The Original Hacker

While most people think that hackers came with computers, in fact Nevil Maskelyne was wreaking havoc on wireless signals in 1903. Instead of using computer code, Maskelyne used Morse code and instead of wreaking havoc on personal computers, his target was Guglielmo Marconi.

Marconi

In June of 1903, Marconi’s assistant John Ambrose Fleming was going to hold the first public demonstration of Marconi’s long range wireless communication system at the Royal Institution’s lecture hall in London. Marconi was set to send a message from Cornwall. As Fleming was setting up the demonstration, the apparatus began tapping out a message. At first it was just the word Rats repeated over and over again followed by several messages and limericks derogatory towards Marconi and his associates. After the messages ceased, Marconi’s intended messages came through.

Marconi's Assistant John Ambrose Fleming

Why Marconi? Maskelyne was a stage magician and hobby inventor. His interest in wireless technology worked his way into his stage show, using electricity and wireless signals to “read minds” and ignite gunpowder across the stage. Marconi held several very broad patents on wireless technology that made Maskelyne unable to draw profit from any of his inventions. Also Marconi had made some powerful enemies in the Eastern Telegraph Company, who laid cable for telegraphs and felt threatened by Marconi’s wireless technology. The ETC hired Maskelyne to spy on Marconi.

So how did Maskelyne interrupt and hijack the signals? The signals were sent using pulses of short and long bursts of energy- Hertzian waves. When the Eastern Telegraph company hired Maskelyne to spy, he set up a 50-meter radio mast on the coast to intercept ship to shore messages. It proved even easier to intercept the messages as Maskelyne was able to receive messages on a 25 foot aerial. Marconi bragged that his system was superior because it was secure– sending messages on specific wavelengths. Maskelyne’s untuned broadband receiver  picked up on all of Marconi’s signals.  For the presentation hack, all Maskelyne had to do was set up a simple transmitter and a Morse code key nearby. Luckily, his father owned a music hall in the neighborhood. After that, it was just a matter of sending the messages at the right time.

Maskelyne could have gotten away with the stunt anonymously, but instead he took to the newspapers to claim responsibility for the act as well as attack Marconi. His hack highlighted flaws in the so called secure transmission and dealt an ego crushing blow to Marconi.

Nevil Maskelyne- Gentleman Hacker