What the hackers were staring at was like a giant internal
corporate Internet which had been squashed flat as a pancake.
Mendax had seen many flat structures before, but never on this scale.
It was bizarre. In hierarchical structures, it is easier to tell where
the most important computer systems--and information--are kept. But
this structure, where every system was virtually equal, was going to
make it considerably more difficult for the hackers to navigate their
way through the network. Who could tell whether a system housed the
Christmas party invite list or the secret designs for a new NorTel
product?
The NorTel network was firewalled, which meant that there was
virtually no access from the outside world. Mendax reckoned that this
made it more vulnerable to hackers who managed to get in through
dial-ups. It appeared that security on the NorTel network was
relatively relaxed since it was virtually impossible to break in
through the Internet. By sneaking in the backdoor, the hackers found
themselves able to raid all sorts of NorTel sites, from St Kilda Road
in Melbourne to the corporation's headquarters in Toronto.
It was fantastic, this huge, trusting network of computer sites at
their fingertips, and the young hackers were elated with the
anticipation of exploration.
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