The break in

Written by William Forbes

He crept up to the office building with some trepidation. This was the fourth set of offices he had tried to break into this week. But it wasn’t everyday he tried to break into a company this big. The first thing he had to get past was the CCTV cameras, which were dotted about everywhere. Suddenly the place was ablaze with lights. Then he realised that the motion sensors had picked up his movements and turned on the halogen floodlights. At least he could see what he was doing. Yet everyone thought this was some sort of deterrent. He approached the front door to the building with some fear. Would this be as easy as it appeared? The doors were the revolving type. Nervously he glanced up at the top and then the bottom of the doors. They did not appear to be locked. He started to go through when he heard a noise. His heart jumped when he realised that the noise was the rubber seals on the bottom of the doors squeaking against the polished floor. He knew that there were no security guards on duty so he did not need to worry about that. As he finally got through the door he sighed with relief. At least that was over and done with.

Now that he was in the building he had more problems. The amount of cameras in this place would put most city centres to shame. Then he realised something. There were motion detectors all over the place. He would have to be careful. Some of them he could see as they were stuck onto the wall and being a completely different colour to the walls they stuck out. Tentatively he walked down each corridor as each corridor might have a hidden surprise. He had heard stories about some of the extra security measures that this company employed. Although his sources were far from reliable he would rather not take the risk.

The first thing he had to get was on the first floor. He had a choice, take the stairs or the lift. As he did not know whether or not the lift would just stop working (as he heard that it might) he decided to walk. He edged nervously up the stairs clinging to the wall as if the rest of the stairs might collapse. He knew that this was not going to happen but it was the best way to avoid the cameras. Or perhaps the stairs would collapse. No, he decided, they would not. This was just the paranoia he always felt when breaking in somewhere. If it weren’t for the money, he would give this up. When he walked onto the first floor of the building he was relieved. Then he froze in horror. The motion sensor had picked up the movement of him throwing his hands up into the air in celebration. He stood frozen. He waited for the shrill of the security alarm to punctuate the silence and announce that he had been caught in the act. It never happened. He celebrated again, this time inside so he did not get spotted again and then moved off to the computer room.

The door to the computer room was not only unlocked but wide open welcoming him in. He sat down at one of the computers and switched it on. Once the computer had warmed up, he accessed the local network. When he reached the log on screen he tried to clear his mind. Concentrate. He typed in the name of the managing director Harvey Wallace. Then he was asked for the password. The sweat was literally streaming down his face. He had three chances at this then he would be locked out. With shaking hands he tried the trick that had worked on the same network programme time and time before. A little back door to allow administrators to access to anyones files to adapt things and add new applications. Most companies did not know about this. Cautiously he typed in the password and waited with bated breath. Bingo, he was in. He hurriedly looked for what he needed. Finding it was not a problem. But he still was not finished. He had something to get from a filling cabinet in the MD’s office. He wanted to go but he was getting paid for this information.

He took the express lift up to the top floor. When he got there he walked past the unoccupied reception desk to the office. This appeared more secure as you needed a special fob to open the door. However this meant that the door was locked electronically. He shoulder barged the door, which did the trick. He headed straight for the filling cabinet. Pulling open a drawer he started to look for what he needed. Pretty soon he found it.

He decided to have a break. Opening the fridge he took a can of Coke. This would be the least expensive item that he would steal. He sat back at the desk, opened the can, took a sip, lit up a cigarette and put his feet up on the desk. As soon as he finished his smoke and drink he got up to put the can in the bin then make his escape. It was then that he noticed the security camera staring him in the face. On his way out he found where the security videos and video recorder were kept. Gingerly he tried the door and found it was open. He went in and replaced the tape in the machine with the one he had taken with him. Then he left the same way he had come in.

The next day he got up around 3pm. After having a shower and eating his breakfast he switched on his computer and logged onto the Internet. He pulled up the screen for sending e-mails and started to write.

Dear Mr Wallace,

As you will have worked out by now I broke into your office building last night. I apologise for the cigarette and can of Coke I drank in your office but I needed a rest. I will pay for the can of Coke if you wish.

Here is my report. The first thing you need to do is get rid of the halogen floodlights…

His methods were unorthodox but he was considered the best, which is why one of the countries biggest computer manufacturers asked him to consult with them about their security. After all, what better way is there to check the security of a building than to break in? With the owners permission, of course.