Cybersecurity scifi series helps readers reduce hack risks

Stack of three SimCavalier books

Press Release – 30th October 2020
A series of futuristic cybercrime novels is teaching its fans to be aware of the cybersecurity risks they face in the present day. Author Kate Baucherel was originally approached to write a serious guide to cyber risks, and the project grew into the SimCavalier science fiction thriller series. Readers rely on fiction as a source of fact and what they learn becomes part of their background general knowledge, according to studies . By building today’s cybersecurity risks into stories, the books make readers more savvy when faced with common threats such as phishing and data theft, and showthe potential harm that can come from an innocent click on an unknown link.

“All the tech in these books exists today,” says Kate Baucherel, “and many of the scenarios are based on real attacks, tools and cybersecurity operations. Setting the books in the near future allowed me the freedom to push new technologies further into the world, making drones and robots and driverless cars part of the tales, but the cybersecurity risk is just as real.”

Kate is an emerging technology consultant working with businesses who are at the cutting edge of innovation. She specialises in solving wicked problems using blockchain and cryptocurrency, machine learning, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Her first job was with a software company in Denver, Colorado, back when computers took up a whole room, and the World Wide Web didn’t exist. Her science fiction is published by Billingham-based Sixth Element.

The third adventure in the series is set for release on 31st October, the last day of European Cybersecurity Month. Tangled Fortunes takes us to the mid-2040s where a terrorist group is holding the world’s attention. A nuclear explosion sparks an international fight against a cybercriminal network with a global reach. Cameron and the Argentum cybersecurity team in London join forces with undercover hackers, but while they tackle threats in Singapore, Wyoming and the North East of England, the danger may be closer to home than they realise.

All three SimCavalier novels – Bitcoin Hurricane, Hacked Future and Tangled Fortunes – are available on Amazon, and signed copies can be ordered directly from the author.