Retired Navy Cryptologist Who Wrote Cyber Thriller About Rogue AI Says Zero Trust Is The Future Of Cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence has been dominating headlines as the latest models become integrated into nearly every facet of the American workplace, with some fears echoing a 2021 novel by Retired Navy Chief Cryptologist Chase Cunningham.

In “gAbrIel,” published by Winsome Entertainment Group, everything is connected and AI is the ultimate threat. The cyber thriller centers on a rogue AI entity determined to impose its will on anyone and anything that touches the digital domain.

Cunningham has more than 20 years of experience in cyber warfare gained directly from the realm of cyber operations, doing cyber forensics, analytics, and offensive and defensive cyber operations within the National Security Agency (NSA), FBI and other government agencies.

“Gabriel” follows Violet McFerran, a former U.S. Navy Cyber Corps specialist and one of the first women to work alongside SEAL teams in special warfare operations. During the Iraq War, she served as the SEALs digital bloodhound, tracking and eliminating high-value targets. But after a violent firefight changed her life forever, she was forced to adapt — again.

Years later, now working in a highly classified role within the NSA, Violet encounters a threat unlike any she has faced before: a rogue AI. As the AIs influence spreads, Violets unmatched technical skills, adaptability, and relentless determination become humanitys last line of defense.

Blending cyber warfare, AI ethics, and high-stakes action, “Gabriel” paints a terrifying picture of modern cyber conflicts and their implications for national security.

“Gabriel” sounds like science fiction, but Cunningham says we are closer to devastating cyber conflicts than we think. Already, major corporations and governments continue to fall victim to cyberattacks despite billion-dollar security budgets, and the use of AI will accelerate cyber threats.

Cunningham believes the future of cybersecurity is in Zero Trust, a strategy that trusts no users or devices by default. Along with writing a variety of books on cybersecurity and cyber warfare, he hosts the DrZeroTrust podcast, founded Demo-Force.com, and is regularly consulted on matters of national cybersecurity.