Chapter 288 Evil Hacker
As soon as I pushed open the conference room door, I could feel the tension in the air.
Albert saw me and immediately said, "Ms. Cooper, we've got a huge problem. Our website's been hacked, and everything's down."
"What happened?" I rushed over to the computer.
Albert pointed at the company website, which was flashing with random characters. "Several clients have contacted us, wanting to cancel their contracts. They think it's unsafe to work with us."
I quickly asked, "What's the tech department saying?"
Albert shook his head helplessly. "They're still investigating, but they haven't found anything yet."
"Tell them to find the cause and a solution ASAP," I ordered while scanning the website.
Albert stood up and headed to the tech department.
Alaric, who had been standing behind me, suddenly said, "Diana, take me to the tech department. I might be able to help you out."
I looked at him, feeling a bit skeptical. But I had no better options at the moment, so I nodded in agreement.
Alaric followed me into the tech department's office. The place was in chaos, with all the technicians frantically working, but the data on the screens remained a mess.
Alaric approached the first computer near the door and said to the technician using it, "Would you mind if I quickly used your computer?"
The technician, Uriah, looked skeptical. "Who are you? This is technical stuff; it's not something just anyone can handle. Besides, this is a secure department."
Alaric didn't expect to be refused and looked at me awkwardly.
Alaric was my guest, and he had offered to help. So I said to Uriah, "Uriah, let Mr. Kingsley use your computer."
Sensing my respect for Alaric, Uriah quickly stood up and gave up his seat.
Alaric then sat down and focused on the data on the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He was so absorbed that he didn't even notice the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
As he monitored the data, he said, "I'm not a computer science major, but my company specializes in cybersecurity, so I know a bit about this. This attack is aggressive and clearly targeted at you. We can't follow the usual troubleshooting methods."
Uriah sighed, "Our entire tech department is on it, but we have no leads."
Alaric didn't respond and continued working.
Minutes went by, and the data on the screen began to lag. Alaric kept typing commands at a fast pace.
Suddenly, the computer beeped, and Alaric's eyes lit up. "Got it! I've managed to infiltrate their system. They can't attack you anymore, at least for now."
"Really?" My voice trembled with excitement.
Alaric stood up and nodded. "At least there won't be any new financial losses for now. This buys us some time to mitigate the damage."
The office erupted in cheers.The techs gathered around, eyes glued to the screen showing the infiltrated system, looking totally amazed.
Uriah scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Mr. Kingsley, I underestimated you. Shouldn't have doubted you. Your skills are impressive."
I was super grateful to Alaric and said, "Thank you so much."
Alaric smiled shyly and replied, "Happy to help."
But this was just a quick fix. I still had to deal with the client fallout.
Just as I was feeling good about regaining control, a commotion erupted outside the office.
The receptionist's panicked voice followed. "Mr. Callahan, please wait. Ms. Cooper is handling an important matter. Let me inform her first!"
Then came Magnus Callahan's angry roar. "Inform her? With such a big issue, you think you can keep me out?"
Before I could react, the office door was flung open, and Magnus barged in, flanked by his bodyguards.
Magnus was furious. "What the hell is going on? How could you make such a rookie mistake? Where's Ms. Cooper? I need to see her!"
I quickly stepped forward.
"Ms. Cooper, what happened to your website? It's affecting us too. I demand that the Howard Group compensate for our losses, and I might reconsider our partnership." Magnus's tone was filled with dissatisfaction.
I hurriedly apologized. "Mr. Callahan, I'm truly sorry for the trouble. We were hacked, but the issue has been resolved. I assure you this won't happen again."
Magnus snorted. "How can I trust you? If you want me to continue our partnership, I need a dedicated tech team to ensure our operations are secure. Otherwise, I'll take my business elsewhere."
My heart sank. Magnus's company was a big deal for the Howard Group, and losing them would be a huge setback.
But putting together a dedicated tech team wasn't easy. I hesitated.
At that moment, Alaric stepped forward and said, "Mr. Callahan, don't worry. I'll handle the team assembly. I guarantee your operations will be secure."
Magnus scrutinized Alaric and asked, "Who are you? I've never seen you here. Can you really put together a team?"
Alaric calmly handed over his business card. "Mr. Callahan, I'm Alaric, president of FusionGrid Technologies. We specialize in cybersecurity and tech support. We have extensive experience and resources for assembling dedicated teams. I want to help the Howard Group through this crisis. I just stopped the hacker attack, so you can trust my capabilities."
Magnus's skepticism faded a bit at Alaric's words. He then looked at me and asked, "Ms. Cooper, is that settled?"
I looked gratefully at Alaric, who nodded sincerely.
I quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Callahan. We'll coordinate with your project manager and Mr. Kingsley's team to ensure your operations run smoothly."
Magnus smiled, looking pleased. "Alright, I'll give you another chance, considering your attitude."
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