Rise of the Locusts

by Mark Goodwin

  “I did, but not six months’ worth.”

  “What did Penny say about it?”

  “She thinks I’m overreacting. Did you call Boyd?”

  “I did. He pretty much laughed it off.”

  “Was he sober?”

  “Yeah, I called him in the middle of the day yesterday. He was at an open house. I guess being a real estate agent is the only job that offers the flexibility for Boyd to maintain his happy-go-lucky lifestyle.”

  “That’s a polite way of putting it. It’s a shame. He’d make a very successful agent if he wasn’t such a lush.”

  “Well, people can change. You never know.”

  Terry said, “People change, but they usually need an extreme catalyst to motivate them. Boyd won’t give up drinking until he hits bottom.”

  “Are you going to work tomorrow?”

  “As far as I know. What about you?”

  “They told me they’d let me know when they wanted us back and I haven’t heard anything. I’m not planning on it at this point.”

  “Things seemed to have settled down in the news cycle. Maybe all of this will blow over and our worry will prove to have been in vain.”

  “It may blow over, they may manage to fix it, but our concern is very well merited. You know I can’t say anything else about it.”

  “I know. I should let you go. Call me tomorrow and tell me if you go back to work.”

  “I will. Bye.” Kate clicked off the call.

  That evening she sat staring at the spiral bound notebook she’d used to write down the supplies she’d bought. She opened her laptop and began entering all the items into a spreadsheet so she could calculate the exact number of calories she’d stockpiled to see how accurate her estimate was. Her phone vibrated. She looked to see she’d received a message on her Wire app. Hoping it was a message from Gavin, she quickly swiped her screen with her finger.

  The message was from Vijay. Looks like one of your coworkers violated the NSL. Not good for him. Turn on 60 Minutes.

  Kate was perplexed by Vijay’s comment, yet she picked up the remote and navigated through the channels. When she reached the program, she felt entirely surreal. Kate watched Albert being interviewed on the familiar news magazine show. “What is he doing?”

  Her question was soon answered. She listened to her colleague blow the whistle on everything that he knew. He offered up detailed commentary about the zero-day viruses that had been the real culprit of Sky National Bank’s outages on the previous Tuesday. Then, he elaborated about the NSA taking over the bank’s Information Security and Information Technology departments. Without mentioning names, Albert explained that many of his co-workers agreed that the viruses currently in the bank’s system were a product of stolen NSA technology.

  She listened closely as Albert neatly rolled up his theory to the reporter.

  “I believe that at this very second, America is on the precipice of Cyber Armageddon. I’ve worked in the IS industry for more than a decade and I’ve never seen anything like this. My worst fears were confirmed when the NSA stormed into my workplace, expelled the entire Information Security team from the building, and issued National Security Letters to each and every one of us. Whatever this thing is, they are responsible for it, and they have no idea how to stop it.”

  The reporter asked, “Aren’t you worried what the NSA will do to you for blowing the whistle and violating the NSL?”

  “No. What are they going to do? Lock me up for telling the truth? The whole country knows that they’re trying to keep them in the dark. The public will never stand for it.”

  Kate planted her face into her palm. She pleaded with the image on the television screen. “Albert! You idiot! Did the American public stand up for Edward Snowden when he told them the NSA was keeping them in the dark? Did they take to the streets for William Benny, Ed Loomis, or Thomas Drake when the government raided their homes and locked them up for outing the predecessor to Prism?” She looked back up and held out her hands. “You’re smarter than this, Albert!”

  Her phone rang. It was Terry.

  “Hello?”

  “Are you watching 60 Minutes?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can’t believe this! This guy is going to disappear into the bowels of Hell. This is going to incite a bank run in the morning. I’m glad I took out a bunch of cash last week.”

  Kate thought quickly. “You could be right. Or then again, people may completely dismiss the report. Either way, I’m going to hit the ATM. I took out some money, but right now, I’m wishing I had taken more. I’ll call you when I get back.”

  “Okay, be safe.”

  “See ya.” She clicked off the phone, grabbed her purse and jacket, then headed out the door.

  Another call came as soon as she got off the elevator. “Mr. Mendoza, hello.”

  “Did you know Albert was going to pull this stunt?” He sounded angry.

  “I had no idea, sir. I would have begged him not to go through with it. Albert doesn’t have a filter that keeps him from blurting stuff out at times, but I never thought he’d do something like this.”

  “If the press tries to contact you, tell them you can’t talk. Neither confirm nor deny any of their questions. Don’t say anything. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal, sir.”

  “Good.” Mendoza hung up.

  Kate had never heard the man so upset, but then again, she’d never seen anything like Albert’s interview. Once on the street, she saw no evidence of a panicked populace. Nevertheless, she carried out her mission and sprinted to the nearest ATM. She was limited to taking out $500 Sunday night. However, she’d be first in line at the teller’s window on Monday morning.

  The next day, Kate pulled into the nearest branch of Sky National Bank at 8:30. Five people stood lined up at the front door, waiting for it to be unlocked. “It could be worse.” Kate slung her backpack over her shoulder and joined the others. The people in the line spoke to one another about Albert’s revelation. She added nothing to the conversation but merely listened.

  By the time the doors were unlocked, twenty more people had joined the queue. Once inside, Kate waited less than three minutes to reach the window. She wrote out a check for twenty thousand dollars. “I’d like to cash this.” She presented her ID to the teller.

  “I’m sorry, but the limit on cash withdrawals is $2,000.” The teller inspected the check. “I can issue a bank check for the remainder.”

  Kate knew better than to ask why. “No thanks. I’ll write another check. Is the limit per day or per transaction, when is the next time I can make a withdrawal?”

  “Per customer, per day.” The teller watched Kate write out a new check.

  Kate waited for the teller to count her money, then quickly hit the ATM for another $500 on the way to her car. She said aloud to herself, “The system didn’t block me from cashing a check and hitting the ATM. I wonder if I could cash another check at a different branch.”

  Kate hurried to the next branch north on Peachtree Road. By the time she arrived, the line was out the door and into the parking lot. “Rats! They’ll be out of money by the time I get to the window.” She felt anxious, wishing she’d been more proactive. “I should have followed my instincts. I should have taken out more money when I could.”

  She sat in the parking lot for a moment. Her mind raced to think of other alternatives. She remembered Bill’s advice about silver and gold. “I suppose I could go buy some coins with my debit card. I’m sure I’ll take a bath on the resale if nothing happens. But if everything falls apart and I don’t, I’ll be kicking myself again.”

  Kate checked her phone for the nearest gold coin dealer. “Wow. This place is on the way back to my house.” She hastily turned around and headed south on Peachtree. Minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the coin dealer. Kate took a deep breath to calm herself before going in.

  She opened the door and was greeted by a guy who looked too young to be running a coin sh
op.

  “How can I help you?”

  “Do you take debit cards?” She tried not to sound frantic.

  “We do. But our margins are low, so we have to pass on the credit card fees to the buyer. We add an extra 3.5% for plastic.”

  She looked at the coins in the case. “I understand.”

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “I’m looking for something that will hold its value—but as close to the raw material price as possible, not necessarily a collectible.”

  “Bullion, then. Gold or silver?”

  “I don’t know. I’m looking to spend like 20 thousand.”

  “Oh, okay.” The young man’s eyes lit up. “Twenty thousand dollars in gold bullion will fit in a plastic tube that you can carry with one hand. Twenty thousand in silver is going to weigh roughly 70 pounds. So, logistics is going to be a factor in your decision.”

  “Hmm.” Kate considered the implications. “Let’s go with gold.”

  “Okay, bars are the cheapest alternative for straight bullion. While they are slightly more expensive, Canadian Maple Leaves and American Eagles are still considered bullion.”

  “Can I take a look?”

  “Sure.” The salesman took out a tray. “This is a privately minted one-ounce gold bar.”

  Kate inspected the object.

  “And these are the coins minted by their respective nations.”

  Kate held each of the coins in plastic sleeves. “Can I split it up evenly?”

  “Sure. You could do five of each. That would take you just over 20 thousand, total.”

  “How much over?”

  He entered some numbers on his calculator. “Roughly seven hundred dollars.”

  She pulled out her bank card. “Okay.”

  “And I will need an ID for a purchase this large.”

  “Sure.” She placed her driver’s license on the counter.

  The man totaled her purchases and ran the card. “I’m sorry, it’s not accepting your card.”

  She rummaged through her wallet and retrieved two credit cards. “Can you put half on each of these?”

  “I’ll try.” The man swiped the cards and watched the machine spit out the vouchers for Kate’s signature. He gently placed the gold into a small cardboard box with the store’s name and logo on the top. “Thank you so much.”

  “You, too. Have a good day.” Kate hurried out the door and tried to call Sky National Bank to see what was wrong with her debit card while she walked to the car. She received an all-lines-are-busy message and hung up.

  She started the engine and headed toward her apartment. She dialed Terry’s number, but the call went straight to voicemail. She didn’t leave a message.

  She soon arrived home and took the elevator up to her floor. Kate’s phone rang. It was Terry. “Hey, I just tried to call you.”

  “Yeah, I saw. I guess you heard what happened at work.”

  “No. I haven’t heard anything.”

  “The viruses activated. All the bank’s data has been encrypted.”

  “So, it’s a ransomware attack?”

  “As far as I know, no one is asking for ransom.”

  Her phone beeped. “I’m getting a call on the other line. It’s Mendoza. Can I call you back?”

  “Yeah. But call me right back.”

  She switched over. “Mr. Mendoza, hi.”

  “Kate. We need you to come in. How long will it take you to get here?”

  “Depending on traffic, an hour maybe. I’m not dressed for work.”

  “Don’t worry about what you look like. This is an emergency. Have you heard what’s going on?”

  She wasn’t sure if Terry was supposed to tell her what he knew. “No, sir. What’s happening?”

  “The malicious code has been activated. It’s encrypted all of our data. All customer accounts, bank records, employee files, the website, everything.”

  “Is the NSA still there?”

  “Yeah, they’re the ones who called me. They’re allowing me to bring in our best and brightest to try and decrypt the files.”

  Kate quickly pulled out a nice top that would go with the jeans she was already wearing. She changed while talking to Mendoza on the phone. “They had full control of our network all weekend. They couldn’t stop the attack?”

  Mendoza sounded perturbed. “I’m not so sure they didn’t do something to inadvertently trigger the virus. But I suppose we shouldn’t be talking about it, especially over the phone. I’ll see you when you get here.

  “And remember, Albert has them all worked up over his little stunt last night, so don’t speak to them unless spoken to. If they ask you anything, keep your answers short.”

  “But we’re helping them, right?”

  “Yes, but they may not be as appreciative as they should be.”

  Kate frowned. “I’ll be in as soon as possible, Mr. Mendoza.”

  CHAPTER 12

  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God.

  Zechariah 13:8-9

  Kate swiped her badge across the access sensor for the Information Security Control Center. Out of habit she placed her hand on the door handle and pulled. The sensor flashed red. “Denied, great!” She pounded on the heavy metal door with the back of her fist.

  The door opened. “Come in.” She recognized the NSA agent as being the tech who’d debriefed her.

  “Oscar, right?”

  “Yes. Thanks for coming in.”

  Kate looked around. She recognized only Quinton, Linda, and Rodney from her team. The other ten or so workers appeared to be NSA employees. “Albert is really good with this kind of thing. Is he coming in?”

  Oscar looked at her like a child who was asking for ice cream before dinner. “For all we know, the attackers upped their launch time because Albert decided to cash in his fifteen minutes of fame last night. He’s in hot water.”

  It was the answer she expected. “So, what can I do?”

  “Are you any good at cracking encryption?”

  “If I have the key.”

  Oscar sighed. “Yeah, that makes two of us.” He led her to a terminal. “Take a look and let me know what you think.”

  She looked at the random string of numbers, letters, and symbols. “Looks like 256 bit.”

  “Yeah. Any other insight you can provide?”

  While she watched, the characters all changed. “Wait! Did you see that?”

  “Yeah, they all just flipped. What was that?”

  “I think the data just got another layer of encryption. When did the first layer of encryption happen?”

  Oscar looked at his watch. “One hour ago.”

  Kate thought about where she was one hour earlier. The data must have been encrypted seconds before the salesman at the coin shop swiped her debit card. “I hope the data isn’t re-encrypting every hour. You’ll never get this thing figured out. You haven’t received any demands from the attackers?”

  “Not yet.”

  Oscar’s phone vibrated. He answered, “Hello?”

  He was silent for a moment. “Bank of America and Chase?”

  Kate guessed what was happening. “Call the FDIC and the Chairman of the Fed. They need to convince all the remaining banks to power off their servers. You’ll have a better chance of recovering their data if you unplug the networks before everything is encrypted.”

  Oscar nodded at her then said to the person on the other line, “Did you get that?”

  He was quiet for a second. “Yes, I concur with her assessment. Call me when it’s done.”

  Oscar hung up and rubbed his head.

  “We should shut down our network. At least it can’t a
dd another layer of encryption every hour if it’s unplugged.” Kate looked at the computer monitor.

  “Okay. Do it.”

  Kate stood up from the desk. “I can’t even enter a command on this thing. The mainframes are in the basement. We’ll have to physically throw the breakers.”

  Oscar followed her out the door and to the elevator. “Where are your backups stored?”

  “Jungle Cloud Services. The same place as most every other bank. I can’t imagine the hackers would have gone through so much trouble to hit at least three major banks and not penetrate the cloud servers. Maybe you can convince them to power down.”

  “Jungle? Are you serious? That would take down about thirty percent of the internet.” The elevator doors opened and Oscar followed Kate down a narrow hall lit by buzzing fluorescent lights.

  “All the banks should be on dedicated servers. They should be able to selectively power down only those.” She held her badge over the access sensor. It flashed red.

  Oscar held up his badge. “Allow me.” The light turned green and the lock clicked open.

  Kate sprinted between a canyon of server racks buzzing and blinking with life. Finally, she reached the breaker box. She threw the main power lever and the rows of black metal boxes behind her fell dark and quiet. “It’s done.”

  “Now what?”

  “Let’s get those backup files and see if they’re infected.” Kate marched back toward the elevator.

  “What hardware are you planning to use?” Oscar asked.

  “I have equipment at home.”

  “No way, NSA will never allow you to take this home.”

  “Then I guess I’m done. Everything here is fried.” Kate pressed the elevator’s call button.

  “We’ll bring in our own hardware.” Oscar followed her into the lift.

  “Call me when you get it set up.” She stepped out into the lobby.

  Before the door closed to take Oscar up to the ISCC he said, “Don’t forget, everything you know about the situation falls under the National Security Letter.”