Hello DS.
I am working out the details of an adventure I'm hoping to GM in the near future.
I want to plant a clue in the form of a video message left for an NPC that the players come upon a few days after the commcall was placed. I'm fairly certain that any runner worth his salt will immediately attempt to track or otherwise ID the caller, and I want to be sure I'm prepaired.
My questions are:
- Is it possible to track a user via a commcall message roughly 2-3 days after it is left?
- Would a data search action be more appropriate (ID the callers commcode)?
- Do messages become part of a user's datatrail?
- If you can track the caller, would the caller need to be online during the trace?
- What would make up the dice pool (Data Search+Browse, Computer+Track, other)?
Any ideas are welcome! Thanks in advance!
Method
Full Version: Tracking a user via a commcall message?
so, basically you're looking to have the PC's discover a voicemail left on an NPC's commlink?
You could probably do it in a two step process, figure out where the voicemail was delivered from (which company handled the accepting and delivering of the message), and then from that company's node finding in the logs where the message was placed from (the original caller).
In that situation, you would be able to have the caller's commcode with out them needing to be online.
I would assume that any action becomes part of a users datatrail, including leaving messages, unless it's specifically done through an anonymous remailer or some other type of anonymizer. And even then the anonymizing service would probably still be connected to the datatrail, you would just have to hack the anonymizing node.
You could probably do it in a two step process, figure out where the voicemail was delivered from (which company handled the accepting and delivering of the message), and then from that company's node finding in the logs where the message was placed from (the original caller).
In that situation, you would be able to have the caller's commcode with out them needing to be online.
I would assume that any action becomes part of a users datatrail, including leaving messages, unless it's specifically done through an anonymous remailer or some other type of anonymizer. And even then the anonymizing service would probably still be connected to the datatrail, you would just have to hack the anonymizing node.
| QUOTE (Lagomorph) |
| I would assume that any action becomes part of a users datatrail, including leaving messages, unless it's specifically done through an anonymous remailer or some other type of anonymizer. And even then the anonymizing service would probably still be connected to the datatrail, you would just have to hack the anonymizing node. |
Anonymizers don't keep logs. What doesn't exist can't be stolen or obtained via subpoena. So don't run it though one unless you want anonymizers to never work in your game.
I would not assume that players are going to attempt to trace it...sometimes the obvious things to the GM, are not to the players...
But, to your question...think about how you would do that today. If I got a person's comm and came across a voicemail, I'd have to know their password to access the voicemail...so the PCs, in this scenario, have a NPC's comm, the comm number and a password to access the voicemail.
Unless going through an anonymizer (as suggested above), a simple non-matrix browse of the call log should tell the ID the call came from. So, you basically have all the information you need right there to do a data search.
Just like in the real world today...I look up a voicemail, see where it came from, google the phone number and normally get a name and maybe an address. Obviously they could be fake, but its pretty easy to do.
So, I would suggest just using a Data Search to get more info on the ID.
As for tracing, yes, the ID would have to be active at the time of trace. You don't need a log or anything for that, doesn't matter how old it is. You can just start tracing the ID and try and pinpoint its location...that's all in the RAW. A commlink, under wireless rules, could be traced to about 50m anywhere on the planet. But, it needs to be access the matrix in order to be traced...
But, to your question...think about how you would do that today. If I got a person's comm and came across a voicemail, I'd have to know their password to access the voicemail...so the PCs, in this scenario, have a NPC's comm, the comm number and a password to access the voicemail.
Unless going through an anonymizer (as suggested above), a simple non-matrix browse of the call log should tell the ID the call came from. So, you basically have all the information you need right there to do a data search.
Just like in the real world today...I look up a voicemail, see where it came from, google the phone number and normally get a name and maybe an address. Obviously they could be fake, but its pretty easy to do.
So, I would suggest just using a Data Search to get more info on the ID.
As for tracing, yes, the ID would have to be active at the time of trace. You don't need a log or anything for that, doesn't matter how old it is. You can just start tracing the ID and try and pinpoint its location...that's all in the RAW. A commlink, under wireless rules, could be traced to about 50m anywhere on the planet. But, it needs to be access the matrix in order to be traced...
| QUOTE (kzt) | ||
Anonymizers don't keep logs. What doesn't exist can't be stolen or obtained via subpoena. So don't run it though one unless you want anonymizers to never work in your game. |
Good point, though perhaps some of the less reputable ones would keep logs and sell the pay data.
The actual answer depends on who was placing the call and how they did it.
John Q public would probably just make the call straight and the AID is probably right there in the metadata for the message. Roll computer+logic (easy) to get it out.
If they're online you don't even need to roll I don't think. Just go straight to their comlink and hack it track it or whatever as normal.
If they're offline or have a new comlink you could try a hard data search to find that AID in other data files. This would give you other calls that comlink made, and would require a bit of luck for the files to be accesable in the first place. You could also hack the seller of the comlink and attempt to find who they sold the unit to.
If they used an anonymizer type service you can't get straight to the comlink.
But you could still get lucky, even if the service clears their records frequently. Your hacker could drop an agent loaded with a sniffer program into the anonymizers server and run facial recognition or the like on all the calls. If you get lucky the guy will try and use the service again and then it's time to party.
If they're a shadowrunner/hacker they faked their AID in the first place like hackers always do. The trick is with a fake AID the person they called would have no way to return the call. If so that's fine. But if the person called was expected to call back a drop box or something would be needed. Or the person would have to know the real number.
If a drop box is used again you could try hacking in and dropping an agent to wait for them. If the person just knew how to contact them they may well have left that info in their comlink if they didn't clean it out a lot.
John Q public would probably just make the call straight and the AID is probably right there in the metadata for the message. Roll computer+logic (easy) to get it out.
If they're online you don't even need to roll I don't think. Just go straight to their comlink and hack it track it or whatever as normal.
If they're offline or have a new comlink you could try a hard data search to find that AID in other data files. This would give you other calls that comlink made, and would require a bit of luck for the files to be accesable in the first place. You could also hack the seller of the comlink and attempt to find who they sold the unit to.
If they used an anonymizer type service you can't get straight to the comlink.
But you could still get lucky, even if the service clears their records frequently. Your hacker could drop an agent loaded with a sniffer program into the anonymizers server and run facial recognition or the like on all the calls. If you get lucky the guy will try and use the service again and then it's time to party.
If they're a shadowrunner/hacker they faked their AID in the first place like hackers always do. The trick is with a fake AID the person they called would have no way to return the call. If so that's fine. But if the person called was expected to call back a drop box or something would be needed. Or the person would have to know the real number.
If a drop box is used again you could try hacking in and dropping an agent to wait for them. If the person just knew how to contact them they may well have left that info in their comlink if they didn't clean it out a lot.
For emergency location and law enforcement uses all (legal) cell phone towers keep a 30-day record of the calls and text messages routed through it. The same thing goes for (legal) server access with your ISP which is how sexual predators are generally caught. Furthermore, all (legal) cellular phones are now required to have a GPS locater built into them and you can't (legally) activate a non-GPS handset in the US.
So generally, if you have their (legal) comlink number, you have them by the balls with the right contacts...
Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )
P.S. This is why real shadowrunners use pre-paid services and throw-away comlinks for operations. It would be stupid not to.
So generally, if you have their (legal) comlink number, you have them by the balls with the right contacts...
Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )
P.S. This is why real shadowrunners use pre-paid services and throw-away comlinks for operations. It would be stupid not to.
| QUOTE (psychophipps) |
| P.S. This is why real shadowrunners use pre-paid services and throw-away comlinks for operations. It would be stupid not to. |
I love players who build their comlinks into their heads. . .
Well as long as you clone regularly having it in your head is fine.
Dont need to replace the harware, but effectively the SIM chip. The hardwre test isnt that hard to reprogram and you are good to go.
Dont need to replace the harware, but effectively the SIM chip. The hardwre test isnt that hard to reprogram and you are good to go.
| QUOTE (laughingowl) |
| Well as long as you clone regularly having it in your head is fine. |
It was funnier when I thought you were suggesting the player clone himself frequently. . .
| QUOTE (Method) |
I want to plant a clue in the form of a video message left for an NPC that the players come upon a few days after the commcall was placed. I'm fairly certain that any runner worth his salt will immediately attempt to track or otherwise ID the caller, and I want to be sure I'm prepaired. My questions are: - Is it possible to track a user via a commcall message roughly 2-3 days after it is left? |
Yes. And no. By default, a generic user leaves the same kinds of info as modern voicemail, which would include the sender's access code. However, if they are a hacker or have a hacker, they could have used Spoof to fake their access code. It should not take a test to find this as any decent UI will make it easy to get that information. (Press 1 to replay, Press 2 for message information, Press 3 to delete, etc)
| QUOTE |
- Would a data search action be more appropriate (ID the callers commcode)? |
Once you have a sender's access code they will need a data search to see who owns it. Follow that up with some serious data searching and application of Analyze on the logs to see if they have been munged with. Restoring the logs is pretty much impossible but with a decent result (say threshold 5) they should be able to tell if the logs were faked. Finding that all logs were deleted should be a Threshold 1.
| QUOTE |
- Do messages become part of a user's datatrail? |
Sort of. The message itself is NOT part of the data trail but the existence of a message is. All those intermediate devices (the tower of the sender's comm, the overland connection, the tower of the receiver) all note that a message from so-and-so was sent to other-guy.
| QUOTE |
- If you can track the caller, would the caller need to be online during the trace? |
By default, most people are online 100% of the time. Only people in hidden mode or with their Comm turned off are really offline.
Your immediate challenge is deciding who send the message. Was it joe schmoe, who can be found relatively easily by getting their access code from the video message and querying them on Google? Or is it Mister Johnson, who used his own comm then had a bargain basement hacker edit the logs afterwards and perhaps left clues for a really good hacker? Or was it someone with a good hacker who totally wiped the logs? Or maybe their hacker was so good they spoofed the access code and/or hacked the logs to leave a false trail pointing to someone else?
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