Day 2 — The Typed Letter

Source: Dev.to

Narrative

Leaving Zum Roten Bären behind them, Rothütle and Gord walk through the quiet evening streets of Freiburg. Gas lamps hum softly, and the Bächle along Salzstraße scatter the lantern light into restless silver ribbons.

Rothütle unlocks the door to his small apartment, steps inside—and stops. An envelope lies on the floor, perfectly placed, waiting.

He opens it carefully, scans the contents, and then says hastily, “I need to leave, Carl might be in trouble.”

Gord whispers, “The timing is funny.” Then she adds, “What does it say?”

Rothütle shows her the letter:

Herr Osterman,
I must speak with you at once.
— Carl Benz

“What kind of handwriting is this?” Gord asks.

Rothütle frowns. “It’s done by a mechanical writing apparatus. There is one called Schreibkugel created by Danes earlier this year. I didn’t know Carl had access to such a device.”

“Maybe he doesn’t,” Gord suggests. “If it’s urgent, why not write it by hand?”

Rothütle exhales. “Then we do the opposite. We visit his host family on Salzstraße. If he actually wrote this, they’ll know.”

He gathers a few essentials, and then they step back into the foggy night.

Phishing Overview

Phishing refers to fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in electronic communications. Attackers often impersonate people or organizations you trust to trick you into revealing personal information, such as passwords, credit‑card numbers, or other confidential data.

When you receive an unexpected email that requires urgent action—e.g., clicking a link to avoid losing access to your account—be cautious. Attackers frequently create a sense of urgency to prompt quick action without careful consideration. This technique is known as social engineering.

NPM Supply Chain Attack (September 2025)

In September 2025, one of the largest NPM supply‑chain attacks ever occurred. Malicious code was injected into popular packages, affecting countless downstream projects. The incident highlighted the importance of verifying package integrity and monitoring dependencies.

Source: “The Largest NPM Supply Chain Attack Ever and How to Defend Against It,” Mohammad‑Ali A’RÂBI, Sep 26.

Protecting Against Phishing

• Stay calm. Take a deep breath and think before you act.
• Verify the sender. Check email signatures and other authentication details to ensure the sender is who they claim to be.
• Inspect URLs. Hover over links to view the actual URL before clicking.
• Use official channels. Access your accounts directly through the official website or app rather than via links in emails.

Red Flags for Phishing Attempts

• Unexpected requests for urgent action.
• Generic greetings (e.g., “Dear user”).
• Misspellings, grammatical errors, or unusual phrasing.
• Mismatched or suspicious sender addresses.
• Links that redirect to unfamiliar domains.

Footnotes

• P.S. The Schreibkugel typewriter mentioned in the story was invented by Rasmus Malling‑Hansen, a Danish minister and educator, in 1865. It was one of the earliest typewriters and was designed to help blind people write. The name means “writing ball” (Danish Skrivekugle) and featured a spherical arrangement of keys for faster typing compared to traditional linear keyboards.

• P.P.S. Carl Benz, referenced in the letter, was a German engineer and inventor widely credited with creating the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. In 1886 he built the Benz Patent‑Motorwagen, considered the first true automobile. In 1865, Benz was studying mechanical engineering at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School (now the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology).