The path to the Wahtsapp server

The plan

It had all started with a mistake - not on my part, but on theirs. An outdated instance of an SFTP server, used only for backups, had been hiding in the network. Nobody cared, nobody noticed that it hadn't been updated for years

I had spent weeks mapping the network, digging through forums and picking up information in the depths of the darknet. The decisive breakthrough was a gap in the authentication system. It was complicated, but not unsolvable.Getting started

The first step was always the most difficult. My fingers flew over the keyboard while I executed the initial scripts. The server responded sluggishly, but it responded.

“ACCESS GRANTED”, it finally flashed on my screen."

I leaned back and took a deep breath. The first breakthrough had been made. But I knew that this was just the beginning. The server was secured - two-factor authentication, intrusion detection systems, the whole nine yards..

An exploit script I developed did most of the work for me. Within a few minutes, I had switched off the monitoring sensors and gained undetected access to the backup server.

The loot

The mountain of data in front of me was enormous. Gigabyte after gigabyte of chat histories, pictures, videos. All neatly sorted by user name and ID. It was almost frightening how much they stored about their users.

I started the transmission. My heartbeat quickened as the progress bar began to run. The data stream was routed through a network of proxy servers to disguise me.

“Three more hours,” I muttered to myself. It was a lengthy process. Every moment I stayed in the system increased the risk. But the data was worth it.

The pressure

The tension grew with every gigabyte transferred. Would anyone notice the anomaly? Would an admin happen to be looking at the server logs at that moment?

I had manipulated the logs so that my presence would not be noticed. But nothing was ever certain.

When the progress bar finally reached 100%, I let out a sigh of relief. The entire data set was now on my encrypted hard disk. 5 terabytes. A huge digital treasure.