this man is not calm

Chapter 458 Core Competence

The situations described in novels, comics, movies, and TV dramas, where top technicians can lock onto the IP address of a computer thousands of miles away and track its identity with just a tap of the keyboard, or where lawless hackers use magical techniques to be omnipotent on the Internet, do not exist, at least not now.

The otherworldly virtual technology that allows one to plan and win battles from thousands of miles away only exists in science fiction stories.

The principles of most so-called hacking techniques are quite simple, which is to find software or hardware loopholes and then exploit them.

The more complex the system is, the easier it is to exploit loopholes. Network security and virus programs are like the relationship between spear and shield. It just depends on who can utilize more resources and has better skills.

In early 1998, both software and hardware were quite crude, and in the eyes of future generations, they were all vulnerable. But at that time, the accumulation of technology had not reached a very high level, and both the "spear" and the "shield" were very average, so it could be said that we were evenly matched.

As far as Jin Shang knows, most of the malicious damage on the Internet can be basically classified as Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. There are many variants of DDoS attacks, but the principles are similar. The attacker sends excessive data to network resources, exhausting the server's resources and making it unable to provide normal services. This is an indirect denial, just like a canal lock that is normally open and is destroyed by a sudden flood.

The industry has given this a very vivid name, called flood attack, which is unstoppable, just like water submerging seven armies. Its characteristics are simple implementation, huge power, and mostly ignoring defense. It depends on whether the server resources can support it and whether the processing power is strong enough. It has a sense of déjà vu of "a heavy sword has no edge, and great ingenuity is not skillful". No matter how you defend, you will rush first.

Whether in the past life or this life, most netizens who like to seek novelty have come into contact with this kind of thing. The threshold for use is low, but the harm is not small.

In principle, there is basically no way to actively defend against the so-called "flood attack". It is not enough to rely solely on software antivirus protection, and hardware cooperation is also required.

The era in which installing antivirus software can basically block most malicious programs is still a long way off.

In fact, ordinary netizens don’t care much about so-called virus plug-ins, personal data security, privacy protection, financial account leakage risks, etc. They even lack this concept. Everyone is a "Internet novice" and it is good enough if they can type skillfully, process documents, send emails, chat online, etc.

If it really affects the use, you can just reinstall the computer or send it for repair and let professionals handle it.

An IT giant like Jinxi Culture cannot be so careless. Once normal applications cannot be maintained, won't the more than one million users and more than 80 million Xiaolingtong owners be in an uproar?
If something goes wrong, restarting the server may take at least tens of minutes or at most more than ten hours. If you encounter a difficult problem, it may take several days to fully recover, which will cause great losses.

Fortunately, Jinxi Culture is an enterprise that develops software and hardware in a coordinated manner, and has some achievements in network security. It can deal with most external attacks with ease. However, if it really encounters "top masters" or organized deliberate sabotage, it will be a bit flustered.

"Boss Jin, our game Investiture of the Gods has only been online for less than a month, how come it has attracted so much malicious intent? Jinxi Chat, online games, and PHS have not had so many evildoers come knocking on our doors..."

With only a little over 100,000 active game users, is it necessary to put so much effort into causing damage?

"Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents! If you were a game disc distributor or a pirated disc dealer, and suddenly an Internet game appeared, what would you think?"

Pirated client?
It's meaningless. It can only be used normally when connected to a remote computer, that is, the game server.

Offline distribution?

It has online genuine verification!

If you use a tampered server to connect to an online game, that would be really fun, and you can basically apply the "crime of destroying computer information systems" to punish it with an iron fist.

If you understand the intensity of the crackdown on plug-ins and how the Coral QQ disappeared in the previous life, you will know that this path is not feasible.

Pirated discs that cannot be controlled by the law are not the same as thefts that are caught red-handed.

The impact of online games on offline game software publishers is like the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The Han River turned from the Danjiangkou Reservoir, and its carrying capacity flowing southeast was greatly reduced, and it lost its reputation as the "Golden Waterway".

In the future, everyone will play online games. What will happen to stand-alone games, publishers, and pirates who are parasitic on the industry chain?
but……

"They have such a huge influence, how big is the market for offline game distribution?"

“Too many to count!”

Jin Shang was silent for a while, gave this answer, then sighed slightly and continued to explain,
"On the surface, the market potential of a popular stand-alone game is only tens of millions, and it is rare to exceed 100 million. This is still the comprehensive IP value. However... let me put it this way, on the electronics street in the north, among those low-rise street-facing stores, six or seven out of ten are also engaged in disc burning business. Do you know how profitable it is?"

The machines run day and night, and they are so exhausted that they even smoke, but they don’t take a break. How much profit can they make?
It is basically equivalent to a no-cost transaction!
My good brother "Brother Dong" in the previous life made his first pot of gold by relying on this business, which shows how profitable this thing is.

As for whether there is anyone in charge?

Of course!
But the Internet is a new thing, and many rules and regulations have not been updated in time. The cost of using existing laws to deal with it is too low compared to the profits. It is basically equivalent to illegally cashing out 1 billion yuan of stocks in the secondary market, and the person involved will be fined the maximum amount of 600,000 yuan.

Is this a punishment?

This is encouragement, okay!

Practitioners are helpless and regulators are powerless. While doing their best to maintain market fairness, they can only hope that institutional construction can keep up with market development as soon as possible.

Whether in the past life or this life, at home or abroad, piracy is a very tricky problem. In fact, the situation in this life is much better than in the previous life. We are just playing around within the rules. No one will do anything that blatantly violates the law.

This is also the reason why there is still a glimmer of hope for game consoles, electronic game development, stand-alone game manufacturers, publishers, and the software and hardware markets.

But now online games have emerged, which is different from "Mob of Fighters", "StarCraft" and "Counter-Strike" which have online functions and are generally considered to be masterpieces of LAN games. Without online verification and data synchronization, the online game "Fengshen" cannot be played.

"The market is only this big. No one knows what cannot be counted. The basic operators can only figure out the number of computers connected to the Internet. As for the number that is not connected to the Internet... only God knows."

The number may increase several times or even dozens of times.

"In this case……"

After hearing what the boss said, Yin Feiyang didn't know where to start. After thinking for a while, he responded,
"The Internet is not a lawless place, but it is still difficult to really find someone's weak spot. People's thoughts are completely different from face to face across the screen. Perhaps as long as a few malicious competitors incite a little, netizens who don't know the truth may join in the fun, which in turn boosts the opponent's momentum."

Flood attack is indeed a very simple and easy method. Perhaps some individuals just click a few times of the mouse out of curiosity, and the resources of the Internet cafe area LAN are mobilized, indirectly becoming accomplices in the evil, and even harming others and themselves, infecting computer viruses and paralyzing the entire LAN.

There is a word that describes it very well: dirty hands! "Isn't the Internet just like this? Since we are developing in this industry, we should have foreseen these things earlier and taken targeted precautions."

"The boss is right!"

"Have you arranged the shifts in the computer room? There must be people at all times of the day and night. This is the characteristic of online games. There are many people during the day, especially on weekends. It is crowded and laggy. In order to gain an advantage, many players are quite active at night when the Internet speed is good. If the server crashes and cannot be restored for a long time, it will cause great harm to users. The customer service staff also needs more training. Solving problems is one thing, but being scolded and blamed is common. We must pay attention to the methods and ways..."

The greatest value of online customer service is not to actually deal with after-sales issues, but to make angry customers feel respected and valued, thereby helping them calm down, ease conflicts and retain users.

To put it bluntly, he is just a punching bag.

Of course, dealing with problems, eliminating faults, compensating for losses, and providing psychological comfort are also important means.

"Boss, everything has been arranged. The operators here have all received professional training, and there are people to guide the newcomers. They will officially take up their posts after they pass the probationary period."

"Well! Sorry to bother you! The only people in the company who know how to manage, have good product design, are experienced, and have a deep understanding of technology are you and Liu Yanqing. Director Yang is also very good, but his market sensitivity is a little lacking. Old Liu has taken a leave of absence, and he may have to take care of his family in the future. He may not be able to take care of some things, so the burden on your shoulders is even heavier..."

"understand!"

"I see all your hard work. The salary and promotion system are in the employee handbook, so I won't emphasize it. When I evaluate you at the end of the year, I will try to refer to your achievements and performance as much as possible..."

In other words, if you do a good job, your year-end bonus will be mentioned, and promotion and salary increase are not empty talk.

It's just a pie in the sky. Maybe the company's good performance will really come true?
At least so far, the credibility of boss Jin Shang is still very good, and his promises have been basically fulfilled. The average salary of Jinxi Culture is obviously much higher than that of its counterparts in Beijing.

In the third year since university graduates were not guaranteed jobs, excellent private companies like Ruxi Culture still have a very good reputation. It was easy to get in before, and it is not particularly difficult this year, but it is different from the situation three years ago when anyone with a decent diploma was enough to get in.

In fact, the problem of no guaranteed job assignment did not start in 1996. There were some signs of it in the late 1980s. Many people were unable to get assigned to corresponding majors, or their assignments were delayed, or they could not get the job for various reasons. It was not until 1996 that it was completely publicized, and everyone was prepared.

"Some of the college students we recruited in the past two years have already taken up management positions. Those with good performance will be promoted. You veterans should take on more responsibilities. The group's business lines are getting longer and longer, and I can't care about every detail..."

"That's good. Young people with education do grow faster and have a higher ceiling."

"How was the spring recruitment this year? I remember you and Secretary Huang went to the campus recruitment together..."

"Most colleges and universities in Gyeonggi Province still recognize the company's brand, good treatment, and promising future. However, most students from prestigious universities still prefer old-established companies, or take the civil service exam..."

"This is inevitable. The company is too young."

Jin Shang also knew this. It would be difficult to reverse the situation in a short period of time, and he could only accumulate reputation over time.

After looking at the server data, the technicians' debugging calmed down the server disturbance and eliminated the network lag. The anxious team leader also breathed a sigh of relief and did not lose face in front of the boss.

Then I went to see the operation team. The presence of a game manager (GM) is necessary, and they even arranged some internal accounts, or "shills". The purpose was not to deceive, but to enhance the user experience.

Currently, there is no AI such as "robots", and virtual accounts cannot act freely. The only way is for real people to lead the game, with one person having multiple accounts, and even artificially forming sects (gangs) to guide players to explore new maps and find new ways to play.

We were all unfamiliar with it at the beginning, but once we get to a certain scale, it won’t be so troublesome anymore.

Just as Jin Shang and Yin Feiyang were talking about something, a vibration and sound were heard. Even though there was a soundproof room, the noise was slightly louder than before.

"Water cooling has started! This is the sound of backup power and water circulation starting..."

Yin Feiyang was startled at first, but then he reacted.

"At the end of March, the temperature rose significantly, and the temperature in the computer room also climbed steadily. The pressure on air conditioning and humidification became greater and greater, and it seemed that they had reached their limit."

"That is to say, the load on the server is increasing."

"Yes! The first group of servers in zone 2 had 6,000 people in just two days. With ten groups in one zone, it's estimated that they won't last more than 20 days. Our game is really becoming more and more popular."

"I know! Nearly half of the Internet cafes affiliated with the alliance are playing "Fengshen", and the remaining half are playing "Counter-Strike", "StarCraft" and "Resident Evil". In Internet cafes not affiliated with the alliance, the proportion of "Fengshen" games is also soaring. In the small circle, this epoch-making online game is indeed popular. Relying on the recharge channels established by the Internet Cafe Alliance, it provides a solid foundation for the expansion of online games..."

The monthly subscription fee of thirty yuan is indeed a bit expensive. It goes without saying that many people cannot afford it. But now, those who can access the Internet are basically rich and have time. They can afford the Internet fee of nearly twenty yuan per hour, and naturally they can also afford the monthly subscription fee of thirty yuan.

Especially self-operated Internet cafes, which are basically high-end leisure Internet cafes, and the consumers are mostly wealthy.

“I hope to have one million users by the end of the year. Is it possible?”

"This... is too difficult. According to the speed at which Internet users are increasing, it may only be possible next summer vacation!"

"Try your best. If you succeed, there will be a big reward. If you fail... forget it!"

"I'll try my best, and I hope the company's publicity channels will cooperate."

"Talk to Editor-in-Chief Zhao and see if there's any good idea. Go for it. Online games are very important to the company..."

Online games are both entertainment and social activities. Since it involves interactions between people, there is naturally information exchange, and the demand for this is still very strong.

Social networks, friend circles, friend lists, gaming guilds, sects (gangs), strategy forums, face-to-face meetings and offline team building, you can all have them!

(End of this chapter)