The following Tuesday, Sendai is sitting at home reading Slashdot in his underwear and recovering from a massive Defcon hangover when the phone rings. He answers the phone to hear an unfamiliar voice. After confirming that he is speaking to Sendai, the caller introduced himself.

Hello Sendai. You may call me Bob Knuth. The Don informs me that you are one of the brightest system penetration experts around. I m working on a very important but sensitive project and hope that you can help. I need three hosts compromised over the Internet and an advanced rootkit of your design installed. The rootkit must be completely effective and reliable, offering full access to the system through a hidden backdoor. Yet it must be so subtle that even the most knowledgeable and paranoid systems administrators do not suspect a thing. The pay is good, but only if everything goes perfectly. Of course it s critical that the intrusions are all successful and go undetected. A single slip up and you will feel the consequences. Are you up to this challenge?

Thinking quickly, Sendai s first impression is not positive. He is offended by the handle Bob Knuth, as it was obviously patterned after the world-renowned computer scientist Don Knuth. How dare this arrogant criminal compare himself to such a figure! His words also sound patronizing, as if he doubts my skills, Sendai thinks. There is also the question of what Knuth has in mind. He volunteered nothing of his intentions, and...