Cyberwarfare

by Pendelton C. Wallace

  After about ten minutes, Bear smiled. “Got it. Look at this sucker. It’s hidden so deep in the Dark Web, its own mother couldn’t find it.”

  Ted looked at the webpage Bear displayed. It had only one button on the page. “Open the source code. Let’s see what makes this bad boy tick.”

  Bear clicked on the ellipsis in the upper right-hand corner of the page to drop down a tools menu. He clicked on Developer Tools and the screen split, with the web-page in the upper pane and the code in the lower pane.

  Bear read through the code as Ted looked over his shoulder.

  “There’s lots of remote calls,” Ted said.

  “Right. The developers covered their tracks really well. They created objects for everything, then made them each their own executables. It’s going to take days to work through this maze.”

  Ted breathed heavily and lowered his head. “Do we really want to invest the time in this? We could alert Microsoft and let them deal with it.”

  Bear opened a new can of Diet Coke and drank deeply. He wiped his lips. “We can’t do that. If they know we have access to their source code, they’re going to shut us down. We either deal with this ourselves or stand back and let it happen.”

  Sweat appeared on Ted’s brow, despite the cool temperature of the computer room. “We can’t just let the economy collapse if we can do something about it. Should we notify the Feds? We could do it anonymously.”

  “Same answer.” Bear reached in a desk drawer and pulled out a bag of Lay’s Sour Cream and Onion potato chips. “There’s no such thing as anonymous with the Feds. They’d track us down, then they’ll want to know how we found this. I’d be surprised if they didn’t arrest us, in the name of national security, and hold us until the whole thing was over.”

  “Shit! Shit, shit, shit.” Ted put the palms of his hands to his forehead as if he knew a tsunami of a headache was coming. “We can’t let this happened. Do we have a chance to figure out a way of stopping it ourselves?”

  Bear shook his head. “Why should we care? We’re not being paid to fix it. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort. I’ll have to bring in a couple of contractors. That’s out-of-pocket cash. I don’t think my budget can handle it. And even if we did, we couldn’t take credit. There’s no win for us on this one.”

  Ted got up and began to pace. “How much money do you have socked away in your 401K? How much do you have invested in the stock market?” He turned back to face Bear

  Bear popped a chip in his mouth. “I think we should figure out how to benefit from it. Maybe move all our stocks and securities into gold, or government bonds. We could short a bunch of stock, so when the value dropped, we’d rake in the cash.”

  Ted stood quietly for a moment, then shook his head as if trying to clear away some thoughts. “People lost billions in 2008. Working people. People like you and me. We can’t let that happen again.”

  “Okay, we’ve got to find a way to insert killer code into every Windows OS in the world. How do you plan to do that?”

  “Maybe we don’t have to. I met a guy from Microsoft at the last developer’s conference. He’s in charge of the Windows security team. I’ll bet he can sneak it in for us. If we can develop a vaccination, I’ll bet he’d be willing to distribute it for us. He’d get the credit for stopping the attack. He’ll be a hero. No way he’s gonna say no.”

  “What’s in it for us?” Bear looked into Ted’s eyes. “What do we get for saving the world?”

  “Sometimes, saving the world is its own reward.”

  Bear shook his head and turned back to his computer. “So, what do you suggest? How are we going to defeat this virus?”

  Ted stepped over to the white board and wiped it clean. “How about if we create an army of zombies. They’d spread to every Windows computer in the world. They can insert the killer code so when the bag guys release it, nothing happens.”

  “You’re a genius.” Bear finished the last gulp of his Diet Coke, crushed the can and tossed it back with the others. “Now tell me, how are we going to do this? We don’t even understand how this code works yet. It may take weeks to figure it out. In the meantime, the bad guys could release the virus anytime. What happens if they release it before we kill it?”

  “Then it’s a race. The clock starts now.”

  Chapter 13

  “Hackers have broken into our files,” the voice said over the cell phone. “The CryBaby virus, it was one of ours.”

  Dr. Elaine Jefferson’s heart pounded. Her agency worked year-round devising new weapons for the coming cyber-war, but there had only been one previous leak. The nefarious Edward Snowden. Now this.

  The Tailored Access Operations (TAO), came to public awareness as the result of the Edward Snowden incident. Prior to the contractor leaking thousands of documents that revealed the U.S. government’s spying operation on dozens of foreign leaders, the TAO operated in relative obscurity. Of course, the Senate Oversight Committee was aware of it, but the public didn’t even know it existed. It was much easier that way. Back then she didn’t have to worry about press scrutiny or public opinion.

  Elaine’s team was the world’s elite cyber-spy agency. They created such tools as ExtraBacon, EpicBanana and EligibleBachelor that could breach the firewalls of virtually any system. Now she had a leak.

  She was at her office in thirty minutes, dressed in a sweat suit, hair pulled back into a pony tail. The middle-aged brunette pulled the glass door at the NSA’s Fort Meade, Maryland facility open with such force she was afraid she tore it off its hinges.

  John Archer, her second-in-command waited for her. The high-tech office had glass walls that could darken on command, providing privacy, or lighten to allow her to view her troops working on the floor below.

  “We knew this would happen someday,” Archer said as she took off her coat.

  “Not on my watch,” Elaine said. “What do we know?”

  Archer opened a folder on his laptop. “So far, a group calling themselves the Shadow Brokers released about three hundred megs of files for free.” He pushed a few keys on his keyboard and a website appeared on Elaine’s big screen on the wall. “They say these are the least innocuous executables. Tech confirmed they’re ours.”

  Elaine settled back into her leather chair. “How do we know that?”

  “So far, we identified three hundred and forty-seven algorithms that have never been used by anyone but the NSA. They use RC5 and RC6 encryption. We’ve done file compares with the files we have here and they’re exact matches.”

  “Oh my God.” She closed her eyes. “I suppose the press got wind of this?”

  “If they haven’t they’re blind.”

  “So, what’s the bottom line?”

  Archer closed the file and gulped. “Shadow Brokers set up an auction. When they’re paid one hundred million in Bitcoin, they’re going to release the rest of the files.”

  “So, one of our enemies is going to get their hands on everything?”

  “It’s worse than that. When they reach one hundred million Bitcoins, they’re going to release the code to everybody. They have diverse groups already contributing to the auction. If each group puts up part of the ransom, they’ll all get the code.”

  “I suppose the Chinese and Russians are leading the charge.”

  “So far, we can’t tie any of the bidders to them. The North Koreans are right up front. They’re bidding with no attempt at secrecy. I think the Chinese and Ruskies will channel money to cover organizations to keep their participation secret.”

  Elaine opened a bottle of Glacier water and poured half of it into a glass. “Do we know how they got the data?” She dropped two Alka Seltzer tablets into the glass, stirred, and slugged it down.

  “I’d say there’s a fifty/fifty chance there wasn’t a hack.” Archer looked at his screen. “You know how hard it is to break into our systems. It’s virtually impossible. I think it’s probably a Snowden-style leak. Someone walked out of here with a fl
ash drive.”

  “Christ, John.” She shook her head. “Okay, recommendations. Where do we go from here?”

  ****

  Ted drove his BMW Z4 Roadster onto the Microsoft complex. He was always awed at the size of the campus. Comprised of more than two hundred and sixty acres, eight million square feet of office space, and room for thirty to forty thousand employees, it blended in with the terrain. The buildings were low, and the grounds were covered in lawns and mini-forests. It abutted a green belt and it was hard to tell where the campus ended, and the green belt began. It even contained a shopping mall, the Commons, with upscale retail stores, restaurants, and gyms. It was a self-contained city.

  Parking was not a problem. Hundreds of acres of striped blacktop surrounded the buildings. Every other space seemed to be filled with a Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche. Ted’s midnight-blue roadster fit right in.

  Following his GPS, Ted easily located building nineteen. He parked and walked a few paces to the green area outside the main entrance. He’d been to Microsoft many times, but it never failed to amaze him. The green area was filled with healthy-looking young people strolling, playing ultimate Frisbee or soccer, or just sitting on the concrete benches playing with their laptops, tablets, or cell phones. Didn’t these people ever work?

  “Mr. Higuera, so nice to see you again.” Samir Hussaini reached out his hand. Ted recognized him from the conference he had attended the previous year where Samir gave a talk on cyber security.

  “Mr. Hussaini.” Ted took his hand. “I’m glad you could meet me.”

  Samir was the head of the Windows security team. If anyone could help Ted, he was the man.

  “Let’s walk, Mr. Higuera.” Samir made a gesture with his hand towards the concrete paths. “It’s such a nice day.”

  “Ted, please. Everyone calls me Ted.”

  Samir flashed his million-watt smile. “Okay, Ted. But only if you call me Sam. It seems so much more … ah … American.”

  “You got it. Sam.”

  “Your said you found something hidden in our OS?”

  “Yeah. Look, I know this is delicate. I called you because you seemed like the kind of guy who would understand.”

  The path led them through a grove of trees, and eventually, alongside a small creek.

  “Tell me what I would understand.”

  Ted looked about as if checking to see if anyone was listening. “Uh … what I’m going to tell you is confidential; it could destroy my company. I expect that you’ll keep it that way. I don’t want to experience any repercussions.”

  Samir stopped and looked at Ted. “I have no idea where you’re going with this.”

  “Okay, here it is. At Flaherty & Associates, we have the capability to reverse engineer Windows. We can decompile virtually any executable. We can see your code and know how it operates.”

  Samir just stared at Ted.

  “What I’ve come here to tell you today is that you have a problem. A big problem.”

  “Ummm …hmmm …”

  “You’ll want to check it out for yourselves.” Ted stopped while a couple of women strolled by hand-in-hand. “We’ve found something that shouldn’t be there.”

  “Like what?” Samir pulled his head back and narrowed his eyes.

  “Someone inserted an Easter Egg into your system.”

  “No. That’s not possible.”

  “It’s true.” Ted handed Samir a flash drive. “Look at it for yourself. It’s activated remotely from a website hidden deep in the Dark Net. When it goes off, it’ll cripple the nation’s financial systems.”

  “Mr. Higuera, I have a hard time believing this …”

  “Just look at it. You’ve got it all there. My notes, the commented code, everything. There’s also an inoculation on the drive. It will root out the code and kill it. You can stop this attack before it happens.”

  Samir took the flash drive and put it in his pocket as if it was a vial of acid. “Why are you coming to me with this? Why didn’t you go public? You could be a hero.”

  Ted laughed. “I’ve already been down that road. Don’t like it very much.” He scratched behind his ear. “Listen, if we went public, Microsoft would have a cow. They’d want to know how we found this. They’d find ways to block our access to your code. That would severely damage our ability to serve our clients.”

  Samir motioned towards a bench along the path. “I did a little research on you and your company when you first contacted me. You intrigued me.” He sat down on the bench. “You’ve done some amazing things. Foiling a terrorist attack on a cruise ship. Breaking up a couple of Mexican drug cartels. Unraveling the scandal at Millennium Systems. You’ve built an impressive list of clients and quite a reputation. That’s why I agreed to talk to you, to see the man behind the legend. But I must tell you, I can hardly believe your story. It just goes beyond the realm of possibility.”

  Ted sat and shook his head. “I wanted to give this to you because it’s not my problem. I don’t get paid to save the world. When this attack happens and when it gets traced back to your code, Microsoft is gonna look bad, worse than bad.”

  Sam pulled the flash drive from his pocket and stared at it. He flipped it into the air and caught it several times. “Okay, Ted, I’ll look at it. I’ll have my people go over it and see if it is as you say. If it is, we’ll take the appropriate action to remove the harmful code.”

  ****

  Mary Beth put down her coffee cup and took stock of her surroundings. It was like every other Starbucks she’d been in, yet it had its own unique touches. This store had a long, thick wooden table down the middle of the store, anchored to the concrete floor with steel pipe legs. It was a large space, with coffee tables and chairs on one side and the barista stand on the other. The walls, as expected, were covered with displays of coffee and merchandise. The aroma of coffee filled the air and reminded Mary Beth of growing up in her parents’ home.

  Why did she call me? Mary Beth looked across the coffee table to her client. Jane had dark circles under eyes that were dull and listless. She slumped in her seat and the hand holding her cup shook. She needs a counselor, not a detective. Unless she wants me to help her get out of this situation, there’s nothing I can do for her.

  “He won’t let me have any friends. There was a get-together with some of my sorority sisters and he wouldn’t let me go.”

  “Did he hit you? Lock you up?” Mary Beth leaned forward.

  “No … not really … he … ah … told me I was fat. That I would be embarrassed to be around my college friends. He said my dress was so out of style they’d laugh at me …” Jane hung her head and sniffled.

  “I see.” Mary Beth reached for Jane’s hand, but Jane pulled it back. “This just keeps going on. Do you want to get away from him?”

  Jane closed her eyes for a moment, then went on as if Mary Beth had not spoken. “He won’t let me see my parents. He’s convinced they’re prejudiced against him and think our children are half-breeds. My mom can’t even spend any time with her grandchildren.” Jane broke down crying.

  Mary Beth reached into her purse, handed Jane a tissue, and patiently waited for her to recover herself. She knew Jane’s husband was Syrian but found no evidence that he didn’t fit into American society. What were her parents prejudiced about? That he was raising their grandchildren as Muslims?

  “He checks my cell phone, my messages, my email. I have no privacy. No sense of my own place. He thinks I live to serve him. If I didn’t have my work, I think I’d go nuts.” She wiped her nose. “He doesn’t even want me to work. We fight at least once a week about it. He says Allah wants me to stay home and take care of the family.”

  Mary Beth reached over and lifted Jane’s chin. She spoke directly into Jane’s brown eyes. “You’ve got to take control of your life. You can’t continue to let him devalue you. This is where I can help, if you want. We can work out a plan to extract you from that house. I have contacts. I can get you into a safe house, get
a restraining order, help you find a place to stay. You can to start your life over. You don’t have to live with someone bullying you from seeing your friends and family.”

  Jane stared into space. Her hands trembled, and her body wracked with heavy sobs.

  Mary Beth became aware other people in the coffee shop were watching them. To hell with them. I have a job to do here. I know I can save this woman. “Jane, you have to make the decision. No one else can do it for you.”

  Jane spoke again in a monotone. “He does the same stuff to my daughter. He checks her cell phone, controls how she dresses, who she hangs out with. He won’t let her go out with her friends if there’s any possibility that they might run into boys.” Jane shook her head and a quiver ran down her entire body. “She told me she was going to leave home. That she was going to move in with a friend.” Jane took both of Mary Beth’s hands and looked into her eyes. “I can’t allow that. If she tries it, he’ll kill her. He says it would be an honor killing, that he couldn’t let her dishonor the family.”

  Chapter 14

  The end of another long day. They were all long days. Ever since Maria left him and fled to Mexico with his unborn child, Ted did little but work and sleep.

  He slipped into the driver’s seat of his BMW Z4. He always liked to think of it as the cockpit. When he drove the sleek dark-blue roadster, which he nicknamed the Blue Bomber, he felt as if he were flying a jet fighter.

  The car turned over and he sat and listened to the throaty purr of the turbo-charged six-cylinder engine for a moment. Pushing the button to retract the hard top, Ted sat back in the white leather seat and took a deep breath. Driving the Blue Bomber always brought him a sense of peace. It was his own personal status symbol. It told him that he had made it.

  For a kid born and raised in the barrios of East L.A., he wasn’t doing too bad. He didn’t like the fact that Catrina dropped the business in his lap, but he liked the idea of being his own boss, and the business was doing well.