The Future Is Yours: A Novel by Dan Frey

Author:Dan Frey [Frey, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780593158210
Google: Xr6CzQEACAAJ
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2021-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

EMAIL—MAY 3, 2021

From: Ben Boyce

To: Adhvan Chaudry

Hey man I checked the news today, see the article attached. Kinda freaking out about this. We gotta take a look and figure out what we can do.

Attachment:

NEWS ARTICLE DOWNLOADED THROUGH TF1 PROTOTYPE

FLOODING AT “THE FUTURE” STORES BLAMED ON CYBERATTACK

May 3, 2022, San Francisco, CA

Customers were just starting to stream into the company’s flagship retail location in the Mission District at the beginning of the day when alarms suddenly sounded and overhead fire-control sprinklers were activated. As a downpour drenched the store, workers moved quickly to escort customers outside and cover as many of the floor-model units as possible. Major damage was done, both to the expensive inventory and to the company’s already-embattled reputation.

Nearly identical scenes played out at five other retail locations around the country, in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, Chicago, and New York, all at the exact same time. Officials report that there was no actual risk of fire at any of the stores. Rather, it is believed that the systems were activated by a coordinated hack, which resisted attempts at override.

As a result, water continued to pour down on the interior of each store for hours, until fire crews arrived and were able to manually override the systems. Based on initial reports, there were no injuries, but it is estimated that more than $5,000,000 worth of inventory was destroyed.

Police and FBI investigators are still attempting to determine who was responsible. “Based on preliminary evidence, we’re confident it was a deliberate attack,” said Police Chief Raymond Bautista of San Francisco. Investigators are scouring the store locations for physical evidence, which they say could take several days, while the FBI’s Cyber Terrorism Task Force has opened an inquiry as well.

The multiplicity of attacks appears likely to have been the result of a coordinated operation, carried out by a group with agents operating in several cities. The Future CEO Ben Boyce appeared to affirm this view: “We are being targeted by a fringe group of Luddites, who do not reflect the widespread enthusiasm for our technology.” He added that customers have nothing to worry about. “Moving forward, we will be re-evaluating our security protocols, both in our stores and online.”

Since it became available to the public at the beginning of the year, The Future technology has been highly divisive. While many early adopters hail it as a giant leap forward for the information economy, think tanks have warned of the device’s potential to sow widespread chaos. Some religious groups have viewed it as an indicator of end times, and certain fringe sects have vowed to oppose it by any means necessary. Government watchdogs continue to debate regulation that would dictate how and if the devices could be sold at all.

At present, there are no plans to cease sales of the product, The Future 1, or to disrupt operations of the company.

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