Cyber Seventy-Seven and Cyber Dead or Alive by RL Blaisdell may be works of fiction, but the cyber plot lines in the novels are, much to the dismay of many, real from a cyber perspective.
In Cyber Seventy-Seven, bitcoin or more accurately crypto currency, is the central focus. The story centers on the conscious manipulation of global crypto currency markets by a small cabal of individuals. In the story, the cabal absconds with billions of dollars invested by people hoping to get rich or hide money by investing in bitcoin.
Unfortunately, this scheme has played out multiple times in the real-world with the thefts almost always being instigated by insiders. See “Biggest Heists in Bitcoin History and How They Were Pulled Off,” by Kevin Helms, Jun 1, 2019.
Cyber Dead or Alive involves conscious manipulation of world-wide markets by parties with the ability to instigate and then exploit acts of terrorism. This, too, is an accurate reflection of the world. The oft-quoted phrase “… follow the money…” is as appropriate for cyber crime as it is for any other.
One challenge when writing Cyber Seventy-Seven and Cyber Dead or Alive was how to portray the stories without providing a recipe for others to use in their own nefarious schemes. As a certified cybersecurity professional in real-life, I subscribe to a code of ethics that precludes causing harm to systems, people, or institutions.
The good news, for the vast majority of us, is that I’m very careful to never provide a fool-proof recipe for committing cyber crime or cyber terrorism. The bad news is, if you’re evil at heart, there are traps in what may seem to be recipes in the novels. Cyber hunters, like the fictional Blaze Heaton, exist. They’re out there hunting for those who would harm others in the world of cyber.
Those of us who write about cyber are very serious about doing so responsibly. We like to have fun with fiction, but we live in the real-world and recognize the risks posed by those who would attempt to threaten others with ideas ripped from our pages. If you’re curious, look for the traps, you can even submit questions or make comments at www.rl-blaisdell.com.