Okay, I've been trying to construct a good challenging system to hack for one of my technomancers. I've read through the Wireless chapter in SR4 and Unwired. I'm asking for some advice on the hacking. Usually, in order to gain entry into a system they need to breach the firewall and system. Normally, I usually use the highest firewall (3) and system (4) shown in the SR4 for a threshold of 7, but I feel this is too easy. I was looking through Unwired at the Advanced Software table and saw that the firewall and system thresholds are done with a rating x 2, which would make the threshold 14, but even I feel this is too easy a threshold for corporations or police departments. So, can anyone explain a good method to construct a good threshold for the initial hack and maybe ways to keep it challenging such as encryption, security measures, or spiders?

I think you're doing something fundamentally wrong with the Matrix. That isn't how its supposed to work. What -exactly- are you going on about?

are you talking about using software coding thresholds as hacking thresholds? I? What? They're completely seperate things.

A little help please. I'm not sure what you're trying to do.

Seems like you're confused. Tell us more.

Fun things to do to a node, off the top of my head:

data bomb
pavlov data bomb
encrypt
make a honey pot node: that is, make a fake node that doesn't do anything but contain IC and other nasty stuff. maybe connect it to the target node making the hacker make a matrix perception test to find it.
throw some sweet IC in there. don't feel bad about throwing IC weilding blackhammer at them.
run the node hidden or hard wired.

Have a spider enter the node with a nice stealth rating. Have him use matrix perception on your techno and trace him with his access ID back to his physical location. Bring down the heat on said location.

Okay, I'm probably doing this wrong, but here goes. Let's say the hacker is trying to gain access to a mainframe through a node. In order to get into the system they first need to hack-on-the-fly against the OS's Firewall + System. Once they're in, I usually counter with a hacking + scan to try get the spider's to find him, but the hacker needs to counter with a higher roll of hacking+stealth. Basically, the hacking turns into several oppose rolls between the hacker and the spider's in the mainframe, when needed of course. What I'm asking, is the hacker's seem to be getting passed the first stage (i.e. the firewall + system roll) too easily. One player commented during one hacking incident saying, wow, their system is shit. And it was a corporate mainframe that was being hacked into. I may have been doing it wrong, if so, please clarify what I'm doing wrong. The group hasn't been complaining, but then again, they may be accepting it cause it gets the game to flow better. I hope this wipes away some of the initial confusion.

Also, if you can verify which chapters or pages in "Unwired" should be read so I can better get a handle on what should be happening when one of my player's hacks a mainframe, please, let me know.

so far so good. How good is the system? what sort of information does it contain?
make the firewall and system 2-3 for low end stuff
4-5 for high end stuff
6 for the hot stuff.

If they hack on the fly they'll need a number of successes equal to the firewall to get a hacked user account.
If they want a security account, which will give them more options as to what they can do when they get into the node, they need firewall+3
If they want an admin account, the big daddy of account privileges, they'll need to roll firewall+6.

once they get the # of successes equal to this number, they're automatically logged into the node with the correct account type.

BUT

each time they make the roll, the system gets to roll Analyze+firewall trying to get a number of successes equal to the player's stealth. when the system finds the character it goes on alert (covered in depth in the basic rules).

in other words, unless you're in a hurry or your stealth is threaded up to hell and gone, don't hack on the fly.


I'll write more in a bit. hope this helps.

don't mess with unwired until you master the basic rules. Unwired is a great supplement, but it makes something that's already a bit complex even more complicated.

IIRC, hacking into a system is not just a simple test. It's an extended test of the hacker's Hacking + Exploit, where he rolls once per Complex Action and has to get a total number of successes equal to the system's Firewall (+3 if he wants a security account, +6 for an admin account).

Let's say your hacker rolls 8 dice for his test, for example, and the system has a Firewall of 5. He gets 2 hits on the test, so he's not in yet. He rolls again, gets another two hits, and so his total is 4. He's still not in! He has to roll yet again and get at least 1 more hit before he's inside. And this only gets him a normal user account.

If he wants a security account on this system, which will let him do more stuff unopposed, he'll need 8 successes total instead of 5. And if he wants an admin account, which is even better, he'll need 11.

And each time the hacker rolls this test, the system gets a roll of Analyze+Firewall to spot him.This is also an Extended Test, and the system must get a number of total hits equal to the Hacker's Stealth program rating.

Once they're in the node:

Let's presume your player is now in the node without setting off the alert.

What happens next:

most nodes can run analyze. As the GM you can have the node run analyze every round if you want, but this might slow things down. The dice for this are as follows:

the node rolls analyze+system
your player rolls hacking+stealth

If the system gets more successes than he does, he's found out. Again, what that means is up to you depending on the nature of node.

Inside the node there might be IC as well. IC is a agent program that is there to defend the node.

OOoookay! Got it.

Hack vs Firewall ONLY. See Hack on the Fly and Probing, main book. Look at Unwired's Sample Systems, on 76.
Yes. Its easy. However, you're forgetting a few steps. Namely, the account type you hack into is *important*. Very important. And easy to forget about.

Once IN the system, the node resists unauthorized changes with Opposed tests of Firewall+system vs Hacking+Blank(depending on what the hacker wants to do). This has to do with Access Levels, and Account types. Look at Unwired's definition of Public, Private, Security and Admin accounts. If the account is authorized for an action, the node just does it. If not, opposed test.
If a hacker triggers an Alert, they lose all access rights while the alert is in effect ,and thus anything they do to the node is opposed.(this is a detail in unwired. )

Once a hacker's in, its Computer+analyze, not hacking+ scan. Scan is used for detecting wifi nodes. Trace is used to home in on an icon's location in the real world. Analyze is for internet/matrix perception tests.

That being said, defending a node:

Roaming IC.

A well-defined ARC.

Notecards on hand with a handful of Spider stats you can whip out on the fly.

Use the Magic Number system - pick a number for your system depending on how important it is, and use that # for all ratings within that system. Start at 3 (device rating 3).

Enforce opposed Hacking+Black vs System + firewall tests to do stuff if the hacker doesn't have a high enough level of access rights. Remember that tripping an Alert strips all rights.

Also remember to enforce 4a's '-1 per extended test' rule.

Remember that IC call for backup from other nearby nodes.

ALL nodes are encrypted, even if its only rating 3. (seriously, its cheap).
Breaking encryption is a Combat Turn test. Its a speedbump. It takes a while.

Databombs are nasty. Use them.

Matrix perception tests are -critical- for finding out stuff, which nodes are linked, what programs are running. Reward your players for spending simple actions to be nosy bastards.


You may want to look at the Shadowrun Cheat Sheets. It has some matrix related stuff.

You want to make something hard to hack?

Have it on a system that dates back from the 2040s.

I can just guess how a Technomancer would feel about that.

Thanks for the tips guys, it's been a great help.

Huh?

I think he means the Advanced Programming Table on pg 119.

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For a greater challenge, take a good look at Intrusion Countermeasures (read "Agent") starting on pg. 69 amd the new autosofts starting on pg 112, especially Homeground (and for players looking to defend themselves, Adaptability).