Tracing Hackers Options

[The Dread Polack]

I assumed that you can only trace a hacker's datatrail if he's currently online. However, I believe I read something (can't find it now) that mentioned tracing a hacker after he logged off by getting his Access ID from the data logs of the node he hacked. Is this possible as long as the hacker is still online? Normally, you can determine an location of them through their GPS, but what if the hacker turned off his commlink?

If you ask me, the Access ID should generally be a dead-end if the user isn't online any more. If he's worth his salt, he spoofed his ID anyway and will be using a new one shortly.

[blakmetalmedik]

Basically when your tracing a hacker, your following his data trail like breadcrumbs, leading you to the node that he most recently interacted with (connected to the matrix) or is currently interacting with. Even when the hacker is offline you will still be able to find the node he last used.

Dont think of it so much as actually tracking the hacker, as much as finding a log in a node that shows him active in it.

[Nightfalke]

Exactly. You're hopping from one node to the next checking the access logs. Access log A says he came from Node B. Going to Node B says he came from Node C, and so on down the line until you find his commlink.

Now, if any link in that chain is broken or changed, it becomes significantly harder to find them.