ONN: Hacked Attacks Linked to NET Games, More News
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Originally Published on September 19th, 2490
Orbital News Network/Grant Jones Reporting
If you have been paying attention to the NET recently, you surely are aware of many particular events and incidents taking place, and they all may be connected. ONN Presents a chronology of events for easier understanding.
Beginning on Friday September 11th, several parts of the PublicNET ground to a halt. Most of these back end system errors appeared to affect corporate transactions, moving data and advertisements. While it is not uncommon to hear about such attacks, these were bigger in scale, and most successful.
In the place of paid advertisements, one advertising something called the NET Games began cropping up, sporting a cheerful female announcer who went on to make accusations of corporations' involvement in the Martian Wars. And while Corporations taking part in the Martian Wars isn't unheard of, at the same time, there was a very high interest in this event.
The following day, on Saturday the 12th, massive portions of the PublicNET were completely locked down and made inaccessible, including sites dedicated to United Armaments Corporation (U.A.C) and All American Legacy Incorporated (A.A.L.I) and several Luna companies. At this rate, the speculation was rampant, whatever the NET Games were, they were either a coverup for a grand scale attack on Corporations, or the NET Games were the attack proper.
While the various associated Luna companies seem to have come back online following the unusual spike in ShadowNET activity - which once more broke records - the deal we had previously reported on concerning U.A.C and A.A.L.I with ARES was never officially finalized. It remains unclear if this was because of the attacks, or because ARES pulled the plug at the last possible moment due different factors.
Seemingly overnight, U.A.C and A.A.L.I went entirely bankrupt, with the associated corporate bank accounts being hacked and everything drained, and a critical data vault breach was reported. At this time, it's reported that New Geneva, through SolBank, is investigating the affair and considering a Financial Emergency Package for each corporation, however, this may be administered and controlled through ARES if they are still interested in making a deal with these two commercial entities, otherwise, New Geneva may not even go ahead with it and instead, may offer bankruptcy options to each.
Those of you who have followed similar happenings in the last decade will recognize when we say that following the breaches, the signal of a notorious cyberterrorist Gh0st went online again. This time, however, they seem to be associated with the NET Games previously advertised, and utilized it as a front while the illegal activities were taking place in the background. At this time, SolBank has dedicated most of their resources to look into the full extent of the damage to make assessments on the losses. This would be one of the biggest financial breaches since the so-called 'Digital Heist' against SolBank in January of 2488, where the full amount that was siphoned through SolBank servers still remains undisclosed.
In total, over 50 million in assets were lost, and the SolBank accounts' funds have not been able to be traced. It is suspected that a wide scale laundering operation took place, but the efficiency with which the attack occurred marks Gh0st's most devastating attack yet. authorities out of New London - the site of the last major corporate cyberattack perpetrated by Gh0st - are working with Governor Bancroft to provide all the information they can, but with no identifying information on Gh0st or the collective they are part of, it seems this investigation may be stalled yet again.
On September 16th, New Geneva, through the SolBank and the Big Three: Advanced Research and Experimental Systems (ARES,) Armitech, and Matsumoto-Zaibatsu, started a new Task Force with the sole purpose to find the leaks, and follow the route of the missing credits, through twelve of the most capable and dedicated Cyberanalysts and Counter Hacker Operatives, the Task Force has been dubbed "The Majestic 12" and word is that they have been given carte blanche to act as they see fit to bring the perpetrators to Corporate Justice.
Last Thursday, September 17th, a young man identified as Zachariah Voss was found underneath the bridge in Sector One, he was missing an arm, Liberty Motions Model LM-345 Standard, and the tendons on his legs had been severed. The Genetectic Trauma Team found him on site three minutes after his systems emitted a wide alert. Rushed to the G.T.T facility nearby, the young man was delirious, speaking about monsters, ghosts, and shadows. His right arm was removed, and while it had been forcefully removed, G.T.T technicians remarked on the clean cuts it had taken, and also remarked how two other augmentations were missing: A MetroCortex-MX745 Stabilizer Augmentation, which is normally used on individuals with balancing problems or those who wish to have better dexterity and agility, and a Kiroshi CO-7865X25 Cybernetic Eye. It is unclear if there are any suspects around this, seeing how at the moment of the attack, Zachariah Voss was in a blind spot with no active CCTV, and seeing the increase in population in Cocoon Station since it opened its doors to refugees and most refugees have been getting professional training, this in addition to the rapid increase and rise in power of several gangs in the station. There is one thing to consider, however, and is that this brutal attack matches the attacks that the station suffered about a year ago with several cases of amputations and mutilations, back then, the attacks were attributed to a sinister group of individuals simply identified as the Harvesters. Is it possible that these invisible monsters are aligned with any criminal organizations in the station? At this time, Zachariah Voss continues under Genetectic's care, and continues to mention monsters, ghosts, shadows, and eyes watching him, which seems to match the modus operandi of the Harvesters: Inflicting maximum pain on the victim before mutilating them.
What are your thoughts on the news? Do you think the Majestic 12 will find out where the missing corporate funds ended up? Will they get any closer to unveil Gh0st's identity? ONN recommends our viewers to stay at home and avoid lone and poorly lit areas as the crime rate continues to rise every night. Please share your opinions in the comment section below.