“That’s fair. But why tell me to think like a hacker?”

“We’ll get to that. Why are you asking about cybercriminals, aka bad hackers? Black-hat hackers versus white-hat hackers? You know—all that spaghetti western terminology.”

“Spaghetti western?”

“Come on. The good guys wear white hats, and the bad guys wear black hats.”

Oh. “I got it.”

“Well, why are you asking?”

How much could Alex say without offering too much information? Mackenzie trusted him. She also knew that at some point, within thirty-six hours—tomorrow afternoon, actually—they would be sharing everything with a cybercrime division at a federal agency. First, though, he would call his SSA.

“Just tell me about the cybercriminals, hackers, as people in general.”

“Hmm. Key philosophies. Let’s see. Hacking is in the very nature of a hacker and also a culture. Take a kid who gets his kicks out of hacking into the local school records. First, he’s curious and gets a taste of what he can do. What he can change. He gets a taste of the power. And then he tries something bigger just to push the boundaries of what’s possible. How far he can reach. And that excites him. He’s all-powerful. No one can stop him. I’m getting chills myself. Maybe deep inside, I’m a hacker.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Indeed.”

“But really . . . why do it?” Alex asked. “Why hack into a computer?”

“And there’s the question you didn’t ask. If you were to think like a hacker, then you would understand.” Keenan chuckled. “But in answer to that question—it depends. An ethical hacker also enjoys the game and beating the odds just like an unethical hacker. For either type of hacker, it’s addictive. One method happens to be legal and the other way is not. But an unethical hacker does it for mischief and yes, sometimes . . . a grudge.”

“What about a cause or an ideology?”

“Hacktivism is a different beast. Two groups come to mind. WikiLeaks and Anonymous. Their goals are usually political in nature, and the attacks are used against governments or big corporations.”

Alex closed his eyes and processed the information.

“Does any of this answer your vague question or enable you to think like a hacker?”

What about a hacker who did it for his own cause and the money? “I’m not sure. What about violence?”

“What kind of violence?”

“Extreme violence. Murder.”

“Give me context. Do you mean hacking caused the loss of life?”

Maybe. The elevator fail could have been injurious, if not deadly, to Mackenzie. If Rowan’s pacemaker had been hacked, then yes. “In combination with physical attacks.”

“I’m no profiler, Alex. Are you working undercover? I thought you were taking time off.”

“I’m helping a friend who’s in trouble.”

“That makes sense. Trouble kind of follows you. I feel moderately better about our conversations now. Let me know what else I can do to help.”