The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set

by Christopher Lowery

  Hospitals & Health Services.

  ‘I’m going to put in another application, a credit card or direct debit instruction to a bank to settle the charges for any of these services.’

  Immediately he hit the Enter key, green doors and windows opened in every box and the screen was filled with buildings, all with multiple green entry points. A spaghetti-like mass of dotted red lines connected them all together and led into each of the open boxes. The US map was almost obliterated by the Internet red line, showing how ultimately any application became interlinked to the customer, the banks and the industries involved.

  Middleton paused for a moment, letting his audience take in the implications of his slide. ‘And nowadays, more and more data is stored in what we call the Cloud, which is a global network of remote physical equipment whose information is stored and managed in a virtual fashion on the Internet. Let’s imagine that it actually looks like a cloud sitting over the US.’ A silver network appeared, floating over the map.

  ‘Now, let’s see those applications being connected to virtual networks in the Cloud.’ The screen was now entirely covered by the buildings and boxes with green doors and windows, all linked by red spaghetti lines in each direction and going up and down to the menacing shape of the silver network, hovering above the US map like a spider’s web.

  ‘If a hacker breaks into any of the hundreds of green entry points on this map – and frankly, it’s not that difficult – he opens up access to the global Internet Banking Network and to most government, industrial and business entities all over the country. And, of course, what applies to the US, applies to the whole world, because the Internet links all global information networks. And the IoT is multiplying these entry points at an exponential speed, every single minute of every day. The truth is that any clever hacker with a malicious intent, or even just looking for a thrill, can penetrate the information system through these entry points. And once inside the system, that person can cause untold damage, and especially damage to our essential services all over the world: power, water, communications, banking, defence, hospitals, food distribution. You name it, it’s vulnerable.’

  Middleton waited a moment, then said, ‘I’ve just showed you two applications. There are millions more.’

  SEVEN

  San Diego, California, USA

  April 2017

  Leo looked around the room. It seemed that everyone started speaking at the same time. Looks like he got their attention, he thought to himself.

  Chillicott went back to the screen and brought up another headline:

  WHAT’S BEHIND THE DARK WEB?

  ‘When we talk about the Dark Web, we’re usually referring to the most sickening and terrifying perversions of the Internet: violence, pornography, children and people exploitation and trafficking, aiding and abetting terrorism and other despicable activities that hide in that impenetrable space in the ether. Those areas are already getting attention, because they’re real and specific. That forces us to prepare and execute a plan of counter-action in a targeted, focused way. But today, our objective is to get you to think about the non-specific threats and dangers, the vast areas of Internet activity we just take for granted. All the stuff we do every day that we wouldn’t be able to do without the Internet. Let’s look at a few current statistics.’ He brought up another slide and read off the items:

  ‘GLOBAL INTERNET ACTIVITY – 2016

  ‘Data across Internet (Global IP Traffic) – 1.2 Zettabytes/Year = 1.2 Trillion Gigabytes

  ‘Number of Internet Users – 3.8 Billion – 50% of World Population

  ‘Number of IP Connected Devices – 17 Billion – 2.4 x World Population

  ‘Number of IoT Connected Devices – 6 Billion. Projected 2025 – 75 Billion.

  ‘Number of Digital Payments – 480 Billion. Increase over 2015 – 10%.

  ‘Value of E-Commerce Sales – $1.9 Trillion. Increase over 2015 – 20%.

  ‘Number of Apps Available (Business & Consumer) – Over 5 Million.

  ‘Number of Facebook Users, 2017 – 2 Billion – 25% of World Population.

  ‘I guess I don’t need to show these statistics, you should know them off by heart. But something that most people never think about is this: whether we like it or not, unless you’re in the middle of the Amazonian jungle, everything that you and the businesses and folks around you do, gets done courtesy of the Internet. There’s hardly a single activity that doesn’t involve transmission of data between two points, and that means via the Internet. So, the corollary is kinda self-evident. If you cut off the Internet, you cut off the world’s activities.

  ‘Dr Middleton has just shown you some of the vulnerable points created by a couple of common applications. But you development experts know that the constant increase in Internet users and applications flooding out every year are making it more and more vulnerable and impossible to control. To put it another way: nowadays, we don’t govern the Internet, it governs us! And it’s way past the danger point.’

  He paused and took a sip of water. ‘The fact is, the Internet is already out of hand, and you guys have to remember that in your development work. What’s more, in our opinion, you have a responsibility to help us take action to create and enforce security controls around this world-changing phenomenon. We’re gonna explain why and how you can do that.’

  He looked at the TV screen. ‘Your turn again, Hugh.’

  The slide of the US map covered by the buildings and boxes, all linked by red spaghetti lines in each direction and up and down to the silver network – the Cloud – was now entitled:

  INTERNET AND CLOUD. A VICIOUS CYCLE.

  Middleton said, ‘The threat to our modern world doesn’t come from credit card payments or automated meter reading, or any other application, existing or yet to be invented. Nor does it come from illicit activities, radical preaching or horrific violence shown online. It comes from all of them, because they all travel the same path and end up in the same place. Today’s threat is the matrix that brings together all of our essential services, every part of modern transactions, especially mobile transactions, and all the perverse corruption and abundance of hate available for the radicalisation of ordinary citizens, into that single place. It is the Internet itself, the greatest threat facing the world today. We can obtain or provide online just about any information we choose, truth or lies, for good or for evil. And behind the Internet is the Dark Web; a corrupt, impenetrable hiding place for sickening perverts and insanely dangerous fanatics hidden beneath shadow sites. But we don’t know who uses these sites, nor what they use them for, and there is no way we can find this out.

  ‘The Internet fills the ever-expanding Cloud with data, but again we have no idea how much data or information it contains. Like the Internet, the Cloud is vulnerable, from the users who send and store their data there, and from all of the “accidental” points of entry and hidden portals we talked about earlier. As the number of computer users and applications expand exponentially, we no longer know what is real and what is virtual. But we do know that the amount of data they produce and store is filling up this Cloud with valuable and potentially dangerous information, and that the Internet is the key to the Cloud.’

  On the screen the silver network over the Earth broke apart and a large key, labelled ‘Internet’, appeared in the centre.

  ‘At the institute, we spend all our time worrying about the security of the Internet. It’s the one common connecting point into every aspect of our lives and businesses, and it’s the entry and communicating point for those who would like to hurt us. And it’s going to get worse, because there is nothing we can do about it, since we have no control whatsoever.

  ‘What’s more, we know from our experience of hacking attacks that the attackers are much cleverer than the defenders. And in a strange way they are more motivated to succeed. They are often young people who sit in their bedrooms with a PC or laptop, either because they have been left to their own devices, or they prefer
remote relationships to real-life contacts. They become insulated from reality, addicted to the technology, and they relate to like-minded youngsters, in a digital way, online, people they have never physically met.

  ‘These young people often start hacking, not because they are criminals or want to do any real damage, but just because they can, just for the thrill of doing it. It’s their way of proving something to themselves. Proving that they have worth, that they can beat the system, the system that they often feel has let them down. So they group together and they become a clever, multi-functional group of, for want of a better term, ‘Cyber Terrorists’. Then, several years ago the situation worsened, because now they can go around with a mobile device in their hands and no one can check what they are doing. Communication is becoming more and more anonymous, from one handheld device to another over an Internet transmission spectrum and into a global Cloud that we can’t control or even see.’

  The US map came back up, showing the buildings, the open boxes and the red Internet connections running in and out of the Cloud in every direction. A young girl and boy were communicating with tablets from either side of the screen. Yellow lines snaked out into the nearest boxes, then progressively through the others.

  ‘As I just said, most of these youngsters mean no harm, they’re just showing off, opening up boxes to prove how clever they are. However…’ He pressed his monitor again.

  The image of the girl morphed into that of a bank robber wearing a mask.

  Then it morphed again into a robed Jihadist.

  ‘Over the Internet you can insert any image you want in the mind of the other person. Now this robber or terrorist has got a tech-savvy kid to open doors for him. Not for the thrill of it, but for criminal or murderous intent. Or a naïve, vulnerable kid he can convert to some nefarious cause without him even realising who he’s communicating with. You don’t have to be a technical genius to use the Internet for criminal purposes. You don’t even have to employ one. You just have to find one and play the game. Let them do the work then plan the result you want, financial, political, murderous, whatever is your objective. Thousands of these amateur hackers are out there, and it’s not difficult to link up with them.’

  Two newspaper headlines from the New York Times came up on the screen: ‘Hackers Could Cripple West, Says US General’; ‘Nuclear Sites in 20 Nations Seen Open to Cyber-Attack’.

  Dr Middleton removed his spectacles and looked wearily at the camera. ‘We believe it’s only a matter of time before a coordinated cyber-attack occurs. A massive, multi-pronged attack which could cripple government, defence, financial, energy, communications and who knows what other possible targets. Imagine the chaos which would ensue. The financial and human damage could be greater than a military war. Because that’s what we are looking at, a cyberwar, caused either by accident or by design, and if we are to avoid it, we must take urgent and effective action now, while we still have time. Thank you for your attention.’ He stepped back from the camera and sat down.

  EIGHT

  San Diego, California, USA

  April 2017

  General Chillicott stood at the screen again, looking sternly at his audience. ‘It’s time for some plain speaking now, and I guess some folk won’t be too pleased with what I have to say. We all know the number of cyber-crimes and attacks is growing exponentially; that terrorist entities and perversion thrive on access to the Dark Internet; that the new threats we’ve outlined will worsen until the situation reaches breaking point.

  ‘Then there’s the “elephant in the room” that no one wants to discuss. The hacking and publication of government and public records by traitors like Snowden, Assange and other well-organised groups. And along with the release of hacked genuine information, we’ve now got all the misinformation that hits the Internet every day, deliberately intended to make people confused and suspicious of respectable organisations and people that are being slandered without cause. This hacking and fake news outbreak is just the tip of the iceberg, it’s going to get bigger and bigger.’

  He counted on his fingers. ‘The White House, the Democratic Party, the Joint Chiefs, the Bundestag, TV5 Monde, UK political parties. They’ve all been hacked in the last couple of years, and sensitive information published to destabilise governments and undermine public institutions, elections, and so on. And the governments of Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania and other Eastern European countries have suffered sustained cyber-attacks on their administrative and military network infrastructures. We’ve just uncovered attacks and misinformation campaigns carried out in France, Germany, Bulgaria and Sweden. The Brexit referendum was surrounded by millions of fake social media posts which probably influenced the outcome of that vote. And during our elections last year, we saw a build-up of hacking of US election targets, both Democrat and Republican, and it seems highly likely that the election campaign and results might have been prejudiced. But I can’t comment further on that.’ He gave a cynical smile.

  ‘The crazy thing is, we know who’s mainly responsible and we’re doing nothing about it. You’ve heard the names of some of these hackers: Guccifer 2.0, Fancy Bear, Cozy Bear. Well, all our leading cybersecurity firms, from ThreatConnect to Fidelis, have traced them all back to the same source, but no one wants to say it out loud. So, I’m going to say it for you. We’ve got beyond reasonable proof that these attacks were organised by cybercriminals working for GRU, the Russian Federation’s military intelligence agency. The objective couldn’t be more obvious. It’s the destabilisation of the Western Alliance, the breakdown of NATO and ultimately the resurgence of the Soviet Union as the leading world power. And this is happening now, under our noses, and we’re allowing it to happen and ignoring the devastating consequences that will ensue if we don’t take urgent action right now, today.’

  There was a lot of shuffling of feet and rustling of papers, some quiet mouth-to-ear comments in the room, but no one interrupted Chillicott.

  ‘Let me get to the point of this whole roadshow.’ A new slide came up, titled:

  EXTRACT FROM UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL INTERNET GOVERNANCE REPORT.

  Underneath this heading the screen was blank, apart from one phrase:

  UP UNTIL NOW, NO RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING CYBER SECURITY ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY THE UNSC.

  ‘Despite all the dangers the world’s facing because of the Internet, the Cloud and cyber-warfare, I’ve gotta tell you that up until now the UN Security Council has taken no effective action to avoid or mitigate a potential catastrophe. Over ten years ago, the Secretary General convened an Internet Governance Forum. That was the first time the UN showed any acknowledgement of the potential dangers we’ve described today. But since then, absolutely no progress has been made. None! What little work has been carried out for monitoring the Internet and the prevention of cyber-attacks has been made by individual entities and member states on their own initiative, like us at Homeland Security and at NATO, not by the UN as a body. And it’s no good appealing to the companies that control the Internet: Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, these companies know exactly what’s going on, but all they’re concerned with is getting more customers and making bigger profits. It’s a vicious circle, and somebody’s got to break it at the highest level, or it will never change.

  ‘Dr Middleton and me, we’ve had two sessions just like this one with the UN Security Council in New York, and what’s the result? Zilch! Under the UN Charter, member states are obliged to accept and carry out the decisions of the UNSC. That means they can force governments to implement a cyber security plan. Some kind of plan. Any kind of plan. And they can tie a budget to that plan, a budget that has to be met by all concerned. But right now, there’s no plan and there’s no budget. In the face of all the dangers we’ve outlined, and the daily evidence that these dangers are not virtual, but are real and deadly, we think it’s high time the UNSC took some concrete steps to define a cyber security programme and a budget to get it agreed and implemented by the governm
ents of the world, before it’s too late.’

  Chillicott looked around the room. It was silent, and every eye was upon him. ‘I’m asking you all, here and now, to help us to get something done! The leaflet you’ll find on the table as you leave explains our plan for a cyber security programme. We’re asking for your support; please read the leaflet and subscribe to our website, in your own names and those of your companies. It’s called cybersecurityawareness.com. It’s part of our public information programme, and we want to use it as a platform to make the UNSC finally get off its ass and do something concrete. Please write, personally or on behalf of your company, to your local senator’s office, or directly to the UN or UNCS, anywhere you can, to make a noise and help us to get something done about this imminent threat. We’re also looking for people, high-level technical and admin employees to help in defending the US against these attacks, as well as volunteers to spread the message through the website and other measures.

  ‘Thanks for coming here today and listening. Dr Middleton and I will take questions now.’ He sat at the desk and poured himself a glass of water, and the silence in the room became a babble of sound as people switched their phones back on and started talking, texting and tweeting. Hugh Middleton’s voice came over his earpiece. ‘Rather impressive, Billy,’ he said. ‘Let’s see if they got the message.’

  When Leo took out his mobile, he saw he’d missed three calls from a number with a 971 country code. There was also a text message, Please call this number urgently. Thanks. He had no idea where the calls had come from, but it would have to wait. He wanted to listen to the Q&A session, it promised to be controversial. He put the phone back in his pocket to make the call later.

  A hand went up in the audience and Chillicott got up again. ‘Hi there. What’s your name, position and question please?’

  Before the invitee could answer, everyone looked in Leo’s direction as his phone rang out loudly. It was the same 971 number. He stood up, all six-foot-four of him, trying not to look too concerned. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I’d better take this call, it seems to be urgent. Do I have your permission?’