MR. FOSTER Miles scooted his chair over to NipCom and entered his PRG re- sponse.. Here Boss-san. What's up YOU TELL ME. Huh? I READ THE PAPERS. AGAIN YOU MOVE PRECIPITOUSLY. What are you talking about? FIRST STATE BANK. YOUR INFECTORS ARE WITHOUT DISCIPLINE I still don't know what you mean THE PAPERS HAVE SAID THAT FIRST STATE BANK WAS INVADED BY HACKERS AND THEIR STOCK DROPPED VERY MUCH. IT IS STILL NOT TIME. Oh, that. Good bit of work. NO SO MR FOSTER. I AM NOT PLEASED WITH YOU Me, why? I didn't have anything to do with it EXPLAIN Nothing to explain. My group doesn't do that, and even if they did, so what. WHAT ABOUT THE VIRUSES? I READ EVERY DAY OF NEW COMPUTER VIRUS. THEY MUST BE STOPPED. Why? It's all in good fun. Let 'em release them all they want. THEY WILL HURT OUR PLANS Bull. If anything, they help us. HOW IS THAT? Getting folks good and nervous. They're beginning to wonder who they can trust. It sure as hell won't be the government. BUT IT IS IN THE PAPERS. So? THE BANKS WILL PROTECT THEMSELVES. THEY WILL SEEN WHAT THE HACKERS DO AND MAKE OUR JOB MORE DIFFICULT. Not a chance. Listen, there are hundreds, maybe thousands or more of small time hackers who poke around computers all the time. Sometimes they do some damage, but most of the time they are in it for the thrill. The challenge. They are loosely organized at best. Maybe a few students at a university, or high school who fancy themselves computer criminals. Most of them wouldn't know what to do with the information if they took it. The only reason this one hit the papers is because First is under investigation anyway, some fraud stuff. Literally thousands of computers are attacked every day, yet those don't appear in the paper or TV. It's kind of like rape. Companies don't want to admit they've been violated. And since damage has been limited, at least as far as the scale upon which we function, it's a non- issue. I DO NOT SEE IT THAT WAY. Well, that's the way it is. There are maybe a half dozen well coordinated hacking groups who care to cause damage. The rest of them, ignore them. They're harmless. I WISH I BELIEVED THAT There's not much we can do about it. WHY NOT STOP THEM We can't. Look at our plans. We have hundreds of people who have a single purpose. We operate as a single entity. The hack- ers are only a small thorn. Industry can't do much about them, so they ignore them. It is better that we ignore them, too. FIND THEM Who? THE FIRST BANK ATTACKERS Why? I WANT THEM STOPPED I told you, you can't do that. It's impossible. Call the Arab. LOOK AT US, MR FOSTER. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. What do you want me to do with them? TELL ME WHO THEY ARE. I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT. I'll see what I can do. DO IT. <<<<<<CONNECTION TERMINATED>>>>>>