10
Zero Day—A New Puzzle
AFTER SETTLING DOWN IN MEXICO, ZAYDEN BEGAN TO PLAN HIS next project. He knew that the world had previously experienced computer viruses that wreaked havoc and chaos, but they had always, at some time, been detected and never finished the job for which they were intended. Zayden had done it before and he knew he could do it again. He could create the perfect virus but this time, he would not get caught and the effects would bring down the United States.
“So, what is the purpose of this virus?” he babbled to himself. “Easy, to bring the electrical grid down and watch the United States implode from within. Cyberattack.”
Zayden knew that if the power grid could be destroyed there would be no power and without power, all electronics tied to the grid would eventually cease to function. He also knew that eventually, trucks would stop delivering goods and services because of the lack of fuel. This, in turn, would cause people to panic and eventually, brother would attack brother. Those who had not prepared would die of starvation but before they died, they would do anything they could, including killing, to get food and water.
He needed and passionately wanted to create a virus that would carry out the destruction he desired but he also knew that it would be best to write the virus using code that had already been created. He needed to do deep analysis and pick apart the binary code to make it undetectable and perfectly executable.
“One byte at a time,” he laughed to himself.
In Zayden’s experience, most virus computer code could be easily deciphered in minutes, days at most. But his code would not be like that. His code would have depth, secrecy, and most important functionality. That function was to disable and bring the United States to its knees. Zayden knew from his college days that he had to use a zero-day exploit.
“Perfect!” he yelled. “Create code that spreads without the user having to do anything. No thumb drive, no USB connection, nothing. It will spread like wildfire and they will have no clue what hit them.”
Zayden had been fascinated with the zero-day malware called Stuxnet. He recalled that Stuxnet was malware covertly designed by the US and the Israeli government to disable nuclear centrifuges in Iran. Stuxnet infected a very specific Iranian Siemens Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) which are very small computers that control motors and pumps that ultimately affect telecommunications, financial infrastructure, health care, power plants, and power grids.
Zayden began talking to himself as he was mentally seeking a solution to his goal, “In essence, the PLC tells the motors and pumps how fast to run and for how long. At the wrong speeds, the motors and pumps fail. Those suckers never knew what hit them. Had the Israeli’s not gotten greedy and modified the code, Stuxnet would still be causing those centrifuges to implode,” he finished.
Zayden needed to make sure his virus left no signature, no clue, no trace of the origins of the malware and, just as important, no bugs. But where to start. Creating a virus of this type from scratch could take years and with no help, maybe a decade.
Yet again Zayden thought of Luis. “From drugs to computers, he’s the best friend a man could have,” Zayden said to himself.
Throughout his years with the Sinaloa Cartel Luis had developed a network of underground contacts from across the world. He could pick up the phone and within minutes talk with his Russian counterparts. He could easily email Iranian hackers and move millions across continents. In the US, he had reliable contacts that worked at the National Security Agency and Cyber Command Headquarters within the US government. In Britain, he had contacts in the Government Communications Headquarters and in Israel at Mossad Headquarters, Unit 8200 Israeli Intelligence. Luis was well connected. Zayden contacted him and scheduled an in-person meeting for the following month.
The meeting took place inside a building housing the city hall for the Azcapotzalco municipal government, located in the northwest section of Mexico City, Mexico. Luis chose this site as it was the location used by the Sinaloa Cartel when they wanted to ‘influence’ the Mexican government. The town was loyal to the cartel who provided supplies, labor, and housing when needed. After a handshake and hug, Zayden and Luis began discussing the true purpose of the meeting. Zayden spent the next hour telling Luis his plan and why the United States needed to be taught a lesson.
Luis interrupted and stopped Zayden. He placed his hands on his shoulder and explained, “Zayden, you and I have been brothers my entire life. I would sacrifice my life for you if I had to. I would do anything for you. You don’t owe me an explanation but since we’re talking about it let me share my thoughts. I agree with everything you say. To make matters worse, the United States has done nothing to support Mexico other than spew threats and acts of aggression. We do their menial work for them. We pick lettuce, collect their garbage, clean their offices. They see us as an inferior race, a third world country whose sole purpose is cheap labor. We’re the next door neighbor nobody wants. I will help you any way I can,” Luis concluded.
Zayden smiled and quietly said, “Real world physical destruction caused by a virus. That’s what we need Luis.”
As they began to design the virus they had to make sure they understood how it would be deployed, the effects they hoped it would have, and how it would remain undetectable and complicated to decipher. It had to be invisible to software virus companies such as Norton®, McAfee®, and Kaspersky®. They further agreed that a zero-day exploit would be used. As a matter of fact, up to six zero-day exploits would be incorporated into their code. They liked the fact that zero-day exploits occur on the same day a weakness is discovered in software. In other words, they would introduce a virus before a fix becomes available. This was the ultimate project. They both understood that zero-day exploits were extremely rare and instead of creating them from scratch they would have to turn to the black market and incorporate the help of other countries.
As they continued to explore the design of the virus Zayden asked Luis, “Should we put in a kill date? A date to stop the attack?”
Luis responded, “You want to end the United States as we know it. Let it happen in its own time, not our time. No kill date!”
The biggest challenge Zayden and Luis discovered was how they would cross the ‘air gap.’
“In geek talk,” Luis explained. “Computers that run sensitive, highly secure programs have their own network. They’re not tied nor do they have access to any outside network. Take a nuclear power plant for example. None of those computers will have access to the outside world. They can only talk to systems and computers within the nuclear facility. To infect those systems, it would require a physical means, USB drive or something similar, to introduce the virus. We can’t simply hack into their systems and upload the virus unless we have access to their network. Technically, we don’t need access. We need to know someone who has access and utilize them. For example, let’s say a utility company uses a local computer company to help program or update their PLCs. We need to introduce the virus to the local computer company asset, i.e. computer, who will then, in turn, introduce it to the utility company.”
“Understood,” Zayden said and continued. “The virus solves one part of the problem but it doesn’t prevent cars, semi-trucks, generators, or other things that are not tied to the grid from running. That’s when we can truly expect the end of the United States. Imagine, no fuel, no food, no medical supplies, no access to money, no water, no deliveries. Everything those pukes are used to, not available,” Zayden said with a smile.
Luis responded, “I’m one step ahead of you, Zayden. In addition to the virus, we need to create a manmade EMP as insurance that their world is forever changed. Zayden, have you heard of a Marx generator?”
“No,” he responded.
Luis looked down and showed Zayden a YouTube® video of a Marx generator before explaining, “Its purpose is to generate a high-voltage pulse from a low-voltage DC supply.
Marx generators are used in high-energy physics experiments, as well as to simulate the effects of lightning on power line gear and aviation equipment.”
“So?” Zayden blurted.
“The government has a number of these generators across the United States,” Luis said. “The biggest being at Sandia National Laboratories. The government claims the generators are only used to test government equipment against EMPs but my source in Iran says it can create a manmade EMP unlike anything ever seen. It was created to disable Russia’s infrastructure during the Cold War. The US government never shut it down but instead continued to invest and upgrade the generator with new, more effective technology.”
Zayden was very excited when he interrupted Luis and interjected. “So you’re saying we’re going to use the government’s own equipment against itself. The US government will bring down the entire country and not even realize it.”
“That’s the plan,” Luis exclaimed. “We also need to introduce software into the HAARP mainframe and take control of it.”
“HAARP. That’s the government research facility in Alaska, right?” Zayden asked.
“Yeah,” Luis affirmed. “It’s another one of those programs the government has lied to its citizens about. HAARP is the world’s most capable high-power, high-frequency transmitter that the government claims is being used to study the ionosphere. The reality is that HAARP is a high-power transmitter facility operating in the high-frequency range used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere. This, in turn, can generate a highly controlled EMP. Simply put, Zayden, we tell HAARP to create an EMP which destroys the grid on the West Coast and we use the Marx generator at Sandia National Lab in New Mexico to destroy the power grid on the east coast! With my network of contacts throughout the world, I’m highly confident we can unite on a plan and enlist the help of resources in Iran, Iraq, Russia, China, Cuba, Mexico, and yes, even in the United States!”
11
Forever Changed
AS OZ WRAPPED UP HIS SEMINAR ENTITLED ‘PREPPING 101’ HE told the participants, “In closing, we’ll end with where we started the seminar. We prepare because we don’t know when a Stuff Hits the Fan (SHTF) event will occur, how long it will last, or the impact it will have on our family or society. Being prepared prevents us from becoming victims to the ‘Rule of Threes.’ Remember what they are?”
Several seminar participants raised their hands. Oz called on them and they said, “You can only live three seconds without the desire to live, three minutes without air, three hours without shelter or fire, three days without water, three weeks without food, and three months without hope for the future.”
“Absolutely correct and thank you for your time and support and may God bless each one of you,” Oz stated.
Oz stopped for a moment as he watched the crowd leave and reflected on how he had arrived at this time and place teaching the obscure subject of ‘prepping.’
“It will be eighteen years since that terrible day. September 11, 2001,” he thought to himself as he came out of his trance. “It’s hard to believe that’s why I’m here today” he sighed.
His mind immediately switched to one of concern for his family. For the last eighteen years his wife and three kids had grown up in a household where prepping was practiced yet they themselves never really participated or practiced it themselves. Nicki fully supported him when he wanted to buy bulk food or buy 250 pounds of AA and AAA batteries, but she was not involved in the hands-on portion of prepping. She and the kids didn’t see the urgency, need, or purpose of having so much ‘stuff.’ Oz simply accepted this fact and continued to store the essentials and develop his skills. He prayed that he would never need to use his supplies or skills and was even more concerned that if he did, how would the family fare given their lack of participation and skill building.
Seminars were something Oz did on the weekends several times a month, but his full-time job was working as General Manager for a chemical plant. Oz worked for a great employer and he absolutely enjoyed his team.
“They truly are the best team,” he noted when his computer began acting funny. He quickly glanced at the clock that read 2:30 p.m. when he first noticed the fan on his laptop was making a high-pitched whining noise almost like a small jet engine. The fan soon quieted. He immediately noticed a burning smell coming from his laptop. As he released the laptop from its cradle he felt the back of the laptop. It was extremely hot. As he continued to hold the laptop it became hotter and hotter and eventually caught on fire. The plastic casing burned with a distinguishable black smoke and produced a terrible smell.
“What the . . .” Oz thought.
He had seen lithium batteries catch on fire before and destroy equipment, but it had never happened to him.
“Was this caused by the batteries? Why did the fan whine and then suddenly quit?” He questioned himself.
Before he could answer his own question his monitor and printer produced the same black smoke and smell but without the fire. Oz immediately stood up in his chair and headed down the hall to grab the fire extinguisher. As he turned into the hall he was shocked to see black smoke and the very noticeable burning smell coming from all the offices. Not only were computers, monitors, and printers being destroyed, but so were UPS power backups, USB connected devices, and computer connected phones. It seemed like anything that was connected to the internet was self-destructing.
Without hesitating, Oz walked to the factory floor to see if they were experiencing the same thing. As he opened the door to the factory floor he saw his teammates with fire extinguishers in hand putting out fires. Every piece of equipment on the factory floor had either quit or was on fire. Oz immediately grabbed Jake, his Operations Manager, and told him to call 911 and explain the situation.
“Tell them that we have small localized fires and the concern is that they could spread to the main building structure. Tell them it appears to be an EMP . . .”
Oz stopped short of finishing the sentence. Really, was he going to tell emergency services that an EMP had just hit his plant? Yes, it’s something he studied for the last eighteen years but he had only read about it. He knew what to look for, but would they think he’s crazy? After all, it’s probably just a power surge.
“A large power surge! You can’t question what you’re seeing. You must react. Don’t be one of the sheeple,” he said to himself.
Oz then looked Jake square in the eyes and finished his sentence, “Tell them it appears an EMP has hit the plant.”
“You mean a power surge don’t you boss?” Jake said with confusion.
“No. I mean an EMP. I’ll explain later. Get on the phone now,” Oz finished.
As Jake turned away to make the call Oz continued to survey the damage. He could see his Emergency Response Team in action putting out fires. He could see the confused look on their faces as they quickly extinguished the fires.
Within seconds Jake returned with a look of concern and stated, “Oz, I’ve tried ten different times to call 911 but with no luck. Each time I call I get nothing. It’s like it won’t dial out.”
“Let me try,” Oz stated.
Oz pulled his phone from his pocket and noticed that everything looked fine. The phone and screen lit up just as it should. All the phone icons were in the right place. Every screen appeared as it had the last time he used it. Oz dialed 911 and pushed the call button. Nothing. He repeated the process two more times with the same result; nothing. Oz then rebooted his phone and dialed 911. Nothing.
“Jake!” Oz shouted. “Get in your truck and drive to the fire station. Tell them what’s happening and to hurry.”
Jake turned and ran to the parking lot, jumped into his truck and drove away. Oz then turned and walked to the main office area he had just left to survey the damage and make sure everyone was safe. He looked around and his team was accounted for. He returned to the plant floor to make sure all
teammates were accounted for. They were. Oz told the team to unplug all equipment from any outlet and make sure all computers connected to Ethernet ports were disconnected as well. With the plant secure and all employees accounted for and safe, Oz returned to his office and slowly sat down in his chair. He closed his eyes. After several seconds he opened his eyes and was staring at a melted laptop that absolutely smelled. He had that tingly feeling inside that yelled: “Go home!”
Fifteen minutes later Jake ran into his office and exclaimed “Oz, the fire department says we’re on our own. A low priority. They’ve lost all communication. They’re unable to make contact with anybody; police, ambulance, Department of Transportation. Nobody. They have no idea where to begin. I drove by the police station and it’s the same. Officers were standing in the parking talking; almost like they, too, didn’t know what to do.”
Everything he had prepared for, everything he taught and told others what to look for had just happened. Oz knew what he needed to do; he needed to react, but he couldn’t, not at that moment. He was paralyzed and then he thought of his family. He quickly snapped out of his daze as he noticed the lights slowly dimming. As he looked around his office the emergency exit signs were doing the same thing. The lights would go dim then bright, dim then bright and then nothing. No lights, no emergency exits glowing, no computer lights blinking, nothing. Only silence. He walked into the hallway and saw nothing. The power was completely out.
He heard the voices of his teammates and by the tone in their voices knew they were confused and scared. Within seconds he could see faces peering from the office entrances. Despair, that’s what he saw on the faces staring back at him.
The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 1): 458 Miles & 24 Days Page 6
