Commlinks as a router for cyberware firmware, Cyberware + Commlink = good sleep ? Options

[MadPirate]

Hi everyone !!!!

Well , this is the deal , i am currently running a SR4 Missions Campaign and one of my player runs a Mafia Soldier ( wich tons of cyberware our good old local don pid for ... ) , but since there is one technomancer in our group he was concerned about his "cyberware soft integrity". Now , i was thinking i could make his commlink a good router for his cyberware , giving him some extra peace.

Now , is there any "official rules" proxy program for this stuff ? .

The Mad Pirate

[FriendoftheDork]

Well he COULD do that but the techie could still hack the commlink and then control all the cyber... no better the skinlink it all. With no wireless it should be fine.

[MadPirate]

yeah , it could be fine , anyway i am running an "I Robot" concept in this campaign. That means i take like every single piece of new cyberware is matrix-related , most of all , for check-ups and firmware upgrade purposes.

The Mad Pirate

[Rotbart van Dain...]

Not really. It can be, but usually is healthier to turn it off.

[MadPirate]

hehehehehehehe , thanks for the data then , anyway , i gonna make him look out for a hacker who can shut down the upgrade system ( Evil Master Grin )....

:cyber:

The Mad Pirate

[MadPirate]

anyway , i had just remeber that he has cyberwares with smartlink features , now , shutting down the matrix connection , wouldn't make his smarlink usless ?

The Mad Pirate

[Rotbart van Dain...]

No.

[MadPirate]

now there is another possibility .. he could make his cybeware go permanently in "hiden mode". What i was wondering is, wouldn't be a problem for him in case he enters a "dont-ever-think-about-hiding-your-comm-connection" zone , since most of the droids would detect him as running a hidden connection ?

The Mad Pirate

[Ravor]

As long as he was also running an Active PAN at the same time why would the Drones keep looking for a second Hidden PAN?

[Buster]

This is what I do, if anyone is interested in ideas:

I expose a "fake" cheapo earpiece commlink that has my "walking around" forged SIN (rating at least 3) that runs in exposed mode. Then I have a second very expensive commlink (high rating firewall, IC, etc) running in hidden mode in my cyberarm with my "runner" forged SIN. All my contacts reach me on my runner commlink, never on my cheapo commlink. After a run that may have dangerous consequences (i.e. all high-paying runs), I ditch both SINs and buy new ones. Expensive but worth the peaceful sleep.

I don't want anyone brushing up against me on the street or at a club and be able to hack all my systems, so I don't even use skinlinks. All my cyberware have only direct datajack link for maintenance access. My ultrasound sensor in my arm is connected to my cybereyes via an internal nanowire link. If I want to upload data from my cybereyes, I connect my commlink to my cybersystem via a physical switch in my hand. Even though my "runner" commlink is hidden in my cyberarm, I still have to make a physical connection to allow them to talk to each other. I have no wireless links or skinlinks for any of my cyberware. This way no one can hack me remotely or just brush up against me on the street and hack my systems. The only downside is if I want to start to discreetly uploading data, I have to make a small movement with my fingers to activate the connection.

[Samantha]

Let's just hope that you never get knocked out long enough for someone to stick a wifi transmitter into some crevise to start accessing those files.

[Ravor]

If that were to ever happen Samantha he'd have alot bigger worries then whether or not his network was accessed. :cyber:


Still, personally even I think that his solution is a bit overkill, because someone merely brushing up against you on the street or in a club isn't really long enough to be a real danger of a Decker being able to hack your systems.

But then again, my characters also tend to run with 2 PANs, including 2 Datajacks in order to provide some sense of security for my gear.

[Buster]

Well, bumping into someone on the street isn't going to be long enough for a hacker to get you, but brushing up against someone while sitting or standing next to them in a club or in a bar is definitely going to give them enough time for hacking.

[Samantha]

Especially if that hacker is a technomancer.

[Abbandon]

skin hacking....

Ok since you guys brought it up can you give some worse case example of what a hacker/tm could do by touching someone with skinlinked gear??

Im thinking the worse they could do is shoot your gun? eyes/ears/limbs would all be DNI so no need for skinlinks there. Your datajack would most likely be skinned. What could they do turn it off or access all the files you have on it? (where do you guys say audio/video files from cyber is stored? in the device that records it?).

Anything else besides maybe your external normal comm gear. Glasses/contacts, earbuds, sub vocal mic, commlink... which you dont care about anyways since thats its purpose. Well maybe not the commslink.

[Ravor]

Abbandon

In theory a Decker could do anything to your gear that they could do while connected to your PAN through a Wireless Link, the only difference would be if a Runner was running multiple PANs.


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Samantha

You should read FrankTrollman's take on Technomancer vs Decker hacking abilities, basically unless you are using House Rules Technomancers aren't really any better then a Decker, because without a butt-load of Karma there is no way a Technomancer can get the same versality that a good Decker can through Nuyen alone. (Although they can rack up some really impressive Dicepools in their area of Focus and Sprites are awesome, they aren't the Kings of the Matrix anymore.)


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Buster

Ok, I see where you are coming from now, I guess I don't believe that a Runner would allow someone to remain in that type of casual contact with their body for any length of time.

But then again, I'm of the opinion that trying to shake hands with Mr Johnson at the meet is a good way to get iced as well. :cyber:

[kzt]

[Samantha]

I love RFID tags! Nothing says jerkwad like putting one on the back of a large troll that says "I like pink fluffy pillows."

[kzt]

[Samantha]

My point exactly. Although the next time someone used a RFID scanner near him, he'd find out about it.

Unless that person had a great sense of humor.

[MadPirate]

Hmmm .. i didnt thougth about the multiple PANs stuff. That should be giving my player a little bit more security although... . Anyway i decide to stick to the original idea.

The Mad pirate

[bait]

Multiple PANs provide no security, all it does is make it harder to monitor and creates a larger footprint.

A better idea is get a trusted source to rig up the comlink with ICE, and use a datajack to connect his cyberware to it. ( Skin link is still wireless and theres more then one way to touch someone.)

[sunnyside]

There isn't any reason you couldn't use DNI to disconect/reconect cyberware to your datajack is there? Alowing you to decide what it can talk to/what has access to it.

Samantha in case you don't read the other thread technomancers are awsome at everything. Specialites(what they have CFs for) are only a matter of what they can do all the time without using up favors or risking fading. A TM can have resonance x2 for any program they want to use whether they have a CF for it or not. I'll leave it at that to avoid a derail.

[Ravor]

Excuse me bait. Exactly how does running multiple PANs not provide extra security when set as as follows?

PAN I: Betagrade Datajack; skinlinked and loaded with as many ( Rating 4-5 ) ICE as you can fit onto it to create the nastiest chokepoint possible.

PAN II: DNI network of your cyberware, can be Subscribed to PAN I if you need to receive or send data but otherwise Wireless is disabled by default.

PAN III: Skinlinked network consisting of your gear which doesn't really need to recieve data from the outside world, such as your smartlinked weapons, ect. Can either include a skinlinked Trodenet or be subscribed through PAN I if DNI control is wanted.

PAN IV: This is your communications PAN running in Hidden Mode by default, and with the exception of PAN I the only "real PAN" with wireless active by default, although if your DM allows it, the indivadual equipment making up this PAN may be skinlinked to each other but not to PAN III.

PAN V: This is your 'Dummy' PAN running in Active Mode and trying to look like John Wageslave's PAN.

Now granted, this setup isn't perfect and it is more complex then many Runners would want to setup and mantain (In fact, my characters usually only run three PANs if you count the DNI cyberware connections as a PAN.), but how can you say that its less secure then only running one PAN?

Also am I missing something because its my understanding that skinlink is not Wireless in any way shape or form short of shooting someone with a skinlinked wireless transmitter dart... And good luck actually getting something liek that to work in combat.

[Buster]