 Software / Copyrights / and hacking |
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 Jun 12 2007, 06:35 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 615 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,895  |
Question:
'Bought' software: Can it be copied? / re-installed? (not multiple copies as in, I give my UberOS to all my friends. but hmm time to trash this commlink for a new one, but do I need to buy all new software?) If it can be copied / re-installed? Can it be 'ordered' to copy. Perfect Example is a legal (not cracked) Agent. I send Agent on remote service. I reboot my commlink. Can I use the agent to do something else, or does it somehow register as 'in use' and not allowed to be reloaded. Can somebody 'spoof' my commlink and order the agent to 'come home' and They now gain the agent. (if so agent jacking could be far more profitable then car jacking) If I buy an agent and Install it on Comlink A, which is then destroyed. Do I lose the agent, or can I buy a new comlink and 're-install' the agent somehow. (fi so how do I prove Comlink A is destroyed). If the agent is sent on a remote task, yet somebody spoof orders to it. to say access my datafiles next time it is home and then upload them to shadowlands? Is this possible? Is this something I coudl detect, presuming the Agent is on my subscription list is it something I could stop? |
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Jun 12 2007, 08:31 AM
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#2
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Target Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: 12-December 06 From: Calgary, Canada Member No.: 10,351 |
SR4 Pg. 228
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Jun 12 2007, 11:46 AM
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#3
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Mr. Johnson Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,148 Joined: 27-February 06 From: UCAS Member No.: 8,314 |
Which is to say, in order to steal a program, one must first crack the copy protection. If you're lucky, you physically have the device with the software to crack. If not, you could be sitting for hours in a hostile node, cracking that program you really really want.
Fun Fact: patrolling IC gets 3,600 Matrix Perception Tests per hour. |
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Jun 12 2007, 05:49 PM
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#4
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,924 Joined: 31-December 06 Member No.: 10,502 |
My answer is avoid the issue as much as possible, at least until unwired. A player can break copy protection to back up their programs though and you can get multiple instances of Agents loaded on other nodes.
My general take on it is that hacking code is a bit like modern day viruses in that you can patch against it. Code is a constant arms race to keep ahead of the other guy and patch up programs as new stuff comes around (SOTA in previous editions kinda modeled that). Anyway so the point is lets say that you've got a nice high rating stealth and exploit program maybe a couple others like attack. You then build up an army of agents in other peoples comlinks with those and assault a ton of offices in a certain company. Effectivly causing a denial of service attack. That will work. Once. However like a virus the corps rapidly begin analyzing the attack and reconfiguring their code to counter it. In a day or so all the relevant programs are totally worthless against updated systems. Therefore the way I do it is that as hacking programs gain notoriety they degrade. -program gets used in massive attack. Almost automatically dead. -program is used by a bunch of people (such as if it's being shared in some script kiddy group or used by a corp) degrades steadily. -program used extensivly on an agent, running not on the runners comlink. Fair chance of sudden degredation (the code is running on another system, making it more visible) -program used by one person guarding it jealously? Almost no degredation. I haven't even had to flesh the system out. Just the idea of having their progs trashed has kept my players from greatly abusing things and it fits with the rest of the fluff (for example why hacking programs aren't availible for download all over). |
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Jun 12 2007, 07:57 PM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 22-November 06 Member No.: 9,934 |
I had a discussion with a GM about torrents for skillsofts... why pay for it then? just go online download the program, and you got it for free... millions of torrents millions of skillsofts, even if you can only find a rating one in every skill known to man that's better than defaulting. |
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Jun 12 2007, 08:07 PM
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#6
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...good thing they did away with the Security Tally... :D |
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Jun 12 2007, 08:14 PM
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#7
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,706 Joined: 30-June 06 From: Fort Wayne, IN Member No.: 8,814 |
I house-ruled that rating 3 is the top-end you can get off the matrix. That would be for common-use programs, hacking programs, instruction programs, etc. So, yeah, you can get every program you want for free, but you are only going to get it up to rating 3. Our hacker has all his programs at rating 5 and he has thus far had zero desire to break any copy protection, share his programs or ironically, even attempt to get a hold of any rating 6s... I think when you make things like this a non-issue, then you don't end up with players trying to squeeze every little advantage out of the rules...IMO. |
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Jun 13 2007, 01:50 PM
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#8
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
The point being, if there is only 1/1000 chance of being detected by a single test, the chances of not being detected by any of those 3600 tests is about 2.7%. At least, I think that was the point. ;) |
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Jun 13 2007, 02:03 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 777 Joined: 22-November 06 Member No.: 9,934 |
well you run into problems when you have selfish players, they want everthing for free instead of working for it. if you have players who aren't like that then you have a good group... |
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Jun 13 2007, 04:00 PM
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#10
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Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
Or give it to them for free, but a Technomancer enemy of the contact they used to get their SOTA attack program rating 6 for free has smacked the software with a cookie and tracks all information in and out of their commlink and uses it to damage the team's reputation with their contacts or event bring the team down specifically thus drying up the contact's network. A few events which show them the dangers inherent in getting things without some extra effort will probably slow the pace of their piratical tendencies.
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Jun 13 2007, 04:59 PM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 192 Joined: 13-July 06 From: Long Beach Sacrifice Zone Member No.: 8,885 |
There was a fairly spirited discussion about copying programs in another thread, which you can find here.
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