“Digital Fortress is the latest book from Dan Brown, who hit the top of best-selling charts through his novel The Da Vinci Code. Though not so famous as the latter, this account is quite absorbing and a fast-paced action thriller. Brown, a former English and creative writing teacher touches upon the subject of internet security and how e-mails messages, popularly perceived as safe, secure and fast mode of communication, can be accessed and read by security agencies across the world. Digital Fortress is a gripping and fast-paced techno-thriller is perhaps more popular among technophiles and computer geeks than others.
The action-packed story of Digital Fortress moves on two parallel planes: one in the headquarters of America’s National Security Agency (NSA), and another in the form of a race against time across continents for a gold ring. In most military intelligence and war stories, the weaponry comprises machine guns, tanks and explosives etc. But in Digital Fortress the combat hardware is something that almost all of us use in daily lives, i.e computers, e-mail and the world wide web aka internet. The protagonists primarily fight with brainpower, though there are some instances where firepower i.e guns are also employed. The best thing about Digital Fortress is perhaps the knowledge and understanding about computer-aided encryption and code-breaking technologies such as brute force, mathematical encryption algorithms, square coding etc which is simplistically explained. Several complicated concepts about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in modern day international espionage and politics are discussed in the book.
The book starts off with an emergency at United States’ NSA when it’s supposedly invincible code-breaking computer ‘TRANSLTR’ with more than a million processors, encounters a mysterious code it cannot break. Trevor Strathmore, deputy director of the NSA calls the agency’s head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant mathematician to assist in finding a solution. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage -- not by a nuclear bomb -- but by software so complex that if released would cripple American intelligence. Thus begins the real or rather the virtual war on cyberspace, where the ‘bomb’ (an encryption algorithm) will explode, exposing the entire American defence ministry’s data to anyone and everyone.
In the novel, ‘Digital Fortress’ is actually the name given to a code created by mathematics wizard, encryption software expert and former employee of NSA, Ensie Tankado. A code with a potential to derail NSA’s efforts to keep tabs on all the data that is transmitted on the information superhighway, stumps the agency’s secret multi-billion dollar code-breaking computer TRANSLTR. Born with deformed fingers due to the effect of nuclear radiation his mother suffered at Hiroshima, Tankado grows up thirsting for revenge against the United States. Later as he grows older, Tankado reads about Japanese war crimes and Pearl Harbour and his hatred for America slowly fades. He starts learning computers in his 12th year and by 20 Tankado becomes a cult figure among programmers and is offered a job in Texas, US by IBM. Soon after his arrival, Tankado rides a wave of fame and fortune writing algorithms, forcing NSA to offer him a job in its team of cryptographers.
A respecter of human rights, Tankado quits NSA when he comes to know that through its super computer – TRANSLTR – the agency could access and open everyone’s e-mail and reseal it without their knowing. Tankado a firm believer of the Latin saying “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies” meaning “Who will guard the guards?” tries to go public with news about TRANSLTR and its capability with the help of Electronic Frontier Foundation -- an online group of people championing for personal right to secrecy in electronic communications – but is captured, accused of spying and deported to Japan. To take revenge for his disgraceful exit from the NSA and US, Tankado creates ‘Digital Fortress’ and unleashes it on TRANSLTR.
The virtual attack on the TANSLTR sparks off two chains of events -- a battle with a traitor within NSA headquarters that envelops Fletcher, and a race across continents for a gold ring worn by Tankado, on which is engraved the Latin key to break the code and save vital defence data of the United States. The race draws in David Becker, Fletcher’s fiancé, who travels to Spain to retrieve the gold ring. In Seville, thrilling chase scenes, chilling murders and miraculous escapes result in Becker gaining possession of the ring. Meanwhile, at NSA, there is a crescendo of murder, infernos, and explosions, and it emerges that Strathmore, has as agenda that goes beyond decoding Digital Fortress. The author’s skill at hinting and concealing Strathmore’s deceit will hold readers till the finish.
Digital Fortress will definitely hold readers’ attention from start to finish though technophobes may find the elaborate descriptions of processors and code breaking algorithms a wee bit boring. After reading this book, it is difficult to read, write or send e-mails without getting the eerie feeling that someone, somewhere across the world maybe clandestinely reading your correspondence. Or maybe some may think of evolving their own unbreakable code to encrypt their e-mail, to ensure confidential communication even if a TRANSLTR is working halfway across the world.”
srinidhilv wrote this review Wednesday, September 5 2007.
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