Digital Hackers' Memories

Theoretically speaking, unless the opponent has the computing power of a quantum computer, it is absolutely impossible to find Chen Ze's "true identity" from these countless backups.

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"A very interesting idea. So this can be considered a type of hacking technique?"

After carefully listening to Chen Ze's explanation, the fox demon had to admit that it had indeed misunderstood something before.

It turns out that so-called "hackers" are not only exceptionally skilled in intrusion and sabotage, but their understanding and countermeasures regarding network security defense are also beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"But I have another question. Was your EDEN originally just a transmitter?"

The way Renamon encrypts, disguises, and backs up the data it inputs, and then sends it to the EDEN network, is how it understands this machine.

However, this raises a new problem.

If I were Mirei Mikagura, I wouldn't need to search for her "true form" at all. I could simply redirect all the data to another address, which would also prevent Chen Ze's data avatar from logging into the EDEN network.

From a hacker's perspective, this is not a difficult technology to achieve; even the current Renamon could easily do it.

"So this is where a relay server comes in."

Chen Ze naturally understood the fox demon's subtext, and he already had a strategy to deal with it—a private relay server.

The encrypted and backed-up data does not point directly to the public EDEN network.

Instead, before officially entering the public network, the data is first sent to various relay servers, which then encrypt it a second time before sending it to its final destination.

In this way, the possibility of being blocked at a public network exit by that mysterious hacker and having all the data backups packed up and taken away can be eliminated.

Even if the other party does intercept some of the data, they will not be able to extract any useful information. The double-encrypted data is enough to confuse any cracking software's "deciphering".

As for the origin of these relay servers?

That was naturally "bought" back by Chen Ze with real money!

As a hacker of the new era, Chen Ze is not the kind of old-fashioned hacker who believes that only the "zombies" he captures are good "stepping stones".

Instead of using an electronic terminal that he had hacked and controlled as a relay, Chen Ze now uses a cloud server that he purchased himself.

Here, Chen Ze couldn't help but realize that ordinary people are indeed the main force driving market development.

Generally speaking, renting a cloud server is very expensive. Even for someone as knowledgeable as Chen Ze, renting a large number of cloud servers is unrealistic.

But just like selling identity information, where there is demand, there will naturally be buying and selling.

Since there is such market demand, it is natural that some manufacturers will purchase a large number of cloud servers, build corresponding service programs, and then resell them to groups in need.

VPN, VPS, accelerator, VPN service, cloud service, IP redirection...

Regardless of how the name of this thing changes, it essentially refers to the same thing.

However, compared to professionals like Chen Ze, most ordinary people do not understand the essence of this "service." They simply download the software provided by the manufacturer and then directly use its functions.

Because there are enough users, the cost can be reduced to a level that everyone can accept.

In theory, given enough channels and capabilities, a hacker like Chen Ze could easily rent a massive server cluster and build any functions he wanted on it.

As for distributing data and using different addresses for redirection?

As long as the latency and network speed are acceptable, it's just one of the simplest ways to use it.

Chapter Seven Network Security Systems

"So those servers you rented can actually be used like this?"

The fox spirit, who had already mastered the basics, instantly understood Chen Ze's actions, because she often used those servers to redirect to other countries' networks and browse video portals that were not available in China.

Speaking of this, we have to mention the concept of "Internet" again.

Theoretically speaking, the Internet is indeed a huge network connecting the entire world, and the rapid development of modern society is largely due to the birth and development of Internet technology.

From a practical perspective, the Internet can at best be described as the world's largest virtual network, but it is not the only network in the world.

Because in addition to the main body of the Internet—the "Internet," there are still many "Local Area Networks" with wide coverage and strong functionality.

Cybersecurity systems in various countries, internal network channels of major companies, educational networks of universities, and even private networks built from several different servers...

In theory, as long as there is one host acting as a server, any two people in the world can create a "private" local area network.

Aside from the United States, which built the massive internet network, and Japan, which achieved widespread adoption of EDND virtual networks, China, where Chen Ze lives in this life, should be considered one of the countries with the most advanced local area network technology.

Because, in addition to the globalized Internet and the fully virtualized EDND network, the world's third independent "local area network" is China's Great Wall defense system.

The origins of the Great Firewall system can be traced back to the early 21st century, the era when network technology was just emerging and becoming widespread.

In order to automatically review, filter and monitor online content, China built a national system called the "Great Firewall" to monitor and control harmful information from abroad.

Over time, this famous Great Firewall system has long since departed from its original simple "firewall" concept and become a huge network system independent of the Internet.

In a sense, this massive local area network is a competition of "hacking technology" between countries, a contest to see which country has stronger network technology and better intrusion prevention technology.

In fact, apart from China and Japan, other countries have also been involved in independent technologies that are more or less separate from the "Internet".

However, due to various reasons, very few of them were able to take shape and grow to a significant scale.

However, regardless of the final outcome, the foundation of this independent technology remains unchanged—the local area network (LAN).

Generally speaking, there are only two ways to separate one's own country's network from the internet and prevent it from being affected by the opinions and hacking activities of other countries.

One of these is the "whitelist" technology.

This means completely isolating the interaction between network IP addresses, allowing only IP addresses within one's own country or network addresses added to the whitelist to enter the "local area network" in order to control harmful information from outside.

This technology is generally designed for small countries that are geographically small and not heavily reliant on internet technology, as it can minimize external pressure and maintain national stability.

However, this approach also has a major drawback: self-isolation prevents access to the latest technologies and international developments.

Unless absolutely necessary, no country wants to fall behind the world's development trend—it's a form of slow suicide.

In this context, more sophisticated "blacklist" technologies were developed.

Local area networks built using this technology do not completely isolate themselves from information exchange with the Internet.

It simply adds certain fixed network addresses and sensitive words to its blacklist to isolate information exchange between the two, which is essentially a completely different technology from the "whitelist" system.

The most obvious difference is that the latter does not restrict all network addresses; as long as they comply with the system's internal censorship mechanism, every newly created IP address can join the network.

Chen Ze was able to hack into the ENDN network, which was located in Japan, precisely because he exploited a vulnerability in this "blacklist" technology.

By using a personal terminal to infiltrate a new network address that is not on any country's "blacklist," one can then use this network address to log into the network of the country one wants to access.

In a sense, this act of breaking through national firewalls and entering other countries' networks is already the simplest and most basic form of hacking.

After all, if you can anonymously bypass the national firewall, you might also be able to anonymously enter the internal networks of some schools or companies and steal confidential information from them.

For this reason, in many countries and regions, similar technologies and software have been classified as illegal gray areas.

As mentioned earlier, there is demand and a market.

To make it easier for ordinary people who don't understand technology or know how to set up servers to freely access the public networks of other countries.

Selling and leasing massive cloud server groups that have already been set up with corresponding services and can freely access networks in various countries has naturally become a popular business.

This is also why Chen Ze previously remarked that ordinary people are the main drivers of market development.

In theory, as long as you're not too arrogant and don't try to hack into any non-public networks, you can get away with it.

This type of powerful server, maintained 24/7 by dedicated personnel, and without any log records, is the most convenient and fastest form of "hacking".

However, this "intrusion" targets the public networks of other countries, and it happens even when the relevant authorities turn a blind eye.

As far as Chen Ze knew, some clever hackers would even assemble the electronic terminals they captured in a similar way, and then control them with a self-made software, selling them specifically to hackers who planned to invade non-public areas.

It's a pity I don't have the money, otherwise I'd like to create a completely private hacking software.

Looking at the EDEN debugging device in front of him, Chen Ze actually wanted something similar deep down.

After all, "hiding one's identity" is an instinct for every hacker. Even though Chen Ze is now using a fake data avatar, he has also used special encryption to log in to the cloud server.

But Chen Ze's hacker instincts still made him somewhat uneasy. He wanted a more covert intrusion, one that was so covert that no one but himself would know about it.

Thinking of this, Chen Ze suddenly looked up at the fox spirit on his computer desktop.

Okay, it's impossible that nobody knows!

[But at least, apart from the Rei-Fox Beast, it would be best if no one else knew what I was doing.]

With this unrealistic idea flashing through his mind, Chen Ze quickly activated the EDEN debugging device he had made himself, making a second attempt to access the EDEN network in Japan.

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P.S.: These chapters may be a bit dry, but it's unavoidable in order to introduce these "concepts".

Otherwise, if you don't understand these actions after the protagonist hacks into the EDEN network, you'll be completely confused.

Chapter 8 Digital Space

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When Chen Ze opened his eyes again, he had already re-entered his computer space.

However, unlike last time, the computer space is no longer that dark, prison-like space. Instead, it is a small room full of cyberpunk vibes.

Exquisite electronic devices are placed in every corner of the room, creating a unique aesthetic amidst the clutter.

A huge electronic screen covered half of the wall, constantly flashing different images, including classic movie clips and real-time dynamics of the outside world captured by cameras.

"How...how did this place become like this?"

Although it was only the second time he had used the EDEN virtual glasses to enter his computer space, Chen Ze clearly remembered that there was absolutely no such messy stuff on his computer.

As for those sophisticated "electronic devices," Chen Ze could tell from the logos and icons that they were probably software programs from his own computer, just presented in physical form.

But those movie clips and live surveillance footage were different; Chen Ze didn't remember storing those things on his computer.

The latter, in particular, is clearly a live video captured using a newly purchased webcam, and its clarity and smoothness far surpass those of a webcam that comes with the computer.

"You need a high-performance CPU for these purposes?"

Chen Ze raised his eyebrows slightly. The computer he had configured himself was a server-grade computer.

In this situation, the fact that the fox spirit still needed a high-performance processor puzzled Chen Ze. What exactly did the other party intend to do with such high performance?

However, after seeing the screen of his computer, he suddenly realized that the CPU he bought might not be enough.

As is well known, programs involving 3D modeling, image rendering, and video conversion are usually the most demanding in terms of processing speed and computing power.

Before the arrival of the fox spirit, Chen Ze had not specifically installed such software; at most, he would download it temporarily, which made his computer space as dark and gloomy as a prison.

However, after the arrival of the fox spirit, she clearly could not bear to stay in that dark environment for a long time, so she specially used various virtualization programs to simulate this exquisite cyberpunk room little by little.

Not only that, even the program documents that Chen Ze often casually placed on the desktop or in folders were now neatly arranged in a fixed corner of the room.

Although this virtual digital space is not as powerful as the real EDEN network, it is still powerful enough to defeat traditional networks.

Of course, the above premise is that someone can log directly into the digital space like Chen Ze and Youkomon, in order to experience this kind of virtual reality that is absolutely impossible to experience through the traditional network.

However, this was not simple, because Chen Ze was able to freely log into the virtual network by using the EDEN virtual reality glasses.

Furthermore, the Foxmon itself belongs to the category of "data life forms," ​​and is born with the ability to enter and exit various network worlds, seamlessly switching between traditional and virtual networks.

None of these methods are feasible for a country today.

"It feels a bit extravagant."

Looking at the surrounding scenes that had been simulated and built up with a lot of resources, Chen Ze couldn't help but feel sorry for the processor he had just bought.

Who knows if that CPU can even last until its normal lifespan in order to maintain this "completely unnecessary" virtual reality scene?

However, Chen Ze did not blame the fox demon for its "waste".

After all, Renamon spends most of its time in its computer, only occasionally leaving to go to other parts of the internet.

In a sense, this small cyberspace is like half a home for the Youkomon.

It's perfectly reasonable to decorate your home nicely and keep it clean, especially for a creature like the Foxmon, who is inherently proud and even vain.

Chen Ze was just a bit immature, but he wasn't the kind of stubborn, straight man who could tell what was important and what wasn't.

"It's not considered extravagant."

Clearly understanding Chen Ze's subtext, the fox demon didn't show any signs of being aloof.

"Besides making your living environment better, the biggest function of that processor is to enhance your computer."

Generally speaking, the processor's processing speed is directly related to the computer's performance. This is especially true for hackers like Chen Ze, who rely on computers for survival; the computer's performance is their "weapon."

Adding another CPU to make the computer run on a dual-core processor was just the first step for Renamon.