What would happen if a nation-state really did launch a serious cyberattack against the United States, perhaps as part of something larger?
Jerry Barkley is a Minnesota IT contractor just trying to earn a living for his family, and he’s about to find out. He’s no superhero. He never worked for the government. He knows nothing about International espionage. And, so nobody believes his warnings when he uncovers the largest cyberattack in history. Somebody is gathering data to plan a series of bombings and a biological attack and trying to pin blame on a terrorist group. And the FBI thinks Jerry is part of it.
Hundreds are already dead. Thousands more could die, first from Ebola and then potentially from war with the wrong enemy. If he doesn’t act, who will? Up against willful ignorance, a hostile law-enforcement bureaucracy, and armed with nothing but IT skills and quick wits, Jerry must leave his keyboard comfort zone and go face-to-face with elite foreign agents and shut this attack down.
Real superheroes are ordinary people who step up when called. Even when they don’t want to.
Meet Jerry Barkley
Jerry Barkley is an ordinary IT guy, not a superhero.
But as a cybersecurity specialist, sometimes he sees interesting situations.
One time, he figured out how Russian mobsters stole 40 million customer credit card numbers from Bullseye Stores.
Another time, he shut down the largest cyberattack in history and saved countless lives.
Maybe he is a superhero. Because real superheroes are ordinary people who step up when called.
Thanks for dropping by and welcome to my dgregscott.com website. I write stories about ordinary people who need to resolve extraordinary situations.
Meet my alter-ego, Jerry Barkley. Jerry is a middle-aged bald guy with no superpowers and an expanding waistline.
Just like me, Jerry is an IT professional with an interest in cyber-security. He is not ex-military, he never worked for the government, he has no friends in high places, and no corporate PR departments to make him look polished.
People use words like geek, techie, resource, and misfit to describe him. But Jerry doesn’t see himself that way. He has his quirks, but he’s a professional and all he really wants is a little respect. And paying customers. Every once in a while, somebody notices Jerry’s work and says thanks, but Barkley IT Services mostly operates invisibly and barely brings in enough money to pay the bills for Jerry and his family.
Jerry amazes me with what he comes up with. Armed with nothing but an antique PC and an Internet connection, he can diagnose Internet errors that people with fancy titles never consider. Creativity. That’s his ace in the hole.
