The Shadow Miner and the Hidden Chamber

The Bubble Ship crawled along the neon star trail as though somebody had left the handbrake on.

If a spaceship had a handbrake, that is.

The navigation map stuck. Holograms broke apart. The cooling fans howled as though they were trying to take off without clearance.

Lili tapped her tablet for the third time.

“Wonderful. Even the loading circle has frozen.”

Miki leaned over the main console.

“The processor is running at ninety-nine per cent.”

“Doing what? I only opened one window. Even that regretted it.”

“Exactly. Hardly anything is open, yet almost all the computing power is in use.”

The ship creaked softly. For two seconds, the navigation arrow turned into a toaster.

Miki slowly turned towards Lili.

“Have you downloaded anything lately?”

Lili suddenly found the corner of her tablet fascinating.

“Depends what you mean by ‘lately’.”

“Last night?”

“Then yes.”

There was a short pause.

“I wanted to try that video editor. The one with the brilliant lighting effects. The official version was expensive, but I found another website.”

“What sort of website?”

“Big green button. ‘One hundred per cent clean. Cracked full version.’”

Miki raised an eyebrow.

“Did you run it?”

“Yes. But nothing opened. I thought the file was broken.”

Cyber-Huba descended from the ceiling dock. Red data streams flickered in front of the technological owl’s eyes.

“Unfortunately, the file wasn’t as inactive as it looked.”

A map of the ship’s system appeared on the main wall.

In its centre, a black, spider-like shape clung to glowing connections. Its little legs moved steadily. With every movement, another energy bar went dark behind it.

Lili stepped closer.

“Was that always there?”

“No,” said Huba. “It came with the program you downloaded. I’ve found malware. Part of it is using the ship’s computing power without permission.”

A name flashed above the spider:

SHADOW MINER

“A miner?” asked Miki. “Where’s its pickaxe?”

“Our processor is its pickaxe,” said Huba. “It makes the processor do calculations that benefit somebody else. We supply the electricity, the processing time and the overheating ship.”

Lili looked at the howling fans.

“So I got a free program that puts my machine to work for somebody else.”

“The promise of a video editor was the wrapping,” said Huba. “The hidden program was what you actually ran as well. That’s why this kind of deceptive malware is called a Trojan.”

A narrow door appeared at the edge of the map.

It wasn’t on the original plan.

A faint light seeped through it.

HIDDEN CHAMBER — EXTERNAL CONNECTION ACTIVE

Miki glanced at the console’s camera. Its little indicator light was on.

“Huba… we’re not on a video call.”

The owl checked the access log.

“I can also see unauthorised camera access. The malware has opened a backdoor. Someone outside could use it to access parts of the system.”

Lili’s stomach tightened.

“Could they see us?”

“Possibly. We’re disconnecting now.”

“I’ll smash the router!”

“The router is innocent for now,” said Huba. “Disconnecting is enough.”

Miki switched off the external network connection. To be sure, he unplugged the network cable too.

On the map, the line of light leading out of the Hidden Chamber went dark.

The fans kept howling.

“It’s still working,” said Lili.

“The connection is broken, but that doesn’t remove the malware,” said Huba. “Now we can deal with it more calmly.”

Lili sat down.

“I brought it in.”

Huba landed on the console beside her.

“You were tricked. And now you’ve told us what happened. That helps us find the problem.”

“What do we do next?”

“For now, we don’t use this machine to sign in, shop or send messages. We don’t type new passwords into it. And we don’t download another unknown ‘miracle cleaner’.”

Miki had already been reaching for the search box. His hand stopped.

“Right. We’ll skip that round, then.”

Huba started the system’s trusted security tool. The scan found several suspicious components and quarantined them.

One by one, the Shadow Miner’s legs released the connections.

Lili watched the processor load fall.

“All done?”

“We’re still checking,” said Huba. “Even after a successful scan, we don’t promise everything is fine without checking. If we can’t be sure the infection has been removed, we may need expert help and even a system reinstall.”

This time, the follow-up checks found no more malware. The system updates were installed too.

The ship gradually settled back into its usual rhythm.

Meanwhile, Miki took out another trusted device. With Huba’s help, they checked sign-ins to important accounts, ended suspicious sessions and changed passwords that might have been exposed. Wherever possible, they enabled two-step verification as well.

“Why aren’t we changing them on this one?” asked Lili.

“Because while we’re unsure whether a machine is clean, we don’t trust it with the new password either,” said Huba.

Finally, Lili took out a tiny camera cover.

Miki grinned.

“Time for the CSH rule.”

“What’s that?”

“Camera Safety Harness.”

Lili held up the little slider.

“That’s barely a trainee harness.”

A tiny light in the corner of Huba’s eye flickered like a smile.

“It covers the camera. But it doesn’t mute the microphone or remove malware. It’s a useful extra, not a complete shield.”

“Understood,” said Lili. “A sticker won’t get me a system administrator’s diploma.”

The star trail was clear on the main console again. The navigation arrow had even turned back into an arrow.

On the clean device, Lili opened the video editor’s official website. There was a trial version. They also found a genuinely free alternative on its developer’s official website.

“So ‘free’ wasn’t the problem,” she said.

“Trusting an unknown website’s promise was,” said Huba. “A big green button isn’t a security certificate.”

Miki leaned back.

“Shame. It was very green.”

Lili looked once more at the spot where the Shadow Miner had been.

“Next time, I’ll check where the program comes from first. Pirated code charges far too much.”

The Bubble Ship accelerated smoothly.

And the router survived the adventure without a scratch.

Teacher guide and answer key · InfoGalaxis
INFOGALAXIS · MOD_06 · 12–16

The Shadow Miner and the Hidden Chamber

Teacher guide and answer key
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Ages 12–16. Duration: 35–40 minutes. Goals: recognise deceptive downloads; distinguish symptoms from evidence; practise calm help-seeking and understand the limits of protective measures.

Plan: 10 minutes story/comic; 10 minutes radar and decisions; 5 minutes sequence; 10–15 minutes worksheet and discussion.

Do not request suspicious files, personal account details or passwords. Do not demonstrate downloads from dangerous sites. Repairing a real device is not a pupil exercise.

Worksheet 1: slow performance, heat, loud fans, high processor load; other causes are possible, so checks are needed.

2: a website’s own claim is not independent verification. 3: disconnection limits external contact; the program may remain on the machine.

4: disconnect → help and trusted checks/recovery → protect accounts on another trusted device → verify, update and choose trustworthy sources. Real steps may partly overlap.

5: blocks the camera view; does not mute the microphone or remove malware. 6: another trusted device, using the account’s official website. 7: for example, “I’m glad you told us. Let’s get help.”

Radar key (OK/Suspicious): 1 Suspicious; 2 OK; 3 Suspicious; 4 Suspicious; 5 OK; 6 Suspicious; 7 OK; 8 Suspicious. Judge the statement, not whether all free programs are safe.

Decision key: 1 B; 2 C; 3 A. Discussion: why should nobody feel ashamed to report a mistaken click?

Parent guide · InfoGalaxis
INFOGALAXIS · MOD_06 · 12–16

The Shadow Miner and the Hidden Chamber

Parent guide
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Ask calmly: “What did the website promise? What did you run? What changed afterwards?” Encourage asking for help rather than blaming the child.

If you suspect infection, disconnect the device from the network, avoid entering new sign-in details on it and get trustworthy technical help. For a school or work device, contact the responsible IT team.

Use trusted security tools and checked recovery. A reinstall may be necessary if uncertainty remains. Do not install unknown pop-up repair programs.

On another trusted device, check important account sign-ins, end suspicious sessions, change exposed passwords and enable two-step verification where possible.

A camera cover is an extra: it does not mute the microphone or clean the device. Slowness and heat alone do not prove infection.

Look together for an official trial or a trustworthy free alternative. Not every free program is suspicious; its source and requested permissions matter.

Family question: “What could I say that would make you feel able to tell me straight away if something went wrong?”

Worksheet · InfoGalaxis
INFOGALAXIS · MOD_06 · 12–16

The Shadow Miner and the Hidden Chamber

Worksheet
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1. Name two warning signs on the ship. Why do they not prove infection on their own?

2. Why is “100% clean” or a big green button not a security certificate?

3. What is the difference between disconnecting the network and removing malware?

4. Write down the game’s four recovery steps.

5. What does a camera cover protect, and what does it not do?

6. Where would you change an exposed password? Do not write a real password here!

7. Write a supportive sentence to Lili without blaming her.