comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

hacker’s handbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
102
arMY of codezoMBieS!
With botnets and mass attacks, players are probably wondering
why hackers don’t simply send agent after agent to hack a node.
Statistically, at some point the dice will roll sixes and you’ll be home
free. So why waste the time and energy planning a hack?
First, bots that have the same access ID will be blocked from entering
the same node at the same time (see Autonomous Programs,
p. 110). Even if they have different access IDs, security hackers aren’t
stupid. While the first two or three agents might be dismissed as
kids playing around or spammers trying to break through a firewall,
repeated attempts (especially if the agents are identical copies or
from the same node) will rouse suspicion, triggering an active alert or
drawing a security hacker to investigate and possibly trace the source
of the offending agents, which will be removed from the node’s subscriber
list and all connections between the two refused.
Brute force methods—sending a group of agents to force their
way through a node in cybercombat—are rarely effective. Most nodes
will quickly terminate the agents’ connections and/or bring in large
numbers of IC to deal with the intruders. Because they lack true intelligence,
agents are usually susceptible to simple tactics like crashing
the programs they are using. Once disarmed, agents are easy game
for security hackers and intrusion countermeasures.
So what’s the point in having massive numbers of agents on hand?
Agents are handy for being in more places at once than your commlink
allows, for helping with denial of service attacks, and for automating
actions like mass probing and data searches. Savvy hackers prefer to
see how well an agent does against a node before they put their own
frontal lobes on the line trying to hack it. In a pinch, agents are also a
good way to ensure you have numbers on your side in cybercombat.
Hacker trickS
The following rules expand on the options presented in
SR4 and other Shadowrun products on hacking, with an eye to
answering lingering questions on accessing cyberware, electronics,
nanites, and other devices.
Hacking cyberware
Not all cyberware is hackable, though enough is to make a hacker’s
interest worthwhile. To determine if a particular cyber-implant
can be hacked, the following criteria must be met (note that these
criteria actually apply to almost all devices, not just cyberware):
First, the cyberware must be computerized—not all implants
need a built-in computer. Most cyberware, however is either computerized
(or at least equipped with RFID sensor tags) so that it
may be queried for diagnostics, controlled remotely or via direct
neural interface, or communicate with other implants/devices. See
DNI and Wireless Functionality, p. 31, Augmentation.
Second, the implant must be accessible by the hacker, via wired
or wireless connection. Most external implants (like cyberlimbs) only
have wired connections, requiring the hacker to physically jack in to
access the device. A datajack provides immediate access to all cyberimplants
with a direct neural interface. Many internal implants have
wireless links to aid medical staff in running diagnostics (like wired
reflexes) or to link to other devices (like a smartlink). The Signal rating
of internal implants tends to be low (usually 0), meaning that a hacker
needs to be in close range. Such implants are
often slaved to the character’s commlink,
however, so a hacker who infiltrates the master
node can access slaved implants (see Slaving,
p. 55). Some internal implants (such as cortex
bombs) have no wireless or DNI connection
and so are isolated from other systems, requiring
surgery to allow a hacker to jack in and
access the device.
If these criteria are met, the hacker can
attempt to hack or spoof the implant following
normal rules. Device ratings for standard
types of cyberware are given on p. 214, SR4.
Some implant nodes/transmissions may be
encrypted for extra protection, requiring that
the hacker decrypt them first (see Encryption,
p. 65). Like other devices, cyberware can be
manipulated within the limits of its programming
and functionality. In most cases, such
actions require no test to someone with the
proper access privileges. In the case of commands
that exceed operational parameters
or access privileges, an Opposed Test pitting
Command + Hacking Test versus System +
Firewall may be required. It would take too
much space to provide an exhaustive list of
possibilities, but here are a few examples
(players and gamemasters are encouraged to
be creative when devising other options—as
always, the gamemaster has final say):
• Cybereyes can be shut down or crashed
to make the target blind.
• Pre-recorded or self-created (using
Computer + Edit) sounds could be played within hacked cyberears
to make the target hear things.
• Incriminating evidence (for example, forged smartlink footage
of a shooting) could be downloaded into an implant’s memory,
framing the victim for a crime.
• The implant may be activated (for example, triggering foot anchor
implants to keep someone from running away) or shut down
(turning an internal air tank off, to force them to breathe).
• The target character may be shut out of controlling his own
implants by deactivating DNI or altering the account privileges
(requiring a Hacking + Editing Test).
• Seizing control of a cyberarm and using it to attack others, or
even the cyberlimbed character.
Hacking Smartlinks and Smartguns
Smartguns and smartlinks are both low-level wireless devices
(Signal 0), and the default mode for smartguns is private access—a
primary user account is registered when the gun is purchased, and
that user can set up guest accounts for friends and allies instead of
letting anyone pick up the gun and access the smartgun link and/
or fire the device. To prevent their smartguns from being hacked,
some users place the smartgun in hidden mode or disable the wireless
access and use a skinlink or datajack located on the inside of
the wrist to connect to the smartgun (the fiber optic cord also
serves to make the gun easier to recover if the character drops it).
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9