Counting from Zero (15 page)

“In closing, I hope this presentation has been useful to you.
 
The best way for us to fight botnets is to prevent computers from being compromised.
 
The only way to do this is to utilize better security tools and procedures.
 
While the government has some responsibility,
most of the compromised computers are owned by corporations and individuals
, and we must take responsibility for them.

“Thank you for your attention!”
 
Mick finished, getting his applause.

Gunter came up from the audience and gave him a big grin.
 
“Nice job, Mick!
 
I was going to ask you a hard question or two but then I decided to go easy on you.” They walked out of the room together and off to lunch.
 
“Hey, and I like the shirt.”
 
Gunter was once again making fun of Mick’s clothes.
 
Mick’s fashion was almost invariable.
 
He wore a black shirt, sport coat, dark khakis, and sandals.
 
The black shirt he always wore was either a T-shirt, long sleeve mock turtleneck, or, if he wanted to really dress up, a button down collar.
 
The sandals varied slightly with the season: open toed in the summer and closed in the winter.
 
Under some circumstances, he even wore jeans instead of khakis.
 
Of course, Gunter wasn't exactly a paragon of style, but at least his clothes varied, and sometimes they even matched.

They rode the elevator together and walked out towards the hotel lobby.
 
Using Mick’s criteria for evaluating hotels, Vegas strip hotels were the worst.
 
Their lobbies were noisy, crowded, and had absolutely nowhere to sit down except in front of a slot machine or at a gaming table.
 
He had only been in Vegas less than twelve hours, but the incessant noise of the machines was already starting to get to him.
 
They turned and headed for the buffet Gunter had chosen for their lunch.

“So, Gunter, how did you first meet Kat?” Mick asked after they sat down with their first plateful of food.

“I guess I met her two years ago at a visit to F.T.L.
 
She is very sharp, and a useful person to know.”

“I see that.
 
She was very helpful in Hiroshima… that’s when I first met her,” Mick replied as their food arrived, and the conversation paused.

“I know.
 
She asked me a bunch of questions about you, too.” he replied, winking.
 
Mick changed the subject by asking about Gunter’s latest phonograph restoration.

Gunter was one of Mick’s oldest friends, both in age and how long he had known him.
 
Gunter had worked nearly everywhere, with everyone, and had strong opinions on everything.
 
He was in big demand on panels and conferences.
 
He was also famous for misunderstanding questions; he would usually end up answering a different question than the one that was asked, leaving both the questioner and the audience bemused.
 
Mick tried to avoid Gunter’s restaurant choices – often he would mix up the names or the types of the food.
 
He also often made the most dreaded suggestion for lunchtime meetings at a conference: ‘Let’s just eat here in the conference hotel.’

“Mick, I almost forgot… I’ve got a consulting job for you,” Gunter began.
 
Mick looked up and Gunter continued.
 
“It is with JCN, Inc.
 
They are looking for a consultant to help them analyze the security of their entire service operation.
 
I guess it is from the new CTO they hired last month.
 
He wants a complete audit: procedures, operations, all the way down to protocols and servers.
 
You are the perfect man for the job!”

“Thanks for thinking of me Gunter – I really appreciate it!
 
I’m pretty busy with a job right now, but I should have time around, say, the second half of December to start on it,” Mick said.

“Hmm.
 
I think they want someone to start right away.
 
I told’em I’d need a day or two to see if I could do it or recommend someone else.
 
You wouldn’t walk away from JCN, would you?” he asked.

“Of course I don’t
want
to turn it down.
 
It sounds like a great gig, but I also have to finish what I started.
 
And my current contract is more involved than I would have anticipated.
 
If they need someone right now, I’ll have to pass,” he concluded.

“Really, Mick?
 
What if I finish that other job for you?”

“No, I’m not comfortable with that.
 
I just can’t take it...
 
but thanks again for thinking of me.”

Gunter looked as if he were going to argue more but then changed his mind.
 
A few minutes later, Mick raised the issue that had been consuming his waking hours.

“Gunter, you've studied steganography, right?” Mick asked, remembering his botnet puzzle.

“Sure, I once broke a cipher that used it – boy was that tough!”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, I was called in to help build a case against a particularly clever drug dealer.
 
The prosecutor had all these emails that the dealer had sent to others in the cartel, but couldn't find any messages in them.
 
I eventually found hidden messages in the emails.
 
What’s your interest?” he asked.

“Might have a case of it, myself.
 
I have all kinds of messages, but I can't find anything hidden.”

“Well, you just have to go through every millimeter of every message.
 
Look for anything out of place, strange, or odd.
 
You'll find it if it’s there.”

“Right… thanks," he replied.
 
Mick felt a tingle, and answered his mobile.
 
It was Vince.
 
“Gunter, could you watch my backpack?” he whispered.

“Sure thing,” was the reply.
 
Mick walked towards the exit, searching for a bit of quiet so he could answer Vince’s questions.

Mick spent the rest of the afternoon in his hotel room finishing up a progress report for LeydenTech.

That evening was the social event for the
conference,
typically held the night before the conference started.
 
Mick had been following the travels and arrivals of his friends in his social network.
 
In the ballroom (named for its size, not for being fancy), Mick met up in person with Lars, Liz, Gunter, and Kateryna.
 
They stood around a table, drinking and eating appetizers.
 
It always amazed Mick how different the sexes reacted to dressing for these kinds of events.
 
While the women would dress up, the men would dress down – if that were even possible.
 
His own attire didn't change.
 
Rightly or wrongly, Mick felt his clothes blended in with a range of formality.

Kateryna had seemingly joined their little group these days.
 
The last to join them was Liz a year ago, and Mick recalled it took a while for her to be included by default in their plans and discussion.
 
Then again, Kateryna wasn't completely new, as Gunter had known her for a few years.
 
But, Gunter knew everyone in the industry, so that didn't count for too much.
 
Mick was pleased about it, but at the same time it made him feel uneasy.
 
He deliberately toned down his greeting to her, just nodding and shaking hands.
 
She made no reference to their recent email exchanges, and he took her lead, doing the same.
 
He wondered if they were hiding their relationship, whatever it might be, or if they were just being private.
 
He was unsure, and this made him uneasy.
 
Mick felt that he was heading into unknown territory.

“I just love Vegas!” Lars expounded.

“I can't believe you've never been here!” Gunter said to Kateryna.
 
Her posting of this had generated a huge number of comments on their social network.

“Yep.
 
I can't wait to see everything, although I'm only here until Wednesday,” Kateryna offered.

“OK, for Kat’s sake, everyone – quick – say your favorite thing about Vegas?” Lars began, looking at Mick to start.

“Ferraris parked in front of casinos,” Mick began.

“Free drinks while you play,” Gunter added.

“Really?” Kateryna asked and everyone nodded.

“Interesting conversations with strangers,” Lars added.
 
He looked at Liz.
 
She paused for a moment.

“Historical and architectural accuracy,” she contributed dryly.

“OK, OK, we all know how much you like Vegas.
 
Now, say your least favorite things about Vegas – quickly!” Lars added.

“Bathroom attendants!” Mick contributed.

“Yuck!” from Lars.

“Loosing my retirement in the slots,” from Gunter.
 
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
 
“Not really,” he added.

“Crazy skunk-hairdo dancing lady!” from Lars.

Kateryna opened her mouth but Mick preempted her,
saying
“Don't ask!”

“All the unhealthy behavior: everyone smoking, drinking too much, overeating –” from Liz.

“Yeah, yeah...” Lars interrupted.
 
“So, Kat, we'll ask you on Wednesday to add to our list, OK?”

Soon, the room was clearing out as the food dwindled and the bar closed.
 
Miles walked up to the group and made straight for Mick.

“So
Mike
, have you saved the Internet again
lately
?” he asked sneering.
 
Mick just smiled back.

“Haven't had to – no one has implemented any of your security plans,
lately
.” he replied.

“Well, I just wanted to say how much I agreed with your comments on open source security.
 
Very brave of you.”
 
Gunter stepped between them.

“Miles, why don't you go over there – I think I see a skirt you haven't chased yet,” Gunter suggested.
 
Miles just smiled and sauntered away, seemingly in the direction of the woman.

Mick’s stomach turned; he hadn’t thought about his key compromise in days, but the bad feelings came back with Miles’ reminder.
 
He wondered when it would end, then answered his own question – it would end when he figured out who did this to him.
 
He looked up from his drink and was surprised to see only Kateryna with him.

Did the others just silently wander off?
 
How long ago?
 
Am I missing time again?
 
Where is Mulder when I need him?

“Well, I’m going exploring now,” he said.

“Mind if I tag along?
 
I’d love to see your favorite places here,” she asked.

“Sure… that sounds great.
 
I'll show you some good places.”
 
The thought of exploring with Kateryna got him instantly out of his bad mood.
 
He thought through his favorites, scratched a few off the list for obvious reasons, and tried to think which of the remaining places Kateryna would most enjoy.
 
“Shall we?”

They set off walking together.

“You like Vegas, don't you?” she asked.

“I guess I do,” he replied.
 
“It is so different.
 
So tacky, yet so surprising.”

They went down to the lobby together where Mick hailed a cab from a seemingly inexhaustible supply.
 
As the cab stopped, Mick opened the door for Kateryna.
 
She thanked him and sat down.
 
He went to close the door and walk to the other side, but Kateryna slid over in the seat to make room for him.
 
Mick quickly looked away; Kateryna was wearing a grey knit dress that was quite short… He recovered himself and climbed into the cab, telling the driver to take them to Caesar’s.
 
Mick really liked Kateryna’s outfit, and her dark hair, southwestern style jewelry, and black boots completed the look.

“Do you gamble?” she asked as the cab waited at a traffic light.

“Hell no!
 
I know way too much about probability.
 
And if you actually try to apply probability theory to the gaming, you get thrown out!” he explained.
 
Seeing her puzzled look, he continued, “You know, card counting.
 
Tried it once just to verify it works.”

“And does it?”

“Yep, but you have to have a lot of patience.
 
I wonder if I’m still banned in Atlantic City?” he mused.

“Right, right.
 
So what’s so special about Caesar’s?” Kateryna asked as they pulled up in front.
 
“Besides the obvious,” she added, looking at the enormous fake columns and fountains.