Security → Research for sci-fi book

That is a perfect example of the puffiness seen in many folks with degrees and certs. They think that these bit of paper make a person better or smarter than someone else. Saddle most employers think the same. The truth is esp with say programing most innovative programs come fromnthose who learned on their own.

At least you self outed, kudos for that. As to experience, I've lived it. I understand large IT projects. If you want to take down Internet, or large components of it, you'll need to know a lot about hardware, firmware, where the exchanges are (hint start here - »www.internetexchangemap.com/ ), security, both physical and virtual, and decide which vectors are open to you.

Now lets say you have decided one of your publicly known targets is at 375 Pearl Street, New York, United States, 10038. Well where does your young heroic figure go next? He has one of maybe 20 or so exchanges in the NYC area, not all of which are easy to find. How is your young super kid going to take out several thousand exchanges around the world at once? Some with military security?? The building on Pearl Street is owned by Sabey Data Center Properties, does that help our intrepid young hero? »sabey.com/datacenters/

Hardware, firmware, firewalls and how exchanges operate, what level of physical and virtual security they have vary considerably across the world. Even Google got caught pants down by trusting it's fiber was outside the NSA's ability to splice.

Someone with 30 years of managing IT security for company's like Cisco, Google, IBM, Mikrotik, Amazon or other similar entities will be able to at least give guidance on how to begin creating a team capable of impairing global internet if that is even possible. Fortunately our young heroic figure eschews expertise, experience, learning, and other aspects that harm society in so many ways. My guess is those so inclined and with such capability already work directly or indirectly for a government or large corporation.

You gave a thumbs up, so how are ya gonna take one baby exchange out with a very smart very young, maybe 13 year old? Internet genius. I'm so looking forward to your story. If 13 is too old, how about a 5 or 3 year old? How are you going to take out 20,000? Then try millions of switches, routers, hubs etc, many using very different modality (dsl, cable, fiber, cable, wi-fi, satellite, laser). You'll have a very very smart 3, 5, 7, 13, 18, 22 year old super cyber person indeed.

Finally all that destruction toward what purpose? The last thing I'd want to see is the Internet destroyed. Why must it be destroyed again?

I will definitely do so. Right now I'm still in first revisions, but hopefully I can get it to my agent soon and then she can get it out there. Thanks again!

Would something like this be helpful? Wired magazine wrote an article last year called "Meet the seven people who hold the keys to worldwide internet security". It has to do with keeping the DNS system secure and making sure fake sites don't take over. They meet every few months and there's some sci-fi like security stuff already there ripe for the pickings.

»www.theguardian.com/tech ··· rity-web

Because that is the premise of the OP's original post...

The one thing I can say for sure regarding youth & their capabilities, youth see possibilities whereas older, hardened individuals see impossibilities. The less structured do not have the mental barriers nor the self imposed restrictions created by years in the industry & its regulations. The old adage, where there's a will there's a way is rather succinct.

At this point I'll agree to disagree and move on. If our opinions differ so be it, such is life.

If you'd like a beta reader, let me know. I happen to be one of those old guys the others tell you about -- helped install the first multiplexer between Phoenix and Boston back in the late 60s -- and have been a devotee of good SF since the golden age and Astounding.

Your premise seems quite viable; while the original architecture of the net was designed to survive nuclear Armageddon, subsequent "simplification" and commercial needs have pared away several layers of its security. And as has been noted, in SF absolute accuracy isn't required. If it were, we couldn't have FTL travel or a number of other staple devices...

Another old adage also applies "a new set of eyes"

Oh id have a blast reading a pre release novel.

You know another interesting bit of scifi hacking that would be interesting is since our stock market depends so much now on this high speed trading where every decision is made by a computer. What would happen if a group got access to the primary firms and instructed the computer to sell everything. and had them all do it at once. Now in reality the NYSE automatically closes trading if there is a sell flood, But we are talking fiction would a hacker group be able to crash a global economy just by making it look like a massive fire sale was going on.

Yep, you got it. My point was not that they understood security, or knew how to code well, but they had ideas that other people either did not have or were not able to implement. They created huge companies out of thin air.

The best hackers have always been young folks.

In any case HELLFIRE is correct. KISS. The vast majority of people would likely not even know what could or could not bring down the Internet, and most of those that do, are probably like most viewers or readers, if you can entertain them, they will "suspend their disbelief". Some of the most popular shows among techies, such as Dr. Who, if you sit there and analyze them have major flaws, but few people care.

As the movie Hackers showed, it got the computer stuff all wrong but it worked as a film.

A great thing about the general public being computer dumb is not everything has to be viable.

That said something technologically sound would be more Tom Clancy. Coordinated bomb strikes on vital NOCs around the world.

So uneducated, incapable people, have the best insight, as they lack any bias, discipline, reference (or basis) when approaching a task.

Hmm, quite a philosophy you have. Do you live by that? Always seeking say a self educated / unlicensed individual, with the least verifiable skill set, who is very young, to solve all your problems? Do you seek this out in doctors, lawyers, engineers? Oddly, I look for experienced people, with proven records. How odd, we come to such divergent conclusions.

Thanks.

Love how you add in the incapable because hey as every one knows no degree automatically means your incapable.First no degree does not automatically mean un educated it only means that they did not go to some school. And it by no means even comes close to meaning incapable.

It's so much easier than all that. Don't you remember when Kim broke it last year?

I'm sure the Department of Homeland Security will be knocking on your door soon.

I'm serious.

Not even a chance. Even if they took some interest in him they would see his post here and that would be that. We have had topics here that would be much more likely to peak their interest than this one and no one has had their doors knocked down for it.

It's unclear to me what you mean by destroy the internet. Do you mean a temporary shutdown or at least severe interruption (plausible), or a total destruction lasting weeks or months (less plausible)?

I can't off the top of my head think of something that you could do with any permanence that doesn't also involve physical destruction on a large scale.

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· MuvumYrg
Sure, NOW everyone knows how to fix it!

Oh, I seriously doubt it. Get a copy of this book:

»www.amazon.com/Total-Res ··· 07963043

Here is a free copy for your perusal (save $10):

»www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/ ··· ance.pdf

This book has been downloaded tens of thousands of times. See anything in there that would be useful to shit-disturbers...??

If you need more information than that, I'll dig up some of the very many military manuals that are available on the Internet.

Really?
The track record of understanding security issues over the past 30 years is dismal to put it politely.
Underestimating the ability of a determined 20-30 yr old makes one archaic, not wise.
Welcome to 2015

Hasn't advertising already destroyed it.
I have on current projections facebook ddosing the pipes in 5yrs from now.