DOS Ch-347

“What the fuck is going on, Boris!?” Robert Mueller, the head of security at Phoenix and a former director of the FBI, shouted at his second-in-command. “What exactly are we dealing with?”

The younger man wiped his brow worriedly. “I’m not exactly sure. What I do know is that someone somehow got into our internal servers. We don’t know the extent of the breach or what possible channels allowed it, but our best teams are working non-stop to make sure we catch the perpetrator.”

Robert paced around the room. “That’s not enough. That’s not nearly enough. If we can’t get it fixed immediately…”

Before Robert could complete his sentence, the door to his office opened, and a young man in his early twenties walked in.

“Patrick,” Boris hissed. “I know you’re a very proactive intern, but this is not the—”

“With all due respect, you both have to see this.” Patrick ignored him and placed his laptop between the two men.

The screen showed a disturbing webpage with a title even more alarming than the news of the breach in Phoenix’s servers.

‘Troy Armitage and Scarlett Johansson’s private lives exposed!’

What followed were images and videos that neither of the actors had put online. Given how private Troy and Scarlett were about what they chose to share with the world, they would never have shared candid images like those.

One showed Troy shaving his beard, looking annoyed, while Scarlett cackled in the background about something.

Then there was a photo of both of their kids sleeping peacefully on Troy’s chest.

The next was a video of Troy.

“I miss you, babe. I hate being away from you for so long, especially on our anniversary. So here’s a little gift from me, just for you.”

Robert tensed immediately, dreading that the video would get explicit, but Troy proceeded to sing a song he hadn’t performed for anyone yet. The lyrics were not kid-friendly at all, especially when he looked straight into the camera and sang the chorus:

~ I’m gonna lick your pussy dry, dry, dry
Baby, don’t you even try, try, try
To go away and no longer be mine ~

Robert felt second-hand embarrassment for his boss. This was a terrible song to be released like this. Knowing Troy, it probably wasn’t meant for public release at all.

Then a thought struck him. What if there was more than just suggestive songs?

“Fuck!” he yelled. “Please tell me we don’t have a sex tape to deal with on top of everything else?”

“I haven’t seen anything like that so far, but there’s this website on the dark web,” Patrick said ominously as he opened another page on the laptop.

This time, a different website loaded. It had a live audio playback of some kind.

“Well, you were too busy not inviting Matt Damon over that you forgot about me.”

Robert frowned. That was undoubtedly Scarlett’s voice, but how? The other voice that followed seemed to be an interviewer. His eyes widened as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

He pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Scarlett’s personal security.

“Scarlett’s phone has been compromised,” he said in a no-nonsense tone. “Whatever she’s saying, they’re playing it live on the internet. Get her out of the interview right now, and for God’s sake, keep that phone away from her. Don’t destroy it. We need to find the source of the breach.”

Within a minute, the audio on the website went quiet. Robert looked up at Patrick. “What else is there? I need to know what else to prepare for.”

“But Robert,” Boris called out, “we have so many other people working on—”

“Enough,” Robert said, irritation cutting through his voice as he motioned toward the door. “Go to those other people and get this mess sorted out while Patrick and I assess the fallout. Tell them there’ll be a big bonus for whoever finds the bug and crushes it.”

Boris didn’t argue further, having sensed Robert’s mood.

Patrick was about to brief Robert when the door to his office swung open and the CEO himself, Sundar Pichai, walked in.

“What’s the situation, Robert?” he asked immediately.

Robert sighed before filling Sundar in. He had a feeling this would be one of the longest days of his career.

(Break)

“Why are you taking my phone?” Scarlett asked, confused, as she watched a security guard place it in a different car than the one she usually traveled in.

“Because someone bugged it,” Don, the head of her security, said bluntly. “They were live-streaming whatever you were saying, even when it was in your pocket. We have no idea if the stream was limited to audio or if there was video as well.”

Scarlett’s face drained of color. “How long have they been listening in?”

Don grimaced and shook his head. “I don’t know. But from what I’m being told, they’ve accessed other information from your phone as well.”

“What sort of information?” she asked, worried.

Don looked away before answering quietly, “Photos and videos you may have stored on it.”

Scarlett closed her eyes in mortification. This was bad. No, this was the worst. Because Troy and she had argued about this very thing once.

(Flashback)

“Why are you still using an iPhone?” Troy asked.

Scarlett shrugged as she scrolled through social media posts from some of her friends.

“What’s the big deal? I’m not promoting your phones, so I can use whatever I’m more comfortable with. And I definitely love using an Apple iPhone over your Android. No offense, I’m just used to it. And all my friends have this phone, so its ecosystem makes it really easy to share files and do a bunch of stuff.”

“A bunch of stuff you can’t even name,” Troy shot back. “It looks really bad that my fiancee is using an Apple product when I own one of the biggest emerging smartphone brands in the world. You don’t have to use one of my phones, but any Android would do.”

Scarlett shook her head. “I’m not changing my phone. I’m used to it, and I don’t want to learn a bunch of new features.”

Troy shot her a look. “Can’t you do this for me?”

Seeing her deadpan expression, he changed tactics. “I don’t use some run-of-the-mill Android device. I use one of the most secure devices anyone could use on this planet. And it has features that probably won’t be available to the general public for years. If you’re using an off-the-market iPhone, my phone is way more advanced than that. Not to mention, more secure.”

Scarlett laughed. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned ‘security.’ As if anyone would want to hack my phone. I barely have anything to hide. You, on the other hand, might have knowledge of some super-secret merger or deal that could change the tides of the market, so it makes sense why you need the security. I don’t.”

Troy shook his head in annoyance. “Don’t you see how bad it could get? You’re a world-famous celebrity, for God’s sake. Don’t you want to keep your private and public life separate?”

Scarlett just shrugged. “I really don’t care anymore. Especially after you made the no-nudes rule.”

“I gave you a legit reason for that,” Troy shot back. “Some high-level employees at big tech companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and the like can see those images you share on their servers. Do you want some random men gawking at you?”

Scarlett pouted. “I hate it when you make so much sense.”

Troy smiled. “Does that mean you’ll get a secure Android?”

“Nope. That just means I get why you worry about security, but I don’t. I’ll still use an iPhone.”

(Flashback End)

“Is Troy’s phone also hacked?” Scarlett asked, feigning concern, though deep down she hoped the answer was yes.

“Not to my knowledge,” Don said, shaking his head. “While Troy’s private photos and videos have been uploaded online, they were only the ones that were on your phone. Or so I’ve been told.”

“Shit,” Scarlett muttered.

Troy wasn’t going to be happy about this invasion of his privacy, especially after he’d warned her.

(Break)

Private Photos and Audio Leak of Scarlett Johansson Sparks Industry-Wide Outrage

In what experts are calling one of the most invasive celebrity data breaches in recent years, private photos, videos, and alleged audio recordings belonging to actress Scarlett Johansson were leaked online late Tuesday night. The breach appears to have targeted Johansson’s personal cloud storage, though official details remain unconfirmed.

The situation escalated dramatically when clips began circulating in real time during Johansson’s appearance on [Jimmy Kimmel Live], prompting her security team to remove her from the show mid-interview. Audience members reported confusion as production was abruptly halted.

Legal representatives for Johansson have condemned the leak as a “gross and criminal violation of privacy,” adding that law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists are actively investigating the source of the breach.

Hollywood Shock: Scarlett Johansson Pulled Off Live TV as Private Content Floods Internet

Chaos erupted online and on live television last night as deeply personal content allegedly involving Scarlett Johansson and her fiancé, Troy Armitage, surfaced across multiple platforms.

Viewers watched in confusion as Johansson was suddenly escorted off the [Jimmy Kimmel Live] stage, with sources claiming her team was alerted to the leak in real time. Within minutes, hashtags related to the incident began trending worldwide, with clips and screenshots from the leaked content spreading faster than they could be taken down.

While some fans have expressed support, others have continued to share the material, raising serious questions about digital privacy and the dark side of celebrity culture.

Troy and Scarlett, the industry’s it-couple, have their private moments shared online

Troy Armitage and Scarlett Johansson need no introduction, as they’re beloved worldwide for their superb acting and singing skills. Their most recent movie, [Rapunzel], was released less than a month ago and is already a superhit. While everything might be going well on the work front, things aren’t so great in their personal lives.

Last Tuesday, Scarlett’s iPhone was allegedly hacked, and personal photos and videos of the couple, and even their kids, seem to have been released online against their wishes. The couple has always made sure not to share photos of their kids with the public, but the hacker didn’t seem to respect that.

Troy and Scarlett may be superstars, but they’ve always kept their personal lives separate from their professional ones. This is a massive breach of their privacy and has already sparked conversations about the safety of celebrities’ personal lives. It has also raised a new fear among other celebrities. If Troy, one of the richest people in the world and the owner of a major tech company like Phoenix, can’t protect himself from such a leak, how can a normal person?

(Break)

I looked around the room. Seeing everyone panic and run around like headless chickens would’ve been funny in any other situation. Unfortunately, this wasn’t any other situation.

I turned to Sundar and Robert, who looked like they hadn’t slept in days, which they probably hadn’t.

“I found it!” A young man, around my age, came running into the meeting room, unconcerned about my presence. “The hacker sent a phishing email to Scarlett a few months ago, which she clicked. Then he used Scarlett’s email ID to send a similar harmless-looking link to Troy, closely mimicking her usual mailing pattern. Since she was whitelisted in Troy’s account, the email wasn’t flagged. Troy seems to have clicked it as well, which compromised his ID and eventually gave the hacker access to Phoenix’s servers. Since Troy has full access to the company’s data, the hacker took advantage of that. Now that I’ve figured out how he did it, it’ll be very easy to lock him out, or anyone else trying to come in through that route. I think he’s a genius for making us aware of the flaw in this—”

“Wait,” I interrupted before he could go further. “I thought Scarlett’s phone was the only one that had been hacked. Why did no one tell me my account was compromised as well?”

Sundar and Robert shared a worried look, as if deliberating who would tell me.

Finally, Robert bit the bullet. “Initially, that’s what we suspected as well. He’s been very subtle about using your account. All the photos and videos he posted online were from Scarlett’s account, not yours. Until this morning, we couldn’t say for sure if your account was compromised.”

“And now you do?” I asked irritably. “How can you be 100% sure? We’ve already become a laughing stock all over the world for our lack of security. Apple’s stock is down 5% after this incident because the phone Scarlett was using was an iPhone. If our company were public, you can bet our share price would’ve taken a nosedive as well. But more importantly than that, we’d lose customer trust. If we can’t protect even me, how will we protect their privacy? Something like this can’t ever happen again.”

“It won’t,” Sundar assured me. “But in return, I’d request that you and your close family stick exclusively to in-house phones. We employ top-notch security in devices for our top-level people, which is far better than any store-bought phone. Or…”

“Or?” I prompted.

“Or we can deliberately lower your level of access to company data,” Robert finished. “You don’t use it much anyway, and giving that level of access to even one person increases the security risk exponentially.”

I considered the offer before nodding slowly. “You’re right. Let’s do both. Get new phones for my family, and revoke most of the access you’ve granted me. If I need that level of access again, you can grant it to me temporarily. No need to increase security risk just because I want to flex my power over all of you.”

Sundar visibly relaxed after hearing that. He was about to say something when the youngest Phoenix employee in the room interrupted him.

“And done! I’ve locked him out of the Phoenix servers. Hopefully forever.”

He then looked at me, blinked twice, and said, “Oh, Troy! You’re here too? Big fan.”

I laughed at his attitude and offered him a handshake. “You have me at a disadvantage because you know me, but I don’t know you.”

“Patrick Williams,” he said, shaking my hand.

“Patrick is our newest and youngest hire at just 21,” Sundar said, a hint of pride in his voice. “He came in as an intern, but he was the most valuable person in uncovering this leak, so we’ve hired him full-time. He has just one semester left to complete his degree, and as soon as he does, he’ll have one of the best-paying jobs any fresh graduate could get. If I had my way, I’d hire him right here, right now, but he insists on finishing his degree.”

I smiled at the young man, who was the same age as me, just living a normal life away from all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

“Thank you so much for all your help, Patrick,” I said earnestly. Then an idea struck me. “What’s your favorite car?”

“Lamborghini,” he replied immediately. “It’s been my dream car for as long as I can remember. I plan to work hard for a few years, and maybe then I’ll be able to afford it.”

“A man after my own tastes,” I said approvingly. “My first proper car was a Lamborghini as well. It’s your lucky day today, Patrick.” Then I turned to Sundar. “I’ll be sending a Lambo over tomorrow. Make sure he gets it, and take care of all the taxes so he won’t be burdened by it.”

I could sense that Sundar didn’t particularly appreciate the fact that I’d never gifted him a car before, but then again, his salary was enough for him to afford one on his own without needing my help.

“Holy shit! You’re serious?”

“No, I’m Harry,” I shot back.

Patrick laughed uproariously at the joke before shaking my hand tighter. “Thank you, Troy. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the gift.”

I nodded before adding, “If you really want to thank me, find the son of a bitch who did this. I’ll drag him by the balls to any and all courts in the world and make an example out of him so people think twice before fucking with me and mine.”

I wasn’t kidding. I was beyond mad at the person who took pleasure in turning my private life into a public spectacle. I’d drown him in litigation for so long that he wouldn’t be able to breathe properly. I may have given this task unofficially to Patrick, but multiple forensic teams were already working on it. It was inevitable that he would be found out sooner or later.

“I’ll do it,” Patrick promised.

I stepped away from the group. “I’ll take my leave. I have tons of things to do. Make sure the fallout from this leak is contained as much as possible.”

I left the office soon after, satisfied that the matter of the leak had been resolved quickly. I had no idea things would only go downhill from here.

________________________

AN: I’m so sorry for the delayed chapter. Someone close to me is in the hospital, and life has been so hectic because of that. I had this chapter written yesterday, but couldn’t post it because I was not at home. Currently, I’m working on the next STS chapter. Will keep you posted when it’s ready.