Terminal Compromise by Winn Schwartau (my reading book .txt) 📖

ADMITTED TO

HAVE DONE IT, SO I ADDED MY TWO CENTS AND SAID I DID IT. I

THOUGHT IT MIGHT ADD TO THE CONFUSION.

Apparently it did.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Let’s say I had something to hide, and let’s even say I was First

State.

SO

So, a bunch of people claim to have wrecked havoc on a computer.

What easier way to cover all the possible bases than to threaten

them all.

YOU MEAN EVERYONE WHO ADMITTED IT? OR CLAIMED IT?

Right. Get to them all.

BUT HOW WOULD FIRST STATE KNOW ABOUT IT?

I’m not saying they did. Do you know any of the others who

claimed responsibility?

NOT PERSONALLY. ONLY ONE GUY NAMED DA VINCI I’VE TALKED TO.

Can you call him?

SURE, HE’S ON FREEDOM ALL THE TIME.

Don’t use Freedom. Is there any other way to contact him? On

another BBS?

IT WOULDN’T BE HARD TO FIND OUT, BUT WHY NOT FREEDOM?

Look. This BBS may be the only link between the First State hack

you and I were in on, by the way, did you use my name?

DIDN’T NEED TO. YOU WROTE THE ARTICLE. YOU’RE GETTING VERY WELL

KNOWN.

Thanks for the warning. HA! At any rate, you check it out with

this Da Vinci character and once you know, just call me at the

office, and say something like, the Mona Lisa frowned. That

means he got a message similar to yours. If the Mona Lisa

smiles, then we can figure out something else. OK?

SURE. HEY, QUESTION.

Answer.

SERIOUSLY.

I’m serious.

WHAT DO YOU THINK’S GOING ON? YOU BELIEVE IT’S HACKERS, DON’T

YOU?

bLet me ask you a question. How many surrealistic painters does

it take to screw in a lightbulb?

I GIVE. HOW MANY

A fish.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

That’s the point. Neither do I. Yet. But you can help. Accord-

ing to what you’re saying, there may be some weirdness with

Freedom. What do you recommend so I can dig a little deeper?

Into the whole cult of hacking. And don’t worry. I don’t hang

sources. Besides, I think we may need each other.

HOW DO YOU MEAN?

I think you should talk to the authorities.

NO WAY

Wait. I have a friend, ex-friend, who knows about this kind of

thing, at least a little, and he might be of some help to you. I

just don’t think it should go unreported. Would you talk to him?

LIVE OR MEMOREX?

He probably would want a face to face, but I can’t say for sure.

FORGET IT. BUT I CAN HELP YOU WITH MORE SOURCES. AT LEAST I CAN

TELL YOU WHERE TO GO.

So can a lot of people.

REALLY. NEXT WEEK, THERE’S A CONVENTION OF SORTS FOR HACKERS.

A convention?

WELL, IT’S MORE LIKE AN UNDERGROUND MEETING, A LARGE ONE. WHERE

HACKERS FROM ALL OVER GET TOGETHER AND COMPARE NOTES. IT’S A

GREAT DEAL OF FUN, AND FOR YOU, MIGHT BE A SOURCE OF LEADS.

GENERALLY SPEAKING OF COURSE. YOU CAN’T BE A BULL IN A CHINA

SHOP.

In other words, reporters are taboo.

KIND OF. YOU’LL NEED AN INVITATION, I CAN PROBABLY SWING THAT.

BEYOND THAT, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. IT’S A VERY PRIVATE CLUB.

Where is this meeting?

IN AMSTERDAM.

Holland?

YUP.

Why there?

SIN CITY IS AS GOOD FOR HACKERS AS IT IS FOR DRUGS AND SEX. SO

I’M TOLD. HA HA. THE POLICE DON’T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU DO.

What goes on?

BESIDES THE USUAL AMSTERDAM ANTICS? A COUPLE OF HUNDRED OF THE

BEST HACKERS IN THE WORLD SHOW UP TO OSTENSIBLY SET CODES OF

ETHICS FOR THEMSELVES, JUST LIKE FREEDOM DOES. IN REALITY,

THOUGH, WE STROKE OUR EGOS AND PARADE AROUND WITH OUR LATEST

CLAIMS TO FAME AND INVASIONS OF COMPUTERS. WAR STORIES OF THE

PREVIOUS YEAR. NEW CRACKING AND HACKING TECHNIQUES ARE SHARED,

PEOPLE LIE TO EACH OTHER ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AND TALK ABOUT

WHAT THEY WILL ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT YEAR. PROGRAMASTERBATION.

Some name. Is that really what they call it?

NAH, JUST A TERM WE USE. I WENT LAST YEAR AND HAD A BALL, LITER-

ALLY. IN FACT, THAT’S WHERE I LEARNED HOW TO GET INTO FIRST

STATE. IT WAS SECOND RATE INFORMATION, FIRST STATE IS NOT EXACT-

LY YOUR HIGH PROFILE BANK TO CRACK.

Understood. How do I get in, what’s it called?

IT’S CALLED THE INTERGALACTIC HACKERS CONFERENCE, I-HACK FOR

SHORT. ONLY THE BEST GET TO GO.

You’re kidding. So what do you do to get me in?

I CALL YOU AGAIN. LEAVE YOUR BOX ON. I’LL GET YOU AN INVITE.

That’s great, I really appreciate that. Will you be there?

NOT THIS YEAR. CAN’T SPARE THE TIME. DON’T ACT LIKE A REPORTER.

PARANOIA RUNS RAMPANT.

Will anyone talk to me, as a reporter?

THAT’S UP TO YOU. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND SHOW SYMPATHY FOR

THEIR ACTIVITIES. IF YOU’RE LUCKY YOU’LL MEET THE RIGHT PERSON

WHO CAN GIVE YOU A HANDS ON CRACKING LESSON. FAIR ENOUGH?

Again, thanks. I’ll expect your call. And, I’ll let you know

what my Fed-Friend says about your problem.

TA.

<<<<<>>>>> Tuesday, December 8 Vienna, Austria

Vienna is not only the geographic center of Europe – for 45 years

it has been the geopolitical center as well. A neutral country,

as is Switzerland, it contains the highest concentration of KGB

and CIA operatives in the world. Perhaps that is why Martin

Templer chose to meet Alex Spiradon there a week after his meet-

ing with Tyrone Duncan at P Street.

Situated by the Danube of Strauss fame, Vienna, Austria is an odd

mixture of the old, the very old and nouveau European high tech.

Downtown Vienna is small, a semi-circle of cobblestone streets

and brash illuminated billboards at every juncture.

Templer contacted Alex through intermediaries stationed in Zu-

rich. The agreed upon location was the third bench from St.

Stephen’s Cathedral on the Stephansplatz, where Vienna’s main

street, Karntnerstrasse-Rotenturmstrasse changes names. No

traffic is allowed on the square, on Kartnerstrasse or on Graben-

strasse, so it is always packed with shoppers, tourists and

street musicians. Ideal for a discreet meeting.

“Have you ever seen Vienna from Old Steffel?” A deep voice came

from behind where Martin was seated. He looked around and saw

it was Alex.

“Many years ago. But I prefer the Prater.” He spoke of the

fairgrounds 2 kilometers from town where the world’s oldest

Ferris Wheel offered an unparalleled view of the Viennese sur-

rounds. Templer smiled at his old ally from the German Bunde-

poste. Today though, Alex was an asset to the Agency, as he had

been since he had gone freelance some years ago. An expensive

asset, but always with quality information.

“Did you know that St. Stephen’s,” Alex gestured at the pollu-

tion stained church, “is one of the finest examples of Gothic

architecture in Europe? And Vienna’s paradox?”

Templer had never been a history buff. He shook his head.

“Most of Vienna is Baroque, in fine fashion, but there are iso-

lated examples of Gothic. Yet, they seem to coexist. In peace.”

Alex’s poetic words rolled off of his well educated tongue. The

allegory was not lost on Templer. Western and Eastern intelli-

gence services used Vienna as a no-man’s land, where information

and people were regularly exchanged.

“It is a new world,” commented Templer. “The threats are differ-

ent.”

Alex took the hint. “Let us walk,” he urged.

They slowly strolled up the Kartnerstrasse as the Austrian night-

life took on its own distinct flavor.

“How long has it been, my friend?” Alex casually asked. He

disliked rushing into business, the way the Americans favored.

“Damned if I know. 4, 5, 6 years? Too long. We’ve had some

good times.”

“‘85, ‘86 was it? So much travel blurs the senses.” Alex wrin-

kled his forehead in thought. “Wasn’t it the Pelton affair?

Yes, that would be summer of ‘85.” He referred to Ron Pelton,

the ex-NSA analyst who sold American cryptographic secrets to

the Soviets.

“Yeah,” Templer laughed. “That poor jerk. I’d forgotten all

about that. Never would have caught on to the scam if it weren’t

for Slovnov. The KGB should tell their own to stay out of the

Moulin Rouge. Not good for business. Ivan had to trade Slovnov

for Pelton. We didn’t find out for a year that they wanted

Pelton out anyway. He was too fucked up for them.”

“And now? Who do you spy on since Sam and Ivan are brothers

again?” Alex openly enjoyed speaking obliquely.

“Spy? Ha!” Templer shook his head. “I got pushed upstairs.

Interagency cooperation, political bullshit. I do miss the

streets though, and the friends . . .on both sides.”

“Don’t you mean on all sides?” Cocktail semantics made Alex

occasionally annoying.

“No, I mean both. At least we had class; we knew the rules and

how to play. Now every third rate country tries to stick their

nose in and they screw it up. One big mess.” Templer had been a

staunch