Subject: File 5--Secret Service -- the TV show

Last night NBC broadcast an episode of "Secret Service" in NY at least
that featured a straightforwards nut who wants to kill the President plot
and then a rather confusing account of their high technology defense of a
fuzzy city power system against sabotage by a fired employee.

I hope someone taped it and caught the exact wording of the disclaimer at
the end because it was hard to follow the logic and determine what was the
original incident and what was Hollywoodisms.

The piece was prefaced with a brief discussion some of the risks of power
outages.

The expert quickly diagnosed the problem as a VIRUS.  Persistent references
to virus in the context of a electric power control system seemed odd.
Since they appeared to be running pre-existing VIRUS checking software on
the system one might suspect the "main frame" was an IBM PC or Apple
Macintosh running standard software rather than a real time control
system or perhaps something larger and safer. nteresting references were
made to viruses lurking WITHIN modems. Then they identified the source of
the attacking codes as the local font storage in what appeared to be a old
DECwriter dot matrix printer.

With some external clues the agents attempt to confront the criminal in
house, which is wired with many falling metal screen, sounds effects, and
gas but which lacks reinforced walls.  The culprit is classic middle aged
computer geek who appears uncaring about possible loss of life although
the agents do not mention to him the risk of a life sentence of death
penalty of others die as a result of his sabotage.  He refuses to help
them disarm the problem.

The expert has announced that this is a logic bomb and eventually
realizes that since the bug code is not in the copy of the system on disk
as long as they shutdown without writing memory to disk they can reboot
bug free.  So a brief deliberate blackout is used to save the city.

I am obvious very curious about the TRUE FACTs of this can if the show
plans to show such other SS triumphs in the war on electronic crime as
almost destroying Steve Jackson Games.


