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Magnus Jakobsson
QUOTE (sr4 page 216)
Every time you are online—which is usually all of the time—your presence is logged. Every wireless device, terminal, and wired jackpoint has a unique serial number assigned by the manufacturer (and often registered with the local telecomm authorities as well). This access ID is associated with all of your online transactions and typically logged by any device you access. This record is called your datatrail, and it may be used by hackers to track you down or by law enforcement to link you to certain crimes or activities.


How do you use the datatrail to track someone?

I would guess that you use the track action (page 219). The description of the track action, however, seems to imply that you can only track someone from his icon, ie. while he is still around. Do you use the same mechanic to trace him through the access ID that he has left behind?

Also: How long does it take to spoof your access ID? Only a complex action?

- Magnus

Wasabi
The way I read it the Access ID must be determined using a Scan in case you wish to spoof a command as if sending from that person. If the person is not there, you can't Scan them in order to spoof them.

As far as Track goes, my reading of it says the datatrail leads TO the Access ID so if the user has logged off thats not possible. (and one tactical reason why Black IC ties up the user where they can't log off!)

If they are visible to matrix perception, then you test and try to get all the way to their commlink which is the origin of their Persona and Access ID. If you succeed you get both Access ID and physical location at that point.
Magnus Jakobsson
I agree that if someones matrix icon is actually present you can roll Matrix Perception to get their Access ID. You can also use the Track command to get both their Access ID and their physical location.

What I'm looking for, however, is a system for tracking someone who HAS accessed a node, but isn't right now. The book says that you can do this. Your Access ID is supposed to be "logged on any device you access" and this datatrail "may be used by hackers to track you down or by law enforcement to link you to certain crimes or activities". That's why you regularly spoof you Access ID.
Rotbart van Dainig
You need do hack the node, get at least security access and read the logs, then do so on any nodes near this node and recreate a path...
mintcar
This is why such a trace can be made by law enforcement, but only very rarely by others. (Maybe you could hack Lone Star and get some kind of universal access to the information, thereby saving a lot of time, but that would be very hard)
Rotbart van Dainig
Beware the grid providers.
Magnus Jakobsson
OK, but if you have gotten hold of a (valid) Access ID, what can that tell you?

1) Can you track down the Comlink (or other device) it belongs to physically? I would guess not, but I'm not sure. (Can you do this with a modern MAC address?)

2) Can you find out who the owner is? According to page 216 the Access ID is "often registered with the local telecomm authorities", but I would guess that these records aren't public.
Rotbart van Dainig
Yes & yes - if you can hack your way. wink.gif
Aeros
QUOTE (Magnus Jakobsson)
1) Can you track down the Comlink (or other device) it belongs to physically? I would guess not, but I'm not sure. (Can you do this with a modern MAC address?)

2) Can you find out who the owner is? According to page 216 the Access ID is "often registered with the local telecomm authorities", but I would guess that these records aren't public.

My understanding (mostly from other posts) is that your physical position is automatically triangulated by the system constantly while in active or passive mode, and is independent of any commcode used. (no, you can't do this with a modern MAC address)

Sure you can find out who a commcode belongs to, if you hack the info from someone who knows. Of course, most of the people a runner will trace will come up "Mr. Smith/Johnson/White" etc.
hobgoblin
and the reason why you cant do 1) with a MAC address is that it dont exist past the first router (if at all, like say if one is using a dialup).

so the accessID would be more like a permanent IP Address assigned to your device. kinda like how the envision IPv6 to be as it gives access to so many more numbers. err in fact, with IP6 you can use a MAC address to trace the hardware as you an use the MAC address to generate a IP6 address. basicly both are based on groups of hex number, but as the IP6 address is longer then existing MAC addresses. so by filling out the extra numbers by lead zeros you have your very own address nyahnyah.gif

routing in that kind of enviroment may be a bitch tho as you can just forget about static routes.
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