“And what about the Russians’ proposal?”
She cut him off abruptly by raising her left hand palm facing outwards towards him, like a traffic cop.
She could have said ‘no’ without being so condescending.
She continued. “This cooperation with the Russians has yielded wonderful results, so you can already start thinking about going back. Who knows what they’ll come up with next! You know, I mingle with very senior people, like Cabinet secretaries and Supreme Court justices. People are talking about our agency.”
There she goes again. Always trying to impress...
Then, as an afterthought, she added, “You can tell me about the Estonian Honor group, or whatever they’re called, some other time.”
In other words, she doesn’t care about my work, only that 1 brought some positive attention to the agency that evidently made her look good.
With her last sentence, she turned her attention back to her computer screen and began working, with no closing niceties. Left standing there awkwardly, Parovsky swiveled on his heels, making a 180° turn like a soldier and walked out of the office, his mind already awash with thoughts about Moscow.
Back at his desk, Parovsky habitually looked at INN news, where he noticed an article about European Union-hosted negotiations working towards a settlement “between the two warring parties” in Estonia.
Warring parties? Typical INN, Parovsky thought. The Estonians were on the defensive and didn’t have a hope in hell. How can they be called a warring party?
According to the article, Russia was offering to pull its forces out of Estonia, save for an independent Russian enclave to be established in the northeast of the country, stretching west from the border city of Narva inland to the towns of Kohtla-Jarve and Johvi, around 180 kilometers east of the capital, Tallinn. Russia even offered reconstruction aid to Estonia if their neighbor would recognize the Russian enclave, but the Estonian Government categorically refused the Russian offer.
The article noted that as an olive branch to ease tensions, Russia began pulling back troops and even called for the authorization to use Russian military forces in Estonia to be revoked. It also pointed out that Russian forces had intentionally remained far from Tallinn, leaving Estonia a tiny sense of self-respect that at least its capital hadn’t fallen, opening the door to a possible renewal of the diplomatic relations cut by Estonia.
Parovsky also took a look at DCA’s “Early News” cyber news compilation and found a number of pro-Russian items. Despite clearly appearing to be the aggressor against Estonia, with all but the likes of Syria, North Korea, China and Cuba critical of their actions, the Russians were getting loads of good press on the web, with very positive sentiments about their actions.
This doesn’t add up, Parovsky thought to himself. The Russians are probably manipulating the news to improve their reputation.
Indeed, a team working out of a location in Moscow was hard at work in a campaign of what some have called cognitive hacking. Exploiting the internet and social media, the Russians were disseminating false information about fabricated Estonian provocations and generating pro-Russian blogs. It was an information age version of the idea often attributed to Nazi propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels- that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes true. The public tends to believe anything they read, so they aren’t likely to assume that their opinions are being manipulated. It almost sounds like a conspiracy theory, if it weren’t really happening. The Russian team spread false and harmful information that undermined the Estonian government’s legitimacy, and then monitored Twitter tweets and other feedback to false reports spread about Estonia. Information security defenses are unable to cope with this type of attack.
The effectiveness of this type of activity was well-known and proven. When hackers once sent a bogus Tweet on the Associated Press’ Twitter account about a pair of explosions at the White House that had injured the U.S. president, the reaction was a market plunge on Wall Street that lost an incredible $136.5 billion before recovering.
After reading the morning news roundup, Parovsky next carelessly logged into Lippnow’s computer for a look at his world, in which he lost himself. Parovsky began ignoring external events as he focused his attention on Lippnow. Chaseman noticed the drop off in interest, but didn’t read much into it. He also stopped responding to emails from Alexandra.
Many of Lippnow’s emails had the “Attorney-Client Privileged” header appearing in the Subject header. Lawyers get paid a lot of money, Parovsky thought, but they have to deal with some seriously boring shit!
A slew of emails from charities hounded him for contributions. United Way, Feed the Children, Toys for Tots and the Jewish National Fund. Seems this guy is on just about every charity’s mailing list. Charitable and philanthropic—which some found strange considering his elitist and condescending attitude—he was a sought-after honoree at fundraising events, which added to his air of self-importance. But he truly was a philanthropist, feeling good about sharing his wealth with numerous worthy causes, benefiting those less fortunate.
A travel agency itinerary seemed more interesting.
So where’s my little friend going?
Parovsky opened the email and saw Lippnow’s itinerary for a flight from JFK Airport in New York to Frankfurt, Germany.
CENTURY TRAVEL
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR:
Lippnow/Darrel
TRAVEL DETAILS:
CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES MUST CARRY A VALID PASSPORT CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES - VALID 6 MONTHS BEYOND TRAVEL
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Airline: LufthansaRecord Locator:
MJCKMH
Flight: LH0401Equipment: Airbus
A380-800
Departure: 1555 New York JFK, - JFK Estimated Time: 07.35
Arrives: 0530 Frankfurt FRADistance: 3851 miles
Meal: Dinner
Departure Terminal: Terminal 1
Arrival Terminal: Terminal 1
Seat: 09F
Class: Business
Ah, business class. I fly to Moscow and they stick my ass in the back while this SOB is upfront watching movies and sleeping comfortably in a bed...
Short stay. Must be a business trip. He exited out.
Parovsky clicked on an open pdf legal document dealing with some company’s “change of interests of substantial holder” form dealing with voting shares dropping from 19.36% to 17.98%.
Out of curiosity to see what it was all about, Parovsky scrolled through the document’s pages of annexes and addenda defining the holder of relevant interest and the registered holder of securities and the persons entitled to be registered as holder and nature of relevant interest and class and number of securities.
How boring! Thank God I didn’t get stuck doing crap like this after law school. But then again, these bastard lawyers get paid a helluva lot of money for stuff like this.
In Lippnow’s computer, Parovsky looked at the tray of open applications where among email, Chrome and Adobe, he noticed a secure encrypted Instant Messaging chat function using 256-bit strong digital encryption. Very good, Lippnow. You take your attorney-client privilege relationship seriously!
The secure communications piqued Parovsky’s curiosity. He noticed the conversation was not active, but its trail still remained, detailing discussions about travel arrangements.
[Darrel] °My flights are booked for Lagos. [14:02]
Lagos? That’s Nigeria? I thought he’s going to Germany...
[Karl] °The arrivals hall can be rather crazy. [14:02] [Karl] 0You will be met by passport control. [14:02]
[Darrel] °You mean after I clear Customs? [14:03]
[Karl] °No. I meant what I wrote. [14:04]
[Karl] °I know people there and can arrange things. [14:04]
[Karl] °Just after passport contro
l. [14:06]
[Karl] 0Someone will have a sign with your name on it, but there won’t be many people waiting there, so it should be easy to spot. [14:06]
[Karl] °But we need a code word because lots of people will claim they are there for you. How about “Germany”? [14:07]
[Darrel] 0Works for me. Germany. [14:07]
[Darrel] 0Where do we stay? [14:08]
[Darrel] 0And how do we get around? [14:08]
[Darrel] °And not meaning to sound afraid, but is it safe? [14:08]
[Karl] °I’ll hire a trusted driver. [14:09]
[Karl] 0Book a room at the Meridien EKO in Lagos. [14:10]
[Karl] °I’ve stayed there before. Massive, and decent security. [14:10]
What’s this all about?
Parovsky slid his cursor up Lippnow’s computer screen to Conversation History to see logs of previous IM conversations but found that Lippnow’s computer was configured to delete them.
Returning to Lippnow’s email Inbox, Parovsky reopened the email from Century Travel. He is going to Germany. Looking back at the Inbox, he noticed another email, this one from American Express Travel.
From: American Express Travel
To: [email protected]
Subject: Travel arrangements for DARREL LIPPNOW
Traveler: DARREL LIPPNOW
Flight Information:
Reserved: LUFTHANSA LH0594
Class: Business
Seat: 03A
Departs: Frankfurt FRA
Time: 11:10 AM
Arrives: Lagos LOS
Time: 4:40 PM
Curiosity got the best of him; Parovsky knew what he needed to do. At home that evening, he went to the Deep Web in search of hacking tools. There were so many distractions there to tempt the curious, the less scrupulous or criminally-minded like illegal firearms, drugs and child pornography. The multiple levels of encryption slowed the web down at these “depths”, so websites were basic, like the early days of the regular web, before all the additions of pop-ups, flashes and other eye- catching attention grabbers were cleverly added. Parovsky was looking for a way of eavesdropping. Ever cognizant of the possibility his work and personal computers were compromised, he figured he might be able to explain away his interest in a particular type of hacking tool as being work-related if he were ever called upon to explain himself, even though Deep Web surfing was encrypted by redundant servers to hide one’s tracks. While it offered anonymity, the joke was that most Deep Web users are FBI agents. Everyone operates there under an assumed identity, with the possibility that buyers and sellers of illicit items could be federal agents or someone else out there trawling for intelligence.
The Deep Web offered a cornucopia of offerings, a virtual field day for any hacker, with information on nearly every aspect of an attack, from how to conduct reconnaissance, how to weaponize, suggestions on delivering the malware by email via spear phishing and other schemes, exploits, installation, command and control. Ironically the Deep Web was developed by the United States military as a secure communications channel, but had long since gone astray.
The hacking offerings were broad, from repackaging known malware to avoid detection, hacking services for hire (Tempting, but, no. he thought. This one needed to be in the “Do-It-Yourself Department”) to all sorts of malware. The way Parovsky looked at it, his interests were minor in these heavy leagues. Basically he just needed someone to help him along and point him towards the proper solution. I’m not out to bring down computer networks or damage property, he reasoned. No, his interests were simply to hack his way deeper into someone’s computer to snoop around. Nothing serious, he reasoned, though law enforcement would disagree. There were many experts at work who would certainly know this domain, but he couldn’t very well ask what type of exploit they would recommend for eavesdropping on someone. This one would be too difficult to justify even if he tried to couch it as part of a counter-intelligence effort.
Best to keep this one as private as possible.
So he found a less-stringent successor to the Darkode hacker forum the FBI and Europol had busted where he could submit a query without needing a reputation. He intentionally drafted his query in vague terms.
Looking for known vulnerabilities that would allow access into a computer, he typed and hit Enter.
A response came quickly from someone with the username:R0B0TCompU2r —a typical anonymous name format:
What do you want?
Parovsky elaborated: How to remotely access and operate a camera and microphone on a computer.
It was clear that he meant a camera and microphone on someone else’s computer.
R0B0TCompU2r moved the conversation to an encrypted peer-to-peer message channel before offering a .tmp file that would do the job. He didn’t even need to pay; here a cyber- voyeur was kindly sharing a tool of his trade with a fellow bad actor. All Parovsky would have to do is somehow trick Lippnow to open the malicious attachment, which would release malware that would give him access to and control of the camera.
Parovsky shook his head in amazement as he smiled. Unbelievable, he thought, that it is this easy to get free, anonymous assistance for a tool used to commit a crime. One could distance himself by saying it is merely software that he is providing, but make no mistake, this software—especially if it was being tossed around the Deep Web, was up to no good.
Stalking Lippnow had become an obsession, something he could no longer control. Parovsky had easily acquired software which could be used to hijack Lippnow’s computer camera and microphone and surreptitiously activate them on command, effectively turning Lippnow’s computer into a surveillance device. Parovsky thrived on voyeurism.
Parovsky grimaced when he realized that he already had the answer, there was no need to trick Lippnow into doing anything; he could mail the malware directly to Lippnow, without even needing to disguise his address, and then enter Lippnow’s computer via the Admin function, open the email to release the malware, and then erase his tracks. Ah, genius! His smile came in lieu of a pat on his own back, which he felt he had earned.
Parovsky picked up on a conversation Lippnow was having with someone about his upcoming trip to Germany.
“I’ve done the arrangements myself.” It was the first time Parovsky heard Lippnow’s voice in 25 years, and it sent a shiver down his spine.
“I could have done it for you,” a female voice responded in an irritating New York accent.
Ignoring the response, Lippnow added, “I’m not sure of the internet connection there, but I should be reachable.”
“Is there anything to do there?” the woman asked in her strong accent.
“No, just work. Frankfurt is more of a transit city. I doubt I’ll have a chance to see anything. Maybe some good German beer and sausages. That’s about all I’m expecting.”
Strange, Parovsky thought. What he’s saying doesn’t jive with his itinerary.
Parovsky activated the camera and microphone on Lippnow’s computer for the ultimate cyber voyeur experience. He knew he had to be discrete, but he figured there is a little voyeur in everyone. Cyber stalking an ex-girlfriend, checking up on a husband. Everyone does it, it just depends on the resources at your disposal. Most people search for their ex’s, or old high school or college friends they’d lost contact with ages ago using Facebook, Classmates.com or LinkedIn, sufficing to see what had become of these long lost faces from the past, and that was that, or perhaps re-establish contact to reconnect with the past. Those with additional resources or knowledge can dig further, and that’s all Parovsky was doing, he reasoned.
20. T.I.A.
Darrel Lippnow had never in his life seen anything like the level of activity at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, named for the Nigerian general who briefly led the country in the mid-1970s until assassinated, thrusting him to status of nat
ional hero.
“Disorganized chaos!” was the way his driver described it with a smile. Despite clearly having a driver, he was continuously hounded with polite but persistent offers to take him into town, to show him around or to otherwise help in some way. This was part of Nigerian’s industrious and entrepreneurial spirit that expressed itself in ways like selling toilet paper in bathrooms or charging people to cross a makeshift bridge of wooden planks over a sewage trench. It is this entrepreneurial spirit that probably accounts for propelling Nigeria into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, despite government corruption and a host of other challenges like radical Islamist Boko Haram insurgents spreading their reach, religious dividing lines between the Christian south and Muslim north, growing dissatisfaction with the political system almost inviting a future military coup, corruption, crime, terrorism and security concerns to incurable pandemic diseases on the continent spread by only-God- knows-what, despite assurances from the U.S. Center for Disease Control. This trip was a testament to the trust he had in Karl, that he was willing to travel half-way across the world for a meeting about which he knew nothing.
The airport was hot, and he began sweating as he followed the driver’s rapid pace towards the exit, dodging travelers pulling wheeled suitcases, past the crowded baggage claim area where porters taking suitcases off the baggage carousel expected tips, and the worker holding the door open also held out his hand for his reward.
The ride from the airport in an old Mercedes was unnerving, with cars just inches apart as they crammed three, four, five, six and even seven lanes of traffic onto a two lane highway, causing traffic jams that made rush hour back home seem like a cake-walk. The driver—a young Nigerian who looked like he was in his twenties— looked in the rear view mirror for his passenger’s expressions, flashed a toothy smile as he aggressively fought his way through. “No traffic policeman!” the driver said with a big smile, turning around to look at Lippnow as he spoke, which only made his passenger more nervous. Reaching an intersection whose traffic light was not working, the driver just darted across, barely dodging other cars doing the same, while maneuvering past ubiquitous potholes. What a free-for-all, Lippnow thought. Reading his thoughts, the driver added, “It’s fun, like a round of Russian roulette!” The driver began pointing out traffic lights that weren’t working. A fly landed on the driver’s face but he took no notice; Lippnow chuckled.
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