So there is a type of cybersecurity job known as a ‘red teamer’. It is a special branch of offensive security, and differs from the likes of a penetration tester in that they fully act like blackhats as much as is possible without actually doing intentional damage.

That means, you plan an attack, you plot a way in and you reach a given objective. How you do so is up to you; you are not limited to digital attacks just as real attackers wouldn’t be. You can rock up to site in disguise and walk your way in if you so feel that’s the best route. Tailgating, lying to people, cloning ID cards, or have a friend joyride on an escooter to provide a distraction while you hop a fence, it’s all fair game.

The only things you aren’t allowed to do is pretend to be a boss and threaten to have someone fired (or other shit that could cause mental harm) or intentional physical damage to property (eg: lockpicking is fine even if you accidentally fuck up the lock. Wire cutting generally isn’t)

The assignments where we rocked up on site were my favourites. It was always a rush slipping by people and hoping I didn’t arouse suspicion.

These things take months to plan though, so we pick high value targets owned by the business employing us. The person in charge of that facility will be notified that something is about happen but not crucial details that can throw the test, such as when it will happen. I can’t go into details about the targets I’ve hit (red team NDAs make regular NDAs look like Donald Trump’s attitude to confidential information by comparison) but they’re the kind state sponsored attacker’s and organised crime outfits would typically hit.