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

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virtual tailspin with far reaching effects including stock

prices, delayed purchasing, contract cancellation and a bevy of

reported lawsuits in the making.

All the same, the effects of the Crisis must be mitigated, and

the New York City Times will be providing daily information to

assist our readers in fighting the viruses. DGraph is now known

to contain at least 54 different viruses, each designed to exe-

cute different forms of damage to your computer.

According to computer security experts there are two ways to deal

with the present virus crisis. The best way to make sure that an

active security system is in place in your computer. Recommenda-

tions vary, but it is generally agreed by most experts that

security, especially in the highly susceptible desktop and laptop

personal computers, should be hardware based. Security in soft-

ware is viewed to be ineffective against well designed viruses or

other offensive software mechanisms.

The second way to combat the effects of the dGraph Virus, but

certainly not as effective, is to build a library of virus signa-

tures and search all of your computers for matches that would

indicate a viral infection. This technique is minimally effec-

tive for many reasons: Mutating viruses cause the signature to

change every time it infects another program, rendering the virus

unidentifiable. There is no way to be sure that all strains have

been identified. Plus, there is no defense against subsequent

viral attacks, requiring defensive measures to be reinstituted

every time.

Preliminary predictions by computer software experts are that

between 1 and 5 million IBM compatible computers will be severely

effected by the dGraph Viruses. Computers tied to local area and

wide area networks are likely to be hit hardest.

Beginning today, we will publish the known dGraph Virus charac-

teristics daily to help disseminate the defensive information as

rapidly as possible.

dGraph Version 3.0

Virus #1

Detonation Date: 2/2/XX Symptoms: Monitor blinks on an off, dims and gets bright. Size: 2413 Signature: 0F 34 E4 DD 81 A1 C3 34 34 34

Virus #2, #3, #4, #5

Same as above but different dates. 2/3/XX, 2/4/XX, 2/5/XX, 2/6/XX

Virus #6

Detonation Date: 2/2/XX Symptoms: Erases hard disk. Size: 1908 Signature: E4 EE 56 01 01 C1 C1 00 01 02

Virus #7

Detonation Date: 1/22/XX Symptoms: Reformats hard drive. Size: 2324 Signature: 00 F1 8E E3 AA 01 F5 6B 0B 0D

Virus #8

Detonation Date: 1/23/XX Symptoms: Over exercises hard disk heads causing failure. Requires hard disk to be replaced. Size: 2876 Signature: FF 45 7A 20 96 E6 22 1F 07 0F 2E

Scott’s article detailed all 54 dGraph Viruses. Every wire

service and news service in the country picked up the story and

reprinted it in their papers and magazines. Within 24 hours,

everyone who owned or used a computer had some weapons with which

available to him. If they chose to believe in the danger.

Wednesday, January 20 The White House

“So what about this Mason character?” Secretary of State Quinton

Chambers asked challengingly. The President’s inner circle was

again meeting to discuss the government’s reaction to the impend-

ing chaos that Mr. Homosoto posthumously promised. The pre-dawn

hours were viewed as an ideal time to have upper level meetings

without the front door scrutiny of the press.

Phil Musgrave pulled a folder from the stack in his lap and

opened it. “Born 1953, he had an Archie Bunker for a father but

he came out a brain – IQ of 170. Against Nam, who wasn’t; he

protested some, but not a leader. No real trouble with the law;

couple of demonstration arrests. City College, fared all right,

and then set up his own company, worked in the defense industry

writing manuals until he hit it big and sold out. Divorced, no

kids. Wife is kinda wacky. The news business is new to him, but

he’s getting noticed fast.”

“Is he a risk?”

“The FBI hasn’t completed their investigation,” said Phil. “If

he is a risk, it’s buried deep. Surface wise, he’s clean. Only

one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s an independent thinker.”

“How’s he done so far?”

“So far so good.”

“So we let him continue?”

“Yesterday he said he was willing to help, but I have a sneaky

suspicion he’ll do better on his own without our interference.

Besides, he prints every damn thing he does.”

“What about their identity?”

“No way. He will maintain source protection, and I don’t think

it matters right now. Maybe later.”

“What about the FBI friend?”

“The FBI is aware of it, and views it favorably. Duncan’s rela-

tionship has been exclusively personal until recently. It seems

to serve both sides well.”

“So you’re saying he’s working for us and not knowing it?”

“He probably knows it, and probably, like most of the media,

doesn’t care. His job is to report the news. It just so happens

that we read the same newspapers. Let’s leave him alone.”

The President held up his hand to signal an end to the debate

between State policy and the White House Chief of Staff. “Unless

anyone can give me a good goddammed reason to fix something that

seems to be working,” he said, “let Mason do his job and let us

do ours.” He looked around the Oval Office for comments or

dissent. It was a minor point and nobody thought it significant

enough to pursue. Yet. “Next?” The President commanded.

Refills of coffee were distributed and the pile of Danishes was

shrinking as the men casually dined during their 6:00 A.M. meet-

ing.

“OSO Industries appears, by all first impressions, to have noth-

ing to do with the threats.” Henry Kennedy was expected to know

more than anyone else at this point. “Investigations are contin-

uing, but we have no reason to suspect a smoking gun.”

“One man did all of this?” asked the President skeptically.

“We have no doubt that he accomplished at least the dGraph vi-

ruses with accomplices and a great deal of money.” Henry knew

his material. With the combined help of the NSA, CIA, FBI and

international contacts, the National Security Advisor was privy

to an incredible range of information. He was never told direct-

ly that U.S. agents regularly penetrated target computers as part

of any investigation, or that they listened in on computers and

communications to gather information. But Henry Kennedy preferred

it this way; not to officially know where he got his data.

Professional deniability.

“We also have every reason to believe that he used technical

talent outside of OSO,” Kennedy continued. “Perhaps as many as

thirty or forty people involved.”

The inner circle whistled. “Thirty or forty? That’s a conspira-

cy,” commented Quinton.

“I agree with Quinton. What I think we need to do here,” said

Phil Musgrave to the others in the room and the President, “is

expand our previous definition of terrorism. Doesn’t a threat to

international stability and the economic well being of this

country constitute terrorism?” He gazed into each of the listen-

er’s eyes then said, “In my mind it clearly does.” He referred

to the work at the Department of State which, since the Iraqi

War, had clearly expanded the operational definition of terror-

ism.

“There’s more,” Henry said soberly. “Four months ago the FBI was

inundated with reports of blackmail. None materialized but still

take up a great deal of manpower and resources. Classified

defense technology is used to shut down the Stock Exchange and

other major businesses. Two months ago an Irani foreign national

was killed in New York. He was driving a vehicle which contained

sophisticated computer monitoring equipment.”

“Has anything developed on that front?” the President asked. “I

remember reading about that. It was a tragedy.”

“It was,” agreed Phil Musgrave.

“We had the FBI, the CI division take apart what was left of the

van and we began a cross trace,” Henry pulled out yet another

file from his stack. “It seems that during a two month period in

1988, a disproportionate number of identical Ford Econoline vans

were paid for in cash. As far as the dealer is concerned, the

customer disappeared. Unless they’re using stolen plates, they-

‘re part of the DMV system. The New York van was registered to a

non-existent address. Roadblocked.”

“And don’t forget the First State incident, INTERNET, the FAA

radar systems,” Quinton Chambers said to the President. He

listed a long series of computer malfunctions over the prior 60

days. “It appears at this point that we have been experiencing a

prelude, the foreplay if you will, of something worse. The

Homosoto letter makes him as good a candidate as anyone right

now.”

Even Andrew Coletree felt in concert with the others on this

point. “If what has happened to computers, the traffic systems,

airplanes, to the IRS,