The problem is usually it's like... ugly and sweaty and you don't really know
what's happening or what you're supposed to do. In hacking, generally.
[furious keyboard clacking]
Russell Brandom, I'm policy editor at The Verge and I cover cybersecurity. And I don't
really play video games that much.... I know some of them.
Great band.
Unattended computers are great. Like you walk up to the computer and you like, hit buttons
until it like does what you want.
[Jenna, off-screen] I'm flashing back to all the moments during
this recording that I've left you alone with my computer.
[Russell] Yeah I could have been
hacking this this whole time.
This isn't even how like audio editing works. Are
they trying like fake his voice or something? Or is it a brainwave?
I don't want to start too far back,
but like usually computers it's like... keyboard characters,
the Matrix, that kind of thing. They don't really do like... lines- like sound waves?
That's not really... but also it's like, once you've matched the thing you got
everything. It was just like accessing camera, accessing other thing. If they'd
thrown in like "shell access" and then you got everything, I suppose I wouldn't be complaining.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag:
3 swordfishes.
[Batman] The hatch is locked from inside.
If I can locate the control panel, I'll be able to bypass security
using the remote hacking device.
[Russell] Ooo, the remote hacking device.
Scanning for data connection.
I would say the most accurate part of that was when you're like... moving the
thing around and you're like 'oh God, does it work here? No, maybe here.'
In general, people think of hacking is like a cool and powerful thing.
[Hackers] Yo... I kinda feel like GOD!
[Russell] But if you've ever tried to get a router to work and it's not working and
you're like 'I guess maybe we'll do this thing or this other thing' and you're
just trying different things and getting more and more stressed out-
that's basically what it is. Like that, you're trying to get the router to work
the way it's SUPPOSED to.
If you're like okay I'd like saw in this tutorial or
anyway this guy told me you can get it to work this other way... but something's
going wrong and I can't really tell what it is, and so maybe if we try this and
then I try this other thing.
And so the bit with him like 'Alright over here I guess, maybe...'
And it's not even like hot or cold, it's just like control panel's around here somewhere.
That seemed very accurate.
Batman: Arkham Knight-
Three and a half swordfishes.
Hit X to start hack.
Oh, this is a pipes game!
I love pipes. Yeah this is-- see, this is like a classic. This is like Tetris almost.
And I guess like implicitly the hacking is flowing through the pipes.
[Jenna, off-screen] I've heard the Internet is just a series of tubes. Can you confirm or deny?
[Russell] That is true. It's true that it's a series of tubes.
I don't know if... it's....
like these tubes, really.
Okay so I would say, number one... "hacked successful"... is not accurate.
And in general I've never seen tubes
Bioshock:
one swordfish.
He's like hacking it with a sword?
And it's just like a USB rock that's sitting there.
[Jenna, off-screen] yeah.
[Russell] okay.
Wait he's like... he's just setting "on fire"
to true, and then it goes on fire.
I would say this is the the most accurate so far.
In that like, ideally you want... to password protect your rock...
But basically, getting to a point where you have access and you can just change the
settings for things, and then it's like what about this parameter ,and you're
like 'that parameter is now this thing.'
And then like...
a nuclear centrifuge in Iran blows up. Right? Like that's....
[Jenna, off-screen] Is that a.... specific example?
Yeah, Stuxnet is like this watershed moment
in military hacking. They were just like 'make setting fast'
and then it went really fast and the centrifuge blew up.
"How did Stuxnet actually become introduced into the Iranian computers?"
"The initial infection might have been by a USB thumb drive."
But yeah, all they're doing is like changing the parameters. So like, he like goes up to a
thing and he's like 'set this to this.' That was pretty good.
Hack 'n' Slash:
five swordfishes.
[Swordfish] Good job.
Oh, it's a circuit board. Okay, yeah
Again, we're matching, which i think is like a solid gameplay mechanic.
It's like Toad's house in [Super Mario Bros] 3. But on a circuit board.
So generally people don't hack
at the circuit level very much. Cuz it's just like... pretty deep in.
Like ideally you want to just be installing some software or something.
But if it's like... how do we open this door? Can we like short-circuit
it so it gets confused and just freaks out?
Plausibly you could be doing weird circuit thing.
Mass Effect 2:
Four swordfishes.
This is like um... Flappy Bird.
Ooo, it shocks you if you get it wrong.
I've actually noticed this on people's phones; If you don't keep your phone super clean--
like, phones have the four... the same keypad. And like you will see fingerprint
smudges on the keypad. Which I always thought was just like a thing that
happen in movies, and then I look at my friend's phone... you can just see which
numbers they... that have been pushed. So I would say that's real.
Prey:
Three swordfishes.
[Miles] If that drone wasn't watching, I could jump the fence.
[Russell] Wait, he hacked it without, like... touching it.
[Miles] I can't believe Sable systems are unsecured! Maybe I'll
send an anonymous tip.
The important thing is that he reported the vulnerability.
And then they're gonna be like 'oh no, you're an evil hacker.'
And he's like 'no, your system was unsecure, all I had to do is point this intangible
object at it, and it blew up. I was just investigating your thing; I found this
vulnerability. I told you about it. Now you're mad, but you're not mad because I
found it, you're mad because the thing is broken. It's not my fault!'
And then they're like... suing him and there's a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violation,
and they throw the book at Spider-man.
[Miles] Ugh, they're not messing around.
It's complicated.
But I think it would be a good game mechanic!
Spider-man:
Three and a half swordfishes.
And they're doing like cool scary things, and they're very skilled
but it's like... kind of janky, cuz it's not supposed to work that way.
That's the truth about hacki--
the truth about hack-
[glitchy sounds]