Where've you been?
Danny sent me home last night.
I'm sorry, I thought he told you.
OK, no problem.
So, as you know, we've been asked to recheck the BT malware.
I'd like you to do a strings.
What, just pull all the text?
Yeah. That's right, and go through it.
You know, passwords, hash types?
See if we missed anything.
Look, if this is my fault I'm really sorry. I was...
It's fine.
Someone needs to do the strings. You're here on work experience.
Or do you think you're too grand to do it?
No, of course not.
Good. Well, off you go then.
Options for an Offensive Cyber response.
With respect, Prime Minister, can I say that GCHQ opposes
the use of OC in a situation of this kind?
Why?
Because of the law of unintended consequences.
We close down part of Russia's electricity grid
but it turns out it also supplies a hospital.
They broadcast pictures of patients dying and...
Offensive Cyber is an attack on a country,
just like in any other domain of conflict.
And it's very, very dangerous as... With respect, we are proving here.
They take out parts of our infrastructure.
We retaliate, attack one of their systems.
They hit us again, this time a more critical target.
We up the stakes another notch and, before you know it,
we're into a cycle of escalation and a catastrophic loss of life.
So what do you suggest we do?
Expel more diplomats, like we did after Novichok?
Look how much good that did.
They're playground bullies.
We need to hit back in a language they understand.
If we do nothing, they'll just come back at us harder next time.
Options.
Well, we could turn off SWIFT to all their banks.
That might be quite appropriate,
given the impact of their attacks on our cash machines.
No.
OK. Well, we could take control of Putin's car briefly.
Flash the lights, accelerate and decelerate, that kind of thing.
- You can do that? - Oh, yes.
We could also drop his plane 20,000 feet mid-flight.
As a demonstration of power, that might be quite effective.
Though they would almost certainly target our leadership in response.
No. What else?
I suppose we could fry all the lines into Glavset.
- Into what? - Glavset.
It's the source of most of Russia's Twitter propaganda aimed at the UK.
We could shut it down.
How long would that take?
Er, well, we'd have to create the exploit first,
so seven, maybe eight days.
Eight days?
OK, do it.
I'm sorry, I've got to take a break.
Can't keep my eyes open.
OK.
Don't be long.
Can I?
Sure, why not?
You OK?
Just got to wake myself up.
- What is it? - It's an energy drink.
Oh!
Sweet.
It's a quick hit. It'll keep you going.
So who is he? The old man you keep staring at?
Did they show you Jive?
What?
It's kind of an in-house Facebook.
Well, he writes a blog for it every week.
Correcting the grammar in everyone else's posts.
- What? - Yeah.
- No way. - I'm not shitting you.
That's what he's doing right now.
Just sitting there correcting our mistakes.
That is one sad fucker.
You're that student who found the second malware, right?
Congratulations.
Not really.
Oh.
I thought that you were the golden girl?
Yeah, 'were' is right.
Apparently, finding that code just made everyone else look bad.
So, now we've got to start again and everyone in my department hates me.
Well, maybe they're just jealous?
No, really.
What have you found?
Some of this text is encrypted.
That's OK. They do that sometimes.
It's probably just a bit of random text that's got pasted in by mistake.
But shouldn't we check, to be safe?
Get it decrypted?
Can't. Not without the key.
Surely GCHQ can crack encryption without a key.
Isn't that what we do here?
It's part of what we do.
So who does that?
The mathematicians. But you'd be wasting your time.
Why?
Sorry, I just want to understand, for the future.
Because it would be a huge commitment of resources.
And they wouldn't think it was worth it.
Just for this little bit of encrypted text?
That's right.
OK, thanks for explaining.
No problem.
But if I happened to know a mathematician, here, in the building,
would you mind if I could persuade him to take a look?
No, but he won't. And he'd be right.
It's not a priority. And it's not what we've asked you to do.
Can I take this chair?
Thank you.
Don't people hate having their grammar corrected?
Mm.
Doesn't it just make everyone hate you?
If we wrote code as sloppily as we write English, it would never run.
"Some things," "somethings" have to be right.
Is that all you're having?
I'm Muslim.
They don't have anything halal here. And I don't like vegetables.
I'm looking for a mathematician friend but he isn't here.
Can you tell me where they work, the mathematicians?
I'm new here.
I'll show you if you like.
But I warn you, they won't be very welcoming.
What's funny?
"They won't be very welcoming."
No different to any other department here then?
No different "from" any other department.
It's "different from, compared with."
Have you worked here a long time?
Here and before.
Before?
Before we were in this, this doughnut.
Was it very different "from" now?
It was.
I'd like to have seen that.
I can show you if you like.
OK.
You wanted to see the mathematicians. This is it. Cryptology.
By the way, we don't ask where departments are at GCHQ,
especially Cryptology.
You know, security and all that.
But I won't tell if you don't.
If you do want to see the old HQ, let me know.
Hello. Erm, sorry to interrupt.
Is there anyone here called Gabriel?
What do you want? I'm busy.
Do you really still use this stuff?
We don't have whiteboards. Too noisy.
You shouldn't be here.
What is it?
It's encrypted text. From a malware string.
Encrypted strings pop up all the time. It doesn't mean anything.
That's what they told me you'd say.
Come on, Gabriel.
Encrypted text from a piece of malware we haven't seen before?
It must be worth a look, surely?
Please.
I can't make any promises.
We're busy. We may decide it's not worth the time and resources.
Are you saying you can't do it?
No. I'm saying it might not be worth the time and resources.
Thank you.
Whiteboards.
Too noisy as in too bright, right?
Of course. What else could it mean?
Oh, Allah. Forgive Ahmed Parvin.
And elevate his station amongst those who are guided.
Send him along the path of those who came before.
And forgive him and have mercy on him.
And make him steadfast and harden him.
Be generous to him, and cleanse him of his transgressions,
as a white cloth cleansed of stains.
Saara! Saara, no.
Ami. Come.
Bye-bye, Abu.
Hi, we're gonna need to search your bag.
- Sure. - Harriet?
Can you help save the planet?
James.
How was it?
Oh, no. Come here.
Don't. Please.
Lunch is served.
OK, anyone saying thank you? Thank you?
Thank you. - Thank you.
What's wrong?
Are you allowed to bring your class here?
Am I allowed?
It's the weekend.
I think it's, you know, think it's good that
they know what's going on in the world.
Isn't it?
Is this it?
Three words and some hexadecimal?
Why? Were you expecting more?
No. Er, I don't know.
It's just... You've done it so quickly.
It was weird.
What?
You've heard of trapdoor encryption?
Is that what they used?
There was a rope hanging down, through the trapdoor.
Like it wanted me to climb up it. Like it wanted to be decrypted.
And?
Eagles summer stages, that's what it says.
Plus some hexadecimal.
- What does it mean? - I don't know.
And whatever you're up to, I don't want to be involved. Ever.
OK, Finn, let it loose.
Well done. Now we wait.
I think the hexadecimal's a date and time.
I wondered if the words meant anything to you.
Where did you find this?
Hidden in the malware strings.
I got one of the mathematicians to decrypt it for me.
Saara, you do know that you shouldn't be talking to me about this, right?
I'm not cleared for the things that you're working on.
I know, but I just need a bit of help.
Sit.
I already did this.
OK.
Have you tried What3words?
So, three apparently random words can be used to identify
a three-metre square anywhere on the planet.
Your three words are inside...
Harrogate Conference Centre.
You said that you had a date?
The 28th of April, 9:30 a.m.
Oh, my God.
It's Cyber World.
It's right in the middle of the Cyber World conference.
That can't be a coincidence.
What does this mean? I don't understand.
You said that this was encrypted inside the BT malware?
Yeah.
Well you have a date, a time and a place.
It looks like someone's sending us an invitation.
I think it's one of their coders.
Trying to reach out.
What do Max and Phil think about this?
I haven't told them.
- I wanted to crack it first... - Sorry, just to be clear.
You're working in malware
and you haven't told your head of department what you're doing?
Phil agreed to me getting it decrypted.
Yes, but you haven't told them what you've found?
You've gone over their heads to me?
You're on a work placement!
Apart from anything else, have you considered
how incredibly disrespectful that is to Max and Phil?
No, truthfully, I hadn't.
What's your involvement in this?
Well, you know, we've been trying to track down the coders
and if this is a message from one of them...
OK, what do you suggest we do about it?
- Me? - Yes, you.
I think someone should go to Harrogate.
Me, if no one else will.
OK.
- "OK?" - You can go.
No way!
I want you to go with her, OK?
If it's Cyber World, the FSB are gonna be there.
It's likely one of their provocations. It's got all the hallmarks.
And make sure you update Max and Phil.
She probably thinks we're on a date.
Or that I'm your carer.
It's back up. Glavset.
Yeah. Afraid so.
So how long did we manage to take them down for?
About 21 hours.
Unbelievable.
And still no sign of a reprisal?
No, nothing, not even a polite complaint.
Makes us look a bit foolish, doesn't it?
All our dire warnings about the escalatory nature of offensive cyber.
Well, no, maybe they were smarter than we realised, you know?
Russia's never acknowledged the existence of Glavset.
How can you complain about an attack
on an organisation that doesn't officially exist?
Hmm.
What was this?
Canteen.
And no meat, because you don't, you know...
Thank you.
Why did you... Why did you choose to work here in the first place?
Here at GCHQ?
Er, Mum and Dad worked here.
GCHQ's a family business, always has been.
So, they met here?
Here, no. At Bletchley.
During the war. Hut 6.
- Really? - Mmhmm.
Yes, if it weren't for GCHQ, I wouldn't exist.
I haven't told my family where I work.
Really? You can now, I think.
Well, I know but they wouldn't understand.
Well, my dad did but he died.
You remind me of him.
'Course, back in the day, we didn't have emails
or bloody iPhones. We had Lamson tubes.
What's that?
An old network of pneumatic tubes all over the place.
Did you know, if you wanted to send a document,
do you know what you did with it?
You rolled it up.
Put it in a carrier.
It could be anywhere, anywhere in all these buildings. Two minutes tops.
Marvellous.
Absolute marvellous piece of engineering, really.
It was about the size of that can.
- Perfect for chocolate eclairs.
- Oh, yeah? - Oh, yes.
Stern memos were sent.
"Personal use of the Lamson tube is not permitted!"
It was how I proposed to my wife.
No way!
Did she reply?
Oh, no. She... She said she'd think about it.
So you didn't go down on bended knee then?
No, no. I'm...
Far... Far too shy.
Do you... No, you don't.
It didn't last, of course. She left me.
I don't blame her.
We could never really talk about anything, what we were doing.
But you both worked here?
Surely she was the only type of person you could talk to?
Different departments.
"Compartmentation," they call it.
Can't talk about what you're doing.
Destroys relationships.
If you're not careful.
Funny, I used to think of people here as my family.
They...
They seemed like family.
But they weren't.
Not my real family.
You have to take care of your real family.
Choose.
James?
Katy?
- Hi! - Hi, erm...
Do you know where James is?
Yeah. He's, er, behind the band, round the corner there.
Are you Saara?
Yeah. Is James here?
Come on in.
Thanks.
- Where's your coat? - What were you doing?
We were just training. For if we get arrested.
OK, er...
OK. What is it, Saara? What's the problem?
I'm worried about your job.
OK.
It's an illegal protest and you're bringing your class down here.
Does the school know?
You're not a student any more, James.
No, I know I'm not a student.
Any more, but are you sure it's not your job we're talking about here?
Yeah, yeah, that's part of it.
OK.
Did you know that most of the questions
I got asked at my vetting interview were about you?
Your politics.
Are you trying to get me into trouble?
No.
No, of course not.
What are you saying? That you can't work there and have political views?
Because I don't know about you but I think this is quite important.
Whether the kids that I teach will have a future on this planet.
Whether the kids you and I might have one day will have a future on this planet.
Isn't that more important than your job?
Or my job? Or any job, actually?
What is it?
I'm...
I'm really not thinking about having kids with you, James.
I'm not. I'm sorry.
So, the surface of revolution...
is a surface defined by
z equals capital H of r.
We need to underline that.
Where r, z and theta are...
Anyone?
Cylindrical polar coordinates.
Thank you, Saara.
Well, I'm glad someone's listening.
So, yes, are cylindrical polar coordinates.
So, yes. So, z is the height coordinate.
I can't believe you said that he should've written it out before the lesson!
He definitely likes you.
Why don't you ask him out?
What? That's so gross, Vadim.
Anyway, I can't. He's on the faculty.
Ask him anyway. Life's too short.
I couldn't believe it's you.
- That was good today. - Yeah.
Would you like a mask?
We've got red ones, yellow ones.
Thanks. For my partner.
So who are you voting for?
Ha-ha.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Georgia Henderson?
GCHQ don't like us to use our real names.
OK.
Well, let's find the place. So we're all set for tomorrow.
Here? Really?
Yeah.
Do you wanna decompress?
Sure.
Oh.
Don't judge me, all right, it's a problem.
I'm not.
I've actually always wished I was a messy person.
What?
You know my ex's apartment was this,
this beautiful, minimalist nightmare
and if I left anything of mine out she had it gone in, like, nano-seconds.
That sounds passive aggressive to me.
- Tidying away the evidence of your existence. - Huh.
You know what? You're exactly right.
You're more perceptive than I give you credit for.
Can I have one?
I thought you don't drink?
I don't.
Careful now.
Shut up.
Right on time.
Dad!
Yeah, I know, I know, I was at dinner.
No, I did not have a Yorkshire pudding, Dad,
but good job on the research. Maybe next time.
Look, I gotta go, OK?
Yeah.
Night, Dad.
I love you, too.
Sorry about that.
He always gets through to me, even when I was in Iraq.
Have I said something wrong?
No. No...
Then tell me.
It's just...
My dad died...
Recently, actually.
Fuck. I'm... I'm so sorry.
- Sorry, I'm such a dick. - No, honestly, it's fine.
It's great you've got such a good relationship with your dad.
There was an accident... a few days ago.
He was a train driver. He was on the tracks
and he was hit by a train.
Oh, fuck.
That's according to my family anyway.
What, you think that it might have been deliberate?
He was difficult.
Unusual, not difficult.
I was the only one who really understood him.
He was dependent on me.
Quite heavily dependent.
He had bouts of depression when I was growing up.
And I used to be the one who could make him laugh,
get him out of a slump.
And I went away and I just abandoned him...
Hey.
It's not your fault, OK?
You know, my dad's a cop.
And he was under the towers on 9/11.
And he lost most of his friends,
you know, guys that he'd known since school.
And he was really fucked up by it,
I mean we all were...
And he needed support too.
But, in the end, I still went away, Saara. I still got on with my life.
But you talk to him every day,
even when you were in fucking Iraq.
I ignored mine.
I cut him out.
Saara, he loved you.
He loved you.
All right? I'm sure he understood.
Yeah, you're right.
He understood perfectly, that's the point.
He threw himself under a train, Kathy.
Come here.
It's going to be all right.
You're going to be all right.
It's not a good idea.
Right, you're upset.
I should go to bed.
Yeah, me too.
We've got some serious standing around to do tomorrow, so...
Morning.
Let's get this over with so I can get back to Danny's office and apologise.
It's gonna be fine.
One minute.
I'm sorry about last night.
I don't drink, you know? And...
I guess it had more of an effect than I was expecting.
It's great timing on this particular conversation starter, Saara.
Go on.
Thank you for coming.
What do you want?
Oh, sorry.
Vadim?
What are you doing here?