# I have a question about computer hacking.



## ironpony (Nov 15, 2016)

For my story, basically a leader of a gang has videos of the blood ins that his members committed when they joined.  A 'blood in' is a term used for when a new recruit for a gang has to spill the blood of another person in order to get in.  Or at least that is what the book Police Procedure and Investigation by Lee Lofland says about the term 'blood in'.

So in the story the gang leader records all the blood ins on video, without the new recruits knowing... with a camera, that has a zoom lens that can zoom up close to their faces, for evidence.  This way the gang leader uses the videos as leverage on his members, in case his members double cross him.

In my story, the MC becomes aware that the villain is has a collection of blood in videos and he wants to find the collection to use as evidence, on the gang members.  In order for the MC to locate it he has to trick the villain into leading him to the collection of videos.  He does this by making the villain think one of his members has double crossed him and so the villain goes to the collection to get the video to send to the police... thereby leading the MC to the rest of the videos in the collection.

I originally wrote it so that the villain kept the videos buried in the ground in a GPS marked spot, secluded and away from the population.  The villain would arrange for someone else to go get the video of whomever double crossed him, if that were to happen.  However, the MC doesn't know who the villain would get to do that.  But in this case, since the MC tricked the villain into thinking someone has double crossed him, the villain in this case is free to travel and not caught yet.  So he goes to get the video himself, and the MC follows.

However, I was told that it's a plot hole, because it doesn't make sense as to why the villain would keep the collection of videos buried in the ground.  I was told it would make much more sense, if he had them hidden in cyberspace, ready to send to the police, if any members crossed him.

So if it's a plot hole, and I should rewrite it so that the villain has the videos hidden in cyberspace, how would the MC track the villain, cybernetically, as the villain went to go get the video he needs to send to the police?  After the villain gets it, the MC is going to have to get all the other videos and use them as evidence to arrest each single member of the gang.

So how would the MC find all the other videos, if the villain cybernetically lead him to just the one video, the villain needed?  With the evidence all buried in the ground before, the MC would just follow the villain, with a tracking device, wait for the villain to dig up the videos, take the video he needs from the stash, then rebury the rest of the stash, and then leave... The MC would then call the police to show them the rest and dig up the evidence to use, after the villain had gone.

However, in this case, the MC has to find the rest of the videos in cyberspace, after the villain just needed to grab the one.  So how would the MC do that since the videos would probably not be all right next to one another in cyberspace, compared to buried in the ground.

Also, how would the MC track the villain cybernetically?  The villain's computer was already hacked into earlier in the story, so the villain would not use his personal computer.  So how would you track someone cybernetically, if you need to know which computer they will use first?

I don't know much about hacking and cyber tracking, so does anyone know who can help?  I haven't found a lot on google, cause everyone has something different to say on it.  Does anyone know?   Thanks for any advice or input. I really appreciate it.


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## Terry D (Nov 15, 2016)

Same shit. Different thread.


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## Sleepwriter (Nov 15, 2016)

Depends on what time period  your story is taking place.  I'm guessing its modern time, which means no video tape.     As for how the MC is going to find the videos,  I think you are making this harder than you need to.  Just give your MC some decent computer skill and earn the villain's trust.   You said the villain was hacked earlier, so he is going to look for more cyber security, and WHAM your MC will gain access to all the videos.


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## ironpony (Nov 15, 2016)

But the villain knows who the MC is.  The MC cannot just walk into the villain's house saying he is some sort of computer expert, cause the villain will easily recognize the MC from before.  Yes, it's modern times.  The person who hacked the villain before was also the MC, and the villain knows this, or at least highly suspects it was him since the MC has motive, and holds a grudge against the villain.  Plus, even if the MC gets someone to pose as a security expert, how is that person suppose to how find the videos exactly, when the villain could have visited over a dozen different sites, and who knows what the password could be?


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## Sleepwriter (Nov 15, 2016)

Dude, seriously do you not connect with your characters at all?  get in your MC's head and figure it out.  Your villain is not perfect he has to make a mistake somewhere, unless he is supposed to win in the end.  

Maybe you painted yourself MC into a corner? And if you have, give him a knife so he can cut a hole in the wall and get the job done.


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## ironpony (Nov 15, 2016)

Well basically I thought that the MC could follow the villain cybernetically without having to actually meet the villain face to face, since the villain already knows who he is.  But I don't know how this is possible, since I am guessing that the villain wouldn't keep all the videos in the same part of a website.  What site would he use anyway, to keep blood ins on his gang members?  Google drive?

Another thing is, does the villain have to keep the videos in cyberspace?  I was told that by burying them in a place that only his most trusted man would know about, if something were to happen, is a plot hole.  But does it have to be in cyberspace for it to not be a plot hole?

Basically when trying to get inside the villain's head, the only reason I can think of, for him to bury them, is because his computer was already hacked earlier, and needs a place to keep the videos without some hacker being able to find them.  Plus the villains own gang is guilty of computer crimes, and they are computer experts too.  So maybe my villain's motive for burying the videos, is because he does not want them found on his own property or anyone else's?

Or is that still a plot hole, cause it's too risky to bury them?


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