Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9survival tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24is that you can conceal your real data under a torrent of falsehoodsand misdirection. That is, of course, if you have the hacking talentnecessary on tap. If it ever comes under scrutiny, you’re one step(or a dozen) removed from reality.Data veracity and integrity verification systems, like Web ofTrust networking, are too difficult to apply to the open Matrix,because of the data balkanization mentioned above. So, seedingmisinformation is a viable tactic; whether it’s editing your date ofbirth and prior corporate affiliation out of your government recordsor having agents edit your daily buying and travel patterns.If you don’t know a hacker, befriend one. Someday, he’ll saveyour life.> Or a competent forger.> Sticks> Aren’t the two one and the same?> Pistons> You have a point.> SticksTRICKS OF THE TRADEA good runner is proactive. He knows the exploits. He knowshow to play the system against itself. So here are some tips on protectingyourself and exploiting the holes in the system. If you readand commit this to memory, maybe, just maybe, you’ll stay alivelong enough to develop your own tricks.> Although I’m offering up some generic wisdom for the youngsters,anyone who wants to chime in with their favorite tricks, pleasedo so.> GlitchBack to the Stone Age!Sometimes known as the Drop-Out option: subtract yourselffrom the system and eliminate your data footprint. Most ID forgeryrings also have “eraser” services, where they’ll erase all thoselittle bytes of data on you, and on your SINs, from the system.They aren’t cheap, but they’re worth every nuyen. Eliminate unnecessaryrecords, consumer data, tax records, licenses, and falseIDs. If you drop out of the system, there’s nothing for the Manto find.Reduce your dependence on tech in all aspects of yourlife—even those convenient household drones. Believe me, it’sembarrassing to have several safehouses and get caught in one ofthem because your fridge gave you away by ordering food. Youdon’t need a system that turns on the light for you. Do it yourself.A mental command with your sim-module is all it takes. You mighteven consider touching a physical switch! You don’t need dronesto bring you food. Do it yourself. Live in the Stone Age!> It bears reminding—don’t “throw away” an old fake ID, get it professionallyerased. Or, better yet, replace your biometrics on file witha squatter’s, wire the SIN to an old commlink and give it to the guywith a couple of hundred nuyen loaded. Then let him loose.> Slamm-0!> Radio signal scanners and tag erasers are cheap. Scan and Eraseeverything before you use it. Yeah, it might be a pain in the ass toscan your candybar and then have to erase the tag in it, but really, doyou want Azzie corporate security wondering why someone’s in theirfacility with a Horizon CaramelCluster bar in their stomach? Hmm?> Pistons> After a run, you should scan yourself too. Corps like to spray RFIDtag “mists” onto intruders … so make sure you haven’t broughthome any hitchhikers.> CosmoUse technology. Don’t be used!For every technology, there is a counter technology. This isespecially true in the Sixth World. You use the stuff regularly onruns. Don’t stop using it when the run is over. And, for goodnesssake, know what all those technical gadgets do and what theybroadcast.Never, ever use technology without knowing that you do.Take nothing for granted and be aware of the risks. People todayare so used to certain items that they are not even aware of themany more. Being able to look up anything within seconds with yourcommlink and sim module is not the natural state of things. Don’tget used to this. Try to minimize your contact with the wirelessworld and, if you have to use it, do so consciously. You’re an outcastand should be able to live without technology, if necessary.> At a minimum, you should have a very high firewall on all your personalelectronic devices, not just your commlink. Operate in hiddenmode and use a “public” commlink when you go out.> Pistons> Use a disposable commlink when you go to a meet with Mr. J, andtoss it after the run. Double crosses happen. Don’t make it easyfor them.> Cosmo> Nothing says you can’t walk around in public with an area jammer.Or, get fancy and use a camera neutralizer—you can even get themsubtly disguised and built into clothing. Cameras have blackoutsall the time, even in the higher-class neighborhoods. Ditto with awhite-noise generator. As long as it only lasts a few seconds, noone will bother coming to find out why. Don’t forget you’re carryingone and have a leisurely picnic outside the Azzie pyramid though—right, Mika?> Ma’fan> EMPs can be very, very fun … especially if you’re being trailed andneed to disappear in a pinch. Likewise, areas with low or impededsignals—sewers, tunnels, dense forests—are good for giving tracersthe slip.> Sounder> Cyberware routinely sends maintenance reports or downloadspatches. Disable the feature. Getting caught in the middle of a runbecause your move-by-wire system just sent its biannual maintenancereport to its manufacturer is not funny.> KiaRunner’s Companion