How the Real Hackers Behind Mr. Robot Get It So Right

This week on the premiere of Mr. Robot, the hacktivist collective fsociety made good on its threat to bring down the evil E Corp. With a few strokes of the keyboard, a USB stick and a little social engineering, the anarchists infected the corporate giant's banking division with ransomware, locking up thousands of files and closing it for business. As the character Darlene prepared her malicious code, real hackers watching no doubt chuckled at the familiar words on her screen: "Hack the Gibson…and remember…hugs are worth more than handshakes." Like so much about the hacking on Mr. Robot, that detail was for them. When these episodes air, I don't watch the episodes, I keep my eye on Reddit and Twitter and see what people are saying about it.