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Author’s Notes and Acknowledgments
Computer security: Talk about your oxymorons. We’re the most technologically
advanced nation in the world, and the most vulnerable. We’re sitting
ducks.
You read every day about amateur hackers, but not about the real threat
of professionals, against whom, as Hugh Anders said, our society is about
as safe as beach cottages on a sand bar.
The conflicts and issues in this book are real. My hope is that this tale
will nudge the home team to action.
This novel could not have been written without the ideas, critiques,
patience, and loving support of my wife, Jill. She helped me decrypt female
behavior and astonished me with insights into how women actually think,
at least to the extent I was authorized the information. She also showed
an uncanny knack at plotting, which, frankly, has me worried. Seriously,
though, I should note that the four lines of poetry Brent wrote to Jamila
(second section, chapter 22) were originally written for Jill. Some people
hit the lottery; I found her.
Family members providing ideas and encouragement included fellow Neugents
Bob, Kathy, John, Linda, and niece Kathryn, summa cum laude graduate of
Hogwarts, and also niece Anne Kehrli, the family emergency medical technician.
Our Burmese cats Gemma and Coy receive special mention for accommodating
the additional presence of a laptop on my (their) lap.
I’m deeply indebted to Jeanette Hohlstein for her keen judgment
and constructive questions, which were invaluable in nudging this work
onto a more literary path. Special thanks go to Bobbie Christmas, editorial
advisor, and to Phyllis Taylor Pianka and my fellow pilgrims at writers.com
for their numerous suggestions.
Humble gratitude to the colleagues who work in network and security areas
and raised practical lessons-learned: Rod Reidoro, Glenn Coplon, Bill
Hill, Colonel Larry Huffman (who oversees a group much like CRCS), Dave
Nolton, Gary Sharp, and John Vasak. Other readers and writers who provided
ideas and review include Peter Abresch, Jennifer Hill, Earl Hoovler, Nannette
Ivanchukov, Michael Neff, and Janet Vasak.
Finally, I owe profound gratitude for insights into Iraqi and Muslim culture
to a remarkable Iraqi expatriate living in Europe, whom I found over the
Internet, and who gave me perspectives on life under the current Iraqi
regime, and thus wishes to remain anonymous.
Most of the places in the novel exist, except I’ve
created some new organizations to make it clear I’m not criticizing
the real ones. In reality, CRCS is several interrelated organizations,
none of which use the CRCS name. In a similar vein, many of the actions
I attribute to the CRCS commander would in reality be performed by a J3
ops lead. The name and functions of CAOS are cut from whole cloth, based
on openly published accounts that the U.S. does not limit itself to defense
in cyberspace, but develops swords to accompany its shields.
There’s much organizational oversimplification, which serves the
humanitarian purpose of sparing readers the complexity and irrepressible
slapstick humor that underlies most government organizational structures.
I’ve taken minor liberties with facts. The lockers in Union Station
are no longer mechanical. Old-style lockers are still around, but I wanted
both them and Union Station. I’ve changed the dates for an awareness
week at George Mason University.
The attacks cited in chapter 7 of the first section really happened. Many
of the hacker techniques I’ve described exist today, with point-and-click
interfaces to tempt teenagers who seek to impress their friends by destroying
modern civilization. Some of the glitzier techniques don’t yet exist,
but I’ve no doubt that, even as you read this, top professionals
are hunched over their keyboards, writing code.
Bill Neugent
November 2002
If you liked this book, please pass the word to your favorite lists,
newsgroups, and discussion groups. If you liked this book and are in the
computer security business, consider that it would make an excellent gift
to your customers, while reminding them of the continuing need for your
services. If you liked this book and are in the military, consider the
terror that could be inflicted by thousands of mil-spec copies falling
from the sky. :-)
Visit my Web site at TaleCatcher.com to read the story behind the book
or subscribe to my monthly morsel of cybersecurity humor, You’ve
Got To Be Kidding, taken from current events.
—For he had to write out the best nonsense, and
hide it.—
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