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Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars
Illegal immigration. A nuclear attack from Iran or North Korea. Gun violence. The growth of terrorism abroad and at home. What if government leaders have overlooked an insidious peril to our national security?
What if the greatest danger to America weren’t recruiters from ISIS but hackers from China?
CIA veteran T. L. Williams unfolds this chilling—and highly conceivable—scenario in his latest novel, ZERO DAY: China's Cyber Wars (First Coast Publishers, February 2017). Moving between Chongqing, China and Langley, Virginia, this fast-paced spy thriller revolves around a plot by the Chinese government to seize the edge on global power by undermining the U.S. economy. Armed with an underground force of hackers, China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has a mission: to destroy confidence in the dollar by launching persistent, aggressive cyberattacks on America’s banking system.
Revenge—against the Communist Party for his father, a war hero who, after being targeted in an anti-corruption campaign and evicted from the apartment he had shared with his wife of 55 years, died in shame. That’s what drives Li Jiang, a senior Public Security Bureau officer in Chongqing, to let America in on the covert details of China’s masterful cyberattack plan.
To vet and handle this potential asset, the FBI seeks out Logan Alexander. A former Navy SEAL, retired by a leg injury sustained during an ambush in Afghanistan, Logan was already settled in China. As head of the Hong Kong branch of a Boston-based maritime consulting company, he could operate under the radar. More importantly, he is an excellent judge of the reliability of an operative’s intel and motives.
Logan quickly comes to trust Li. But the brass back in Langley have doubts. Could Li be a double agent? Or could a trusted American geek be spying for the Chinese? While racing against the clock to stop China’s ultimate cyberattack against the dollar, Li and Logan walk into a web of danger—and people ready to kill for economic advantage.
Reviewed by the CIA, ZERO DAY is packed with authentic insider details.
A gripping work of fiction, ZERO DAY raises urgent questions about what—and who—is truly the greatest threat to America.
What if the greatest danger to America weren’t recruiters from ISIS but hackers from China?
CIA veteran T. L. Williams unfolds this chilling—and highly conceivable—scenario in his latest novel, ZERO DAY: China's Cyber Wars (First Coast Publishers, February 2017). Moving between Chongqing, China and Langley, Virginia, this fast-paced spy thriller revolves around a plot by the Chinese government to seize the edge on global power by undermining the U.S. economy. Armed with an underground force of hackers, China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has a mission: to destroy confidence in the dollar by launching persistent, aggressive cyberattacks on America’s banking system.
Revenge—against the Communist Party for his father, a war hero who, after being targeted in an anti-corruption campaign and evicted from the apartment he had shared with his wife of 55 years, died in shame. That’s what drives Li Jiang, a senior Public Security Bureau officer in Chongqing, to let America in on the covert details of China’s masterful cyberattack plan.
To vet and handle this potential asset, the FBI seeks out Logan Alexander. A former Navy SEAL, retired by a leg injury sustained during an ambush in Afghanistan, Logan was already settled in China. As head of the Hong Kong branch of a Boston-based maritime consulting company, he could operate under the radar. More importantly, he is an excellent judge of the reliability of an operative’s intel and motives.
Logan quickly comes to trust Li. But the brass back in Langley have doubts. Could Li be a double agent? Or could a trusted American geek be spying for the Chinese? While racing against the clock to stop China’s ultimate cyberattack against the dollar, Li and Logan walk into a web of danger—and people ready to kill for economic advantage.
Reviewed by the CIA, ZERO DAY is packed with authentic insider details.
A gripping work of fiction, ZERO DAY raises urgent questions about what—and who—is truly the greatest threat to America.
- GenresFiction
346 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2017
16 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Williams
10 books41 followersT.L. Williams is a veteran officer of the CIA's clandestine service. Over a thirty-year career he served in Asia, Europe and Central Eurasia, where he was engaged in clandestine collection of critical intelligence with an emphasis on denied-area operations. Williams conducted recruitment operations against East Asian, Middle Eastern, East European and Caribbean targets. As Chief in CIA Stations he was the senior U.S. intelligence official in country. He partnered with foreign allies in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and counterproliferation operations.
Williams' other award-winning novels include Cooper's Revenge, Unit 400: The Assassins, Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars, The Last Caliph, and Supreme Threat - A Logan Alexander Thriller. He and his wife live in northern Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 24, 2017
I enjoyed this intelligent and suspenseful read, which would suit readers of either technothrillers or standard thrillers. Logan Alexander is a CIA operative in charge of a team which tries to counter a massive hacking attack planned by the Chinese Army. The intent, they discover, is to bring down American systems - from financial to water and rail - in order to destabilise the dollar.
Much of the book is set in mainland China or Hong Kong where the Americans, with good ex-pat cover stories, are unsure whom they can trust. Just as much, we find that Chinese agents are hanging around Langley and a team of Chinese practical hackers operates on the American continent. Did it not occur to anyone that maybe letting a Chinese computer scientist take degrees in America and go back to China was a bad idea? Even without hacking issues, just copyright theft? Just saying....
I like the attention to detail, the locality descriptions and the sheer tiresomeness of keeping under cover. I had not read any of the series and took a while to get to know everyone, especially as we are looking at chains of command. Once everything is up and moving, and families are introduced, we can start to admire genuine bravery and initiative, and sympathise with people on both sides. The action sequences are well described so hold on to your hat.
This is an adult read due to moderate strong language, and enough violence to be plausible, but no more. I would be happy to read more books by this author.
I was sent an ARC paperback copy. This is an unbiased review.
Much of the book is set in mainland China or Hong Kong where the Americans, with good ex-pat cover stories, are unsure whom they can trust. Just as much, we find that Chinese agents are hanging around Langley and a team of Chinese practical hackers operates on the American continent. Did it not occur to anyone that maybe letting a Chinese computer scientist take degrees in America and go back to China was a bad idea? Even without hacking issues, just copyright theft? Just saying....
I like the attention to detail, the locality descriptions and the sheer tiresomeness of keeping under cover. I had not read any of the series and took a while to get to know everyone, especially as we are looking at chains of command. Once everything is up and moving, and families are introduced, we can start to admire genuine bravery and initiative, and sympathise with people on both sides. The action sequences are well described so hold on to your hat.
This is an adult read due to moderate strong language, and enough violence to be plausible, but no more. I would be happy to read more books by this author.
I was sent an ARC paperback copy. This is an unbiased review.
June 8, 2018
I found Zero Day to be a very good, suspenseful, and extremely current, and thus relevant, spy thriller. For some reason, it doesn't have outstanding ratings, yet while I thought the end was a bit abrupt, I was quite happy with the book and thought it was one of the better spy thrillers I've read in recent years. As I'm new to this series, I'm inspired now to read the other books in this series. Recommended.
October 11, 2017
Technical information was interesting but the plot overall was very simplistic. Some mistakes that should have been caught in proofreading. For example, towards the end of the book Logan's wife is referred to as Millie. I was confused and searched for a previous reference to Millie but could not find one.
May 10, 2017
This is a Goodreads win review. This is about China trying to get the better of all of the nations by cyber attacks. Not very interesting.
February 24, 2021
Good story. Interesting characters. I picked up a few hints about cybersec; I was hoping for more.
February 6, 2017
With Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars, T.L. Williams is drawn back to his know-how as a former CIA operations officer who managed and conducted clandestine Human Intelligence (Humint) operations to dream up a yarn that readers will easily become hooked with its intricate twists and turns that will certainly give you nightmares.
According to Wikipedia, the term Humint essentially means intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines as signal intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence.
The cyber-thriller plot features Logan Alexander who uses his interpersonal contact skills in recruiting a young Chinese senior Public Security(MPS) employee, Li Jang, who happens to be the head of the PSB tactical unit in Chongqing, China. Logan's task is to convince Li to spy on behalf of the USA to prevent a Chinese cataclysmic hacking attack that could involve the transportation system, water supply, satellites, banking system, energy, military and much more.
The tale jump starts when an unsigned letter is slipped into the car window of a US regional security officer(RGO) a short distance from the American Consulate in Chengdu, the capital of Szechuan province. The letter was written in Chinese and was translated by an officer working on the China desk at Langley. It requests that it be delivered to the CIA and states that its unidentified writer has important information to share with the USA.
It proceeds to indicate that the writer is unable to leave China as he is an employee in public security. And that is just the beginning, it mentions that the USA is under attack not with guns and bullets but the “attacks come from the cyber world, and is on such a scale that you would not be able to fathom it.” To provide evidence of the writer's access to this vital information, it is accurately revealed that the Chinese had initiated before this year's G-20 meetings in Europe cyber attacks against senior staff members in various US departments supporting the Secretary of State's visit with a malicious virus encoded in an email and when it was opened they were able to have access to all of their correspondence. This spelled out that they knew the negotiating positions of the Americans on a wide range of subjects even before the conference started. At the end of the letter the writer provides instructions as to where and when to meet him, and even provides a backup site.
After three days of study by a team of cyber experts in consultation with others, it was concluded that the write-in was real. The FBI Cyber Division was appointed to take the lead on the case and a special commercial entity was set up. The CIA was brought in to devise a detailed plan to meet the writer of the letter. Logan is assigned the task to vet Li because he had already been deployed in the region, and he had no overt affiliation with the US government. He was the head of the Hong Kong branch of a Boston-based company, Alexander Maritime Consulting, and thus he could operate without attracting attention of the Chinese authorities.
Initially, Logan is very skeptical of Li thus causing him to continually validating everything he gets from him, however, eventually, he does believe Li's story as to why he wishes to spy on behalf of the USA. The narrative moves from different geographical locations including Chongqing, China and Langley Virginia involving various personnel connected to the FBI and the CIA.
Williams throws in a great deal of technical data concerning Chinese hackers, as well as the inner workings of CIA operations when it comes to combating cyber attacks some of which at times can be confusing. It should be mentioned that the CIA was so concerned about William's extensive knowledge about sensitive national security that it prevented the book’s publication for months while it vetted the manuscript for any classified information.
Williams spins an hypnotic story eerie in its timeliness and credibility where he effectively dramatizes the menacing world we face as he investigates troubling issues that we are actually experiencing in our daily lives. The evidence can be easily found in the scope of recent cyber attacks during the past few years against several financial institutions and other companies where China has been involved in waging an aggressive cyber-war against the USA costing American businesses billions of dollars. This is one novel you will want to read if you are interested in the slippery, behind-the -scenes activities and people that actually play a vital role in making us safe.
Follow Here goo.gl/yQdBhN To Read Norm's Interview With T.L. Williams
According to Wikipedia, the term Humint essentially means intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines as signal intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence.
The cyber-thriller plot features Logan Alexander who uses his interpersonal contact skills in recruiting a young Chinese senior Public Security(MPS) employee, Li Jang, who happens to be the head of the PSB tactical unit in Chongqing, China. Logan's task is to convince Li to spy on behalf of the USA to prevent a Chinese cataclysmic hacking attack that could involve the transportation system, water supply, satellites, banking system, energy, military and much more.
The tale jump starts when an unsigned letter is slipped into the car window of a US regional security officer(RGO) a short distance from the American Consulate in Chengdu, the capital of Szechuan province. The letter was written in Chinese and was translated by an officer working on the China desk at Langley. It requests that it be delivered to the CIA and states that its unidentified writer has important information to share with the USA.
It proceeds to indicate that the writer is unable to leave China as he is an employee in public security. And that is just the beginning, it mentions that the USA is under attack not with guns and bullets but the “attacks come from the cyber world, and is on such a scale that you would not be able to fathom it.” To provide evidence of the writer's access to this vital information, it is accurately revealed that the Chinese had initiated before this year's G-20 meetings in Europe cyber attacks against senior staff members in various US departments supporting the Secretary of State's visit with a malicious virus encoded in an email and when it was opened they were able to have access to all of their correspondence. This spelled out that they knew the negotiating positions of the Americans on a wide range of subjects even before the conference started. At the end of the letter the writer provides instructions as to where and when to meet him, and even provides a backup site.
After three days of study by a team of cyber experts in consultation with others, it was concluded that the write-in was real. The FBI Cyber Division was appointed to take the lead on the case and a special commercial entity was set up. The CIA was brought in to devise a detailed plan to meet the writer of the letter. Logan is assigned the task to vet Li because he had already been deployed in the region, and he had no overt affiliation with the US government. He was the head of the Hong Kong branch of a Boston-based company, Alexander Maritime Consulting, and thus he could operate without attracting attention of the Chinese authorities.
Initially, Logan is very skeptical of Li thus causing him to continually validating everything he gets from him, however, eventually, he does believe Li's story as to why he wishes to spy on behalf of the USA. The narrative moves from different geographical locations including Chongqing, China and Langley Virginia involving various personnel connected to the FBI and the CIA.
Williams throws in a great deal of technical data concerning Chinese hackers, as well as the inner workings of CIA operations when it comes to combating cyber attacks some of which at times can be confusing. It should be mentioned that the CIA was so concerned about William's extensive knowledge about sensitive national security that it prevented the book’s publication for months while it vetted the manuscript for any classified information.
Williams spins an hypnotic story eerie in its timeliness and credibility where he effectively dramatizes the menacing world we face as he investigates troubling issues that we are actually experiencing in our daily lives. The evidence can be easily found in the scope of recent cyber attacks during the past few years against several financial institutions and other companies where China has been involved in waging an aggressive cyber-war against the USA costing American businesses billions of dollars. This is one novel you will want to read if you are interested in the slippery, behind-the -scenes activities and people that actually play a vital role in making us safe.
Follow Here goo.gl/yQdBhN To Read Norm's Interview With T.L. Williams
March 17, 2017
Thought Provoking Fiction
When the author is a retired spook I always wonder if what I'm reading is pure fiction, docudrama, or what. Suffice it to say that Williams' stories, including his two prior novels, provided enough suspense and intrigue to keep me wondering.
When the author is a retired spook I always wonder if what I'm reading is pure fiction, docudrama, or what. Suffice it to say that Williams' stories, including his two prior novels, provided enough suspense and intrigue to keep me wondering.
June 2, 2017
All I can do is hope that this book remains fiction because if the described attack ever succeeds this country could be destroyed. I enjoyed the story and suspect that the author's inside knowledge made it uncomfortably realistic. Great characters, lots of action and a nice set-up for the next in the series.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews