My PC (Fourth Edition) is about to undergo his first installation of cyberware. Obviously, he want it to go right, and the opposition gets smarter everyday...

1. Is cyberware hardening an option or other protection against environmental hazzards? Are there other accessories that could be installed?

2. Could someone point me towards rules for upgrading cyberware firewalls?

3. Are there any other clever additional features that should be installed while under the knife?
(for example, he was thinking two nonsoftware based killswitches inside his mouth, one to shut off wireless & one for total cyberware shutdown- one dumps a hacker that has taken control, the other as a last ditch option to against Deus). Maybe carry a clean copy of ROM backup of the cyberware bios?

Setup will include: cybercommlink, datajack & skillswires
And the PC is just a tad bit paranoid

Third Edition or Fourth Edition?

1) The only Hardening that you might want to get is for your commlink. This will prevent your Signal rating from getting fragged by an EMP device (optional rule on pg 57 of Arsenal). Everything else "should" be protected because the way cyber is made. I would check with your GM to see how he'll run EMP vs Cyber.

2) Sure! Pg 224 of the BBB and pg 104 of Unwired. Basically, those pages say the following:

1. Highest Firewall you can afford for everything cyber... EVERYTHING
2. Remove or turn off wireless from anything that you don't need transmitting.
3. Highest rated Encryption program you can get
4. If the above can't be done (money issue &/or need) then slave them to your commlink and beef that sucker up as much as you can

3) Augmentation pg 32 "Cyberware Triggers". Now carrying a copy of ROMs for your cyber... talk with your GM about that one.

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Slightly OT, but kinda on topic: If you have a cyberhand and you have a whole lot of goodies inside and don't want them destroyed, will giving the cyberhand hardening 6 protect everything INSIDE the hand or just the hand itself from any EMP attack?

Don't bother upgrading their firewalls/encryption. Have the wireless option disabled. Problem solved.

good old condome works...er you didnt meen that cyberwear did you?

I was just putting up for TeaTime what those books said. I agree with you that wireless should be removed if possible.

I mean if you have a cyber commlink why does your datajack need wireless? Skillwires... Not a chance in hell of having wireless on that thing. Kinda like having a "Please Kill Me!" sign on your chest. Yup, you need that gunnery soft and the bad guy just loaded up "Ball Room Dancing" and "Cake Making" in your wires and then locked you out from changing them. As you lay there bleeding to death, you too will know how to make a perfect cake and how to do the Two-Step.

Why does a datajack need wireless anyway? You plug what you need to talk to into it. Or plug it into an external comm.

I think that the wireless function of a datajack is for diagnostics... which is kinda stupid if you ask me. The same thing for cybereyes and ears. Why would they need to transmit ANYTHING wirelessly? Catalyst went a little hog wild with "everything is wireless"

Even now some devices are like that. Printers for example have their own panel diagnostics, as well as USB based diagnostics, and of course the ones from ethernet. Some overlap on what they do, but some contain extra features only editable by a certain connection method. I assume cyber contains similar redundancy.

Personally I tend to have my 'jack set to be in skinlink mode by default and only switch wireless on as needed, the good thing about DNI is that I don't need to give up the flexablity of using wireless if necessary, and I use my 'jack as a really nasty chokepoint for my cyber anyways, if some Decker is detected hacking in I simply cycle wireless and dump him.

Till someone hits you with activators. No wireless, they don't do anything. Wireless just turned off, its now on, and you won't even know it.

SR p304. Buy the item without wireless, then Skinlink(don't forget to buy a Skinlink without wireless!) it.

Sure, but Activators are an awefully pricey option to use, not to mention having to suceed an opposed roll which isn't really that easy against betagrade+ ware and at best only gives an opossing Decker a chance to hack your 'jack.