W e b A p p
CYBER STYLETTO
Cyber Styletto 3 a.m., Christmas Morning, Hong Kong International Airport
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onight’s sortie was an old – fashioned stakeout, Buck had said. If Yvonne had ever been malicious computer network attack on a traffic on one, she would have understood his senmanagement system in California causes the deaths of timent, eight butinnocent instead she was feeling people. Yvonne Tran, aanxious, former black hat computerexnow working a contractor for a government posed tohacker dangers she asnever experienced workagency called CyberCom, is called in to investigate. ing in her labs behind the protection of computer Her handler and former lover, Rohan Stokes, and screens and miles, sometimes of them, executives at Network thousands Systems, the California manufacturer that designed the computer server, between her and her adversaries. have no idea how the system could have been commandeered so completely, or how many other critical systems have been infiltrated. Tran and her team – composed of former military Special Forces and civilian computer experts - must pinpoint the location where the probe originated, and stop the perpetrators before they launch a much bigger attack on Christmas Day aimed at killing thousands of Americans.
“The way it ought to be,” he said, “No fancy technology, just hardware and guts.” The team had removed their molar implants to keep from being tracked by Shi’s men. They would operate tonight in true secret, using nothing that emitted a signal, nothing that could be monitored or traced. All movements would be synchronized. Communication would be by sight alone. The others on Buck’s team were wary. They were used to their devices. “Trust me,” Buck said. “This is the way we used to do it. It’ll be more fun than any job you’ve ever About the Authors been on.” Richard Stiennon, Chief Research Analyst at ITHarvest, is a world renowned expert on cyber
security and author of “Surviving Cyberwar.” U.S. $13.37 Yvonne wasn’t so sure. For the first time in her Mike Brennan, Editor & Publisher of MITechNews. cyber career shesecurity wasforhacking Com, has covered cyber more than a in person – infiltratdecade. ingGian anDeTorre operation like a human version of the virusis the pen name of an award winning writer and literary critic whose work has esfiction she unleashed on bad guys, dressed in a gray been published in the U.S. and around the world. Cathay Computer Works jumpsuit instead of one of her thousand dollar outfits, and wearing a simple pair of tennis shoes – no stilettos tonight. She was crouched behind a beam on a catwalk, waiting for a signal from Woody that the way was clear and she could advance a few more feet towards the rogue servers stored below on the warehouse floor.
threshold of danger, the hang gliding and base jumping – all those risks were mitigated by the right equipment and dozens of safety procedures. They were exhilarating, yes, but nothing like facing real, live people, who might, by the way, try to kill her.
She remembered what she’d said to Stokes about his being a desk jockey. Despite the wars she fought in cyber space, she had to admit she’d been one too. The driving and flying she did at the
Stokes had worked for years in the field before he settled into a plush leather chair. And he didn’t flinch when the team asked him to run the diversion that would keep the Chinese security forces
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