Straight laced shut in programming nerd x too open assholeish liberal arts student
A semantic error occurs when the syntax is correct and the code compiles, but doesn't do what the programmer intended. This is a reference to the characters communication issues (misinterpreted meanings)
Blackmail story where one character gets the others private info.
The 'cloud' refers to data stored on the internet, aka on someone else's computer/server, as opposed to in local storage/hard drives.
However, most of the starting plot involves a USB, which is decidedly not 'the cloud' *note I'm probably misremembering this plot lol
Hacker x hacker, manipulation and shenanigans.
I haven't read this yet, but a zero-day attack occurs when a vulnerability isn't known to the owners of a program, so hackers can exploit it before it gets discovered and patched.
BDSM at the video game company. We've also got a splash of blackmail.
The title is straightforward and requires no explanation. <title> opening and </title> closing tags are in HTML, and imply that the characters use web markup - a bit odd but not unreasonable for a game company.
Semantic Error