMMH!
SMMH, does he know about this?
"Yes, I'm going to send a copy of these materials to my master as well," Chen Xu said. "I'm not worried about my teacher getting infected at all; I'm worried that he didn't even receive the virus." Yes, yes, it's impossible for Xiaomin to get infected, but she can't receive the virus without Chen Xu's instructions!
So Chen Xu said, "I need to contact my teacher now. Well, my teacher said that only I can contact him. You guys wait at the door. I believe my teacher can definitely solve this."
Chen Xu was very confident, and his confidence stemmed from his belief in Xiao Min. Because Xiao Min's database contained all the virus databases from the past few decades. This virus was definitely among them.
Watching Chen Xu enter the house and lock the door securely, Gao Xiaojie pouted indignantly: "The SMMH boss is so biased. I'm so smart, clever, obedient, and cute, yet he won't take me as his apprentice..."
Zhan Jing shook her head and smiled, continuing to focus on dealing with the virus. Gao Xiaojie, who was standing to the side with nothing to do, said, "Jingjing, is there anything I can help you with?"
Zhan Jing thought for a moment and said, "Yes." Looking at Gao Xiaojie's excited expression, Zhan Jing smiled calmly: "Go out and buy some food and Red Bull. We'll probably be working through the night tonight."
Gao Xiaojie: "..."
Gao Xiaojie was of no help whatsoever in cracking this advanced virus. At this moment, Chen Xu turned on Xiaomin's supercomputer, input the virus sample and analysis results, and said, "Xiaomin, find out what kind of virus this is and immediately create a dedicated removal tool for me!"
Chen Xu was initially smug, thinking that Xiao Min would soon come up with a special weapon and release it online, which would make the name of the Internet God SMMH famous once again, and let those blind fools see what a real Internet God is. How dare they go against me? Do they want to die?!
However, Xiaomin's answer almost made Chen Xu's jaw drop. Xiaomin said, "There is no information about this virus in the database."
Chapter 251: Shanghai Power Outage!
No way?!
Chen Xu shook his head, asking incredulously, "Xiao Min, is there something wrong with your database?!"
"The database is intact, and the virus database is 100% complete."
That's impossible! How could the virus database not recognize this virus if it's intact?! Could it be a virus that has never even appeared in the future?!
Chen Xu began to doubt Xiao Min's role for the first time, but he was even more suspicious of how a virus could appear that even Xiao Min couldn't recognize.
If so, then who created this virus?