Cast of Characters

TRISH RIMO: A seasoned PR professional in Washington, DC

JOSH DIVER: A cybersecurity beat reporter in Washington, DC

Scene

A telephone conversation in RH Strategic’s DC office

Time

The present.

ACT I, Scene 1

SETTING: We are in the DC office of RH Strategic. It is an open office that is buzzing from the news of a bank being the victim of a cyber attack that looks like it originated through email. The bullpen is a cacophony of chatter on the phones and keyboards. To the side is an office.

 

AT RISE: TRISH RIMO leaves a brainstorm in the bullpen with notes in hand. Three of the firm’s accounts have a perspective on the attack. A closer look at her notes shows – a collaborative approach – in bold, circled and underlined. She enters her office, shuts the door and picks up the phone.

 

TRISH

(grabs her phone and hits speed dial)

 

REPORTER

Hello, this is Josh.

 

TRISH

Hi, Josh! This is Trish Rimo from RH Strategic.

 

REPORTER (or JOSH)

Oh hey, Trish. I don’t have a lot of time right now. This bank hack is hot and I’m chasing down leads.

 

TRISH

I think I can help with your story – that’s why I’m calling.

 

REPORTER

Well, do you have anybody who knows what happened?

 

TRISH

I’m told nobody knows yet; the investigation’s still in the early stages, but I’ve got a few different angles for you and some sources who can help frame a story. The CTO of CyberBig, who’s investigated hacks like these in the past, can speak to the kind of malware usually used in these attacks.

 

REPORTER

But how do we know if it’s what was used in this one?

 

TRISH

We don’t, but neither does anybody else, so getting an experienced pro to shed light on what these kind of attacks look like from the inside would be interesting. Plus, I can get you on the phone with an expert from the analytics company that predicted a hack like this in their latest report.

 

REPORTER

OK, send that over and I’ll take a look.

 

TRISH

You might also want to talk with CyberTraining Inc, who can fill out the story talking about the kinds of email scams employees easily fall for and why training companies’ workforce really matters. That would make a pretty well-rounded first day story; then we can follow up when more is uncovered.

 

REPORTER

Sounds good; when can I talk to these guys? I’m on a tight deadline.

 

TRISH

I’ll get right back to you and set up calls for early afternoon. Work?

 

REPORTER

Sure. Thanks. Keep me posted via email.

 

TRISH

Got it. More soon.

 

-—CURTAIN CLOSES—-

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RH Strategic is the PR firm for a hyper-connected world, delivering integrated traditional, digital & social media strategies for technology, healthcare, and public sector markets.