He might have been chintzy with his chips, but Wourzy lacked no confidence in his opinions. In fact, Lana would have bet that he was pleased to be back in the game.
“I find it interesting,” Admiral Deming said, raking his gray hair back as he had during yesterday’s videoconference, “that this attack was launched on the eve of our meeting to discuss Magic Dragon and the Chinese. Are we just looking at it as a coincidence that a new Chinese hacker unit has been identified and, ‘Oh by the way, there’s an unprecedented attack on a nuclear submarine’?”
“Are you suggesting that they know that we know and that this is payback for their exposure?” Tenon asked the admiral, with another tug on his beard.
“It’s possible,” the admiral said.
McGivern was their acknowledged China expert, so when she promptly placed her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers, everyone looked at her.
“The Chinese are far too invested in the status quo to make this kind of high-stakes move. What’s in it for them? They’re ill prepared, by all accounts, to take over Arctic drilling and shipping, if that’s the end game to what we’re now seeing. Nor does this seem remotely like the Chinese state’s typical MO.”
“I suppose,” Tenon said, “they could be Chinese hackers operating without Beijing’s approval, or with only the tacit approval of an arm of their intelligence service. China’s suffering devastating droughts in the north and south and have millions of acres of farmland lying fallow. It’s so bad they’re starting to get some religion on climate change.”
Unlikely, thought Lana. To what end?
“Are you suggesting,” McGivern asked, “that the Chinese might be adopting the Russian model, letting so-called ‘patriotic citizens’ do the dirty business of hacking opponents? Building deniability into the plan? Because if you are, let me point out a big difference between the Chinese and the Russians. The Chinese have substantial control of Internet access in their country. They can put up their ‘Great Firewall’ not only to censor outbound connections, but block inbound connections and effectively isolate themselves from most of the rest of the world. The Russians would find it impossible to match that kind of control. The Internet in Russia is almost as much of a food fight as it is here. Moreover, it is still Chinese state policy to grow the economy, not stifle it. They would take a dim view of any of their citizens, or an arm of their intelligence service, hacking and commandeering a U.S. submarine to stymie oil and gas development that would benefit them.” She shook her head, wrapped a wave of gray hair behind her ear, and concluded: “Not the Chinese, and not Chinese renegades. As for Magic Dragon,” she turned her attention to Admiral Deming, “that is a Chinese Army unit, not some rogue outfit.”
Lana liked McGivern; she gave no quarter to anyone, regardless of rank. Perhaps that was a perk of wanting to retire and being implored to hang around.
“I think Teresa has brought up an interesting point about the Russians,” Lana said. “But it’s nearly impossible to fathom that any government would sanction this kind of action.” Tenon started to speak but she rode over him: “Yes, I know that there are cyberunits in many countries now, and a lot of them hate us, but would any of them risk life and limb to do something like this? Even jihadists like to pick with care their time and place to fight. Plus the Russians already control about half the oil and gas interests in the Arctic, so why would their leadership countenance such a move?”
“Only if they knew that it didn’t affect them,” Admiral Wourzy said. “If they were in league with the hackers from the very beginning.”
“Okay,” Lana said, “but whoever the hackers are they must have some consequence in mind, some punishment in store, when the Arctic nations refuse to pull up stakes. This is clearly not an academic exercise. The planning for this must have taken years. That’s the only reason the Russians would play this hand. So I’d suggest we start thinking very hard about what these hackers can do with their missiles that would have minimum impact on Russia, and maximum impact on the rest of the world. Otherwise, we should start looking elsewhere.”
“Noted,” said Holmes. “Any ideas?” He looked around the table. “Anyone?”
When no one spoke up, Holmes resumed: “Then there’s another question: Why are they quiet? Whoever they are, they’re sitting on a propaganda coup of staggering proportions.”
“They won’t be quiet for long,” McGivern replied. “First, we’ll see that horrible video on every screen in the world; then we’ll hear their threats.”
Wourzy nodded. “You can bet on that.”
“Well,” Lana said, “they are hackers first and foremost. Don’t be surprised if they hijack CNN and FOX and every other media outlet.”
“That’s what happened last year,” Tenon reminded everyone unnecessarily.
“They’re holding all the cards,” Wourzy said. “And in a very real sense they’re forcing our hand. If we don’t come forward and announce the hijacking, especially with these deaths now, they’ll do it for us. It’s like we’re shooting at shadows.”
That phrase resonated strongly with Lana. Shadows. Nothing was ever as it appeared. So if that were the case, then it wasn’t the Russians or Chinese or Iranians or Anonymous or any other antic actors on the cyberscene. The rogues were in the shadows. They were the Ted Kaczynskis of their time. But what alarmed Lana was the continuing recognition that the hackers in the shadows often did work hand in glove with the established war rooms of the world.
The meeting was interrupted by the sudden opening of the SCIF door. A young female aide rushed in and turned on Reuters News Online. The news channel had obtained video of the interior of the submarine, undoubtedly provided by the hackers, showing the many dead on the vessel, including Captain Hueller. Then a computer-generated voice warned against “anyone” interfering with the nuclear-armed sub, “or else.”
By late afternoon Lana felt as if all the oxygen had been drained from her own brain. She’d made no headway in cracking the hackers’ code, finding no consolation in hearing from her VP, Jeff Jensen, that he’d made no headway, either. The former navy cryptographer had been in near-constant communications with cohorts in the service, who also found themselves frustrated with every click.
Lana’s efforts had taken her around the world through a wide assortment of servers. Though dubious, she’d finally gone to work on Anonymous, but after three arduous hours of finger-flying over their terrain she’d come to the same conclusion with which she’d started her trek: no involvement by the most notorious hacker brand.
Which did have her thinking the Delphin’s hackers were an entirely new crew, or one savvy and technologically sophisticated enough to have cleaned their virtual slate of every last chalk mark.
Holmes caught her sitting with her fingers sunk into her hair, clutching her head.
“Magic Dragon’s canceled for tonight,” he announced. “The President has called an emergency meeting at the White House. Admiral Deming and General Sprouse will be joined by the various secretaries.”
She knew what that meant: Defense, Homeland Security, each of the services, plus the directors of the CIA and FBI.
“I think you should take this opportunity to go home,” Holmes advised. “Get some rest and get ready for tomorrow. In fact, I’m ordering you to do it.”