comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

the idiot’s Guide to the Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
46
In today’s Matrix, you don’t have to use VR at all. You really
shouldn’t. But if you’re going to do it anyway, always do it in a safe
place with people you trust. You might think that you can handle
it, and you’re probably right, but you can be dead right.
> I’ve seen a copy of this in a public school, except it had all of the
information and warnings about DNI stripped out, as if not telling
kids about it would keep them from doing it.
> Butch
You got the power
There are plenty of hackers out there that might want to get
into your commlink. They have different reasons: curiosity, data
mining, marketing research, or they’re just mean or homicidal.
They have tricksy ways of getting into your ‘link, too. It might look
hopeless, but you’ve got an ace up your sleeve.
Find your commlink’s power button or switch and make sure
you can find it by touch. Hackers can’t hack what isn’t on. The
moment your ‘link starts to act funny, or an icon shows up in your
node without your permission, hit that power switch and report
it to the authorities (your parents, a teacher, the police, whoever).
Hopefully, by the time you reboot, the hacker will have gone to
look for easier pickin’s.
Unwired
> They trained us on this in Knight Errant. If we thought
we’d been hacked in a firefight, we called a “10-30,”
found cover, and rebooted.
> Sticks
> If your OS has been hacked with a backdoor, this will
only delay the hacker while you reboot. If it happens to
you, and you can’t code, you can only fix it by reinstalling
your OS.
> The Smiling Bandit
analyze this
Use that Analyze program on everything. If it’s
a strange icon, do it twice. Most of the icons in the
Matrix are safe, but some are nasty and out to get you.
The bad ones might have a “Stealth” program that will
make them look like normal, safe icons, so be especially
careful when you don’t know the person behind
the icon.
iconism
The good news is that when the world only sees
your icon, they can’t be prejudiced about your metatype,
gender, race, age, or anything else. But folks will
judge you on your icon. It’s like extreme class discrimination,
except that it’s based on your software. What
passes for acceptable or contemptible changes depending
on which node you’re in, so don’t let yourself get
ambushed by digital bigots.
> The reverse is true, too. If you want to blend in, switch
to an off-the-rack icon.
> Puck
Spam Spam Spam Spam
Most of the time, spam is just annoying. But some of it can
carry viruses and other buckets of digital nasty. Never run a program
attached to spam, ever. Keep that firewall up, and whenever
you can, drop to passive mode.
Blog Smart!
Keep your personal information out of the public eye. Don’t
give it to anyone that isn’t a cop, teacher, or other person who will
keep it safe. Once you put something onto the Matrix, it’s on the
Matrix forever.
get readY to rawk
By now, you should be soaring through the Matrix like a
natural. If you’re not, don’t worry; it’ll come. Now go out there
and shake up that ‘Trix. You’ll have freedom that you’ve never had
before. Enjoy it, but be careful. With great power comes great
responsibility.
Be good, and if you can’t be good, be safe!
> And if you can’t be safe, name it after me!
> Glitch
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9