Building Hacking

"Long before there were computer hackers, there was a generation of hackers of another kind. Call them 'building hackers.' Like their cyberspace descendants, these hackers lived to discover new places; to find their ways into the most hidden nooks and crannies; to learn for themselves how things worked around them, and then manipulate their physical surroundings to do their bidding."

If you're an inquisitive type, inclined to open random doors and disinclined to pay attention to "official access only" signs, you might already have practiced some light building hacking. And if you have wandered down utility corridors, you might find odd notes scrawled in dark corners or hard-to-reach places, like "no toad sexing." Simson L. Garfinkel notes that these are "sign-ins," nerdy graffiti from prior urban explorers, as such city spelunkers now call themselves, referring to building
hacking as UrbEx or UE for short.

But if you haven't started poking around buildings where you aren't technically supposed to be, Garfinkel provides some things to consider before you wander: rooftops are lovely, but generally more well-guarded. Before opening a
door, scan it carefully for wires or other signs of alarm systems. Check the door after you open it as well: Frequently, sensors are "hidden" inside doorjambs. If you trip an alarm, don't panic: just close the door and calmly walk away.

After all, you're not there to make mischief, you're just curious. And if this is your kind of curiosity, there are now more resources than can be squeezed into two pages in the Handbook. A few for starters: Urban Exploration Resource, which offers articles, photo galleries, stories, and an active forum for the Urban Exploration and Infiltration Community; and Infiltration, maintained in memory of Ninjalicious' groundbreaking and charistmatic work within the field of Urban Exploration (the author of Access All Areas, a user's guide to the art of building hacking).

"Finally, always follow the cardinal rule of hacking: do no harm. Don't break windows, kick in doors, or take a pipewrench to a stubborn lock. Whatever you do, don't steal anything. After all, you're an explorer, not a petty thief." Take only pictures. Leave the lights as you found them. And keep your sign-ins small, if you want to leave your mark at all.