Hackers never say they are hackers, just as politicians never say they lie. "Those who talk do not know and those who know do not talk",so wrote Lao Tzu. You'll never find the predatory habits of computer system penetrators  being discussed in an introductory University level course.  What then is Chess Hacking 101 ?

 I hope to show here that hacking provides a useful analogy to chess players as they prepare and execute their winning strategies. I hope to demonstrate that lateral thinking continually provides the ability to learn from any,even the most painful, situations and helps us to repeatedly reap success.

  Recently my wife's computer was terribly hacked, this intrusion resulted in a painful loss of productive time and creative ideas and it leaves us both with a sense of extreme vulnerability. Instead of curling up in a corner and pulling the plug on the internet though I decided to instead learn from it and remain positive. I began to study how such hackers plan their attacks and used Lateral Thinking to connect this to my Chess.

  Although the vast majority of so called hackers are really just greedy opportunists with little actual skill and discipline (sometimes called "script kiddies" ) the professional hacker is quite methodical and he will follow certain definite steps in carrying out his mission.

 Firstly they perform Reconnaissance of the target. They gather as much information as they can. In doing so they use both active and passive means. Passive means are those which cannot be detected by the target. Using Google and Facebook for instance or visiting a local library to see the relevant literature are passive. Active means might include asking questions of the target's friends or even the target themself.

  Next the hacker begins Scanning the target system. This is easily picked up by the Intrusion Detection systems of the target however it is also a common practice on the web and therefore not normally enough to raise any major alarms. The chess equivalent might be to actually go and watch your potential opponent playing in a live event or watch them playing blitz online. They will see that you have an interest in their games but this is not usually enough to make them worry about you.

  Service Enumeration comes next. The Scanning process would likely reveal what type of target system it is,the Operating system being used and the exact ports open. This allows what hackers call "fingerprinting". The unique properties of the target are revealed. In chess terms we begin to understand the Opening Preferences, Methods and Style of play used by our "target".

  Once their methods, style and preferred openings are known it immediately becomes possible to Assess Vulnerabilities. Hackers use databases of known exploits and Chess Hackers use databases of Grandmaster games, like ChessBase and Chess Lab, to pinpoint weaknesses in the opponent's configuration.

  Even better is when you transcend database programs and  can carry out an unknown "live" exploit or what in chess terms may be called a "novelty". Whether you use a known Exploit or create one of your own though, this Exploit stage is where hackers cross the border of legal and illegal in Computer terms and should not be taken lightly. Luckily in chess hacking all is fair.

  Once the exploit is successful the Hacker would have penetrated the target and the professional will use this to create Privilege Escalation. The initial access will be used to gain sensitive information or other benefits, the hacker may become an admin level user or a VIP instead of just a guest. In chess terms the opponent becomes a repeat "customer" or "your client" and you develop what the Russians called an "Indian sign" or a "hex" effect.

  A Master hacker at this stage will continue the process and eventually "Own the Box" which simply means they have full control over the system. In chess terms you can now beat the opponent at will. They collapse before you, their ego and ability to resist has been shattered, or snapped, like Spassky's was against Fischer.

   In the course of all this, hackers would continually Evade Defenses and Erase Tracks. Likewise the Chess Hacker should forestall all forms of counterplay and keep the opponent guessing. Hide the Ladder after your Ascent.

   Maintain and Expand Access. The sad reality is that most hackers now destroy the system that they have illegally infiltrated but the true masters will instead remain invisible like a Ninja, they may even actually help the system thrive. They will then use it for access to other systems. This is the stage where rootkits and backdoors are created. In chess terms you don't sit on your laurels but continue to Think Laterally and reap the bountiful blessings of Caissa.