Zero Days

Many characters take for granted that their personal information will be safe in company databases, leading them to become vulnerable to malware, identity theft, and more. For example, Keeley Winston gives Jack access to all her passwords when Jack says she’s from Sunsmile IT and needs to clean Keeley’s hard drive of malware. Social media only adds to these vulnerabilities because users post personal information that can be mined, used, and manipulated, as Jack does to get past Sunsmile security. Moreover, the fact that companies hire Crossways Security, Jack and Gabe’s penetration testing business, shows the dire need for a greater understanding of technology.

When Jack creates a new Instagram profile to access the accounts of employees of Sunsmile Insurance, she can find a photograph of a Sunsmile employee security badge because dozens of employees had, at some point, geotagged the office. Although companies “had got[ten] much better about not letting employees post their passes, in part because of people like [Jack] telling them about the risks” (203), it takes Jack hardly any time to find such a photo. Next, she looks for a “target” who posted photos that inadvertently signaled that they won’t be in the office that day, and she finds “a photo of a baby covered in small red spots” (204).