Had to explain want a "Burner" is to someone (I watch a lot of "Law and Order" and "CSI", so I get the basic concept behind the idea.), and came up with this. It's a bit too adult for dA, where I usually post my writing, so figured I'd put it up here:

Drug Dealin' Dickie, the Barrens Brat, decides it's time to go upscale with his NovaCoke business, and wants to sell to the Corporate Stooges at the Mall. But he was born SINless, which is why he's a Drug Dealer in the first place. Gotta feed the fablies somehow.

So, he talks to our good friend, Felix the Fixer, and buys a Fake SIN, then heads over to a Stuffer Shack, and buys the cheapest CommLink he can get.
Fake SIN: 1000Â¥.
CommLink with OS: 300Â¥.
Ability to sell at a Mall: We'll find out how priceless that is now.

With this, he can head to the mall, with his "Real SIN", and not get hasselled by the Mall Cops: "Oh, the ratty threads? Latest style, my man! Paid more just for the realistic lookin' rips!"

Now, NovaCoke normally goes for 10Â¥ a pop, but that's low-level street price, and Dickie doesn't cut his stuff. He sells quality. Dickie figures that Corpers have money, and can pay twice that. He sells baggies of NovaCoke, holding ten doses, for 200Â¥ to rich Corpers.

He sells 25 of these on the first day, making 5000Â¥, for a day's work, and spent 1300Â¥ in expenses (He got the NovaCoke by beating up a rival ganger. So no cost there). And that's day one.

He still has more NovaCoke at his place. He can do this two, three days more maybe.

Let's say he does this for three days before the Mall Cops *FINALLY* catch on (Remember, they don't pay these guys too well.). That's 15000Â¥. Drug Dealin' Dickie Syphons off that money into a Mafia-Run bank that doesn't ask questions, but does ask for 15%. So, for 3550Â¥ he has semi-clean cash he can spend in the Barrens, and for a total expense of 4850Â¥ he has just made a total profit of 10150Â¥. Time to hit the Crime Mall, and see what's on "sale".

On the way there Dickie drops the 'Link on a Bum with, maybe, 150Â¥ on it, just to give Dickie an even number, and to get the bum so wasted he can't remember who gave him the 'Link if the Star comes after the SIN for peddling drugs.

Those are the upsides. Now, for the downsides, I'll let you guys figure out.

The biggest downside is the need for reciprocal security. If you don't sow that thing up tight the first hacker you walk past is going to rip a huge hole in your MetaLink and go to town.

Chris

Dickie is selling on the Triad's turf, and ends up spare parts in the clinic tanks a week later.

Very true, but that was a risk he had to take in order to make the big !

That could be one of the problems indeed! Many others abound!

If you don't keep anything interesting on your Burner links, the hacker can do shit to you by hacking them. Best, don't integrate that link into your PAN and use another, skinlinked link as your main commlink. Or an implanted one, though I'd recommend implanting three and using two as iced bottlenecks to deal with curious hackers or mancers.

Why is the hacker more or less likely to go after DDD's 'link than any other slot-in-the-mall? Does everyone carry top-of-the-line links and top-rating firewalls? And what are they going to get out of it? The day's takings that haven't yet been siphoned off into a certified credstick with the in-only switch thrown...

If low rating Commlinks are that useless and insecure, who buys them? Why are they even on the manufacturers' inventory?

Why do people buy low-end, poorly put together laptops and desktop computers and then expect me to support them.

Because they're stupid and buy when the TV tells them to buy!

*Drops to ground, shivering in terror at troubleshooting Windows ME Dell Laptop with No-Name Brand USB Wireless Dongle with 3-Rd Party Software That's In Engrish*

Of course, 65 years in the future, it's feasible to assume software is much mroe stable, and after two (three when counting Deus' first appearance) great to global disasters related to faulty computer security, people should be a tad more security-conscious. Yes, I don't see much use for lowest-level links either, save as ana uxiliary device to broadcast sepcific info for very specific places (like, your preferences in your local nightclub). They couldn't even run one decent program.

OK, what does the average person use their CommLink for? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

Keys, Wallet, ID, Simsense, contacting friends. Not much else.

To the average consumer, it will be, "WOW! I just combined my CredStick and my Cell Phone with my Pocket Computer all in one device! That also handles all the stuff my DataTerm did back home, but is also portable!"

They're not trying to hack the 'Trix, they're not trying to subvert the masses, the only real issue is SpamBombs. And those are annoying. I'm sure folks here are old enough to remember the Pop-Up Attacks from back in the early Web Browser days! Did it cause mass hysteria?

No, it was an annoyance. Nothing more.

Same here.

Now, on to the level of security... Identity Theft is the major increasing type of theft on the market, and, honestly, how many people even care? Not enough. Same deal.

*BUT*, well, I'd be giving spoilers for "Emergence" for the rest of this story. So, go buy and read that campaign book! Or, if you're a player, beg your GM to run you in it!

(To the people at Catalyst Game Labs, please send 10 for increasing sales. Thank you.)

A little further thought:

DDD has the commlink for official ID purposes only. The only use for the link is that. There's probably some faked-up "personal prioofile" with fake diary, fake shopping lists and the rest just to give it a cursory appearance of legitimacy, and possibly a fake, or at least throwaway bank account details with a few Nuyen of overdraft. What would it matter if the hacker did "go to town" on it? His ID might end up a bit mangled, but that would demonstrably be down to hack attack and curable by a reboot. There's nothing in it of interest to a hacker except the ID which is disposable and no more useful than the IDs of all the other schmos. Transactions with customers would go direct to the certified credstick: would you let someone like DDD's link connect to your e-wallet?

Okay, make that four global matrix-related catastrophes (or perceived catastrophes), including Emergence. Why should joe average be as careless with the matrix as people, not given that history, are with the internet today?

Excellent question!

They wouldn't!

Which means that they'd be *BUYING* newer and better things!!!

Which do jack squat.

Due to contracts I have signed, I cannot comment as to the exact name or maker, but I can speak of one of the most commonly used Anti-Virus programs, which also happens to be the most expensive, advertised, and bundled, which has RUINED more computers than it's protected.

Those people, who, again, are in the majority, are *THINKING* they are getting better security, when, in reality, they're just slightly more secure, and screwing themselves over.

Fine, they spend Eleventy-Billion Nuyen on the NEWEST AND IMPROVED ANTI-WHATEVER software that boosts their Firewall rating from 1 to... 2!!!

Personally, I love Slamm-Os little trick he pulled in Emergence as well. Again, read the book to find out!!!

It's the PERCEPTION of security that makes people feel safe. The average consumer won't know how to test a Firewall successfully, they'll hit the Matrix, and check out the "Test your Firewall Here"! Which just happens to be a site put up by the Firewall companies themselves, but doesn't look it. If you're running their software, you're "Safe", if not, "THEN BUY THIS SOFTWARE NOW! OR YOUR SIN WILL BE USED FOR ILLEGAL MEANS!!!"

Given that history, it behooves the hardware-producing companies to be a little more careful with security than they are today, too, unless they're meaning to *feed* the chaos. Cue conspiracy theorists...

Conspiracy theory my hoop!

Security software is big business! And, well, if Aztechnology is about to get some bad press, look at the new Anti-Hacking Software that Q-Soft is coming out with to protect little Jimmy from having EVIL HACKERS fry his brain when he 'Trodes in for homework!

Yeah, but there's got to be some progress on crappyness of software in the next 65 years. Look at the failure rates of cars in the 50s and now, and behold the discrepancy, for instance. Also, with three major global events emphathising how crappy matrix security can KILL YOU, wich so far no computer virus can, I just cannot see that, sorry. It's life-reatening to have your link hacked. Someone might then turn it into VR mode and fry your brain (using an attack program and doing stun damage, a hacker can, thanks to damage overflow, actually kill, it just takes time).

Also, with 40 years of cybercrime, corporations have fel the need to produce IC that can kill people to protect themselves, so they gotta be security-conscious enough to not make their employees a great security risk by ordering business links with lower-than-optimal defenses. It has always been emphathised that any mega and AA is reasonably paranoid about security. Why scrap that for saving some 2000 Bucks per employee when it will propably cost you far more money?

Because the wageslaves are quite secure in their little world.

It won't happen to them, it happens to everyone else. They have no problem supplying their bank account information for a standard "security check" or "age verification"... They're just extremely confused when (if they even notice, some just trust the system to work, afterall the corps and govt are flawless) some strange charges appear on their account. And why should they spend out 3,000 (approx $15,000 if I remember) for a better firewall (R6), when the company can supply them with the delux-user friendly firewall (R2) that they say provides top-class security for joe average price. They're smart enough that they didn't get the basic version (R2), those are for the non-elite.

The truth is the world is blind to the workings of the shadows, and those that know of them work hard to keep the rest from finding out. Even those in the barrens are the down-and-out, they don't know any more of whats going on than people in a 4th world country. As long as your kid isn't one that likes to slum it in the barrens you don't worry, all is fine in your eutopia because the Corps say it is. They are the sheep, we are the wolves, and our little drug peddler... He's going to get his due, because he's walking on the edge of the shadows and he's in someone else's territory.

Sorry, but the car anology won't work with me. I'd take a '57 Chevy El Dorado against a '07 Chevy Impala any day of the week. Modern car technology has made things worse from my point of view.

Of course, that's the point of view of someone living in fairly harsh weather conditions that requires fine tuning of the engine a number of times a year, and with ~one-ton animals that walk out into highways, and you need to make sure you *KILL* when you hit it, or at least be able to drive away. Neither of which happen with a car designed to break like modern ones do. So my view might be slightly askewed.

And Corporations want to feel safe, and everyone else to *NOT* feel safe. By making them stay in fear, they get to, one, restrict more freedoms, and two, sell more "Security".

Again, perceptions. Your fancy, expensive Firewall looks good and nice and comes in a great package, with a nice warentee by Q-Soft (Which is invalidated as soon as it's modified, which happens as soon as you connect your PAN to a non-Aztechnology piece of equipment), but it's still just a Firewall 2. Why? Because you don't *KNOW* any better.

The people that do know better... Are, one, the hackers who break things, and two, the security experts who *WILL* get the better firewalls and security, and make sure their family and friends are safe.

And, again, those are the minority.

Remember, keep the Sheeple happy, well fed, and scared of everything except for the benevolent Corporation that will keep them safe from the nasty SINless.

You might want to consider driving an H1 or some demilitarised Land Rover if you routinely run over elks ... and live in harsh conditions. Or try something russian and armoured. If dearmed, it should even be legal ... though they're terrible gas-guzzlers, for all I know.


... and compromise themselves in the process? If SR's megas were that short-sighted, they'd have gone the way of Enron a long time ago.


So long as they are within corp premises, wage salves are nodes in the corp net the secadmin has to keep secure.

Not necessarily. Many businessmen (present) have 2 cellphones, one for business (paid and issued by company), and one for their personal use (own pocket expense). Corps would probably do the same thing only allow the corp issued comms for use in the business place, and fine anyone who uses them for personal use. This way they don't have to worry about someone visiting a troll-furry web page and opening a gate for a hacker into their network. It also allows them to have the commlinks only have access to what is necessary and up their security that way.

So Joe Wageslave can have his commlink hacked all they want. And they only have to protect their own devices, and limiting their functionality prevents the (less dedicated) idiots from compromising their system.

Possible, yes. However, why should Joe Wageslave buy a notably less powerful link with different programs than he is used to? the corp might even offer him a deal on their stuff, so they can riddle it with trojans that spy on their employees when they think they can let their hair down ... whcih seems to be common practice in business anyway.

'Cause he can get an even BETTER deal at Hell Computers that mass produces garbage? And fills them with same?

Unless, of course, you're talking ABOUT Hell Computers, in which case, go right ahead.

HELL is any major mega in SR.

No, I bet the Megas have better quality control.

Yes, for their premium produce, but for the cheap-ass stuff they have licensed to some Nairobi or HK or CC outfit and just sell under their label? Never.

That makes perfect sense. Can you find any evidence of this in the rules?

Yes. There're no rules for random crashes anywhere.

Main Rulebook, Page 55 and 56. Glitches and Critical Glitches!

Don't get more random than that!

Glitches are user-triggered, not due to the hardware he uses.

Also, there're no rules for incompatible software, cyberware or hardware, crappy hardware or degeneration of software, security faults and exploits that have to be patched or the software (like a firewall) becomes useless ...

"A glitch is a mistake, error, fumble, or random fluke that causes the action to go wrong in some way."

I'd call a Illegal Software Action to be a Random Fluke.

And for the Critical Glitches, BSoD. Which, if you're in VR, means you can't reach the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys, while your Icon just hangs there, a simple target for the IC.

As for the rest...

Now you have just given me so many evil ideas!

I'll also take this time to point out that there's no rules for Cheap Knockoffs, either, and yet we can be sure they exist as well.

Well, except for those cheap Hong Kong BTLs that will fry you, but that's a different story.

I believe this was stated to be coming in Unwired.

Waiting Anxiously

Cute. A bit too ... today .. for my taste, but cute.

Ooh, ooh, pick me!

Because you are a professional Tech Support Guy and that's your job?

I really don't get why people who do tech support are so often like this. If computer users all decided they were going to install Linux on their own boxen and learn how to do all the stuff they wanted their computers to be usable for, everyone working in tech support (okay, 90% of people in tech support) would be frothing milk. Plus it makes you look like a genius and a hero!

If, on the other hand, you're doing tech support for free, you should probably not do that, since it seems like a source of stress for you.

EDIT: Okay, that came out a bit more sarcastic and dickish than I meant, so, sorry. Anyway, the thing is, people buy those because they can't pay for better stuff or they don't know that the stuff isn't good, just like with other things. And also there's still a pretty common bias against knowing about computers as opposed to, say, cars. I see less of it now, living where I do, but I'm pretty sure it's still around.

Yeah, it is. And, were I paid appropriately for the work I did, I'd have less to complain about.

But, for a job that is very technical, that requires extensive interpersonal relation skills, and has stress levels above that of Bomb Disposal Experts (No, I'm not joking, I just wish I could find the article that quoted that), the pay sucks.

And, because "Computers are the future! Get into computers for a good job!" happened when I was approaching College, there I went. And half-way through my courses, there goes the DotCom Bubble, "POP!". No jobs for you save for Tech Support which will eat you up and spit you out in less than a year (Which is exactly what it did.).

Had I gone into the Trades, or Business, or the Traditionals... Hell, if I had gone straight from High School into Data Entry...

Damnit, now I need a drink, and the Rum is gone. Even the cheap Synthrum!

It's almost enough to make me want to get a Cyber-7 and deck myself a career!

Shrug. Don't like your job? Change it! I know for a fact that Canada has a multitude of options for people that would like to change careers. Some of these even pay you while you retrain. Reach out and touch someone to find out all about it.

Which is not a discussion for here and now.

Back to Burner CommLinks! What do you think, folks, various cheaper versions hitting the market to compete for them? Or will they become more expensive after Emergence?

Of course not. I just figured if things were really 'that bad', you might like to know there are options.

Another option, of course, is to just be an idle bum such as myself.

You know what, screw it all!

I need to hunt me up a Johnson's phone number, and become a Shadowrunner! That's what I need to do!

Or, spend years and years in grad school, then get a part-time job tutoring high school kids! And then get work as a temp! Yay!

No, it isn't. Most users wouldn't be walking around or even working in VR. Most people would probably use AR. A hacker cannot force you into VR mode, no matter how much they hack your link. Its a choice your persona makes, not other personas. As long as you don't go VR, you can NOT ever die from the matrix.

Not that'll stop the Firewall Software Advertisers from insinuating that it's POSSIBLE anyhow.

Gotta get those sales up somehow! Keep those Sheeple scared!

Heh, money scares people the most. Ruin your credit, your bank history, and steal all your monies.

Bad comparison. The real basis point for comparison is the 2008 BMW 3-series - the biggest selling medium car in europe. Or perhaps a honda accord euro. i imagine many, many, many people would take the 3 series over the 57 car as a 'daily drive'

I'd rather be EOD. at least then you can fight fire with fire.

I'd rather be EOD, at least then I can blow drek up!

I grew up in a mining town, and now live in a city surrounded by farms. I miss the occasional earth-shattering ka-boom!

I could also see people only having instant access to non critical stuff on their comm unit.

Say access to a couple of hundred nuyen credit per day without special authorization. Of course the special authorization has to be non VR.

You keep all your valuable stuff in your Bank's system and connect to it to when you need to do something critical. While someone could still hack your comm unit, they wouldn't be able to do much besides down load your address book and day timer. Perhaps some form of hardware security chip like on a certified cred stick. To access your bank account you have to have the security chip, access to your comm unit, and have a voice print or retina print (all it takes is a good camera on the comm unit to take a picture of your eye).

The point is that while they can't stop someone from hacking a comm unit, they can make it not worth their while. I mean a good hacker could eventually get enough control, but is it going to be worth it to get a couple of hundred?


And like the credit card companies of today, if you did get your back account cleared out, they would make good your losses, because they can't afford for people to be worried about how safe their credit accounts are when accessed through their comm units.

That makes sense. A lot of Debit (Bank) cards today have a set limit per day. Any more, and you have to talk to the nice teller and show some physical ID of some sort.

So, for the shiny, happy SINner, they'd have that nice defence put into place by the Bank. (Good luck hacking a BANK! If you can do that, you might as well hack yourself some in the first place.).

But I doubt the Black Bank Accounts will have those kinds of security. Of course, if you're using the First Bank of Yakuza, then you're likely using a FastJack Special Firewall, with Added Slamm-O Security Updates!

Right now there aren't any guidelines concerning the rating of the commlink and firewall of Joe Average. Until then, it's up to the GM depending on two things : game balance (how easy he wants the hacking to be) and fluff consistency (if the GM thinks hackers are common, it'd be ridiculous if everybody paid with rating 1 commlinks).

Right now, it seems pretty much up to interpretation whether or not a hacker can force a hcked commlink to put people into VR. I know there'll be ghosthacking rules in Unwired, though, which wouldn't really make much sense if you couldn't force people into VR to play that psychotropic simsense. Nor would simsense spam in spam zones. People don't usually walk around in VR.

UMMM... I would say there is a good probability that Joe Schmoe will not have a sim module or sim rig... which means no forced VR for you.... SIM modules/rigs doesn't seem to be the kind of thing that slots carry. And to kill them (I have to check that one to confirm) they MUST be hot sim... and your average slot will not have that for sure. (Hot sim is a commlink/SIM Rig/module modification that is illegal and would probably be frowned on by the all know, beneficeint Corp.)