uses a FAT32 file system, so if I press F8 and enter DOS, I’ll be able to open any file, even if it’s password-protected.’
James hunted around the desk for a floppy disk. He waved it at Amy.
‘This is the disk with the utility on that lists every file on the PC, isn’t it?’
Amy nodded. ‘I’m not supposed to be helping you.’
James looked around the side of the PC for somewhere to slot the floppy disk.
‘Oh … This bloody thing doesn’t have a floppy drive. Is there an external drive for this somewhere?’
Amy shook her head.
‘Well, what do I do?’
Amy shrugged and looked at the timer. ‘You’ve got twelve minutes left to figure it out.’
James fiddled hopelessly with the laptop for another three minutes. He could happily have chucked the clicking timer out the window.
‘Nine minutes left.’
‘Tell us, Amy,’ James begged. ‘I’m totally stuck. How can I get this floppy running?’
‘The computer has a network interface on the back,’ Amy said. ‘You could wire it up to one of the other laptops that has a floppy drive. Then you could go into the network properties on the second laptop and change it to a networkable floppy drive. Then the floppy drive on the second PC will work as if it’s attached to the first one.’
‘I’m never gonna get all that done in nine minutes,’ James gasped.
‘You might if you hurried. But why not try something much simpler?’
‘Like what?’ James asked.
‘What’s the first thing I taught you about computer hacking? The first golden rule?’
‘The weakest link is the human link,’ James said.
Amy nodded. ‘You’re trying to find a back door into the operating system before you’ve tried the front door. Never assume the information you’re looking for is encrypted or hidden. For all you know, you can open the document you want just by clicking on it.’
‘You’re telling me I’ve just wasted six minutes?’
‘Nearer to seven now,’ Amy said, smirking.
James switched off the computer and started from scratch. The computer only had a few programs installed and the documents were all in one folder. James opened up the list and spotted one called Card Numbers. He double-clicked the mouse to open the file. A single line of text popped up on the screen: You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?
James was in too much of a state to see the funny side. He looked at the long list of documents on the screen in front of him. There wasn’t time to open every one, but James realised he was looking for a list of numbers, which meant the file would be fairly small. He changed the view, so the computer showed him the size and format of each file. He skipped down the list, opening any text file that looked likely to be the list of numbers.
‘Three minutes left,’ Amy said. ‘Better get your skates on, cowboy.’
James started opening up files as fast as he could. A few demanded a password before they’d open. James dragged these into a separate folder. When he ran out of documents that didn’t need a password, he decided to try and guess the password of the encrypted ones.
A password can be any combination of letters and numbers, but James knew the second golden rule of computer hacking: Over 75% of passwords are easily guessed. He started working down the list of the most commonly used passwords that Amy had made him memorise the day before. Things like password, open and security.
After these failed, James tried to find personal details about the man who owned the laptop. He remembered that one of the documents he’d opened had been a letter to a school. He clicked on the file and skimmed through it. It was signed off by a man called Julian Stipe and mentioned the names of his three children. James tried the name Julian in the password box, then Stipe. Then Julian Stipe with and without a space in between.
‘Ninety seconds,’ Amy said.
He started trying the names of Mr Stipe’s kids and hit the jackpot when he typed Jennifer. The document opened, only it wasn’t the credit card numbers. The other protected documents opened with the same password and James got a massive rush when a sheet of sixteen-digit credit card numbers popped up on screen.
‘Bingo,’ James shouted.
‘Fifteen seconds,’ Amy said.
‘I’ve got them,’ James said. ‘What are you on about?’
‘Time’s up,’ Amy said. ‘Better luck next time.’
‘But I got them,’ James said tetchily.
‘I know,’ Amy said. ‘But you weren’t supposed to