Writer and network operator Kevin Milne has released another freely downloadable science fiction novel about a master hacker who creates the ultimate network penetration tool, a Sharp Zaurus PDA running Linux and special “Z4CK” software. Digital Force is a sequel to Milne's earlier Z4CK, and both are available for purchase or free download.

Milne released Z4CK as a free PDF download in August, 2004, following up with a paperback edition in November. He says he was moved to write Digital Force by the positive response that Z4CK received. “The novel was well received by the Linux, PDA and Security communities,” he said.

Milne describes his new book as follows:

Duncan Steele has a simple choice to make. Work as a hacker for the British Governments' elite digital insurgency unit Cyber-Secure, or go to prison for his previous exploits against that very government.

Digital Force picks up where Z4CK left off. Follow Duncan Steele during his time at Cyber-Secure, from hunting the Fourth Reich hacker group, to meeting his most skilled adversary, to the creation of the Sec-Net network following the destruction of the Internet.

Like Z4CK before it, Digital Force uses real-life hacker tools and techniques, including Nmap, Nessus, and Hydra to demonstrate port scanning, vulnerability assessment, and brute force attacks, amongst others. [It] is written in a way that can be enjoyed by both technical and non-techical alike.

The book was created using open-source, and much of it again was written on a Zaurus SL-5500 on the train on the way to work.

Availability

The 255-page Digital Force novel is available now for purchase, or as a PDF download.

 
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