The Dark Web: The stunning new thriller from the author of The Angolan Clan (African Diamonds Book 3)

by Christopher Lowery

  ‘These young people often start hacking, not because they are criminals or want to do any real damage, but just because they can, just for the thrill of doing it. It’s their way of proving something to themselves. Proving that they have worth, that they can beat the system, the system that they often feel has let them down. So they group together and they become a clever, multi-functional group of, for want of a better term, ‘Cyber Terrorists’. Then, several years ago the situation worsened, because now they can go around with a mobile device in their hands and no one can check what they are doing. Communication is becoming more and more anonymous, from one handheld device to another over an Internet transmission spectrum and into a global Cloud that we can’t control or even see.’

  The US map came back up, showing the buildings, the open boxes and the red Internet connections running in and out of the Cloud in every direction. A young girl and boy were communicating with tablets from either side of the screen. Yellow lines snaked out into the nearest boxes, then progressively through the others.

  ‘As I just said, most of these youngsters mean no harm, they’re just showing off, opening up boxes to prove how clever they are. However…’ He pressed his monitor again.

  The image of the girl morphed into that of a bank robber wearing a mask.

  Then it morphed again into a robed Jihadist.

  ‘Over the Internet you can insert any image you want in the mind of the other person. Now this robber or terrorist has got a tech-savvy kid to open doors for him. Not for the thrill of it, but for criminal or murderous intent. Or a naïve, vulnerable kid he can convert to some nefarious cause without him even realising who he’s communicating with. You don’t have to be a technical genius to use the Internet for criminal purposes. You don’t even have to employ one. You just have to find one and play the game. Let them do the work then plan the result you want, financial, political, murderous, whatever is your objective. Thousands of these amateur hackers are out there, and it’s not difficult to link up with them.’

  Two newspaper headlines from the New York Times came up on the screen: ‘Hackers Could Cripple West, Says US General’; ‘Nuclear Sites in 20 Nations Seen Open to Cyber-Attack’.

  Dr Middleton removed his spectacles and looked wearily at the camera. ‘We believe it’s only a matter of time before a coordinated cyber-attack occurs. A massive, multi-pronged attack which could cripple government, defence, financial, energy, communications and who knows what other possible targets. Imagine the chaos which would ensue. The financial and human damage could be greater than a military war. Because that’s what we are looking at, a cyberwar, caused either by accident or by design, and if we are to avoid it, we must take urgent and effective action now, while we still have time. Thank you for your attention.’ He stepped back from the camera and sat down.

  EIGHT

  San Diego, California, USA

  April 2017

  General Chillicott stood at the screen again, looking sternly at his audience. ‘It’s time for some plain speaking now, and I guess some folk won’t be too pleased with what I have to say. We all know the number of cyber-crimes and attacks is growing exponentially; that terrorist entities and perversion thrive on access to the Dark Internet; that the new threats we’ve outlined will worsen until the situation reaches breaking point.

  ‘Then there’s the “elephant in the room” that no one wants to discuss. The hacking and publication of government and public records by traitors like Snowden, Assange and other well-organised groups. And along with the release of hacked genuine information, we’ve now got all the misinformation that hits the Internet every day, deliberately intended to make people confused and suspicious of respectable organisations and people that are being slandered without cause. This hacking and fake news outbreak is just the tip of the iceberg, it’s going to get bigger and bigger.’

  He counted on his fingers. ‘The White House, the Democratic Party, the Joint Chiefs, the Bundestag, TV5 Monde, UK political parties. They’ve all been hacked in the last couple of years, and sensitive information published to destabilise governments and undermine public institutions, elections, and so on. And the governments of Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania and other Eastern European countries have suffered sustained cyber-attacks on their administrative and military network infrastructures. We’ve just uncovered attacks and misinformation campaigns carried out in France, Germany, Bulgaria and Sweden. The Brexit referendum was surrounded by millions of fake social media posts which probably influenced the outcome of that vote. And during our elections last year, we saw a build-up of hacking of US election targets, both Democrat and Republican, and it seems highly likely that the election campaign and results might have been prejudiced. But I can’t comment further on that.’ He gave a cynical smile.

  ‘The crazy thing is, we know who’s mainly responsible and we’re doing nothing about it. You’ve heard the names of some of these hackers: Guccifer 2.0, Fancy Bear, Cozy Bear. Well, all our leading cybersecurity firms, from ThreatConnect to Fidelis, have traced them all back to the same source, but no one wants to say it out loud. So, I’m going to say it for you. We’ve got beyond reasonable proof that these attacks were organised by cybercriminals working for GRU, the Russian Federation’s military intelligence agency. The objective couldn’t be more obvious. It’s the destabilisation of the Western Alliance, the breakdown of NATO and ultimately the resurgence of the Soviet Union as the leading world power. And this is happening now, under our noses, and we’re allowing it to happen and ignoring the devastating consequences that will ensue if we don’t take urgent action right now, today.’

  There was a lot of shuffling of feet and rustling of papers, some quiet mouth-to-ear comments in the room, but no one interrupted Chillicott.

  ‘Let me get to the point of this whole roadshow.’ A new slide came up, titled:

  EXTRACT FROM UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL INTERNET GOVERNANCE REPORT.

  Underneath this heading the screen was blank, apart from one phrase:

  UP UNTIL NOW, NO RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING CYBER SECURITY ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY THE UNSC.

  ‘Despite all the dangers the world’s facing because of the Internet, the Cloud and cyber-warfare, I’ve gotta tell you that up until now the UN Security Council has taken no effective action to avoid or mitigate a potential catastrophe. Over ten years ago, the Secretary General convened an Internet Governance Forum. That was the first time the UN showed any acknowledgement of the potential dangers we’ve described today. But since then, absolutely no progress has been made. None! What little work has been carried out for monitoring the Internet and the prevention of cyber-attacks has been made by individual entities and member states on their own initiative, like us at Homeland Security and at NATO, not by the UN as a body. And it’s no good appealing to the companies that control the Internet: Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, these companies know exactly what’s going on, but all they’re concerned with is getting more customers and making bigger profits. It’s a vicious circle, and somebody’s got to break it at the highest level, or it will never change.

  ‘Dr Middleton and me, we’ve had two sessions just like this one with the UN Security Council in New York, and what’s the result? Zilch! Under the UN Charter, member states are obliged to accept and carry out the decisions of the UNSC. That means they can force governments to implement a cyber security plan. Some kind of plan. Any kind of plan. And they can tie a budget to that plan, a budget that has to be met by all concerned. But right now, there’s no plan and there’s no budget. In the face of all the dangers we’ve outlined, and the daily evidence that these dangers are not virtual, but are real and deadly, we think it’s high time the UNSC took some concrete steps to define a cyber security programme and a budget to get it agreed and implemented by the governments of the world, before it’s too late.’

  Chillicott looked around the room. It was silent, and every eye was upon him. ‘I’m asking you all, here and now, to help us to get something done!
The leaflet you’ll find on the table as you leave explains our plan for a cyber security programme. We’re asking for your support; please read the leaflet and subscribe to our website, in your own names and those of your companies. It’s called cybersecurityawareness.com. It’s part of our public information programme, and we want to use it as a platform to make the UNSC finally get off its ass and do something concrete. Please write, personally or on behalf of your company, to your local senator’s office, or directly to the UN or UNCS, anywhere you can, to make a noise and help us to get something done about this imminent threat. We’re also looking for people, high-level technical and admin employees to help in defending the US against these attacks, as well as volunteers to spread the message through the website and other measures.

  ‘Thanks for coming here today and listening. Dr Middleton and I will take questions now.’ He sat at the desk and poured himself a glass of water, and the silence in the room became a babble of sound as people switched their phones back on and started talking, texting and tweeting. Hugh Middleton’s voice came over his earpiece. ‘Rather impressive, Billy,’ he said. ‘Let’s see if they got the message.’

  When Leo took out his mobile, he saw he’d missed three calls from a number with a 971 country code. There was also a text message, Please call this number urgently. Thanks. He had no idea where the calls had come from, but it would have to wait. He wanted to listen to the Q&A session, it promised to be controversial. He put the phone back in his pocket to make the call later.

  A hand went up in the audience and Chillicott got up again. ‘Hi there. What’s your name, position and question please?’

  Before the invitee could answer, everyone looked in Leo’s direction as his phone rang out loudly. It was the same 971 number. He stood up, all six-foot-four of him, trying not to look too concerned. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I’d better take this call, it seems to be urgent. Do I have your permission?’

  ‘Go ahead, kid. Good luck.’

  ‘Just a moment please,’ he said into the phone and walked quickly towards the door, ignoring the curious glances around him, his heart suddenly in his mouth. Something must have happened to my mum, she’s sick or had an accident.’

  He went into the corridor. ‘This is Leo Stewart. What is it?’

  Leo was sitting with a Coke in the café/bar when General Chillicott walked in. He ordered a drink then, recognising him, he brought his glass over and sat beside him.

  ‘Leo Stewart. I saw from the attendee list you’re a programme development manager with M2M. Pretty damn good at your age. Congratulations.’ He toasted him with his glass.

  ‘Thanks, General. And I’m sorry about the interruption. I had to take the call, so I thought it best to leave.’

  ‘Well, I hope it was more important and fruitful than my appeals for help with those idle sons of bitches at the UNSC.’ He appraised Leo with a cynical, querulous eye.

  ‘It wasn’t life or death, but it was a pretty cool phone call.’

  ‘You want to tell me about it?’

  ‘I’m still a bit in shock, actually. And I don’t want to take up your time.’

  ‘After that question and answer session, I need at least two whiskies and then some supper. We’ve got plenty of time if you’d like to talk.’

  ‘Was it that bad?’

  ‘Let’s just say I’d rather listen to your news ‘til I calm down.’

  ‘OK. I need to get my head around it, so here goes.’ He took a swallow of Coke. ‘It was kind of surreal. I answer the phone and a woman puts me through to some guy I don’t know, and he starts talking to me like we’ve been friends forever. I’m like, who the hell is this? He’s reviewing my school results in the UK, my time at UCLA, my finals, my internship with M2M, some news items about me, very embarrassing actually, and my work with them since I joined. He goes on for about five minutes. Finally, he takes a breath and I say, “Who is this calling?”’

  Chillicott laughed uproariously. ‘What a start to a conversation. Everything ass-backwards. What did he say?’

  ‘Turned out the woman hadn’t told him I didn’t know who was calling, and he thought I’d be prepared.’

  ‘Prepared for what?’

  ‘He quizzed me for fifteen minutes then offered me a fucking fantastic job! Sorry, sir, but he’d never even met me before and offered to make me a Senior VP over the phone. I’m still in shock.’

  ‘Now we’re going ass-first. Who the hell is this guy, and what’s the job?’

  Leo stood up. ‘I’m going to get a beer. You want another whisky?’

  He returned from the bar and the two men toasted each other. Leo was beginning to like the bluff, outspoken army man, and the feeling was mutual. He continued with his narrative. ‘The guy is called Tom Connor, and he’s CEO of XPlus Circuits in Dubai.’

  ‘That’s the subsidiary of the Chinese outfit, isn’t it?’ Chillicott looked thoughtful.

  ‘Right. Very strong competitor, well established in both conventional assets and IoT. I hear they’ve got huge funding.’

  ‘And he wants you to be one of his Senior VPs? The whole business?’

  ‘Only the microprocessor development division, there’s another SVP running the network and support services, but it’s still a massive task and it’s what I’m best at. And they’ve got what could be the most valuable asset in the industry, if they develop it right.’

  ‘The new encryption system?’

  ‘ACRE, that’s right. It’s unbelievable. It’s a goldmine waiting to be dug out, and I could be a part of the mining team. It’s an awesome offer and if I told you the salary, you’d shoot me and take the job yourself.’

  Chillicott gave another huge roar of laughter. He opened his coat. ‘See? I’m not carrying. So, they want you that bad, eh? What happened to the previous guy?’

  ‘Connor told me there was an accident and one of their team leaders died of food poisoning. They have to get a replacement in asap.’

  The general sat thinking for a moment. ‘Why was it so urgent he had to yank you out of a conference? He could have called back, nothing’s that urgent.’

  ‘He told me they’ve got a September 1st launch date for their new products, and they need someone right away. They’ve done their homework. He knew my contract with M2M is up for renewal this week, and M2M has already signed it, but I haven’t yet.’

  ‘How did he find that out?’

  ‘I have no idea, and that’s what’s weird. There’s a lot of things here that I can’t figure. He made me a firm offer, only it’s subject to me flying there this weekend to meet him on Monday. Seems like he’s trying to rush me into a decision, and I don’t like being pushed around. Even for an offer like this.’

  ‘He wants you to drop the M2M contract and ship over to Dubai asap?’

  ‘If the interview is OK, I have to answer next week and be ready to start in two weeks. I’m not so worried about M2M, they’ve got a lot of smart guys queuing up for my job. But if I let the guy push me around now, it’ll only get worse, and no job is worth that kind of hassle.’

  Chillicott looked at his watch. ‘It’s almost seven. If you don’t have anything better to do, why don’t we go along to the brasserie and have a bite? We can talk about this some more if you’d like.’

  Leo was staying at the hotel and knew no one in San Diego. He didn’t hesitate. ‘Thanks, General, sounds great. I’ll give my mother a call first. It’s eleven in the morning in the UK, I know she’ll be at home, writing.’

  They finished their drinks and walked out of the bar, an incongruous pair: a disillusioned sixty-four-year-old, battle-hardened, four-star US Air Force General and a bright, optimistic and ambitious Rwandan man just twenty-three years old.

  NINE

  Durham, England

  April 2017

  ‘That’s incredible news. Well done darling. I’m so proud of you.’ Emma Stewart hadn’t heard from her son for a week, and here he was announcing a fabulous job offer over the phone. Then she ad
ded nervously, ‘Are you sure you want to move to the Middle East?’

  ‘I haven’t really had time to think about it, Mum. It came out of the blue, and they want me to go there this weekend and give them an answer next week so I can start in May.’ He explained the reason for the rush and heard her draw a quick breath.

  ‘How sad. Do they know how it happened?’

  ‘Tom Connor told me the verdict was accidental death, so I guess they don’t really know. Anyway, I suppose things like that happen, it has nothing to do with the job offer.’

  ‘You don’t sound convinced about it. What is it?’

  ‘It’s all the urgency around it. The guy calls me out of a conference, offers me a really senior job, and wants me to start in three weeks. It’s just not normal.’

  ‘Is it a very big company?’

  ‘The Chinese parent is enormous, but the Dubai business is just at the point where someone could do really well if they get on board now. They’re growing fast, and they’ve got a fabulous product and loads of cash to fund them.’

  ‘You need to sleep on it. Things are always clearer in the morning.’

  Leo smiled. He loved it when his mother came out with these old-fashioned sayings, as if he didn’t know how a good night’s sleep could help. He said, ‘You’re right, as usual, Mum. I’ll sleep on it and call you when I’ve thought about it properly.’

  San Diego, California, USA

  General Chillicott was sitting at a table for six by the window, with another glass of whisky in front of him. The restaurant was almost full, but apparently no one had plucked up the courage to invade his space. Leo sat opposite him so the table would appear more occupied.