Terminal Compromise - Winn Schwartau (fiction book recommendations TXT) 📗

Columbia

University office. Ahmed responded with his PRG code as the

computer requested.

<<<<<>>>>>

GOOD YOU ARE THERE.

I can’t get too far without my man-servant.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE. HE IS DEAD?

Yes. It took two martyrs, one is being tortured by the FBI, but

he has Allah to guide him.

GOOD. CAN YOU DO MORE?

I am at your disposal. This is not the war I expected, but I

serve Allah’s will, and he is using you as his instrument of

revenge.

THE BANK CARDS. THEY ARE FOR YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE TO FUND YOUR

EFFORTS.

You speak strangely. Is something wrong?

NO, EVERYTHING IS ACCORDING TO PLAN. I EXPECT YOU WILL FULFILL

MY WISHES.

Of course, that is the arrangement. But what has changed?

NOTHING. I AM FULFILLING MY DESTINY.

As am I.

THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND.

*

Alexander Spiradon relaxed in his Alpine aerie home overlooking

the hilly suburbs of Zurich while watching a satellite feed of

the Simpson’s on his TV. He found that he learned American

colloquialisms best from American television. They brutalized

the language under the guise of entertainment. During a commer-

cial for ‘The Quicker Picker Upper’, his computer announced a

call.

He put the VCR on Quick-Record and sat at his Compaq Deskpro com-

puter watching the screen display the incoming identification.

<<<<<>>>>> <>

Alex entered the code displayed on his personal identification

card.

G4-YU7-%T64-666.009 <>

Alex figured it was Homosoto since this was a very private com-

puter. His other computer, an AST 386SX with 330 MB of storage

was the one his recruits called with reports. The 25 Sir

George’s of his army called twice a day. Once to get their

assignments and once to send him the results of their efforts.

They didn’t have to call long distance, though, and never knew

that Alex ran his part of Homosoto’s operation from Europe. Sir

George and his hidden compatriots used their untraceable cellular

phones and merely called a local phone number within their area

code. Alex’s communications group had set up a widely diverse

network of call forwarding telephones to make tracing the calls

impossible. They exploited all of the common services that

helped make his and Homosoto’s armies invisible.

MR ALEX.

Yes, sir.

THE TIME HAS COME.

So soon?

YES. MONDAY IS GROUNDHOG DAY.

Monday? Are you sure? With no warning?

HAVE I EVER BEEN WRONG?

No

THEN DO AS I SAY. PLEASE.

Alex started at the word ‘please’. He had never seen Homosoto

ever use it before.

Of course. As you wish.

WHAT ARE THE FIRST TARGETS OF THE GROUNDHOGS?

It is complex.

TELL ME!

The reservations systems of American, Delta, Pan Am and TWA. It

will shut down air travel for weeks.

GOOD. AND?

The NBC, CBS and ABC communications computers. We

have people working in each network. Plus, we have land based

transmitters to garble and override network satellite transmis-

sions. Quite a neat trick actually. I’m impressed with the

technology.

I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR TECHNOLOGY. I WANT TO KNOW THAT THEY

WILL WORK. WHO ELSE?

The list is long. Groundhogs are at the Home Shopping Network,

American Express and other credit card companies. The Center for

Disease Control, Hospitals, the IRS, Insurance Companies. Within

a week, their computers will be empty and useless.

THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO HEAR. THIS ENDEAVOR HAS BEEN MOST PROFITA-

BLE FOR YOU, HAS IT NOT?

Very much so. It is appreciated.

THEN YOU WILL NOT MIND IF I INCREASE YOUR PAYMENT.

No. Why?

YOU MUST MAINTAIN THE SANCTITY OF OUR ARRANGEMENTS. NO MATTER

WHAT HAPPENS. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Yes. I assume I ask no questions?

YOU KNOW MORE THAN YOU SHOULD, BUT YOU ARE A MAN OF HONOR AS LONG

AS I PAY THE MOST. THAT IS TRUE.

At least you know where I stand.

WILL YOU CONTINUE?

Consider it done. How much more?

ENOUGH. MORE THAN ENOUGH.

<<<<<>>>>> * * * * *

He couldn’t believe it. Scott had just watched Nightline, and

who was the guest? Madonna. How ridiculous. She badly needed

English lessons not to mention a brain. He was relieved when the

call came.

WTFO?

I’m here, Kirk. You’re two minutes late.

PICKY PICKY.

I had to sit through a half hour of Madonna explaining why she

masterbates on MTV.

LIFE’S A CESSPOOL. THEN YOU DIE.

You sound happy tonight.

I’M NOT EXACTLY PLEASED, IF THAT’S WHAT YOU MEAN.

What have you got?

WE’VE LEARNED A LOT. FIRST OF ALL, DGRAPH IS INFECTED.

No shit.

PROFANITY. BIG BROTHER AND FREEDOM ARE LISTENING. REALLY. WE

FOUND DOZENS OF DIFFERENT VIRUSES IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS

OF DGRAPH. SOMEONE PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS. I HAVE NEMO AND

EVERY PHREAK I KNOW WORKING ON IT TO SEE WHAT OTHER VERSIONS

THERE ARE. AND I’M SURE THAT HALF THE HACKERS IN THE COUNTRY ARE

DOING THE SAME THING NOW. WORD GETS AROUND. BUT THAT’S NOT THE

HALF OF IT.

Continue, oh messenger of doom.

THERE’S MORE ABOUT THE FREEDOM BOARDS. I THOUGHT

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN WHAT WE FOUND.

I’m hanging on your every byte.

GOOD. FIRST OF ALL, I HAD NO IDEA HOW BIG THE FREEDOM LEAGUE

WAS. OVER 1600 MEMBER BBS’S HERE AND IN CANADA.

Is that large?

THAT MAKES THEM A FULL FLEDGED NATIONAL NETWORK. ALMOST A MIL-

LION PEOPLE BELONG. BUT THE BEST PART? THE FREEDOM LEAGUE

SOFTWARE IS FILLED WITH VIRUSES TOO.

You’ve got to be kidding. A million people in on it?

NO, NOT AT ALL. COULD BE JUST A FEW.

A few? How many are a few?

QUIET! THE FREEDOM LEAGUE RUNS A SORT OF FRANCHISE SERVICE FOR

BBS’S. THEY GIVE YOU ALL OF THE TOOLS AND TOYS AND SOFTWARE TO

HAVE YOUR OWN FREEDOM LEAGUE BBS. SO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO, CAN

SET THEMSELVES UP FOR FREE. FREEDOM GIVES THEM EVERYTHING BUT A

COMPUTER AND A MODEM.

And in exchange, they have to sell Freedom Software.

NOT EXACTLY SELL, SHAREWARE IS FREE TO DISTRIBUTE, IN THEORY

ONLY A FEW PEOPLE MAY EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE INFECTIONS. WHOEVER IS

DESIGNING THE PROGRAMS HAS TO BE IN ON IT.

And the franchisers, of course! They set up their own distribu-

tion of viruses.

I WOULD GUESS THAT ABOUT 100 OF THE FREEDOM BBS’S KNOW ABOUT THE

INFECTIONS.

Why, how do you know that?

GOOD GUESS. WHEN FREEDOM STARTED UP BACK IN ‘88, IT HAD 100

LOCATIONS.

So it was staged, set up?

MUSTA BEEN. NOT CHEAP. A GOOD BBS TAKES ABOUT $10,000 TO GET

GOING.

A million bucks. Chump change.

FOR WHO?

Just a friend. What else?

THEY’VE DISTRIBUTED MILLIONS OF PROGRAMS. MILLIONS.

Is every one infected?

I GUESS SO. EVERY ONE WE’VE LOOKED AT IS.

Who else knows.

NEMO, PHREAK PHRIENDS. IN A COUPLE OF DAYS YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO

GIVE FREEDOM AWAY. IF IT’S INFECTED, WHICH IT IS, IT’S ALL OVER

FOR THEM. THEIR REP IS SHOT.

Aren’t you worried about a repeat performance on your computers?

NO. I MOVED WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY EQUIPMENT AND WE SWITCHED TO

CELLULAR CALL FORWARDING. CAN’T BE TRACED FOR MONTHS. BUT I

APPRECIATE THE CONCERN.

I’ll call you. My main man is going to want to talk to you.

* Monday, January 18 New York City Times dGRAPH INFECTED WITH VIRUS: DGI OFFERS FREE UPGRADES. by Scott Mason

In an unprecedented computer software announcement, DGI President

and industry magnate Pierre Troubleaux admitted that every copy

of dGraph sold since late 1987 contains and is infected with

highly dangerous and contagious computer viruses.

He blamed Taki Homosoto, chairman of OSO Industries, and the

parent company of DGI for the viruses that Troubleaux said were

implanted on purpose.

Mr. Homosoto had no comment on the allegations.

Since there are so many different viruses present in the dozens

of dGraph versions, (Mr. Troubleaux estimates there may be as

many as 500) it is impossible to determine the exact detonation

dates or anticipated damage. Therefore DGI is offering free

uninfected copies of dGraph to every registered user.

Industry reaction was strong, but surprisingly non-critical of

DGI’s dilemma. In general the reaction was one of shock and

disbelief. “If this is true,” said one source, “the amount of

damage done will be incalculable.” He went on to say that since

the virus problem has been largely ignored, very few businesses

have any sort of defensive measures in place. Estimates are that

large companies have the most to lose when the dGraph Virus

explodes.

The major software manufacturers came to DGI’s support saying,

“. . .it was bound to happen sooner or later. We’re just glad it

didn’t happen to us.” Leading software firms including Micro-

soft, Lotus, Computer Associates and Borland have offered their

disk duplication and shipping facilities to assist DGI in dis-

tributing over four million copies of the program.

Even with such support policies by DGI and the assistance of