25 Ghost-Net activated

Spin balance cover picture

Ghost-Net activated

 

TPT-66 Sunfish

 

Threat Priority Thread 66

‘eyes only’

Heads of State

Trusted officers

 

First order

Ignore hacking reports

Do protest accusations

 

Second order

Ghost-Net trespass

Shadow actors

Searching

 

Third order

Assemble teams

Engineering Sciences

Mathematics Mechanics Civil

 

Fourth order

Assemble teams

Physical sciences

Geo SMD/Astro Quantum

 

Common resource

All information shared

No public disclosure

Thread stop

 

Confirm duplex

66

K

 

25001


 

Duplex

 

Communications can be sent

in several modes and mediums

 

Radio operators sending and

receiving on the same radio

frequency are using simplex mode

 

If an operator sends on one

frequency and receives on a

different frequency they are using

duplex mode

 

A cellphone conversation is simplex

a text conversation would be simplex

but if questions were spoken

and answered in text or vise-versa

requiring two modes to be acquired

to monitor the conversation

it would be duplex

 

TPT-66

requested duplex confirmation

with no mode specified

rendering collection difficult

 

25002


 

White pages

With many colors

 

Daniel expects color files

on the wideband tapes

 

He finds colors and numbers

in no apparent order

 

Nothing makes sense to him

 

But there is an order

 

White begins each message

and numbers Identify the message

 

It’s called a preamble

 

Following the preamble

is a succession of colors

each one the base of its series

except for the last one

 

The last color

is a shade of its series

 

Yellow ends the  message

 

It’s a type of shorthand

 

The decoding process

loads each color’s series

plus the partial series

of the last color

 

Silver splits the color sets

 

The number of colors used

depends on the message size

 

The encoding process

randomly assigns the colors

 

A short message

might use a partial color set

 

Decoding copies ahead

and processes behind

it’s a practice called buffering

 

RGB encrypted pages

are called white pages because

white starts each message

 

A white page can contain

a vast spectrum of colors

encrypting hundreds of messages

 

White pages

hidden in satellite feeds

can travel around the world

virtually unnoticed

 

After his initial confusion

Daniel becomes proficient

at trapping white pages

 

For each abbreviated color

there’s a parity file match

that’s 128 times larger

 

25003


 

Editor’s cut 25003

 

 The concept of color vector

encryption can be a lot to wrap

your brain around so let’s break

it down to a very simple analogy.

 

 Imagine you have a bag of colored

nickels and each nickel is divided into

five equal sections, similar to five

pieces of a pie.

 

 Each pie slice represents one cent.

 

 We have a message that’s equal to

27 cents.

 

 We can represent 25 cents with five

colored nickels in any color order.

 

 For the remaining two cents of the

message we only need two pie

pieces of the last nickel.

 

 Think of the last color change as a

partial nickel.

 

25003ec


 

A question Don?

 

 Yes Daniel?

 

 

 Back in the lab

Color and parity files were consistent

 

 The files were the same size

 

 Now we are finding

Compressed color files

 

 Parity files can’t compress

 

 So how do we find them?

 

 

 Your team leader is Chip?

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 Did you ask him?

 

 

 You said not to share

 

 

 That’s true Daniel

 

 But your staff needs to know

What to look for, right?

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 So let’s bring Chip in

 

 (Don calls for Chip)

 

 Chip

Daniel has a challenge for you

 

 The color files you’re collecting

Are in a different format

Than the parity files

 

 Go ahead Daniel

Tell Chip what you want

 

 

 Files we had were the same size

These color files are different

 

 

 What did they have in common?

 

 

 They were assembled like a wheel

 

 For color files, yellow was the

Ending, followed by white

 

 White was the start

 

 Then a preamble and then colors

 

 Parity files used blue to end

Followed by black for the start

The ones complements of the colors

 

 The preambles were the same

 

 

 Yellow came before white?

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 And the preambles are the same?

 

 

 Correct

 

 

 No problem Daniel

 

 Your parity files begin with black

Followed by the preamble

 

 Then the data, followed by blue

 

 That sounds easy to find

 

 If blue is before black

We know the data’s in wheel form

 

 Otherwise blue will be the end

 

 So we’ll trap for that

 

 Anything else?

 

 

 Thanks Chip

 

 

 You’re welcome Don

 

 (Chip returns to his work)

 

 

 (Don smiles)

 

 Before Haley worked in the cage

She worked in wideband collection

Just like your staff

 

 They train to find anything

 

 Only some of the best

Make it to the cage

 

 Give them the leads

They’ll find your code

 

 

 Don

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 You didn’t tell me

I was the dummy in the room

 

 

 No, I didn’t

 

 Don’t worry Daniel

You’ll catch on

 

25004


 

Within the collection bay

 

Bulk data storage tapes

streaming digital history

decades back

 

Armed with Daniel’s leads

and his staff’s expertise

collection explodes

 

Two additional shifts are added

two more bays with three shifts

five bays of analysis

three shifts again

 

Satellite communications

audio and video streaming

corporate government private

shipping financial medical

all encrypted and protected traffic

piggybacked hidden data

white pages parity sets coordinates

 

A subnet teaming with chatter

a bureaucracy that never sleeps

planning studying sharing

global logistics

control

 

Global networks

eclipsed in shadow

unsigned deliveries

 

Let the data

speak for itself

 

25005


 

There’s a problem

 

NSA doesn’t employ

engineers listed on TPT-66

 

Teams must be assembled

to translate the findings

 

Containment will be stressed

 

The Genie

becomes too big

for the bottle

 

Network infiltration won’t do

the threat must expand

to infrastructure

 

25006


 

NSA to the Daily Sun

 

 Ethan Stearns arrives

 

 Mr. Connors, Mr. Sparks

I’m Ethan Stearns

Thank you for seeing me

 

 

 I remember you

 

 What can we do for you

Mr. Stearns?

 

 

 Mr. Connors, I’m your liaison

 

 And Mr. Sparks

I’m your unnamed source

You can call me Ethan if you like

 

 

 Is this some kind of a joke?

We don’t exactly get along

Mr. Stearns

 

 

 We’re on the same side Mr. Connors

I just do my job

 

 And as of yesterday

I’ve been assigned to assist you

Unofficially of course

 

 As of now that’s my job

And I am happy to do it

 

 

 After your last visit Mr. Stearns

You called back, remember?

 

 

 Yes

 

 

 Your grasp of our conversation

After you left, was quite curious

 

 

 Your offices were bugged

Mr. Connors

 

 They’ve been swept for bugs

And that’s not happening now

 

 

 You bugged our offices?

 

 

 No

Someone did

 

 

 Someone as in the government?

 

 

 No

These things aren’t confirmed

 

 

 So you bugged us

And we’re supposed to trust you?

 

 

 Yes and no

 

 If you will draw the shades

I can prove what I say is true

 

 

 (Joe draws the shades to his office)

 

 

 Don Smith

Said to say hello Mr. Sparks

 

 He said Sparks data ended

And it doesn’t exist

But it does

And you are no longer part of it

 

 You agreed to report

 

 Do you need me to name

The others?

 

 

 No, I believe you

 

 

 Good

 

 Your office is not bugged

I am your liaison

I want to help you

 

 I brought details of your next story

All true

 

 We wouldn’t ask you to lie

Withhold some of the story, yes

But not lie

 

 Is that ok with you gentlemen?

 

 

 (Joe smiles)

Ethan

 

25007


 

More than a breach!

 

 By Randall Sparks

 

 Unnamed sources confirm

 

 Foreign infiltration of data systems

May have corrupted specifications

Reports, tests and commissioning

Of vital infrastructure projects

 

 Adversely affecting integrity

Threatening public safety

 

 Additionally, government officials

And some watchdog groups

Question reliability of our power grid

In the event of disaster, or attacks

Such as magnetic pulse bursts

In near proximity strikes

Or acts of terrorism

 

 Speculation holds such disasters

Could overwhelm medical facilities

Emergency response, life safety

Communication, transportation

Air travel and defense

 

 Engineering teams assemble

Study findings and evaluate impact

To alleviate inevitable tensions

And head off stock market panic

 

 Under such threats

Financial markets can be frozen

With martial law at the ready

 

 International tensions escalate

As fear of threats rise

 

 US State department teams

Mobilize direct communications

With foreign state officials

 

 Adversaries protest accusations

Agree to meet with US officials

Dispute claims and avoid conflict

 

 Some suggest the United States

Is projecting a dangerous hoax

 

 The President’s cabinet is focused

Press secretary calls for calm

Until threat assessment

Is completed

 

 Threat level yellow

High risk elevated

 

 Congress turns about

 

 Governmental Affairs, Finance

Commerce and Transportation

Energy and Natural Resources

Foreign relations and Science

Defense, DHS, DOJ and FBI

 

 You will hear it tomorrow

 

 But if you want it first

Get up with the Daily Sun

 

 Sparks - on the record

For the record

 

25008


 

Everything in this report

Is true?

 

 Yes Randall

Essentially, everything you wrote

Represented facts

 

 Although some information

Lends itself to subjective context

 

 

 What are we doing Ethan?

 

 

 We’re chasing the bad guys

And protecting the homeland

 

 Don said he could tell you

But you’d have to be read in

 

 Right now you’re just a reporter

Isn’t that what you wanted to be?

 

 

 (Randall thinks of Susan)

 

 No, you’re right

 

 You’re right

 

25009


 

Design Engineers meeting

NSA

 

 US assembly of engineers

 

 Welcome valued colleagues

 

 My name is Lydia Carnegie

My field is Geodesy and Geophysics

 

 Several fields and disciplines

Are represented here

 

 Thank you all for coming

 

 So why are you here?

 

 Allow me to explain

 

 We are here to define a design

Evaluate that design’s validity

And design countermeasures

To that design if necessary

 

 The first task is definition

 

 We have immense amounts of data

Tensor field studies, seismic activity

Volcanic and vent field observance

Logistics and mass distribution

 

 We must define the objective

We want to know what it’s for

 

 With the objective defined

We must determine its viability

And possible consequential results

 

 If the results we identify

Represent a destructive purpose

We must design and implement

Effective means to defeat them

 

 We don’t want study

Based upon suspicions

We want conclusions

Based upon your study

 

 Therefore

Speculation will be withheld

As it might prejudice your inquiry

 

 Now for our standards and rules

 

 All findings may be shared

 

 To avoid interdisciplinary confusion

A standards reference will be used

 

 It will be updated as necessary

Each team will receive a copy

 

 For example, we will be using

The GRS 80 ellipsoid reference

Or WGS 84, if and when appropriate

And IGSN71 gravity standardization

 

 If your calculations

Vary from schedule standards

For any reason

So note the changes

 

 In many instances data you evaluate

Will use different references

 

 References will be provided

Along with schedules you’ll receive

If and when possible

 

 Some references may be absent

 

 Expect this to be a fluid

And challenging process

 

 Be accurate thorough and quick

In that order

 

 See me for questions

 

 Good luck people

 

25010


 

Abundance of grants

 

Provide global data

 

Seismic studies

Tectonic plate shift

Volcanic activity

Vent fields

Mid ocean ridges

Sea temperatures

Ocean currents

Tidal variation

Wind and weather

 

All without question

 

To save the planet

Of course

 

25011