Cover of Terminal Compromise

Terminal Compromise

  • Free to read
  • 14 hours to read
  • 32 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Terminal Compromise" by Winn Schwartau is a high-tech thriller written in the early 1990s, creatively addressing contemporary issues of computer security and cyber-terrorism. The narrative follows several characters, including Taki Homosoto—a vengeful survivor of Hiroshima, Miles Foster—a brilliant yet disillusioned mathematical analyst from the National Security Agency, and Scott Mason—a New York Times reporter. The story seems poised to explore themes of personal vendettas, large-scale cyber attacks, and their implications on American society and security. The opening of "Terminal Compromise" introduces the reader to a world fraught with imminent threats and high-stakes scenarios involving key players. Taki Homosoto's backstory reveals a deep-seated hatred for America rooted in the destruction of his home city, while Miles Foster grapples with his own frustrations within the bureaucracy of the NSA. As the plot unfolds, we witness Miles's conflicted loyalties and his decision to engage with foreign entities, hinting at a larger conspiracy that may challenge the very fabric of the United States. The tension escalates as Scott Mason begins to uncover alarming connections between these characters and the catastrophic potential of cyber warfare.

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  • Computer security
  • Didactic fiction
  • Privacy, Right of
  • Records · Access control

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Prologue

Friday, January 12, The Year After
The White House, Washington D.C.

The President was furious. In all of his professional political life, not even his closest aids or his wife had ever seen him so totally out of character. The placid Southern confidence he normally exuded, part well designed media image, part real, was completely shattered.

"Are you telling me that we spent almost $4 trillion dollars, four goddamn trillion dollars on defense, and we're not prepared to defend our computers? You don't have a game plan? What the hell have we been doing for the last 12 years?" The President bellowed as loudly as anyone could remember. No one in the room answered. The President glared right through each of his senior aides.

"Damage Assessment Potential?" The President said abruptly as he forced a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"The Federal Reserve and most Banking transactions come to a virtual standstill. Airlines grounded save for emergency opera- tions. Telephone communications running at 30% or less of capacity. No Federal payments for weeks. Do you want me to continue?"

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Contents

Show all 32 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Prologue
  3. Chapter 2: Friday, September 4 San Francisco, California
  4. Chapter 3
  5. Chapter 4
  6. Chapter 5
  7. Chapter 6
  8. Chapter 7: Thursday, September 17 New York City Times
  9. Chapter 8
  10. Chapter 9
  11. Chapter 10
  12. Chapter 11
  13. Chapter 12
  14. Chapter 13: Wednesday, November 25
  15. Chapter 14
  16. Chapter 15: Sunday, December 6 Washington, D.C
  17. Chapter 16
  18. Chapter 17: Monday, December 28
  19. Chapter 18
  20. Chapter 19
  21. Chapter 20: Friday, January 8 Washington, D.C
  22. Chapter 21: Friday, January 8 Washington, D.C
  23. Chapter 22: Friday, January 8 Washington, D.C
  24. Chapter 23: Monday, January 11 Washington, D.C
  25. Chapter 24
  26. Chapter 25
  27. Chapter 26
  28. Chapter 27: Thursday, January 21 The White House, Washington, D.C
  29. Chapter 28
  30. Chapter 29: Monday, January 25 The White House
  31. Chapter 30
  32. Epilogue

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About this edition

This free edition of Terminal Compromise by Winn Schwartau comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #79, released 1993-08-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery, Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).