Cyber Chronicles
Interactive Stories
Branching narrative adventures based on real cybersecurity incidents. Make choices that affect the outcome — but you won't see the stat effects beforehand. Choose based on the story, not the numbers.
- The Ghost in the Wires — December 1994. You are Kevin Mitnick, the FBI's most-wanted hacker, living under a fake identity in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tonight you plan to break into Tsutomu Shimomura's computer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. But the feds are closing in, and every phone call could be your last. Will you talk your way out, hack your way through, or vanish into the night?
- The Morris Worm (1988) — November 1988. You've discovered three critical vulnerabilities in Unix systems across ARPANET. Your worm is ready to demonstrate how broken internet security really is. But how aggressive should you be? This extended journey gives you 8-10 major decisions as you navigate the consequences of unleashing the first major internet worm. Every choice matters. Every path leads somewhere different.
- ILOVEYOU (2000) — May 2000, Manila. Your thesis was rejected. The code is finished. You decide how the world finds out.
- The Melissa Virus (1999) — March 26, 1999. You've created Melissa—an email-based macro virus that could demonstrate how broken Microsoft Office security really is. But how should you release it? Maximum chaos to prove the point? Controlled disclosure to Microsoft? Or responsible research through proper channels? This 8-10 minute journey through the first major email virus outbreak explores the ethics of security research, the consequences of digital actions, and the fine line between white hat and black hat hacking. Every choice shapes your path through history.
- Code Red Worm (2001) — July 13, 2001, 11:47 PM. Your IDS console erupts with alerts—thousands per minute. Microsoft IIS servers across the internet are being hammered with identical exploit requests. You're watching a worm spread in real-time, exploiting a vulnerability patched a month ago. But this time, you're not the attacker. You're the defender. You're a security researcher who just discovered one of the fastest-spreading worms in history. Your decisions over the next 72 hours will determine whether you become the person who helped stop Code Red, or just another voice lost in the chaos.
- Operation Olympic Games — June 2010. A malware sample surfaces on VirusTotal from Iran — but this is no ordinary virus. Multiple zero-day exploits, stolen digital certificates, and code targeting Siemens SCADA systems suggest something unprecedented: a cyber weapon designed to destroy physical infrastructure. As a security researcher, you must decide how deep to dig and what to do with what you find.
- Twitter Bitcoin Hack (2020) — July 15, 2020. You have access to Twitter's admin tool. The world's most followed accounts are one click away. The clock is shorter than you think.
- The SolarWinds Breach (2020) — December 2020. You are a threat hunter at a top cybersecurity firm. A strange pattern in DNS logs catches your eye — encoded queries to avsvmcloud.com that perfectly mimic legitimate SolarWinds telemetry. Your SIEM missed it. Your gut says this is the most sophisticated supply chain attack in history, and it has already compromised thousands of organizations including US government agencies. What you do next will shape the course of cybersecurity for a decade.
- WannaCry (2017) — May 2017. The Shadow Brokers leaked EternalBlue. You have a payload, a vulnerable installed base, and a directive from above. The kill switch is your decision.
- More coming soon...
Rewards
Completing chronicles earns skill XP, money, reputation, and sometimes exclusive badges. Each can be replayed with different choices for different outcomes.