Bad Good Bad: Special Edition Read online

Sarah: “Poor little girl. Look at you, only 22, and you have to put up with all of this. You should go visit your sister and your mother in San Francisco. Let me talk to Eric about this. How is your boyfriend, William?”

  Kim: “He’s not my boyfriend anymore. Well, he told me he needed some time to think about it. He could not understand why I wanted to move to Portland. He said I could have waited a little longer and land a better job in the Bay Area. But all I was offered was junior positions. I don’t think nobody took me seriously over there. But Eric, he sees something they don’t see, I guess.”

  “And I don’t want to see my sister and mother just right now. I don’t want them to see what happened to me in just under 3 months, they would not recognize me, they would not understand. I need more time. I need to unplug.”

  Sarah: “Let’s close this place now.” She waves at the chef. “Let’s go watch a movie upstairs. You can have the guest room tonight if you’d like.”

  I follow Sarah upstairs to the living room. Eric is already sitting down on the couch but leaning forward towards the big flat screen. He is on top of his Faraday cage, but with his steelpot on the coffee table on his right. He is watching some headline news channel. Eric points the remote at the screen and pauses it. The newsreel at the bottom reads something like this ‘Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan attacked by hackers, emergency shutdown procedures and investigation underway’. Eric clicks the play button on the remote, some authority on the matter explains that this could be an attack similar to the one that targeted a reactor in Iran a few years back, that preliminary reports seem to be pointing in the direction of China, but that it is too early now to draw any final conclusions.

  Sarah: “What’s this all about Eric? Stop watching those made up news. What’s on your mind?”

  Eric: “I know this guy. I think I met him with Tom in San Francisco last year at the conference. I don’t know, about all that, this is weird.”

  Sarah: “Can we watch our movie now?”

  Chapter 12

  I wake up. Carolyn is not in the room anymore, my heart is racing. 7:30 am, I overslept. I hear nothing from the kids’ room. I dress up, go to the lounge. Carolyn is at a table with a cup of coffee. She is on the phone, calling the school to let them know the kids will skip today. She waves at me with a smile.

  I grab a double expresso from the machine and I now go sit with Carolyn. I can see the reflection of the flatscreen TV in the windows, the sun is about to rise. They show some big warship and the titles at the bottom seem to be centered around a nuclear plant that was hacked in Taiwan and some military movement in the China sea. I turn around to take a better look. The Nuclear Plant has been hacked. Taipei is hesitatingly pointing a finger in China’s direction. China is accusing some dissidents from Taiwan that they claim hacked some datacenters in China to coordinate the attack to destabilize their own government. The US Secretary of Defense is expected to make a speech at 8 am from the Pentagon. China is expressing concerns about political stability in Taiwan, a potential nuclear accident and civil unrest. Of course, they express concerns for the safety of its citizens in China and abroad. The United States are very concerned about movement of warships in the China Sea.

  Carolyn decides to go grab the kids while I watch the flatscreen. I am trying to process all that disinformation crap that seems to be about to crescendo into World War III, if you subscribe to the opinions expressed by the talking heads on TV. Now to the Pentagon. Secretary of defense Scott McKay moves to the microphone, with other military and government executives lined up behind him. “We are still investigating the situation in the China Sea and Taiwan, but preliminary reports seem to indicate that the attack that forced emergency shutdown of the Chinshan Nuclear facility originated from China. Despite China’s reports that a group of Taiwanese terrorists is responsible for the attack, leveraging Chinese datacenters to coordinate it, we have received no evidence so far to support those reports. The United States and its allies will not tolerate any violation of Taiwan’s territorial integrity and we are calling for an emergency UN meeting…” Then McKay stops and turns around as if somebody behind him gave him a cue. But nobody seems to know the matter. Then McKay taps his earpiece with a finger. He collapses. Just before the screen goes blank, the folks behind are closing in to his assistance.

  Now more titles, McKay passes out during speech at the Pentagon, but is awake and conscious with no apparent medical problem now. Then a few minutes later, titles mention a light seizure that will force McKay to step away from office for a few days. He will be under observation, safety precaution.

  Carolyn is back with the kids, they go pick some breakfast and treats in the lounge buffet and some hot chocolate from the machine. They also start to make some pancakes with the special machine that draws their attention as soon as they spot it. Carolyn joins me and she notices that I am a bit disconnected. “Kevin, stop watching TV. What’s going on?”

  Then titles start to accelerate in a frenzy. Other guests in the lounge are starting to pay attention now, some are on the phone talking about the situation. 3 White House employees close to the President suffer seizures during McKay’s speech. Air Force One is being readied for the President. UN extraordinary meeting to be held at Camp David. More reports of seizures, 911 lines busy. Major US Healthcare company network attacked.

  No, that can’t be…

  Carolyn: “The kids want to go check the pool. Meet you there later?”

  Kevin: “Sure, let me just grab something to eat, will be down before 10.”

  Chapter 13

  I stopped by the room to brush my teeth. The kids are not back yet. 9:30 am. I can’t help myself, I turn the TV on. What? Tom Nolan, co-founder and CEO for New Forensics from New York, is on.

  “Mr Nolan, thank you for accepting our invitation. Today the world and the United States are experiencing a major diplomatic crisis. It appears that many hundreds of people from around the country called 911 to report seizures. Many callers have reported being patients of the major HealthCare company Neocuris. I believe New Forensics detected the attack that was reported this morning by Neocuris. Can you help must make sense of all this?”

  Tom: “Thank you Carrie for the invitation. Yes we have been on the trail of some suspicious activity recently while monitoring the defense systems for our customer Neocuris. We have reported the incidents to Neocuris security officials, who have released the information this morning. Right now we are working with Neocuris to pinpoint the source of the attack. We won’t comment further at this point, we will allow for Neocuris to provide a complete report. We are responsible for only a portion of the global security network at Neocuris.”

  Carrie: “There have been some reports that the Department of Defense is also contributing directly to the effort. Can you comment on that? Is China on the radar for this attack?”

  Tom: “I can’t comment further on this. We only helped initiate the investigation by reporting back to Neocuris the incidents that we have detected. The investigation now is probably more extensive.”

  Carrie: “Why has Neocuris only submitted a very fragmentary report? Do you know why they have not yet disclosed a more complete report? Their officials are still turning down our invitations at this time. Stock is down 30%.”

  Tom: “We can only add that my whole team at New Forensics is making itself fully dedicated to assist Neocuris in any way they deem necessary, we are in constant contact with them as we speak. We also want to express that our sincere thoughts are with the patients right now that have been affected by the attack, and their families.”

  Carrie: “Thank you Tom. That was Tom Nolan, co-founder and CEO of New Forensics. Now back to you Grant.”

  Grant: “Thank you Carrie. That was Carrie Leehman, with the latest updates from New York. Now the big question seems to be: Why is Neocuris turning down all invitations for an interview at this time? More from…”

  I have to turn this thing off. Kim, Eric, what’s going on? Better get b
ack to Portland asap. Let’s go to the pool now, and buy some tickets to Portland. I will book them myself this time, on a plane with wifi if I can find one.

  Chapter 14

  Phone rings. What time is it now? Hey, another rainy day in Portland. What time is it now? I turn on my iPhone. 7 am. Sounds like Eric and Sarah are up. But now I feel panic and confusion. Kevin?

  I walk into the living room. Eric is on the phone. With Tom. I can ear Tom screaming: “What have I done, Eric? Do we have anything to do with that terrible mess?”

  Eric: “Tom, what are you talking about? You just woke us up, it’s 7 am in Portland.”

  Tom: “Turn the TV on.”

  Eric grabs the remote, turns the TV on. “We are waiting for Bianca Taylor, Chief Security Officer for fast growing Neocuris Healthcare, which just reported a major security breach earlier this morning, stock is down 35% at 10:05 am New York time.”

  Tom: “Shit, the Feds are downstairs! Eric, what’s happening?”

  Eric is speechless. He is just trying to process this whole new indigestion of half-baked bad news defiling at the bottom of the screen. Hundreds of seizures reported…Neocuris patients…Secreterary of defense McKay released from the hospital. Now Bianca Taylor is behind the microphone, obviously surrounded by a whole team of legal and communication officials from Neocuris.

  Eric to Tom: “That guy on TV to the left, he is head of legal!”

  Tom: “Eric, get me out of this!”

  Tom hangs up the phone at the very moment Bianca Taylor is introduced. “First, we would like to express our genuine solidarity and guarantee all the support that Neocuris can provide to all its patients and their families, now and for weeks to come. We are terribly sorry for this horrible situation, and we are deploying all the efforts that we can in concert with the authorities to remediate this situation as fast as possible. We are sincerely confident at this point that the worst of the storm is over, that all our patients will fully recover and that no further patients will be affected by malfunction of our support units caused by the attack.”

  More titles: Wall Street freezes all further transactions for today, after major loses for all healthcare stocks since the market opening. Police operation unfolding in Manhattan now. New Forensics seems to be the target.

  Eric is on the phone again: “Anika, call everybody asap, please tell everybody to stay home today.”

  The screen is split now, the feds are walking out of the New Forensics office with boxes. Now they are followed by orange jumpsuits in hand-cuffs, escorted by the police.

  Sarah, horrified: “That’s Tom over there, oh my god!”

  Bianca Taylor: “Preliminary reports from the authorities seem to point to China as the source of the attack, facilitated by individuals with access to the New Forensics network in New York.”

  More titles: China denies any responsibility, has identified a group of dissidents and proceeded to arrest hundreds. China will fully collaborate with the United States in order to arrest those who are responsible for these attacks, wherever they hide.

  Eric is looking at me now, horrified.

  My heart says Kevin is on his way. I can feel his anxiety now. I am sure he is trying everything in his power to come to Portland and help us.

  Kim: “Yes Eric, Kevin is on his way. I know it.”

  More titles: The European parliament is urging the United States to accept China’s assistance for the investigation. Japan is officially requesting the United States assistance, refuses to wait for UN meeting. Moscow is warning the United States against the use of unilateral force prior to the UN meeting.

  Bianca Taylor: “The authorities are actively investigating and shutting down every access to the Neocuris network by New Forensics, and suspending any other access by other suppliers until further notice. The Neocuris network is now isolated and functioning in isolation mode. We do not expect any further major events.”

  Then one of the communication officials hands over a note to Bianca Taylor. She cannot hide a twitch on her face. The communication person closes the interview in a snap, and everybody gets off the stage.

  Chapter 15

  In a taxi on my way back to the airport. Another painful goodbye to my loved ones, after barely 12 hours in Montreal. At least, I know they are safe now. I can hear Kim say ‘Portland’. I echo back ‘Portland’ without actually speaking the words. I feel relief but anticipation, not sure which emotions are mine anymore.

  I get on the plane. Can’t wait for the wifi to kick in. 11:20 am now. Okay, it’s on now. Credit card accepted. Connected.

  Web sites are bombarding me with random pieces of information on my iPad, and repeating lies. I realize that I missed a call on my iPhone, looks like the home alarm company tried to call me. Great! Now I see I have a pop-up box on my screen with the beetle logo, came in during take-off I guess. ‘Be afraid’. That’s certainly not a message from Neocuris.

  Back to the web sites, now they are showing pictures of people lining up in front of Neocuris clinics across the US. Then a picture showing a similar beetle message to the one I just got off my screen. Some rioting in Chicago and Boston now.

  Is this just all a big diversion? Who is really behind all this nonsense? Is this just a dry run or test, or the real thing? Who should we believe? It appears the attack is still ongoing, despite Neocuris claims, the beetle pop-ups are there to remind us all. But if the New York campus is disconnected now, where is it coming from?

  Now I have to use my credit card again to hook up my iPhone to the onboard wifi. Another pop-up. Some fortune cookie logo. I cannot get rid of it. I click a button labelled Open, I have to see what this is about. It cracks open, out slips a strip of paper. ‘You will soon pay for the mistakes committed by others’. Food for thoughts. Go away, bad cookie. It could be China, or it could be somebody who wants us to believe it is China. 50-50. We could probably just flip a coin.

  “Portland” I hear again. Yes Kim, on my way.

  Chapter 16

  I am now back at Social in downtown Portland. Late afternoon. We are supposed to get a break from the rain tomorrow. The door is locked, Social is not open for customers yet, but Sarah opens the door for me and walks me to our table where Eric and Kim are trying to make sense of this whole mess. Now we can at least try to add up our brains and map everything on the blackboard. Sarah says “I won’t need this board tonight, nobody wants to walk in our metal box today, with no TV or internet in the dining room. Everybody is connected down to be bone today.”

  I like to map out my ideas on the board. As a security architect, that is one part of my job I like. It also helps me see through complex problems with moving parts, organize my thoughts, bounce them off the others to test ideas and align the minds.

  Eric starts talking: “Tom says they let the secretaries and non-technical employees out tonight in New York, but they are keeping the engineers, hackers and execs. Not like a jail, more a security controlled perimeter so they know where everybody is, while this attack is apparently still on. Or is it over? Tom used his call to call me. He says he is toast if he cannot clean his record as an entrepreneur, he asked me to call his family, and promise to them I would get him out of this hole. They have unfolded some red cross beds for them in this improvised containment facility in downtown New York. The are spread in small groups, in different rooms, taking turns in the interview room. The Feds are still sifting through the logs and computers but Tom thinks they are not telling them the full story.”

  “Kevin, we have been recapitulating about this whole situation the 3 of us while waiting for you. Here is where we are now, let me walk you through the stuff we have on the board. Early November, the suits show up. They don’t want to be one of the investors anymore. They want it all. But first, they want to open a new campus in New York, park a hybrid team there, reverse engineer the defense controls, and the interface with the patients vault. Basically an assessment, try before you buy. So they add a premium on top of market value.”
/>   “Tom is onboard. He asks for the premium to be paid up-front, not only they say yes, they will cover relocation costs for employees, the rent for the try-and-buy one-month duration, and all the logistics. For Tom, that’s it, deal. Yes market value could increase again over the next 6 months, but there is a risk that the increase would not be higher than the premium. And they are willing to agree to our conditions for measuring the success of the try-and-buy. The math was easy for him, a no-brainer. But I Eric see things in a different perspective. I think we can improve not only our defense software, but the architecture at Neocuris itself. The vault. I was officially pushed on the side during the second Purchase Offering, even if I never completely stopped being involved. Now Neocuris is open to reintegrate me as the lead architect, at my conditions, and both the paperwork and access are in place between Neocuris and New Forensics, which is basically a spin-off of Neocuris, same culture and everything. If I let go on New Forensics, then I let go on Neocuris. I did not trust those suits, they did not trust me either, so I was probably not part of the equation for their plan moving forward from the start. So that is where Eric and Tom diverge, hard to meet both parties’ agenda now that Tom is ready to cash in.”

  “Tom convinced half the team to relocate. The other half had no appetite for that, not right away anyway. I got the suits and Tom to agree on maintaining the Portland campus for one year minimum, which meant 11 months into the acquisition, in order to allow our employees to either relocate to New York, or find another job, as long as they would meet the quarterly excellence objectives we have in place as part of New Forensics. But within days after the opening of the new campus, starting before all movers got relocated, the new engineers provided by the suits created new versions of both the defense software and the Neocuris vault interface. We felt a bit left out in Portland, that the changes were premature. So I turned my focus on the core piece, the patients vault, and I convinced Tom to hire Kim as part of the program to improve our already very good security controls and preventative controls, through a reassessment of the vault itself.”