Cyber Countdown
Page 27
Rick and James showed up for their meeting with Director Brockner, and she personally invited them into her private office.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I have some information that needs to be kept confidential. We’ve identified a suspect who might be responsible for the murder of Senator Thompson. He’s been identified by a former US intelligence operative named Dimitri Vasin who currently works for the suspect. The suspect’s real last name is Sokurov. He worked as a diplomat for the Soviet government before defecting to the United States in the 1980s. His current name is George Solomon.”
James was stunned by what he had just heard and said nothing. He just stared at the director until Rick asked the director a question.
“Who determined that Senator Thompson was murdered? Has Walter Reed completed their evaluation of the autopsy evidence?”
“Yes. They claim that they cannot accurately determine the size of the needle that was used. They suspended their analysis, and I’ve declared the evidence of foul play inconclusive. The body was released to the senator’s family for burial.”
“Then, how do we know he was murdered, Director?” James asked.
“I don’t want to dwell on this since the information is very sensitive, James. I can tell you that Dimitri Vasin identified George as his employer and provided sufficient evidence to convince me that George contracted for the murder. Unfortunately, there isn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute. Mr. Vasin has agreed to help us obtain such evidence. I’m requesting your cooperation in working with Mr. Vasin to obtain the evidence we need, especially you, Rick.”
“Yes, Director. When will James and I meet him?”
“I’ll let you know. Now what news do you have for me?”
“We found a secret compartment in the safe at Philip Wu’s summer house that contained some interesting documents.”
“What kind of documents, James?”
“Design documents for a very sophisticated antiworm that can find and attack any type of software, firmware, or malware. I recognized the design as being based on work Philip and I’d done at VSI. It’s clearly Philip’s design. I recognized his programming style.”
“So was this the work he was doing with Fort Meade?”
“Yes, he was developing an antiworm.”
“So you think that’s what got him killed?”
“I don’t know, but there was a notarized letter signed by Philip that indicates he was coerced by Captain Kinsley into performing the work he was doing. The letter states that Kinsley threatened to reveal VSI trade secrets that he obtained by illegally procuring VSI technology and testing it. Philip included documentation that validates his assertion against Kinsley and the government. This is the original copy of the information I described. I plan to keep it, but you can make a copy.”
“Thank you, I’ll take you up on that offer. I may need the original to prosecute Captain Kinsley.”
“I’ll certainly make it available. I also plan to place a claim on any of the technology that Philip developed for the government on behalf of VSI and Philip’s family.”
“I’ll need to see what the claim entails, but if it’s reasonable, I don’t believe the government will object. Anything else?”
“Yes, there was another envelope in the safe that relates to a patch for the software in one of VSI’s products, but VSI has no record of it. I’m investigating it.”
“Do you think it’s important?”
“Philip must’ve thought so, but I don’t know why.”
“Okay, keep me informed.”
Shelly had several copies made of the documents and returned the originals to James.
“I’m going home to work, Rick. Do you want to come?”
“Might as well. I still don’t have a car.”
Later at James’s condo, he and Rick were reviewing the material on Backfire when Rick got a phone call from Admiral Mancini.
“Hi Rick. I just called to let you know that the FBI and NCIS showed up at Fort Meade and took Captain Kinsley away in handcuffs. Can you tell me what this is about?”
“I can’t, Admiral. If I did they might take me as well. Take care.”
“What was that about, Rick?”
“Captain Kinsley was arrested by FBI and NCIS agents. I’m surprised they did it so quickly. I just got an email from the director that the FBI is getting a subpoena for all government documents related to Zeus. They’re contacting all the contractors and government personnel involved, and warning them that any use or release of VSI data will result in criminal prosecution. They’ll probably settle very quickly.”
“That’s great, Rick. Do you mind if I tell Ann?”
“No, but ask her to keep it quiet.”
James called JoAnn.
“Hi, baby. I need to tell you that Rick may be staying at the house again this evening.”
“That’s okay. It looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time at the Capitol until the vote for the new majority leader is over.”
“When do you think it’ll be over?”
“I’m not sure, but it could be a couple of days. The caucus is really divided.”
“Okay, I guess I shouldn’t make any plans.”
“Sorry about that. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Did you know there are rumors flying around the Capitol that Walter Reed found no evidence that Senator Thompson’s death was suspicious? Have you heard anything about that?”
“Yes, but I can’t talk about it under threat of imprisonment.”
JoAnn laughed. “I guess Shelly Brockner scares you more than I do.”
“She does. I don’t think I’d look good in an orange jumpsuit.”
“Yes, and I don’t think it’d look good if I married a felon.”
19
Cai had been doing well since being released from the HIT campus hospital. She’d provided significant support from her apartment during the probing phase of the project. Kim visited her every day and really appreciated Mei’s help in looking after Cai. Mei was a new person now that her tormentor was gone, never to be seen again.
Kim planned to meet with Shen that evening after class to discuss their progress and the next meeting with Flaherty. His top priority was to contact the Americans and warn them about the North Korean plan. He confided in Cai about what his uncle had told him, and she offered to help.
“How do you plan to make contact with the Americans, Kim?”
“I need to find an American at a high enough level.”
“How about Sean Flaherty?”
“I don’t think he’s at that level, but he might know someone who is. If he does, I should be able to monitor their email communications. I’ll find out when he comes back to Harbin.”
“How will you monitor their email, Kim?”
“I’ll install some software on Flaherty’s laptop after we interrogate him and he falls asleep.”
“What’ll the software do?”
“It’ll modify his email software settings to send copies of his incoming and outgoing emails to an account I’ll set up. It also allows a script to be sent within any email from Flaherty, which can be used to take over the email accounts of anyone he communicates with.”
“So the script automatically installs the software on other computers?”
“Yes, Cai. All I need to do is wait for it to install on someone’s account at the contact level we need.”
“You’ll need to show me how to do that, Kim.”
“Why, do you plan on monitoring my email?”
“Only if I thought you were unfaithful.”
“That will never happen, Cai. I need to meet Shen to discuss the results of the probes and the upcoming meeting with Flaherty. I’ll see you later.”
Kim and Shen met at the pub at the Shangri La and found a quiet area to talk.
“The probes of the American targets are essentially complete, Kim. All I need to do is finalize the report on identified vulnerabilities for all of the targets and the grades for my team. The v
ulnerability report is on my laptop. I want you to review it with me before we leave.”
“Sure, no problem,” Kim said.
“What’s your plan for interrogating Flaherty?”
“The same as last time, but after he falls asleep I’ll install some software on his laptop to monitor his communications. Make sure he brings it to your suite and that it’s up and running before I arrive.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. He always brings it to review my reports from the jump drive I give him. Am I still asking the questions?”
“Yes, Shen. I have some new questions that’ll focus on Flaherty’s contacts in America. We need to know who’s running this project and what the real goals are.”
Shen nodded and said, “I’m going to stay at the Shangri La with Lian. Do you want me to arrange a suite for you?”
“Yes, but let me ask Cai first.”
Kim called Cai. “Shen has offered us a suite at the Shangri La tomorrow night. Do you want to go?”
“Of course I do.”
“Cai says yes, Shen.”
“Okay, I’ll set up two suites. Let’s go through my vulnerability report.”
Shen powered up his laptop and showed Kim his vulnerability analysis. Kim agreed with most of it, but identified some additional vulnerabilities that Shen had overlooked.
“This is great analysis, Kim. You should be leading this project.”
“No thanks. I have enough to worry about right now.”
“Yeah, me, too. I’m really worried about the grades I’m supposed to give everyone and what they’re for.”
“I’m also worried, Shen. We need to ask Flaherty about the grades and his contacts again, in case he learned something new.”
Kim met Cai the next day in the lobby of the Shangri La and they went to their suite. He felt awkward around Cai in their hotel bedroom. They hadn’t been intimate since her operation. He wasn’t certain if she could or even wanted to. The issue was settled quickly when Cai decided to take a shower before dinner and asked Kim to join her.
“Are you staring at my scar, Kim?”
“I can hardly see it. The surgeon did a great job. It’s a lot smaller than the scar I have from when I had my appendix removed.”
“Yes, I saw that scar. I thought it was from an injury. I guess the surgeons in North Korea aren’t as good as those in China.”
“That’s for sure. They’re butchers. It still hurts sometimes.”
“Let me kiss it and make it better, Kim.”
“Go ahead,” Kim said with a smile.
After the shower they got dressed and met Shen and Lian for dinner at the Shang Palace. Dinner was great, and Kim happily watched Cai eat her entire meal and all of their shared passion fruit tart dessert. After dinner, they talked about how the attack would go during the exploitation phase.
“What do you think will happen, Kim?” Shen asked. “You have more experience than the rest of us.”
“I think we’ll successfully hack into at least ten percent of the targets. The size and breadth of the exploitation will definitely get the attention of the Americans. I just hope it doesn’t also get the attention of the Chinese government.”
“The Chinese government won’t care,” Lian said confidently. “America is on the verge of passing a law aimed at implementing penalties on the Chinese government for using cyber warfare against their businesses. Our government will never accept bullying by the Americans. There’s no possibility they’ll go after us.”
As they were leaving the restaurant, Kim handed Shen a copy of the interrogation questions.
Shen quickly read them. “Thanks, Kim, I hope we get the information we’re looking for.”
The next morning, Kim called Shen.
“Have you heard from Flaherty?”
“No, but the front desk said he had checked into his room right before midnight. I don’t expect to hear from him until after noon. I’ll call you when he contacts me.”
Kim looked at Cai and saw that her eyes were open and she was smiling.
“Do you want breakfast?” Kim asked.
“Yes, I’m really hungry. Please order the American breakfast, but ask them if they could include one of those passion fruit tarts that I had last night.”
“So you need more passion? Did I disappoint last night?”
“Not at all, but that joke sure did.”
“Yeah, I guess it was pretty bad.”
A little after one, Shen called Kim.
“Flaherty called. He’s going to meet me in my suite in about an hour. I told him I’d order room service for lunch.”
“Fine, call him back at one thirty and ask him what he wants so I can place the order before he gets there.”
The order was delivered to Kim’s room, and he dosed Flaherty’s food and drink like before. He then took the food cart over to Shen’s room and waited outside the door until Shen let him in. Kim saw Flaherty’s laptop on the dining room table. It was powered on and displayed Shen’s vulnerability report. He watched as Shen began to ask the questions.
“I need to ask a few questions about the project, Sean, so that I understand it better.”
“Sure, whatever you need, Shen.”
“Who do you report to?”
“Nadya Murin. She works for Whitey.”
“Where’s Nadya’s office?”
“She works with Whitey in Rosslyn, Virginia.”
“Do you have her email address?”
“Yes, it’s in my address book on my laptop. We exchange emails frequently.”
“Does your address book include Whitey’s email address?”
“No. I was told I couldn’t have that information.”
“Do Whitey and Nadya communicate by email?”
“They do when he’s out of the office.”
“Do you have any contact information for US government officials or politicians?”
“No, my work doesn’t involve the US government.”
“Does Nadya have any contacts with the US government?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does Whitey know any US politicians?”
“Yes, Nadya says he owns many of them.”
“Why do I need to provide grades for the students, Sean?”
“Nadya said it was for the vacation Whitey is arranging.”
“Is the vacation for the students?”
“Yes. I’m really tired, Shen.”
Flaherty suddenly fell asleep and Kim walked back to Flaherty’s laptop and inserted his flash drive. He loaded the monitoring software onto Flaherty’s computer, which took less than five minutes. Kim also downloaded Flaherty’s address book. He asked Shen to call him after Flaherty was gone and then left with the food cart.
When Kim got back to his suite, he briefed Cai on the answers he got from Flaherty.
“We have the complete name of a woman as a point of contact this time. Her name is Nadya Murin, and she works in Rosslyn, Virginia, for Whitey. There was also something strange about what Flaherty said this time.”
“What’d he say, Kim?”
“He said that the grades were for a vacation that Nadya Murin was arranging. When Shen asked if the vacation was for the students, Flaherty said yes.”
“Why would the students need a vacation, Kim? Where would the vacation be?”
“He didn’t say, Cai. But I’ll be able to monitor Flaherty’s email so maybe I can find out.”
“Did Flaherty say who he exchanges emails with?”
“Yes, he’s been exchanging emails with Nadya Murin, but not with Whitey. Nadya communicates with Whitey via email when he’s out of his office. She also told Flaherty that Whitey ‘owns’ many American politicians.”
“What does that mean, Kim?”
“I think it means Whitey has a lot of political power. Maybe he knows the president.”
Just then Kim got a text from Shen. Flaherty about to leave. Lian and I will be there in fifteen minutes to discuss answers.
“I provided the report on the results of the probing and the grades. Flaherty seemed more interested in the grades. He asked for that first. He didn’t seem very interested in the results of the probing at all. What do you make of that, Kim?”
“Maybe it’s because he doesn’t understand it. After all, he’s a lawyer, not a hacker.”
“What do you think of his responses to the question on grades? How would the student’s grades be related to a vacation, Kim?”
“Maybe the vacation is a bonus based on good performance, and the students with the best grades get a vacation somewhere.”
Kim changed the subject.
“I’m going to monitor Flaherty’s email to see if I can get any additional information.”
“What are you looking for?” Shen asked.
“Contacts that might be of value if something goes wrong.”
Lian rolled her eyes.
“Nothing is going to go wrong as long as we get paid,” she said. “Speaking of that, when are we supposed to get our final payment, Shen?”
“Flaherty already deposited it in the bank and told me to withdraw the funds after the exploitation phase ended. He said there’d be bonuses for good results that I could distribute as I want. I asked if it had to be based on the grades. He said it didn’t.”
“How are you going to distribute the bonuses?” Lian asked.
“I plan to divide it equally between the four of us.”
“No, Shen,” Kim demanded. “We need to divide it equally between the entire team so there are no bad feelings that might create problems.”
“I agree with Kim,” Cai said.
“Okay, I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess you’re right, Kim. Flaherty also mentioned that there was a cybersecurity conference in Munich that all the students could attend, all expenses paid.”
“Maybe that’s the vacation Flaherty was referring to,” Kim said.
The exploitation phase began the next day, and after they were done, Shen briefed Kim on the results.
“Our success rate was almost twenty percent, better than we anticipated. I was very surprised that it was almost ninety percent on all the network addresses that were designated as special targets and weren’t probed.”