Back in the 1800s the French developed something called an optical telegraph. A series of signal towers stretched across France about 7-8 miles apart. The towers looked like broken windmills with two outstretched arms that could be moved and configured to send coded messages.

An operator would send a message via a series of signals and miles away another operator would receive the message and pass it on. There were HUNDREDS of these towers able to pass messages thousands of miles around the country way quicker than a rider delivering by hand

It took about 9 minutes to send a message 200km. It would take a rider five days. It was all encrypted too. Even the operators didn't know what they were sending. The system was in use for years and nobody could crack it. It was perfect.

Then a pair of crafty french bastards found out a way to INSERT their own message into the government's official communication line. These guys were bankers. They wanted financial information before anyone else. They wanted to beat the stock markets. They were analogue hackers.

They figured out that these signal operators would sometimes make mistakes so there would need to be a signal essentially saying ignore the previous signal. A "delete" command if you will. Once the hackers figured out what that command was... They were set.

They just went from tower to tower looking for one corrupt dude and paid him off to send their own made-up "coded" information and then a few characters later "delete it". By this point, the false info was already passing down the line across hundreds of towers.

But once it got to the destination tower, the delete symbol came through and the operator would delete it. Not knowing what it was or why and continuing to send the legit code down the line. The authorities were none the wiser having only received their intended coded message.

Meanwhile, these hackers had guys watching that final tower and waiting or the message to come through. It was always really simple stuff. Getting basic information on the french stock market but FIVE DAYS before anyone else. They made a fucking fortune doing it. FOR TWO YEARS.

When they were finally caught when the bent operator made a death bed confession... But even then the authorities had to let them go free. There were no laws in place saying what they did was illegal. They got away with it scot-free and kept the money. Ha! I love that story.