The Hacker (novel)
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| The Hacker | |
| Author | Robert Ludlum |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Gregory Kane |
| Genre(s) | Thriller novel |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication date | 1990 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 672 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-28773-7 |
| Preceded by | The Double Agent |
| Followed by | The Assassin |
The Hacker is the third Gregory Kane novel written by John Bryson and a sequel to The Double Agent (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Kane novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Kevin Van Lendrik wrote a sequel titled The Assassin fourteen years later.
The Hacker is currently being adapted into a film of the same name starring Tom Cruise and is scheduled to be released in 2007. Similar to the 2004 film, The Double Agent, it is expected that The Hacker will have a completely different plot from the novel.
[edit] Plot summary
Gregory Kane had spent years developing government computer defence systems - now his life depended on breaking them. Framed by a double agent, he faces a race against time to prove his innocence. The problem was he had to become the type of person he most hated and had spent a lifetime trying to out think - the hacker.Kane worked for the CIA and was an expert in the field of computer network systems, creating security codes which were thought to be unbreakable. No one had ever managed to crack his codes - until now. Hardly surprising considering the enemy had received inside information from a double agent who supplied details needed to infiltrate the system only thought to be known to one man. The CIA suspected Kane of working for the other side vowed to hunt him down and bring him to justice. Kane had to move - and quickly. In a small quiet town near the coast, Kane switched on his laptop. He had been offered the use of a safe house by Lance Marshall, who was head of his department in the CIA, but refused the offer because he could trust no one. Which leads us to the question, how safe is a safe house when you know someone you work with is framing you. He had always suspected Marshall of being a double agent but did not have the evidence to implicate him. Now he was determined to prove his guilt. Kane needed proof and the answer would be found on his laptop.It wasn’t difficult to suspect Marshall. He was brilliant in the field of surveillance systems and probably was responsible for setting up cameras to spy on Kane as he worked - the only way anyone could see him entering the codes. It was one thing suspecting but another thing knowing for certain. However, he had been given information which he hoped could trap Marshall. Time to put his hacking skills to the test.Kane had received a tip that Marshall had been seen talking to an enemy contact near the river. If he could hack into CCTV cameras then he could catch them red handed. Of course, he knew if he went and asked to see the camera footage, permission probably would be allowed but they might check with the CIA first. As a wanted man, he couldn’t take the chance. There are different methods of hacking. Kane could have used the brute force method which is a complex and most comprehensive form of attack. However, it takes a long time, sometimes weeks, and time was one thing he didn’t have. He decided to use a hybrid attack which adds numbers or symbols to the full name to successfully unlock a password. The computer tool he used was called LC4. It works by attempting every alpha numeric combination and eventually reveals the password. He hated hacking but this had to be done.Hacking into the CCTV system was easier than he expected. In no time he had cracked the code and was able to access computer records. He searched for last month’s record - Thursday the 22nd. Having found the file he was looking for, he clicked open and played the video clip. After about twenty five minutes, he saw Lance Marshall talking to what could be an enemy agent. If it were, it might prove his innocence. Only time would tell. To think Marshall, an expert in surveillance systems, could be snared by one. All that remained was for Kane to download the files and show them to someone he could trust - and that would be the hardest task of all.
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