Chapter 508 Let's Talk Business (English) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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South Capital, National Security Bureau, Headquarters Building.

Upon receiving the notification, Liu Zhen, the current director of the National Security Bureau, who was originally holding a high-level scheduled meeting in the eighth-floor conference room of the National Security Bureau headquarters, had a stern expression. He, along with around ten heads of various departments within the National Security Bureau, took a private elevator to the data center located on the third basement level of the headquarters building.

As they entered, they were immediately greeted by the blaring alarms of the data center.

Liu Zhen's expression grew even darker. He quickly approached a tall and thin man who was sweating and directing technicians busily. Without hesitation, Liu Zhen asked, "Xiao Wu, have you cleared the virus? What's the situation? How could our National Security Bureau's internal network be compromised? What exactly are your technicians doing?"

Although Liu Zhen had been promoted from an administrative position to the directorship of the National Security Bureau, he wasn't well-versed in many technical matters.

However, after nearly two years in charge of the National Security Bureau, he had learned a lot. For example, even though he didn't use the internet much at home, he now understood the differences between intranet, internet, and the dark web.

The National Security Bureau's intranet was a self-contained local network, not accessible from the outside, and only certain encrypted computers within the headquarters building could access it.

The security of the intranet was vastly different from the vulnerable external internet. As one of China's two major intelligence agencies, the National Security Bureau paid even more attention to security and confidentiality. They had dedicated technicians who set up multiple layers of strict firewalls and conducted regular maintenance and inspections on every computer and server connected to the intranet.

So, in nearly a decade since the National Security Bureau's intranet was established, there had never been a data leak or a record of foreign hackers using compromised National Security Bureau computers to breach the intranet.

However, that record seemed to have been broken now.

Just half an hour ago, a team of technicians from the National Security Bureau's subordinate technical group responsible for intranet maintenance discovered suspicious files resembling Trojans or viruses buried within the intranet during routine maintenance and inspection.

Leaving aside how the highly secure National Security Bureau's intranet was breached, the fact that it took the technical team over half an hour and they still hadn't resolved the situation with the potentially Trojan or virus-laden files had sent shockwaves throughout the entire National Security Bureau.

Although the National Security Bureau's confidential information and data were stored on paper and not within the intranet, many daily operations still involved the intranet for transmission and processing. No one could guarantee that leaked data wouldn't contain sensitive intelligence.

Just thinking about it was enough to make Liu Zhen break out in a cold sweat.

Wu Qingyuan, who was being held accountable by Liu Zhen, was a specialist in charge of intranet security maintenance within the National Security Bureau's technical department. He explained, his voice hoarse, "Director, we haven't been able to handle the suspected Trojan or virus files... The operating system used for our National Security Bureau's intranet computers is based on the open-source software Linux... Invader seems to have exploited a fundamental vulnerability in a Linux system that we're not aware of. So, for now, we can't delete or block the suspected Trojan or virus software's access to intranet information..."

In essence, they were repaying a debt left by their predecessors.

Linux is an open-source software, created by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds at the end of the last century. It's a Unix-like operating system.

Because Torvalds shared the system's source code with the world, anyone could use it. Over decades, countless computer engineers from around the world continuously improved and modified Linux's various versions, tailoring them to meet the needs of governments, research institutions, and defense agencies.

Developing an operating system from scratch is much more challenging than most people imagine.

This difficulty isn't just due to the sheer volume of code in an operating system, which far surpasses that of most other software.

The greatest challenge lies in compatibility – compatibility between software and hardware, and even between different software components. Not all compatibility issues can be resolved through technical means.

It's not an exaggeration to say that developing a completely new operating system requires a substantial investment, often exceeding billions of dollars.

When Microsoft was promoting Windows 7 to replace XP, its CEO mentioned that developing Windows 7 cost nearly $2 billion.

There's certainly some exaggeration in that figure, but it illustrates the high cost of developing an operating system for the masses.

The National Security Bureau had its own technical team and received special funding from the government every year. However, no matter how substantial this funding was, the high-level officials wouldn't allocate a significant sum to develop their own operating software, prioritizing other matters.

The operating system used in the National Security Bureau's intranet was purchased from a professional software development company in China.

This company, which held qualifications for national defense procurement, received the outsourcing project and customized the Linux-based operating system. They removed unnecessary components from the Linux system, which was based on the open-source software, and focused on enhancing security and protection.

In a way, their efforts were considered satisfactory. Although the operating system they provided to the National Security Bureau was not as feature-rich as Microsoft's products, it had its merits in terms of security and protection.

However, Linux has never been a flawless operating system.

Because its source code is open to all, many programmers from around the world have contributed to its development over the years. Depending on their expertise, some individuals may have maliciously introduced vulnerabilities or backdoors into the source code. Therefore, it's difficult to claim that any version of the Linux system is completely free of vulnerabilities.

Once a vulnerability is present, especially a deep-rooted one buried within millions of lines of code, even a robust system is susceptible to intrusion.

After Wu Qingyuan provided a basic explanation of the issue, Liu Zhen's expression didn't improve much.

"... We can't delete it, and we can't prevent it from accessing the intranet? Can the technicians trace where the stolen data went? Can we determine how the intranet was breached?"

The one asking was the head of the Security and Defense Department, Zhang Qinglin.

Wu Qingyuan shook his head, but his expression was slightly better than before. "... Our intranet doesn't have access to the internet, so this suspicious file that suddenly appeared in our intranet must have been transferred from within the National Security Bureau, via a computer with intranet access... Just a moment ago, I instructed the technicians to temporarily shut down the base station within the headquarters, so the stolen data from the suspicious file should only have been partially transferred. Most of it should still be stored on a computer within this building..."

"Currently, one team and the second team are dealing with this unknown file. Teams three, four, and five, accompanied by Security and Defense Department personnel, have started inspecting all servers and computers linked to the intranet one by one. We should have news soon!"

As they were talking, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door.

Not long after, a slightly overweight young man with thick glasses burst into the room, panting and loudly exclaiming, "Chief... Chief... I found it..."

Ignoring the sweat on his face, he raised a shiny silver USB drive in his hand.

Wu Qingyuan's spirits lifted upon hearing this, and he hurriedly went up to him. "Liu Jun, what did you find?"

The slightly overweight young man was a technician from the fourth group of the network technology division under Wu Qingyuan's command, named Liu Jun.

Seeing Liu Jun hand over the USB drive, Wu Qingyuan quickly took it, but still asked a question.

Liu Jun took a couple of deep breaths before realizing that there were several high-ranking officials from the bureau standing there. His mouth stumbled a bit as he spoke.

"... This... This is the USB drive used to upload... upload the files... It was found on computer number 45 on the third floor..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhen's expression grew even darker. He glanced at Zhang Qinglin, who also had an unsightly expression, nodded, and then left the room.

The Security and Defense Department was responsible for the security of the National Security Bureau and was also tasked with counterintelligence work.

Zhang Qinglin was the head of the Security and Defense Department. The fact that the National Security Bureau's intranet had been compromised by suspicious files that were uploaded internally was an extremely serious matter. They needed to quickly apprehend the mastermind behind this breach.

Wu Qingyuan waved over two technicians and carefully handed them the USB drive. "Take this to the secure room and examine it. Be careful..."

Their technical department had its own secure room, isolated from the internet and equipped with various testing devices. Even if the USB drive had been formatted, they might still be able to recover its previous data.

After sending them off, Liu Zhen and two deputy directors, along with several division heads, gathered together and engaged in a hushed conversation.

"... This is an extremely malicious act of espionage. What do you all think?"

"Liu, do you think we should report this to the presidential palace?"

"... I think we should wait until Security and Defense Department's investigation report is ready. At this point, we can't determine how much of our intranet data has been leaked..."

"... Could this be related to the CIA? They lost a number of operatives within South Capital's borders last month. The Americans have been suspecting us, and they've recently arrested several of our operatives..."

"It's possible..."

As no one paid him any attention, Wu Qingyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and took a few steps back to facilitate the conversation among the higher-ups.

Unexpectedly, just as he was walking away, there was a sudden loud bang not far off, immediately capturing the attention of those engaged in the whispered conversation.

Wu Qingyuan looked in the direction of the noise and saw a young man, holding a custom-made heavy notebook computer, accidentally bumping into an adjacent desk.

Seeing that it was a member of his technical team, he was about to scold the young man when he noticed the twisted expression on the young man's face, clearly in pain from the earlier collision.

However, the slightly balding young man limped over regardless, "Ch... Chief, Director, the suspicious file has been opened..."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 509: Let's Discuss Some Business (Part 2)