CHAPTER 1
The man found his hands trembling a
little as he keyed in the number. Would it work? Had he really cracked the
code? Could he log in and operate the other accounts? Had he really discovered
the "back door" to the system? He had been working on it long enough.
Hopefully this would be a breakthrough. He was sure he could bypass all the
passwords.
He hardly dared look
at the screen in front of him, but on the other hand, could he resist it?
Something told him that nothing had changed. He looked up, disappointed. It was
the usual message:
ACCESS TO SYSTEM DENIED
He sighed. Would it never work? He
reached for a drink, downing it with one gulp. Why wasn't it working? Why
wasn't he getting into the system? He was sure he had managed to do it this
time. What could be wrong? He tried again with the same result. Why did these
things have to be so complicated?
He poured himself another drink. How much longer would he have to work
on this? He didn't have forever. He had to do it soon, very soon.
Suddenly remembering something, he took out a disk from his pocket,
turning it over several times. This surely was the one he had downloaded from
the Internet. How could it work? How could someone know how to get into an
unfamiliar system, some stranger so many miles away? But what did he have to
lose? He activated the modem and waited.
Connecting... connecting. Was the software authentic? Had it really
come from an experienced hacker who could break into systems and see what was
there? He had become quite a good one himself, but even he had not been able to
bypass the security system, which was based on the orange Book, standard
guidelines for computer security.
Something was coming onto the screen! He followed the instructions
carefully, barely understanding what he was doing. It was time to put in the
disk with the software he had downloaded.
He continued to follow the instructions, keying in several numbers and
symbols. If it was going to work it should be... Some unintelligible signs
appeared on the screen, and then the computer suddenly sprang to life. This was
what he was waiting for; this was it! He felt himself go hot, and he broke out
into a sweat as he saw that he had, indeed, succeeded. He remained for several
minutes just staring at the screen. Was this real? This was the answer to all
his problems. Or was it really?
A wave of nausea
overtook him. This was going to take him into a different world. Not only would
he become rich, but he would become a criminal, a big-time criminal. He would
have his feet firmly set on a path he was not quite sure he wanted to go on. He
knew that with one success he would not be able to give this up. He poured
himself another drink. Perhaps he should do this later. Was he a criminal?
Apart from small dishonesties at school, a few lies, and some insignificant
underhand business deals as an adult, he had never gone in for something which
could be considered a serious crime. Even his hacking activities had been
fairly innocuous.
Did he really want it?
There was a way back, wasn't there? He could pull out now, start afresh,
perhaps leave the company and go to another one, in another town. Where would
this take him? But there was Martin to consider, and their weeks and months of
planning. Or was it really Martin's planning? He found his mind wandering.
It seemed that ever
since he had become a teller, Martin had been looking for someone to work with;
someone who would have at least partial access to the computer system; someone
who would have sufficient knowledge to "break into" other accounts.
Was it only five
months ago that they had spoken? Oh yes, he had known Martin for a long time,
but they had never really talked. And then it had been a joke, a joke about how
to make "millions."
Though they had not
been together often, each time they met they had discussed it more and more,
until the joke became a reality. And he sensed that for Martin it had always
been a reality.
Their plan was so
attractive, so possible, that here he was now with everything wide open before
him. It was going to be so easy.
All Martin had to do was to occasionally type in a few zeros. He would
manipulate the records of debits and credits so that everything would balance.
And then the world would be theirs.
It had been a struggle to break into the system - until an unexpected
break had come when he was surfing the Internet in the privacy of his home. He
had gone into newsgroups to see what he could find that was new and had
stumbled on one dealing with computer security. For many days he had read the
postings, learning more about security than he had ever dreamed he would. But
no one would give directions as to actually how these things were done. How did one hack into
an account and change the data in order to transfer funds? What he did learn,
though, was that in a closed network, if any of the servers or administrators
were on the Internet, the security of the system was at risk.
Finally he had posted his own message. He had worded it carefully,
asking simply if anyone could assist him in getting into a system that a
former employee had "locked" in spite. It hadn't sounded suspicious
at all.
Eventually he had received a reply from someone who called himself
"Jip." The instructions were strange, but he copied them carefully
and downloaded the software Jip provided. He had little faith it would work,
but it had. Now they could put their plan into action.
But something inside him seemed to revolt. Perhaps he should tell
Martin he had not been able to crack the code.
The phone rang. It was
the woman from his own bank phoning him, as she had done regularly for the past
few days. Was he going to clear his personal overdraft? It was increasing
daily. More of his checks would have to be dishonoured.
He pleaded and then begged. She sounded more sympathetic and promised
to discuss it with the manager. But she saw little chance he would change his
mind. His collateral securities were minimal.
As he put the phone down, a wave of resolve overtook him. They would
start their operations immediately! Martin's voice was breathless. "How
did you do it?" "With some software and some numbers," said the
man slowly.
"What software? What numbers? Where did you get them?"
"They were fairly easy to access," he said, suddenly feeling
the need to be secretive.
"You must tell me what you did." Martin's voice was
commanding.
The man became angry. Who was Martin to speak to him like this?
"I got them from the Internet," he said slowly. "I downloaded
them."
"The Internet!" Martin almost shouted. "You sent messages
over the Internet? You have left a trail and they will pick us up right away.
We can't do anything now. You have ruined things completely!" Martin's
voice rose higher and higher in agitation.
"It's quite
safe," the man said, cold anger beginning to grip him. "I downloaded
some hacking software from a Website. It only helped because of all the work I
had done. On its own it would have been useless."
He realized he could
not tell Martin the truth, not about Jip, anyway. He had merely asked an
innocent hacking question and people answered them all the time. But Martin
wouldn't understand. `All right," Martin said, calming down. "We're
on."
Instead of relief, the
man felt a pang of conscience, or was it fear? They couldn't be caught. He
tried to comfort himself. He had read that corporate America lost billions of dollars
annually through illegal access to computer systems. However, most computer
theft was not reported, as it might cause a firm's clients to lose faith.
With any luck, this
would never be properly followed up. And if it was, internally, there would be
dismissal at the worst, but he would have made thousands, tens of thousands,
perhaps even millions.
His bank manager would
learn to respect him, to see him as one of his most successful clients. His way
was clear to him now.
He would start with the
Selby firm.
Someone has broken into a bank's computer network and made off with huge sums of money. All eyes turn accusingly towards Michael, the last employee to have worked on the account. As Michael tries to clear his name, he finds himself entangled in a web of intrigue and danger. So many questions: Whose hand is it, that leaves such tiny traces in the digital world of cyberspace? How can Michael prove that his tampering with the bank's figures was completely innocent? And, most difficult question of all, how can Michael restore the contentment and satisfaction that he'd felt when he'd first become an observant Jew?
To find the answers, Michael and his aging grandfather, an unlikely ally in this high-tech chase, pursue a dangerous course that will lead them from the depths of the earth to South Africa's highest mountains - and onto a journey of self-discovery that will help them reveal their own selves, even as they uncover the hidden enemy.
The Selby Printout, is a thrilling and thought-provoking novel: Published by Targum Press in 1998, it was the Jewish world's first techno-thriller.
Hebrew
Version. - NITFAS BARESHET ( CAUGHT IN
THE WEB)
Translation: Ronit Hofner Rights reserved
Renanot publishing Israel. 5761 (2000 -2001)
The Selby Printout.
Published by Targum Press. 1998
USA and Israel
Copyright: Ruth Benjamin 1998
This edition
Self
Published by Dr. Ruth Benjamin
February 2012
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