C29 They Wanted Money

I looked at my screen. My heart started beating faster. This is my chance. If I solved this, people would finally see me differently. My job would be secure. My skills would matter.

Slowly, I adjusted my glasses and focused completely on the system. Code. Logs. Network traces. Email activity. Everyone in the room was working under pressure, fingers flying across keyboards, faces tense with stress.

Thirty minutes passed. Nothing. Forty minutes. Still nothing. An hour went by and although the system was contained, no one had traced the source.

Then suddenly, something clicked in my mind. A pattern. A trace. A hidden entry point buried inside an email log. I raised my hand immediately.

“Team Manager! I found it!” The entire room went silent. All eyes turned toward me. Some people even laughed softly. “Come on” someone said. “This is serious. Don’t joke around.”

But I stood firm. “I’m serious,” I repeated. “I found the threat. It’s a spyware attack.” Josh walked quickly toward me. “Are you sure, Mike? Explain it.”

I nodded. “A phishing email was sent to one of the higher-level accounts. Someone clicked on an attachment without noticing.”

I pointed at the screen. “Once they logged in, their credentials were captured. But the attackers didn’t go for data first they went for money. They tried to transfer funds out of the company system.”

Silence filled the room. The laughter disappeared.