Told in the present tense, this thriller looks at a
scenario involving cyber terrorism. A group of recruited
hackers from chaotic nations are writing bugs to take down
everything from planes to dams across the United States.
The CYBER ATTACK is aimed at causing the greatest possible
chaos, sometimes achieved just by darkening the energy
grid.
Paige and Hank are two anti-terrorist operatives, and we
first meet them at the National Cyber Investigative Joint
Task Force Operations Center, McLean, Virginia. FBI
Special Agent Hank Goodnight is paired up with Paige
Randall who is a programmer, after reports come in of
escalating chaos. A plane down, a nuclear plant on high
alert... what more could be waiting for the planned time to
fail? In reality, more than two agents would be sent to
counter such high profile and potentially devastating
disasters. The FBI would probably drop everything else. But
this is fiction, and by following one pair through the book,
winding their way between chapters of once-seen ordinary
people getting swept away by floods, we can see the kind of
work such agents would be required to do, while getting to
know them a little.
Some of the comments made in the book are quite cynical.
For instance, Hank says the cellphone companies resisted
installing backup power on cell masts because customers pay
per month, not per call. We see the results as cellphones
can't find a signal and credit card lines, e-mail and the
rest are out as well. Peyton Lynch, Paige's sister, is
stuck in Chicago. Through her story, we see how tough life
becomes for an ordinary person.
The tally of disaster continues to rise. This story isn't
for the tender. I quickly got to dislike being introduced
to folks who were in the story solely to die, like a horror
story. Do missiles sitting in racks actually spontaneously
connect their guidance computers to the local wi-fi
network? How would they know the sign-in code? I am sure
the author is piling incidents in to make us realise that
one or another could occur. We also see the brief backstory
of the motley crew of hackers, like Yuusef whose family in
Somalia were unintended targets of a drone missile. This is
still told in present tense, but in italics to
differentiate the past tale from today. All told, this is a
scary and exciting book, by Tim Washburn, who convinces us
that a CYBER ATTACK could be just around the corner. Make
sure you have strong shoes, a flashlight and water before
you start reading.
THIS IS NOT A TEST It begins with a computer malfunction. A 737 passenger jet drops from the sky from 34,000 feet. Then another. And another. At the same time, the unthinkable happens in our nuclear power plants. Water pumps fail. Nuclear cores melt. Untold millions could die . . . THIS IS THE FUTURE OF TERROR With each passing hour, orchestrated cyber attacks unleash a massive wave of death and utter destruction. Chemical plants explode. Floodgates burst open. Power grids self-destruct. From Wall Street to Washington, the fear is going viral—and the panic could lead to the total annihilation of America. THIS IS WORLD WAR 3.0 Missiles and guns are useless. Generals and diplomats are powerless. America’s last hope lies with two specially trained FBI agents: Hank Goodnight and computer programmer Paige Randall, who must penetrate the darkest recesses of the web and infiltrate the twisted network of a faceless enemy. And dare to fight fire with fire—apocalypse be damned . . .
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