In 1969, students Martin Brice and Cosmo are computer hackers who use their skills to finance left wing organizations. When Martin leaves for a pizza, Cosmo gets arrested, forcing Martin to become a fugitive.

In present-day San Francisco, Martin, now called Martin Bishop, heads a security specialists team undertaking penetration testing. The team includes Donald Crease, a former CIA officer and family man; Darren "Mother" Roskow, a conspiracy theorist and electronics technician; Carl Arbogast, a young hacking genius; and Irwin "Whistler" Emery, a blind phone phreak.

After performing their services for a bank, Martin is approached by NSA officers Dick Gordon and Buddy Wallace. He is asked to recover a "black box" from mathematician Dr. Gunter Janek, developed under the name "Setec Astronomy" supposedly for the Russian government. Martin is hesitant but agrees when the agents reveal that they are aware of his true identity and offer to clear his past in exchange. With help from his former girlfriend, Liz, Martin and his team secure the box, which is disguised as a telephone answering machine. During their subsequent celebration party, Whistler, Mother, and Carl investigate the box, finding it capable of breaking the encryption of nearly every computer system. Martin works out that "Setec Astronomy" is an anagram of "too many secrets", and issues a lockdown until they can deliver the box the next day.

Martin hands the box to Gordon and Wallace but barely escapes being killed by them after Crease discovers that Janek was killed the night before. His friend, Gregor in the Russian consulate, confirms that the officers were rogue agents and that Janek was working for the NSA. Before Gregor can elaborate further, fake FBI agents kill him and kidnap Martin, taking him to a remote location where he is reunited with Cosmo, who Martin thought had died in prison. While imprisoned, Cosmo developed ties with organized crime, who recognized his talents and later installed him as their money launderer and paymaster. Cosmo plans to use Janek's box to destabilize the world economy and offers Martin the chance to join him. Martin refuses, whereupon Cosmo uses the box to break into the FBI's mainframe and connect Martin's current identity with his former name. Cosmo has Martin knocked out and taken back to the city.

Martin, now a fugitive from the law again, relocates his team to Liz's apartment. They contact NSA agent Abbott, who wants the box but cannot offer safety until it is in Martin's possession. Whistler analyzes the sounds that Martin heard during his kidnapping and can identify the geographic area where Martin was taken, a toy company acting as a front for Cosmo's operation. They research the building's security systems and identify Werner Brandes, an employee whose office is next to Cosmo's. They set Liz up on a fake computer date with Brandes to obtain his keycard and vocal recognition codes, which Martin and the other team members use to initiate the recovery of the box.

Brandes begins to suspect Liz during the date and brings her to Cosmo at his office. Nothing appears amiss, and Cosmo lets Liz go, but when she comments on this being a computer date, Cosmo recognizes Martin's handiwork, and locks down the facility. Martin is apprehended and Cosmo once again tries to convince him to join him. Martin refuses and instead turns over the box. The team escapes before Cosmo realizes that he is holding an empty duplicate.

Back at their own offices, Martin's team is surrounded by Abbott and his agents. After Martin points out how important the secrecy of the box is to the NSA, who could use it to spy on other agencies, Abbott agrees to clear Martin's record and grant the requests of the rest of his team. After Abbott and the agents leave with the box, Martin shows he has rendered the box useless by removing the main processor.

In a postscript, a news report describes the sudden bankruptcy of the Republican National Committee, and the simultaneous receipt of large anonymous donations to Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and the United Negro College Fund.

Create Date : 29 เมษายน 2566
Last Update : 30 พฤษภาคม 2566 22:22:28 น.		0 comments
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