Nextgenhacker101 - Tracert

The story of (often referred to as the "tracert kid") is a classic piece of early 2010s internet folklore. It’s a cautionary tale of "fake it till you make it"—except the "making it" part never quite happened. The Origin: "How to Hack"

He was relentlessly mocked for his "1337 hacker" persona, but he also gained a strange kind of respect for the sheer confidence he displayed while explaining a network utility as if it were a digital weapon. Nextgenhacker101 Tracert

He told his audience that by typing tracert followed by a website name (like Google), he was "hacking" into their servers to reveal secret connection points. The story of (often referred to as the

Nextgenhacker101 became the poster child for the —someone who uses basic tools they don't understand to try and look like a master hacker. He told his audience that by typing tracert

He also pointed to the Google search bar and various desktop icons as evidence of his "hacking software" and "private chat functions". The Legacy

In 2011, a young boy uploaded a series of YouTube tutorials under the handle . He presented himself as a sophisticated cyber-expert, complete with an Alienware desktop background (on what was clearly an HP machine) and an air of intense seriousness.

If you're actually interested in how the tool works without the "hacker" theatrics, experts on Hacker News and YouTube explain that it's a simple way to find where a network connection is failing.