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Hacking the Matrix

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Smoo

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« on: <01-12-12/2332:52> »
I wanted to get a better understanding of how to hack the matrix so I wrote a step by step decision tree guide for myself.  I would really appreciate it if folks would read it and offer me feedback as far as my understanding and interpretation of the rules. If there are cool tricks for hacking that I missed and should include please let me know. My hope is that this could be something useful for players and GMs who have a hard time putting everything together in the right order from the books alone..  Please find download link below. And thanks for reading.

« Last Edit: <02-04-12/0421:43> by Smoo »

Kat9

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« Reply #1 on: <01-13-12/0033:42> »
Hey as a newbie wanting to play a hacker, you just helped me a WHOLE lot. +1 for you Sir and or Madam!

Seraph

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« Reply #2 on: <01-13-12/0249:15> »
As above. +1
What swedish tanks can´t blow up is not worth destroying!

JustADude

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« Reply #3 on: <01-13-12/0304:05> »
Another +1 from me. You're just racking 'em up, aren't ya?  ;)
“What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.”
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rasmusnicolaj

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« Reply #4 on: <01-13-12/0544:32> »
Yes +1 for the work.

I would suggest making your headlines into the format type headline and then hyperlink to the relevant sections in 'prerequisites' and 'next step.'

Rasmus
Deplore killings made in the name of religion. Can't it just be for fun?

UmaroVI

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« Reply #5 on: <01-13-12/0941:15> »
One thing you seem to be missing: in order to hack into a node, you either need to already be subscribed to it (ie, if it will let you make a user account, you can log into that, and then hack yourself an admin account), or be within mutual signal range. See SR4A p235.

tzizimine

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« Reply #6 on: <01-13-12/1039:34> »
Good work...


Let me compare this to my cheat sheet and I'll detail any differences I find
"When in doubt, cause trouble. When in trouble, cause doubt."

My Cheat Sheet in pdf

theKernel

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« Reply #7 on: <01-13-12/1402:06> »
The only thing I'm sad about is you don't have one for 'mancers ;)
HACK THE PLANET
Theres no place like 127.0.0.1
Always start and end character creation by asking yourself "why is this character not an ork." If you don't have a good answer you should be an ork. -UmaroVI
"Stay at least one lie ahead of everyone else"-Vitriol
SR4+++hbB?!Wdk++o+++++M+P-

Kat9

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« Reply #8 on: <01-13-12/1618:18> »
The only thing I'm sad about is you don't have one for 'mancers ;)

Ooh ohh I can do that one.

1) Summon Sprite
2) Faceroll

heheh!

I agree, please a technomancer one!

Smoo

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« Reply #9 on: <01-13-12/1748:15> »
I added hyperlinks and addressed UmaroIV's concern among other changes.  I'll get to technomancer/spite stuff next.  Thanks for the positive feedback.

theKernel

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« Reply #10 on: <01-13-12/1758:24> »
No, thank you for making this stuff
HACK THE PLANET
Theres no place like 127.0.0.1
Always start and end character creation by asking yourself "why is this character not an ork." If you don't have a good answer you should be an ork. -UmaroVI
"Stay at least one lie ahead of everyone else"-Vitriol
SR4+++hbB?!Wdk++o+++++M+P-

UmaroVI

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« Reply #11 on: <01-13-12/2207:46> »
You should note under Mass Attack that the node rolls to spot everyone involved, not just the primary hacker.

You should probably note as an alternative to Disconnect that you can Jam (or Jam on the Fly) yourself offline, which will get you dumpshocked but will also get you out if you are Black IC'd.

Can you source this? "With full admin privileges use a complex matrix action Terminate Connection (Computer + Edit) (1) to disconnect all enemy users. It takes an additional full combat turn for the connection to be terminated." I think you can take an Issue Command to make the node try to Terminate Connection, but this is dumb since you can also just delete all the accounts but yours or what-have-you.

Also, in general, I would be concerned that you are giving most people the wrong impression of what you want to do to hack. For example, if you have an admin account, you don't want to cutesy around with disarming someone's Biofeedback Filter; you want to revoke their account privileges so that they can't do anything.

Also, a sometimes-useful alternate way of hacking in is to get a public account (either by just logging in, if they give them out, or hacking on the fly), and then use Hacking+Edit to make yourself a legitimate account.

Smoo

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« Reply #12 on: <01-13-12/2304:36> »
Quote
You should note under Mass Attack that the node rolls to spot everyone involved, not just the primary hacker.

Will do

Quote
You should probably note as an alternative to Disconnect that you can Jam (or Jam on the Fly) yourself offline, which will get you dumpshocked but will also get you out if you are Black IC'd.

Will do

Quote
Can you source this? "With full admin privileges use a complex matrix action Terminate Connection (Computer + Edit) (1) to disconnect all enemy users. It takes an additional full combat turn for the connection to be terminated." I think you can take an Issue Command to make the node try to Terminate Connection, but this is dumb since you can also just delete all the accounts but yours or what-have-you.

Quote
Also, in general, I would be concerned that you are giving most people the wrong impression of what you want to do to hack. For example, if you have an admin account, you don't want to cutesy around with disarming someone's Biofeedback Filter; you want to revoke their account privileges so that they can't do anything.

Top right of UN 101

The central focus of most DOS attacks is a node’s active account list; by editing the list a hacker can sever a connection (see
Terminate Connection, p. 223, SR4). A hacker can also instruct the node to block future access connection requests from a particular
node or access ID (or a range of nodes/access IDs), locking the target out. To accomplish this, the hacker must have access to the node and must make a Computer + Edit (1) Test if they have security or admin privileges; or a Hacking + Edit (2) Test if he does
not. Accounts may also be deleted (if active, the user’s connection must be terminated frst) with a successful Sofware + Editing (1)
Test, assuming you have security or admin privileges; Hacking + Edit (2) Test if you do not.

This whole paragraph is poorly written and unfortunatly covers critical rules.  I assumed the first test to cover terminate connection and the second to cover account deletion.  You could argue the first test covers "locking the target out" but then what is the difference between that and account deletion?

I interpret the last part of the paragraph to mean you cant delete an account of someone who is online.  That is why i brought up blackhammer for removing VR spiders.

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Also, a sometimes-useful alternate way of hacking in is to get a public account (either by just logging in, if they give them out, or hacking on the fly), and then use Hacking+Edit to make yourself a legitimate account.

Public accounts don't have subscrptions.  I think I mentioned user accounts in the Establish Subscription block but maybe I'll go into that a bit more .

I love your character Archetypes by the way.  Thanks for those.



« Last Edit: <01-13-12/2306:44> by Smoo »

Smoo

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« Reply #13 on: <01-13-12/2351:43> »
Quote
Also, in general, I would be concerned that you are giving most people the wrong impression of what you want to do to hack

I definitely take this to heart as it is the opposite of what I want and I worry it will get worse as I add more options.  Would splitting the Node Control section into Node Control Critical and Node Control Situational be a good solution?  Maybe do the same with the Data Manipulation Section?

UmaroVI

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« Reply #14 on: <01-14-12/0112:16> »
Yeah, splitting off situational parts might be a good idea.

Re: UW 101, it really is badly phrased. There are three different things: you can edit the active account list to terminate their connection (this boots them, but does not remove the account), you can ban people (won't do anything if they are currently on, and doesn't remove the account - it just blocks nodes/access IDs), and delete accounts (which requires they not be online, and does delete the account). I think you are thinking there are only two things here.

Why you use each of them:

The first is by far most useful - you kick people out. They can log back in, mind you, but this buys you time to...

2) Ban their Node/Access ID - this will stop people with that AID/from that node from getting on even to a different account
3) Delete their account - this will stop anyone from getting on that account even with a different Access ID or from a different node

Note that neither of these on their own terminates connections. You have to take an action to kick them by editing the active account list first. The reason both exist, not just one, is that they do slightly different things. If you delete a hacker's account, they can make a new one. If you AID/node ban someone, but leave their account, they can change their access ID/use a different node and then log back in (or another person can log into the same account).