Page 113 of Everything That Kills Me
“And last February you took part in a major hacking competition. And won the team prize.”
“We did.”
“Which is easier? Attacking or defending?”
Zeph shrugged. “It depends. Attacking might seem more difficult because there’s no foolproof method of finding avulnerability, but in some ways it’s actually easier. If you’re defending, it’s crucial to keep every aspect safe at all times. You have to have eyes everywhere. But if you’re attacking, all you need to uncover is the one weak point and then you’re in. Though there’s also the possibility of your attack being reverse-engineered and used against you. You have to be good at everything. Attacking and defending.”
“Are you good at everything?”
“I want to be.”What’s this about?
“How do you feel about working in a team?”
Was this a job interview? “I like working on my own but the hacking competition was fun. I enjoyed the challenge of having to collaborate with people I didn’t know, under time pressure and in a stressful environment. My team was great. But sometimes you need a team and sometimes you don’t. Was that on the fence enough?”
Zeph worried he shouldn’t have added that, but Penshurst laughed. “No right or wrong answers.”
“Oh, I think there are. But are you going to offer me a job or arrest me?”
“Subject to security clearance, I want to offer you a job.”
“I’m relieved you’re not arresting me.”
“Not yet.” Penshurst chuckled. “Would you like to work at GCHQ?”
Government Communications headquarters in Cheltenham was exactly where Zeph wanted to work.
“You know what we do?” Penshurst asked.
Of course he did. “Work on threats to the country from abroad, analyse communications in order to prevent technological threats and stop hackers.”
“Had you thought about applying for a graduate role?”
“Yes. With you or MI5.”
“You’re not interested in making a lot of money in the private sector?”
“I know they’d pay more…” For a moment Zeph wondered if this guy had been responsible for his student loan being paid off. “Are you about to make me an offer I can’t refuse?”
“I wish we could. You’d earn substantially more not working for the government but I hope you’ll think about how much we need bright people like you. We work closely with MI5. I believe you’d prefer us but you may get seconded to MI5, even MI6 for periods of time. You’d be helping keep your country safe.”
Zeph swallowed hard.
“I understand you’re doing your thesis on facial recognition.”
“Specifically on developing a framework for evaluating the bias and accuracy of facial recognition and body composition algorithms used in medical and commercial applications. I think there’s a way to improve the speed and accuracy of identifying individuals within large crowds and with masses of data from cameras. The ethics of it are another thing.”
“Mark is impressed. I’d have you working for us right now if you didn’t need to get your degree first.”
Zeph felt his cheeks heat.
“Assuming you pass the security checks, I’ll be sending you a formal offer. You can only talk about this with your partner or a close family member, providing they’re British. Not with fellow students or friends. You’ll need to sign the Official Secrets Act.”
“I understand.”
“Just one thing. How did you manage to pay off your student debt?”
He’d saved that question and it answered one of Zeph’s. “An anonymous donor. I asked the loans company but they wouldn’t tell me. Do you know who it was?”
