The most common depiction of Adira is an anonymous masked and hooded figure with CV dazzle patterns and a glowing eye.
Adira is believed to be a hacker or hacking collective with unfettered access to the networks in use by G6. Despite a series of international surveillance operations and police actions, no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding Adira’s true identity or motivations. This has contributed to their mythical status and raised a number of competing theories, including a false flag operation and a sentient artificial intelligence (AI).
The existence of Adira was first revealed in 2045, when a breach of Zhupao‘s internal network indicated that the company has been using G6 to aid authorities in tracking Adira’s movements and actions as early as 2041. Since then, Adira has been linked to various individuals and groups, including Efua Amankwah-Crouse, Atakan Selvi, and Five of Swords (FoS).
Table of contents
Origin
On October 10th 2045, Zhupao suffered a massive breach to its corporate network, resulting in the leak of a data cache containing technical information related to G6. [1] A crowdsourced investigation into the leaked files uncovered a partial list of key words and phrases that were active in G6’s search engines, entered either by G6 members or Zhupao itself. A single search term named adira was ticked as active for all data mined and stored by G6, overriding national and regional data sharing agreements or restrictions.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) charter for Zhupao’s deployment of the network, this G6-wide search option may only be used in the event of a global alert issued by the WHO. This led to rampant speculation as to the meaning of adira, whether it was an entity in itself or an index term for a subset of related searches, and why or on whose behalf Zhupao would keep it active in violation of the WHO charter.
On October 12th 2045, a Nuance researcher discovered that the location hits and timings on the adira search corresponded to areas that subsequently had their biorisk levels raised by G6, with increased contact tracing activity in those areas. In response, United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Maria Cardoso issued Zhupao with an official caution for violating the WHO charter, alluding to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report that had characterised the company’s actions as “in keeping with its tendency to confuse terrorism and biosecurity as excuses for enabling mass surveillance and oppression.”
Xu Shaoyong, pictured in 2049.
On October 13th 2045, Xu Shaoyong released a statement that explained the adira search term as part of an ongoing investigation into an individual or group named Adira with the capability of bypassing G6’s quantum cryptographic security, which he described as “an extraordinary feat that requires an extraordinary use of G6 in response.” Xu claimed that Zhupao was working “in the strictest of confidence to aid Chinese and international authorities in the hunt for an actor or actors with the potential to threaten the cohesion of the network we need for our continued survival.”
Following Xu’s statement, many unclaimed and previously unknown cyberattacks were attributed to Adira, and a string of surveillance operations and police actions was linked to the international effort to track their movements. This contributed to their public status as a prolific and elusive hacker, with numerous theories of widely varying plausibility proposed by investigators, reporters, and amateur enthusiasts to determine the identity and motivations of Adira. [2]
2049 cyberattack
The assassination of Xu Shaoyong and Yuri Golitsyn has greatly increased scrutiny of Adira.
On October 2nd 2049, an investigation into the assassination of Xu and Yuri Golitsyn produced strong evidence that the attack was carried out by Adira. This led to the arrest and subsequent release of Hong Lian, an Omnius contractor who was briefly suspected of being Adira when her work terminal was identified as a possible origin of the cyberattack. [3] Chinese authorities have intensified their hunt for Adira.
See also
References
- Egler, L. (October 2045). “Zhupao data leak reveals inner workings and undisclosed quantum tech of G6.” Wired. ↩
- Hon, A; Hon, D. (December 2045). “ARG players are throwing themselves on the search for Adira.” MSSV. ↩
- Liu, K. (October 2049). “Assassination suspect released from custody after Chinese inquest.” China Daily. ↩