With the clock ticking, Alice and John Doe take stock of their options – and each other.
With the clock ticking, Alice and Dmitri take stock of their options – and each other.
The Hacker Chronicles
Presented by Tenable. Learn more at Tenable.com/Alice
Vote for The Hacker Chronicles in the 2nd Annual Signal Listener's Choice Award.
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Credits:
Starring Michael C. Hall as John Doe
And Chloe Taylor as Alice
Executive Produced by Michael C. Hall, Jerome Robert, Skyler Schmanski and Ian Faison
Directed by Rex New
Written for Audio by Rex New, Jerome Robert, & Skyler Schmanski
Story based on the Novella The Hacker Chronicles created by Jerome Robert and written by Skyler Schmanski
With:
Nicole Britton as Katie
Zachary Lazar Hoffman as Karl
Produced by Taylor Brim & Rex New
Produced by Dane Eckerle
Supervising Creative Producer: Landon Pontius
Sound Design by Dan Scott and Zack Dingman
Sound Mixing by Dan Scott
Associate Producer: Mark Wolf Roberts
Dialogue Editing by Nick Canepa and Scott Goodrich
Production Support by SJ Nichols, Bradley Glanzrock, Jon Libbey and Dani Godard
Marketing Support from Dino Pasalic, Kyle Rusca, Dylan Langlois and Rockable
Additional Production Support provided by Echo Mountain Studios
Alice (00:04):
Oh my God,
Katie (00:04):
He's hot, right?
Alice (00:06):
Katie? That's my boss. What the man at the table. That's the asshole. I work for my toxic freaking boss. Whoa. Yeah, he
Katie (00:14):
Is not what I pictured.
Alice (00:16):
No, he definitely isn't.
Katie (00:19):
Talk about busting stereotypes. That is not the computer nerd I was expecting.
Alice (00:24):
I mean, he's not that handsome.
Katie (00:27):
He is Alice.
Alice (00:29):
Okay. Yeah, he is
Katie (00:31):
Crazy coincidence, but I guess this place is pretty well known.
Alice (00:35):
Yeah. Crazy coincidence. Wow. Hey, Katie, can you give me a few minutes? I'm going to go talk to my boss.
Katie (00:47):
Sure. You want some backup?
Alice (00:49):
No. I'm actually going to go quit my job. Oh,
Katie (00:54):
Salute. If that's not hoa, I don't know what is.
Alice (01:00):
Okay, here we go. Alice, you should have kept tabs on Katie's Instagram, but you can get out tonight right now. Excuse me, sir, I saw you looking our way. Thought you might be flirting with us. Thought I
Demitri (02:17):
Drop it. Alice, you know who I am. I know who you are. When I discovered I was compromised, I felt so shaken, violated. But once the shock wore off, I was left with one question. How? I'm obsessive, as I'm sure you've noticed, the only way into my systems would require a physical penetration operation. We're talking days of reconnaissance, multiple home break-ins, key loggers, malware, all sorts of variables to account for. It would be a hell of an operation and you'd have to know where I live in the first place. But once I saw your friend reactivated her social media, it clicked you in Copenhagen. That couldn't be a coincidence. It was you, Alice Mitnick. But still, how does someone like you know where I live? Then I realized you have had access to one piece my personal life, Carl. So I called him. I asked him to walk me through every single thing the two of you had done on the orca, and he told me how you asked to use his computer. Something about a thumb drive, an OSS upgrade, and a wifi hotspot. Very clever of you, Alice, getting access to Carl's computer and planting a spy program in there. I can guess the rest, but what matters is the end result. You compromised me.
(03:49):
Good job, Alice. I'm genuinely impressed. You're usually someone who messes the big things up.
Alice (03:59):
Thanks.
Demitri (04:00):
So how did you do it? How did you unmask John Doe?
Alice (04:05):
It doesn't matter.
Demitri (04:06):
I was honorable enough to tell you how I used that fraudulent systems report for your RAs. The compromise You. Are you not going to return the gesture
Alice (04:15):
Near a T-shirt?
Demitri (04:17):
Excuse me,
Alice (04:18):
The one you're wearing, the bear crossed with a deer. When I told you I broke my glasses a few weeks ago, you told me that you'd ruined your favorite t-shirt. A bear crossed with a deer. The T-shirt says beer. I looked for it in Carl's photos and there you were. Why you like it is so beyond me. There's some version of it in every gift shop in Lake Pleasant.
Demitri (04:41):
You sound like my wife. This t-shirt drives her crazy. That's probably why I love to wear it.
Alice (04:47):
Oh, that's so cute and I really don't care, so I'm going to get to it. I know everything about you. You know everything about me. That means we have a pact. Mutually assured destruction, we can destroy each other's lives with one document dump with a single email to any law enforcement agency worldwide, the F B I M I five, our former employers at Interpol. Take your pick. I hate every second of looking at you. I hate knowing you have millions of dollars hidden away that I've been some strange pawn for your retirement fund. I hate that. I know you and your wife are looking at gorgeous houses in Malaysia. I hate you. You've ruined my life. You have no idea what I want to do to you in return, but looking at you right now, you're just some dumb suburban dad who spends too much time on his computer though I will give you the courtesy of telling you goodbye.
Demitri (05:51):
Well, that was a great speech and it's all true set for the part where we can both walk away right now because sadly Alice, we can't.
Alice (06:02):
Fine, then you stay, but I'm out
Demitri (06:06):
If you walk away. I cannot guarantee your safety. What
Alice (06:08):
Are you threatening me?
Demitri (06:10):
I'm not the threat. Alice Carl has been bombarding me with voice messages all afternoon. I think we have a serious problem. Let me play a few. I'd like you to listen.
Alice (06:22):
This is not my problem.
Demitri (06:24):
It is now
Karl (06:25):
Teamwork. The cops are here asking all kinds of questions about computer access at the port. I don't know what's going on, not there. Looking for industrial espionage or something. I don't know what to do. I don't know. Look, I know I freak out easily, but something doesn't feel right and I'm going to lose it soon. You need to call me. Every time I walk down the hall, it feels like they're watching me. I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. I believe in what we're doing, but I cannot go. They want to talk to me, Dima. They're talking to everyone and I can't hold them off much longer. Dima, call me back, please.
Alice (07:16):
I get it. The world's worst candidate for an insider is freaking out. This is why you don't hire your friends. Lesson learned.
Demitri (07:24):
No, Alice, you don't get it. When you were in my systems, how much did you eavesdrop on me?
Alice (07:31):
I listened to every single thing you said.
Demitri (07:33):
So you heard me tell a story to my son about how I left Russia and moved to Copenhagen. Yeah.
Alice (07:38):
Your friend stole a business idea. He had political and organized crime connections and he bullied you into leaving the country.
Demitri (07:45):
I don't know how you haven't figured this part out, but that friend was Andre Novikoff and that business wasn't a business. It was something much more. The idea was simple. Assemble some of the best hackers in Russia to exploit the internet for financial gain, industrial espionage, state sponsored actions, whatever our customers would need, and we'd sell our services to the highest bidder. I told him I wanted to call it electronica.
Alice (08:13):
Oh, because that name just screams hip, cyber criminal.
Demitri (08:16):
Yes, yes. We're a bad Berlin nightclub. You're not the only one who mocked me. So did Andre. He said it was as stupid as the idea itself, but we know what happened.
(08:29):
Andre built his empire with it. He farmed electronic as services out to support his businesses. Amassed a fortune as he expanded into mining his team spread disinformation for his favorite candidates and third world countries. You've seen them ruin the lives of those climate change activists simply for blocking access to a port for a few hours and countless other crimes. When I confronted him, he threatened to have me killed and he's killed countless others for far less. You don't get to the top of that kind of food chain without a willingness to eliminate anything or anyone in your way. Perhaps Andre is no longer involved with Russia, but in my view, that doesn't signal a change of heart just in financial interests, which brings us to our little standoff. You can't walk away right now. Carl knows who I am and I know who you are. Bottom line, if Carl flips the police, take us both, and once our identities are discovered, we will beg for jail. Over the alternative, we have cost Andre's businesses a hell of a lot of money. If no, when we become known entities, Andre will retaliate. It will be painful and then we will be dead.
(09:50):
And I fear for our families too. Alice,
Alice (09:55):
You are the worst thing that ever happened to me. Dmitri. I will never hate something or someone as much as I do you.
Demitri (10:05):
I know, and I'm sorry. I truly am. Alice
Alice (10:10):
Apology not accepted.
Demitri (10:14):
Your roommate is looking at us. By the way, could you wave to her or something?
Alice (10:22):
Just a few more minutes. Katie. How do we get out of this mess? Can't we just get Carl out?
Demitri (10:31):
It's too late for an exfiltration. The police are onto him so we won't be able to get him on a commercial flight. Believe it or not, I'm no Pablo Escobar Alice. I don't have the means to charter a private plane and smuggle Carl out of Spain. I wouldn't even know how to do that. Like you said, I'm just a suburban dad who spends too much time on his computer. No. What we need is to negotiate with the police. We need to give them something and cut a deal. Do you understand what I'm saying?
Alice (11:02):
Yeah. You're saying the only way we save our asses is to hand them a bigger asshole like your good friend Andre. We prove he controls electronica. Then we trade that information with the authorities against a deal for ourselves and for Carl.
Demitri (11:22):
Yes, we show Andre Novikoff is not the benevolent, wealthy billionaire feigns to be the sports team owner who gives his fans his direct email so he can be a better part of the Wakefield community. We show the world the criminal, the butcher he truly is.
Alice (11:41):
How could you have messed this up so badly?
Demitri (11:46):
The reality is, I'm not some mastermind. I simply saw you and saw opportunity. Do you know why I picked you as hackers? We're kindred spirits. I mean, yeah, we want to make money, but we also want to make the world a better place along the way. You're not the only one who's been cosplaying as Robinhood on the worldwide web.
Alice (12:12):
Again, your apology is not accepted, but that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is Andre and finding evidence against Andre won't be enough. We can't just rely on going the authorities. They're too slow, too slow for our timeline with Carl. We have to make such a move that they won't be able to ignore us. They'll have to strike a deal immediately. We have to create an emergency.
Demitri (12:41):
I can hear in your voice. You have one in mind.
Alice (12:44):
I do. Wakefield City has a match in two days. We know from being in Wakefield systems that we can move laterally to stadium operations, which means there's scoreboard and stadium screens. Wait, does soccer have a halftime or did they just run around the whole time?
Demitri (13:01):
I see where you're going. I like it. And yes, they do have a halftime.
Alice (13:07):
Okay, so that part should be easy enough, but that leaves us with the main issue. How do we prove Andre is the criminal? We know he is. We have no idea if Andre's even communicating with electronica or how he's not an idiot. His hand's always stay clean. The only thing we can prove right now is that the guy is self-dealing, which is not the smoking gun we need. Oh, we never found a stealthy way to sneak into Andre's personal computer and we never took the risk of a full frontal assault. Even spearfishing. The guy seemed too risky. But now we can't be stealthy. We have to storm his castle. We have to try to get access to his computer. We're up against the clock. I hacked Robert Sky in no time, but that was because they hadn't patched their internal log. Four J vulnerabilities. They knowingly left a door open. We're not going to have that here. So how do we storm this castle in two days?
Demitri (14:12):
Forget storming a castle. We get a nuclear bomb and we blast their bunker. No subtlety, no caution to full force assault with the most destructive weapon we can find and to hell with the aftermath.
Alice (14:25):
Are you saying what I think you're saying?
Demitri (14:27):
We buy a zero click, zero day vulnerability. I did my share of vulnerability research in my younger days. I would spend hours in all manner of software looking for vulnerabilities. When I would find them, I'd sell them to this broker and he'd sell them to the highest bidder. We're still in touch. I'm sure he has something.
Alice (14:46):
They're expensive.
Demitri (14:48):
So is a funeral bill. Time isn't something we have right now going nuclear is the only way we get in there fast. So don't you tell me it's not worth it. What do you say, friends with a very real benefit?
Alice (15:10):
No, we're just two people with a common interest. One last job and we're done.
Demitri (15:18):
Come to my house at eight 15 tomorrow morning.
Alice (15:20):
Are you going to tell your wife about me?
Demitri (15:22):
Well, she'll be gone, but I will tell her my obnoxious freelancer will be working with me in person so that we can hone her skills.
Alice (15:30):
Alright, that's a deal.
Demitri (15:32):
You want to shake on it?
Alice (15:34):
Don't push it
Demitri (15:35):
Very well. It's a deal.
Alice (15:41):
Okay. Now if you'll excuse me, it's why night? I'll see you tomorrow on Shit Island.
Katie (15:53):
Hey Alice, I didn't hear you walk up. I saved your seat. Is everything okay? It was a little long for a breakup.
Alice (16:03):
Yeah, we were negotiating my severance package my last day of work. Turns out is in two days. Oh
Katie (16:14):
My God. Alice, I'm so proud of you.
Alice (16:20):
Thanks. Yeah. Okay. Anyway. I love this orange wine. What's it called again?
Katie (16:27):
Lucky
Alice (16:28):
Luke. In that case, let's get another glass. The next morning I would begin my final mission, and if we pulled it off, I'd be rid of Able 10 forever or I'd be dead.
Credits (17:04):
The Hacker Chronicles presented by Tenable. Learn more at tenable.com/alice. Starring Michael C. Hall as John Doe and Chloe Taylor as Alice Executive produced by Michael C. Hall, Jerome, Robert Skyler Shi Mansky and Ian Faison, directed by Rex New, written for audio by Rex New Jerome Robert and Skyler Shi Mansky story based on the novella, the Hacker Chronicles, created by Jerome Robert and written by Skylar Shaky with Nicole Britton as Katie Zachary Lazar Hoffman. As Carl the Hacker Chronicles is produced by Caspian Studios, produced by Taylor Brimm. And Rex New produced by Dan Ackerley. Supervising creative producer is Landed. Pontius Sound designed by Dan Scott and Zach Dingman. Sound Mixing by Dan Scott. The associate producer is Mark Wolf Roberts dialogue, editing by Nick Cana and Scott Goodrich. Production support by SJ Nichols, Bradley Glands Rock, John Libby and Danny Goddard. Marketing support from Dino Pai, Kyle Ruka, Dylan and Rock. Additional production support provided by Echo Mountain Studios. Learn more at tenable.com/alice.