comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

systeM security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This goes doubly for
computer systems, which can be attacked at three points: the physical
device, the virtual node, and the legitimate user. A hacker only needs
to find a single chink in the armor to completely take over a system.
This chapter discusses principles and practices by which a system can
be secured, from the lowliest PAN to the greatest nexus.
pHYSicaL SecUritY
An attacker that can reach the physical device of a system has
more power over that device than a hacker trying to reach it via
the Matrix. Keeping an attacker out is more than just guards and
cameras. There are a number of physical practices that a facility can
use to help bolster its Matrix defenses.
pHYSicaL faciLitieS
The physical security of a facility is necessary to protect the
integrity of any Matrix system housed there. Most physical security
can be handled by established techniques (Security Systems,
p. 251, SR4). There are more specific measures that can be taken
with regard to Matrix security.
Landscaping for Signal attenuation
When all of your devices are wireless, it is important to take
steps to keep the signal from leaking too far from a controlled area.
Proper landscaping can create greater attenuation, or signal loss,
than would otherwise be present. Hills and other earthen features
usually contain compounds of iron or other metals, which cause
attenuation and reduce effective Signal ratings by 2 to 5 per meter
of thickness, depending on metallic content.
Water also causes rapid attenuation, especially salt water.
Every 10 cm of fresh water and every 1 cm of salt water reduces
the effective Signal of a device by 1. Flora also reduces the effective
Signal of devices, mostly because of the water held in plants. For
every ten meters of foliage or five meters of dense foliage, reduce
Signal ratings by 1.
wireless negation
Wireless negation (p. 256, SR4) is a highly useful tool that
absorbs some of the wireless signals coming from either side of
the surface it covers. It is available as both wallpaper and paint in
several different colors and textures, all with a dull, dead look that
is despised by decorators and artists.
Faraday cages are a more extreme form of wireless negation. A
Faraday cage is an enclosed structure made entirely of a conductive
material, usually metal. The walls of a Faraday cage may be solid or
take the form of a narrow mesh. When the cage is closed and electromagnetic
waves hit the outside (or inside) of the cage, the energy from
the wave is dispersed across the surface of the outside (or inside) of the
cage. In practical terms, a Faraday cage prevents wireless signals and
other electromagnetic waves (as from HERF guns or EMP effects)
from penetrating either from the outside or the inside.
telematics infrastructure
Telematics Infrastructure (TI, pronounced “tie”) is a tracking
system for vehicles, drones, and personnel. It works via a network
of TI programs running on individual commlinks, devices, and
even RFID tags. It combines sensor data, GPS information, and
wireless scanning to detect and track all individuals within its
boundaries and report anomalies.
TI will automatically detect and report any wireless device
in Active or Passive mode that enters its coverage area. Various
parts of the network also scan for Hidden nodes; use the rules
for Detecting Wireless Nodes as an Extended Test (p. 225, SR4)
except that the TI system makes only (Rating) rolls per minute
and scans its entire coverage area.
The information generated by the TI network can be fed to
a TacNet (p. 125) or any other user or device that is “TI’d into
the system.” This information includes the position, direction, and
speed of any wireless device within the coverage area, along with
its access ID and any public data offered by the device.
acceSSiBiLitY
Another way to keep a system secure is to simply keep people
from getting to it. This is more difficult in a wireless world, especially
when more and more people are finding the thought of
office professionals with datajacks in their heads to be quaint. Still,
there are effective ways to increase security without losing utility.
cabling
One of the ways to escape the hazards of wireless networking
is to take the wireless out of the network. Devices that have their
wireless capability disabled can be connected via fiber optic cables.
These cables have the advantage of being invulnerable to wireless
attack, although it removes the ability to move devices or to easily
replace them.
Another consideration is the ubiquity of wireless among
the users of a facility. Employees, customers, soldiers, and other
personnel will very likely have their own commlinks, and expect
to work with the system via wireless AR or VR. Training personnel
that expect to be able to walk into a room and use its systems
Wireless Negation Availability Cost
Wireless Negating Paint, per can (30 m2 coverage) Rating Rating x 20¥
Wireless Negating Wallpaper, per 10 m2 strip Rating Rating x 5¥
Faraday Cage, per m3 4 100¥
Telematics Infrastructure Software Availability Cost
Telematics Infrastructure (Rating 1–3) (Rating x 2)R Rating x 400¥
Telematics Infrastructure (Rating 4–6) (Rating x 2)R Rating x 800¥
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9