Hacking is for ISR operators. Everyone has the scanner.

Ctrl+U toggles the signal scanner on your screen (place it under Options → Game → Layout as "JMSB EW Scanner"). It has a stopwatch (Ctrl+Shift+U) and shared alarms - ACE self-interact → Equipment → Signal Scanner for the alarm and stopwatch entries.

[PICTURE: the scanner HUD with a needle on a contact]

1. Get within range: a comm tower (20 m), a hostile drone (400 m) or a downed drone (25 m).
2. Press the HACK tile. DEVICES IN RANGE lists the nearest first.
3. Pick the target, then the product: LOCATE AA / ANTI-SHIP / ARTILLERY / CAMP / INSTALLATION / JAMMER / LOGISTICS / RADAR, TRACE NETWORK, DOWNLOAD FILES, or DOWN THE DRONE.
4. Press BEGIN INTRUSION and hold there about a minute. ABORT cancels.

A product is a circle on the map - true when it was earned, not a live feed. Hacking the same tower again tightens the circle. A tower rests ten minutes between hacks. Recovered files appear under the INTEL tile.

[PICTURE: the HACK page with a tower in range and the product list]

ACE interact on a body: Search For Intel - a phone, a map or a GPS. It is worth nothing until it is deposited: ACE self-interact → Deploy Intel Drop (needs the Intel Drop Case), then Deposit Intel at the drop. Every few deposits buy a hint circle.

[PICTURE: the Intel Drop deployed]