MEMORANDUM
NS rated 10
DATE:
April 14
FROM:
John S. Springman
Deputy NSA, The White House
TO:
Roger Witherspoon
Executive Assistant Director, DHS
RE:
Interim Report
Following the catastrophic events late last year, Congress and the President directed the creation of a confidential Committee of Inquiry. Attached is the Interim Report of the Committee. It strikes me as a bit purple in places and speculative in others, but I accept that this is an accurate and fair rendering of the events last year. The IR has been disseminated to all involved agencies. Should there be areas you wish expanded, be certain to convey that desire to me within 10 days. Should you desire redaction of any portion, I am instructed to advise that such a request must be made in writing within the same time period, and state with specificity those sections to be deleted accompanied by a satisfactory explanation of the justification.
It is clear to me now that you were perfectly correct in your initial impression as stated at our enabling meeting. The events that led to such a cataclysmic chain of events, events I wish to add from which we are still attempting to recover, began in New York City, but only by a few minutes. They might just as easily have started over the Atlantic.
WEEK ONE
MAJORITY OF COMPUTERS LACK SECURITY, REPORT
By Isidro Lama
Internet News Service
August 10
A report released Wednesday found that more than 80% of computers lack essential security software.
The overwhelming majority of PCs in homes have been found to lack essential security protections, according to a report by a leading cyber-security firm. Most home computers lack either a firewall, anti-spyware protection or current antivirus software.
“Curiously, most consumers falsely believe they are protected,” said a spokesperson for the Internet Security Association.
“The reality is quite the opposite.”
Despite modest improvements in home security since the first survey four years ago, much remains to be done. “At a time when the public turns increasingly to computers to handle finances and to house personal information, it is leaving itself exposed to exploitation,” the spokesperson added.
The situation is no better with military and government computers, according to the report. “We are significantly exposed to a cyber-attack,” the report concludes, “the consequences of which could exceed our imagination.”
1
MANHATTAN, NYC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
12:01 A. M.
“Shhh!”
When the whisper came out of the darkness, the man stopped. A vast panel of glass covered the wall before him, displaying uptown Manhattan in a scene that might have been sold as a poster. Ambient light and the soft glow from a dozen computer monitors was all that spared the room total darkness. The logo of Fischerman, Platt & Cohen floated on each monitor.
In the hallway, the steps faded. A moment later her fingers touched his arm, pressing lightly against the soft skin on the inside of his wrist, her flesh much warmer than his. The thought of her so excited aroused him even more.
She tugged and he followed. “Over here,” she whispered. He tried to make her out in the darkness but all he could see was her form, shapeless as a burka. They stopped and she came into his arms, on him even before he realized she’d moved.
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