Alicia nodded, noting the earnest expressions on the security consultants’ faces as they huddled over laptops. Their leader, a woman with steel-gray hair pulled into a tight bun, stood up when Alicia entered.
“Ms. Rhodes, I’m Janet Cooper from Digital Fortress. We need to talk.”
Her tone carried an urgency that made Alicia’s spine straighten.
“Let’s use my office.”
Alicia led the way with Janet following close behind. Once inside, Janet didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“Someone’s been trying to break into your financial system since yesterday afternoon.”
“Sophisticated attempts?”
“They’re looking for vulnerabilities in your accounting software.”
Alicia’s expression remained neutral, but her jaw tightened.
“How close did they get?”
“Close enough to worry me.”
Janet pulled up a diagram on her tablet.
“They’ve made multiple attempts to access your payroll records, tax documents, and acquisition histories. The pattern suggests they’re hunting for something they can use against you.”
“Can you trace it?”
“They’re good at covering their tracks, but...”
Janet’s fingers flew across the screen.
“The attacks are coming through various proxy servers. However, three of them trace back to addresses we’ve seen before in corporate espionage cases involving Elite Jets Consortium.”
Alicia’s phone buzzed. Sasha had arrived.
Moments later, her assistant entered with two cups of coffee, handing one to Alicia.
“What’s our exposure?” Alicia asked, taking a sip.
“Your current security is decent, but not equipped for this level of attack. We need to upgrade everything immediately.”
Janet pulled out a second tablet.
“I’ve prepared recommendations. It’s not cheap, but considering what’s at stake...”
“Do it,” Alicia said without hesitation. “Whatever we need.”
For the next hour, Janet’s team moved through the office like a well-oiled machine. They installed new security software, updated firewalls, and began the process of moving sensitive data to more secure servers.
Marcus knocked on Alicia’s door around nine, his face tight with concern.
“The CFO’s here. You need to see this.”
Robert Chen, Rhodes Aviation’s chief financial officer, waited in the small conference room. His normally neat appearance showed signs of strain, his tie slightly askew and his hair not quite perfectly combed.
“They’re trying to get to our audit records,” he said as soon as Alicia entered. “I’ve been up all night monitoring unusual access attempts.”
“They’re particularly interested in our recent acquisitions and tax filings.”
“They’re looking for dirt,” Alicia said, settling into a chair. “Anything they can use to trigger an investigation.”
“That’s my assessment, too.”