As a thirteen year old horny, adventurous boy, logging onto MSN Messenger used to be a daily after school ritual. I’d send flirtatious emojis made up of symbols and characters back and forth for hours.

I also learnt how to hack. I’d befriend randoms to add to my network. Then I’d send them encrypted images of whatever they were interested in.

What they didn’t know, was that once they had opened the image, it installed a program on their computer that gave me access to do whatever my devious mind could think of.

I’d get notifications when my victims came online. I’d fire open their CD drives endlessly, cackle out loud to myself. I’d pop up text on their screen and type out “I’m watching you, I know what you’re wearing”

I’d let them message me back. They were terrified. I don’t think this was a pleasant feeling for me. I just thought it was funny.

This was my escapism.

When I’d had enough of my victims, I’d send their computer into a shutdown and dust off my hands together like a job well done.

Nobody knew what I was doing. I was completely untraceable. Never got caught.

It’s something nobody would ever imagine that I would be. A hacker. I still don’t believe it myself.

It makes me ponder, is this something I should pursue? Should I bring back the naughty digital hacker?

I’d take no prisoners and scam a fortune for myself in crypto.

I’ve got the balls and lord knows I can keep a secret. But, really? Me, a hacker?

Maybe I will 😉