Meet Mr Robot: In Conversation With One of London's Top Hackers

MR. ROBOT -- Episode 301 -- Pictured: (l-r) -- (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/USA Network)
MR. ROBOT -- Episode 301 -- Pictured: (l-r) -- (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/USA Network)

Tech & Entrepreneurship Editor

We sat down with one of London’s top hackers to discuss cybersecurity, the complexities of coding and the trope of the hoodie-wearing vigilante.

When we meet up with Chris Wallis at TechHub London, he’s wearing a zip-up grey sweatshirt. True to stereotype, the hacker makes jokes about teaching himself to code during geeky teenage years.

speech icon man in bubble

Destinations Unlocked:

Let our travel expert Stefano help you find your perfect Culture trip

Looking for an expert's perspective?

Uncover my top 3 recommended places from each continent on the map.
speech icon man in bubble
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

GORGEOUS GUATEMALA

Gorgeous Guatemala

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

1. Guatemala

An express adventure for those with limited time off. Prepare yourself incredible experiences. You will hike a volcano, visit mayan temples and witness a ceremony and take in beautiful colonial Antigua.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

BEACHY BELIZE

Beachy Belize

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

2. Belize

A quick trip not too far away for those seeking a relaxing mini break. You will have plenty of free time to relax but also some awesome activities to experience the rainforest and the caribbean sea.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

CentralAmerica

COLONIAL MEXICO

Colonial Mexico

5 days . Mini
speech icon man in bubble

3. Mexico

An exciting mini trip exploring the lesser known colonial towns of central Mexico. This is hte perfect trip for someone with limited time off and still wants to turn on explorer mode and do something different.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

SouthAmerica

ADVENTUROUS ECUADOR

Adventurous Ecuador

8 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Ecuador

A remarkable 8 days adventure through the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. The best choice for adventure seekers wishing to visit the 2 most iconic areas of South America, in only 1 week and no flights.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

SouthAmerica

ANCIENT PERU

Ancient Peru

9 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Peru

An alternative itinerary to classic Peru, from Cusco to Arequipa. This itinerary is great combination of highlights Cusco and Machu Picchu with the lesser known Arequipa and Colca Canyon.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Europe

SEDUCTIVE SOUTHERN ITALY

Seductive Southern Italy

10 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Italy

The ultimate Italian experience from the vibrant streets of Naples to the breathtaking sceneries of the Amalfi Coast followed by Matera and down to Puglia with its golden beaches, intense flavours and fascinating destinations.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Europe

EDINBURGH AND THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS BY TRAIN

Edinburgh And The Scottish Highlands By Train

7 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

2. Scotland

Embark on this great adventure starting from London all the way to Scotland with a true Scottish experience made of breathtaking sceneries, whisky tasting and ..lots of fun! Ideal for train lovers and explorers.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Europe

COMPLETE PORTUGAL BY TRAIN

Complete Portugal By Train

8 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

3. Portugal

A wonderful train journey around Portugal, from the romantic city of Porto to the Douro Valley, to the beautiful Aveiro all the way to Lisbon and Sintra. The perfect trip to train, culinary and culture lovers.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Asia

SOULFUL SOUTH KOREA

Soulful South Korea

10 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. South Korea

Discover incredible temples, mountains and modern cities on this 10 day adventure. This trip is perfect for those seeking immersion in the cuisine, culture and natural wonders of South Korea.

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Asia

THAILAND, CAMBODIA & VIETNAM

Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam

11 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Thailand

From Bankgok to Angkor Wat to Ho Chi Minh City and everything in between - adventure through the heart of South-East Asia. Taste the delights, see history brought to life and unwind on a Mekong River cruise.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Asia

SECRETS OF SRI LANKA BY TRAIN

Secrets Of Sri Lanka By Train

10 days . Culture
speech icon man in bubble

3. Sri Lanka

A fantastic adventure that showcases Sri Lanka's fantastic landscapes, wildlife and flavours. With 3 epic rail journeys, 3 UNESCO heritage sites and time to relax, this trip has loads to offer at a great price
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

left arrow trip map

Africa

EPIC MOROCCO

Epic Morocco

11 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

1. Morocco

An epic journey across Morocco: from Casablanca to Marrakech, through the blue city of Chefchaouen to the wonders of the desert and deep to the High Atlas Mountains - this trip has it all! Ideal for true explorers!

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Africa

ULTIMATE EGYPT

Ultimate Egypt

9 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

2. Egypt

From Cairo to Aswan, this trip brings the land of the pharaohs to life. You'll visit the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple and cruise down the Nile in style. This is the perfect way to explore Egypt.
left arrow previous slide

Next

right arrow next slide
left arrow trip map

Africa

IMMERSIVE KENYA

Immersive Kenya

8 days . Epic
speech icon man in bubble

3. Kenya

An immersive blend of culture and wildlife for first time travelers to Africa. Learn about Nairobi, sample local coffee in the Aberdares and finish up with a fantastic safari stay in the Masai Mara.
left arrow previous slide

Back to Map

‘For a long time, everyone thought that hackers were just harmless misfits sitting in their bedroom,’ says Chris. ‘That perception stayed around for a long time.’

Now, hacker culture – and the risk of cybercrime – has moved into the mainstream. Mr Robot, the Emmy award-winning series about a young computer programmer who works as a vigilante hacker, is returning this week to Amazon Prime Video for a much-anticipated third season.

The show has been widely praised by cyber security experts for its technical accuracy. Highlighting the risk that a massive hacking attack could have on the world economy, it also touches on the work of ‘ethical hackers’ – people like Chris, who break into networks in order to test or evaluate their security, rather than with malicious or criminal intent.

Having attained the UK’s most highly regarded hacking qualification, Chris is the founder of Intruder, a cloud service that identifies businesses’ cyber weaknesses before the hackers do. He’s tested FTSE 100 and sensitive UK government systems in a career spanning global consultancy firms and boutique ethical hacking agencies.

‘Modern hacking started to take off in the 1970s, when technology [was] becoming more widespread and people starting having it in their homes,’ explains Chris. ‘Then the internet came along, and everything changed. People started realising that computers weren’t being designed securely enough, and that that was a real risk.’

In the late ’90s, a Boston-based hacker collective known as L0pht (pronounced ‘loft’) testified before the U.S. Congress that they could bring down the entire internet in 30 minutes. ‘They went to the U.S. government to try and say, “people are beginning to rely on [the internet], and if people like us can take it down in half an hour, this is going to lead to catastrophe.” And Congress totally agreed. But then they did nothing. And now we’ve ended up with exactly what these guys predicted back in the ’90s,’ says Chris, referring to a global cybersecurity crisis making daily headlines.
‘Every time you look at the news you see another example of someone being hacked,’ says Chris, presciently hinting at the risk of wider-scale cybercrime.

In 2010, a virus called Stuxnet, now widely assumed to be a jointly built US-Israeli cyberweapon, began sabotaging centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear plant in Iran. It not only destroyed computers, but began taking down nuclear centrifuges, wreaking physical destruction and ruining almost a fifth of Iran’s nuclear capacity.

‘When experts started to analyse it, they realised the only people who could deliver that kind of virus was a nation state,’ says Chris. ‘It was a real breakthrough moment when the whole world realised that governments were secretly working on computer viruses.’

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a tour of centrifuges at Natanz in 2008

For now, the biggest cause of data breech is accidents. ‘Employees posting stuff online that they shouldn’t, stuff like that,’ says Chris. ‘But you have all these motivations for why someone might engage in hacking, from cyberwarfare to shutting companies down to hacktivism, espionage or terrorism – but the big one that is coming up more recently is just pure crime.
‘The most common threat to everyday people is something called “credential stuffing”,’ says Chris. ‘Most people use the same email and password on multiple sites. So hackers just log in to one site, steal the user names and passwords and try and reuse it in multiple places across the internet, which they can then monetise.’
Another popular method is for hackers to infect devices via email or trick websites in order to wrap everything in encrypted software. ‘They essentially lock up your files, run away with the key and leave your computer with a ransom note saying “if you want your files back, then you have to pay,”’ says Chris. ‘It’s scary stuff, but there are measures you can take to protect yourself.’
The first steps are to run anti-virus and have a firewall on your machine, use a password manager for unique, high-quality passwords on every site, and insist on two-factor authentication.
‘The threats are real, and they’re growing,’ says Chris. ‘Hackers recently took the whole country of Libya offline. What those L0pht guys were warning about is happening today, and it doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon. We have to start caring about cybersecurity and taking it seriously.’
Mr. Robot Season 3 launches on Amazon Prime Video from today with new episodes every Thursday.

culture trip left arrow
 culture trip brand logo

Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip

meet our Local Insider

Hanna

women sitting on iceberg

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?

2 years.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.

WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?

I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!

culture trip logo letter c
group posing for picture on iceberg
group posing for picture on iceberg

Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.

map of volcanic iceland trip destination points
culture trip brand logo
culture trip right arrow
landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

X

Holiday Sale Offers on Our Trips

Incredible Savings

Edit article