Internet worm creates havoc. Blackout paralyzes millions. Coincidence... or not?

By Thursday, August 15, over one million computers worldwide were infected with a worm" spread across the Internet. On that same day, a massive power outage paralyzed millions in the East, Midwest, and Canada. What if events like these were NOT merely a coincidence? A new novel ponders the possibilities.

By Thursday, August 15, over one million computers worldwide were infected with a worm" spread across the Internet. On that same day, a massive power outage paralyzed millions in the East, Midwest, and Canada.

No one has even suggested the two historic events are related. But what if they were NOT merely a coincidence? Could a hacker or cyber-terrorist with a chilling agenda cause both?

A new novel ponders the possibilities. THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS (www.thedoomsdayvirus.com) is a techno-thriller about a cyber-terrorist bent on paralyzing the countrys computing infrastructure. Its a timely, topical book with an all-too-possible plot.

Set against the backdrop of the software world and the Internet, the book moves from Massachusetts to California as a brilliant yet warped computer hacker named Doomsday creates a virtually unstoppable virus. Two software entrepreneurs and a Silicon Valley journalist team up to thwart the hackers efforts... before his virus takes down the countrys entire computing infrastructure.

Cyber-terrorism is a time bomb ready to go off," says the author, Barry Silverstein. It isnt difficult to imagine a massive attack on the country via the Internet capable of bringing down the nations power or financial infrastructure. Even the experts admit were vulnerable. THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS is about what can happen when just such an attack takes place."

While THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS uses cyber-terrorism as its hook, the story itself is rich in technological and business intrigue. The main characters are two computer geeks who battle it out for software superiority, while a female journalist gets caught in the middle. The plot takes the reader through the rise and fall of the Dot Com era.

The author of THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS, Barry Silverstein, has worked with scores of information technology companies during his more than 25 years in the direct and Internet marketing business. He has founded and run a business-to-business direct marketing agency and is the author of two non-fiction books, Business-to-Business Internet Marketing and Internet Marketing for Information Technology Companies.

THE DOOMSDAY VIRUS (ISBN # 0-595-26883-8) is a trade paperback, 338 pages, priced at $18.95. Published by iUniverse (www.iuniverse.com), the book is available from the publisher, distributors, and online bookstores including Amazon (www.amazon.com) and Barnes & Noble (www.bn.com). Review copies are available to booksellers and reviewers. More information can be found at the books Web site: www.thedoomsdayvirus.com .