comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

Simsense can also be used for experiencing AR. In this case,
a partial simsense feed is applied, allowing the user to experience
AR sensory input directly in their brain via sim signals. This makes
a commlink with sim module the perfect combo package for experiencing
AR and VR and interfacing with devices via DNI and
simsense—no other gear required.
pan Hardware
What items compose the components of a PAN? This is up to
each particular character, but the general rule is that any computerized
electronic device carried by the character counts.
commlink
The commlink is the so-called “hub” of the PAN. As a
standard node with the best Signal rating (usually), it acts as the
primary routing device in the network. It is also the device that the
user directly accesses and engages their persona, and from which
they make calls, send messages, and access other nodes. For more
details, see Commlinks and Networking, p. 210, SR4.
By taking on the role of hub, the commlink can be used to
keep track of all of the other devices in the PAN. This is usually
accomplished by giving the character’s account on the commlink
an equivalent node account (see p. 52) on each device. This
grants the character access privileges on each sub-node without
having to log in, and makes it easier for the character to access
data from each device. This means that a character logging into
his persona can, for example, automatically check the ammo level
in his gun, the remaining power in his drone’s fuel cell, the stock
levels on his medkit, and the credit left on his credstick. The
commlink can also be sent to immediately notify the persona if
a device disappears from the network (a handy way to keep from
leaving things behind). The drawback to this, of course, is that if
that particular commlink account is hacked, all of the devices in
the PAN are compromised.
Sub-nodes
The rest of the PAN typically consists of other devices with
computerized components—which in the 2070s is almost everything:
weapons, clothing, drones, vehicles, other electronics, RFID
tags, credsticks, cybernetic implants, and other gear. Most of these
items are peripheral nodes (p. 48) with limited capabilities, with
the exception of items like drones and vehicles.
While many of these devices have a low Signal rating anyway
(and so don’t mesh with other nodes much), it is common practice
to keep all of these items in hidden mode, only communicating
with the commlink. Not only is this polite (less wireless “traffic
clutter”), it is also prevents someone from compiling a sneak inventory
of what you are carrying and makes these sub-nodes less
tempting targets for hackers. If the sub-node needs to communicate
with a node external to the PAN, the connection is simply
routed through the commlink.
decoy commlink
Many runners prefer to carry a decoy commlink which they
run in active or passive mode, accepting commcalls, and store
their fake ID and credentials on. Their real—and more secure—
commlink is kept in hidden mode, and serves as the PAN hub.
Though this has many advantages, it does mean that the character
Unwired
must switch back and forth between their decoy commlink and
their real one as the situation demands.
pan connectionS and protocoLS
The manner in which the PAN components are connected
plays a crucial part in PAN security. Note that each device does
not need to be connected to every other device in the network, as
long as there is a chain of connections leading to other devices (i.e.,
the PAN is also a mesh network).
wireless Links
The most common method for each node in a PAN to communicate
with the rest is via radio. The Signal rating (p. 212, SR4)
determines its range and power. The advantage to wireless is that
you don’t have to deal with cables and things can be moved around
easily, as long as they stay in range. The drawback is that wireless
signals can be detected, intercepted, jammed, and spoofed (see pp.
224–225, SR4).
wired Links
A less practical but more secure option is to use fiberoptic
cable to connect devices. The obvious drawback is that this limits
your range and cables can get tangled and in your way. The advantage
is that wired connections cannot be jammed. In order to
intercept a wired connection, a hacker would need access to one
of the wired devices (see Intercept Traffic, p. 224, SR4). For this
reason, many hackers use a fiberoptic cable to link to their commlink
via trodes or datajack.
Skinlink
A third option is to use skinlink (p. 318, SR4), where a connection
is established using the skin’s electrical field. For a skinlink
connection to work, both devices must be touching the skin (or
close to it—the electrical field extends a bit beyond the skin, so
clothing does not interfere), and both must be equipped with the
skinlink accessory. Cybernetic implants may also be equipped with
skinlink, even if they are not accessible on the body’s exterior—in
this case, a simple connection is established between the implant
and the skin’s surface.
Slaving
Perhaps the easiest way to secure a PAN is to slave each subnode
to the commlink (see Slaving, p. 55). This will automatically
forward any wireless connection attempts on a slaved sub-node to
the master commlink. In order to hack a slaved device, the hacker
will either need to hack the more secure commlink or gain physical
access to the item.
clustering
If you lack a commlink or other standard node, you can
cluster a number of peripheral nodes together so that they act as a
single, unified node (see Clustering, p. 55).
encryption
Another good line of defense for your PAN is to use encryption.
You can encrypt your wireless transmission, your node, and
even your files, forcing a hacker to chew his way through scrambled
code to get what he wants (see Encryption, p. 65).
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