Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 18:42:38 +0100 (GMT+0100)
From: Thijs Krijger <J.M.Krijger@fys.ruu.nl>
To: Star Wars Mailing List <jae+sw-rpg@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU>
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Oops, sorry guys, forgive me!
I'm late, I know I promised to send it Monthday to all the guys that 
asked for this file!
Life can walk different...

But here it is: 
the rules I once wrote up for my dear departed Verpine Slicer..
I dedicate them to him, Chi-T'click, may he rest in peace [he,he,he, evil 
grin]


                                 Entry Security

So you need some restricted data, set of the alarms, give fake
orders, open the doors or do something else with a computer.
In the old days your GM said roll your comp. prog. and you did
it. Not anymore. Here are detailed rules about entering compu-
ter systems. First you have get inside the system.

                                            Security Programs

If an owner would like to protect his expensive date he usual-
ly buys (or makes) a security program. A security program has
a certain level in dice. Most often this is as many dice as
letters in the password if present. Sometimes this can differ.
Whenever program is named, this level of dice is meant.

                                             Check Security

Character can with a Moderate comp. prog. roll and 1 minute
time, try to detect level security program (in xD). Time can
be shortened by Crack Time Method(1,1).


                                         Crack Time Method(x,y)
Takes (x) minutes. Can be shortened by taking a +1 difficulty
per minute saved. When it takes only one minute it can be
further shortened by taken a +1 difficulty per round saved
until the maximum of (y) rounds left is reached. It can also
be made easier to break in by taking your time. Every extra
minute taken gives a -1 difficulty until the maximum of 15
extra minutes (total time now half an hour) is reached, wor-
king longer has no use. If the roll is missed by more then 15
then the computer is alerted of the attempted break-in and the
position of the terminal.

                                         Building Program Rules

Bonus            Difficulty               Cost    Time in days 
+1       Very Easy                        200      1
+2       Easy                              500     4
+1D      Moderate                         1000     7
+1D+1    Difficult                        2000    14
+1D+2    Very Difficult                   3500    21
+2D      Heroic                           5000    30

Building a slicer program requires the investment of one skill
point. A comp. prog. roll is than made to decide the bonus by
that slicer program. To upgrade an old slicer program another
skill point is required and a new roll, but the difficulties
are one lower. If, even with this bonus difficulty level, it
happens that the generator gives now a lower bonus, that means
that the generator is wrecked and is useless from now on,the
second skill point is regained.





                                                Password

Entry letters                     numbers
total   pos.             dif.     pos.    dif.
 1       26              4        10      3
 2       680             7        100     5
 3       1.8e4           11       1e3     8       
 4       4.6e5           14       1e4     10
 5       1.2e7           18       1e5     13
 6       3.1e8           21       1e6     15
 7       8.0e9           25       1e7     18
 8       2.1e11          28       1e8     20
 9       5.4e12          32       1e9     23
10       1.4e14          35       1e10    25
11       3.7e15          39       1e11    28
12       9.6e16          42       1e12    30
13       2.5e18          46       1e13    33
14       6.5e19          49       1e14    35

[difficulty = Entry total * 2.5 * Log[pos. entries]]
Crack Time Method(15,4) can be used.

Help: Password Generator
These programs use encrypted key technology build into a
microloop to shuffle through millions of password possibili-
ties into a single pass before the system can try to stop it.
Every Password generators work only on a limited number of
length combinations.

Gives a +1 to +2D bonus to comp. prog./rep.
Building your own password generator goes by the Building
Program Rules.
A password generator is useful for only a 3 number range.
(i.e. 3,4 or 5 number/letter password. Or 7,8 or 9 number/let-
ter password.)


                                        Key/Bodycheck Protection

It is possible to protect a computer with a key(card) system.
To access the system a special key(card) is required. 
Computers can be also be protected, so someone trying to login
needs to have his identity checked by his voice, fingerprint,
DNA, eyescan or other bodypart/function way. Getting past such
protection is very difficult. 
A protection has a certain level in Dice. To get past the
protection a key(card)/bodycheck must be forged/faked or a
security roll to crack to lock must be made, both against the
protection security level.
The security roll can make use of the Crack Time Method(15, 5
for key/10 for bodycheck).

Help: Keycard Slicer
Gives a +1D,+2D or +3D to keycard locks. See Cracken's Field
Guide.



                                            Login Requirement

It is possible that a computer needs a valid login name before
even asking passwords or keys.
If a login is known it is easy typing that takes neglectable
time (long/archaic names perhaps a round). If a name is known
than in 3 rounds typing the correct login can be found with an
Easy roll. If nothing is known then a Very Difficult roll and
15 min. are required to accidently type a valid login.




                                            Internal Security

OK, you forged the key, got the login, used his voice from a
recrod, cracked the password. At last you are inside the
system, now it is free play, what wonders shall you create.
WRONG, entry security is only the beginning of your problems.
These are internal protections.


                                             Security Block

Most computers have a series of security blocks at critical
junctures, referred to as gateways or nodes, which are inten-
ded to prevent access to secure regions. The difficulty is to
let the block recognize you as legitimate user. The more
secure the data the more likely it is protected with a block.
Normal data is easily accessible, but to reach protected data
the program +1D has to be beaten, Crack Time method(5,1). Top
Secret data has program +2D protection. Higher protection is
unlikely, but not impossible.

Help: Security Block Bypass
A block bypass scheme program tricks the security program into
thinking the slicer is a legitimate user. Gives a +1 to +2D
bonus to comp. prog/rep. Building your own Security Block By-
pass goes according to Building Program Rules.


                                                Backtrace

At random times, a security program performs a backtrace, a
search of access requests to ascertain who exactly is on the
system. The backtrace typically queries with a personal inter-
face code that a slicer would not normally have.
The program needs to roll a Moderate result to discover the
slicer.

Help: Backtrace Evasion
A backtrace evasion is a program that sends an access request
that bounces to other terminals, keeping the computer to busy
to query the slicer's actual terminal. Releasing a backtrace
evasion program increases the security program's difficulty
with one to three level when the program tries to locate the
slicer.

To build a Backtrace Evasion requires a skill point and a
comp. prog. roll.:
Difficulty made                           Increasement difficulty
Moderate                 1 level
Difficult                2 levels
Very difficult           3 levels
Heroic + X               3 levels + X



                                             Hidden Password

Sometimes there is a gateway that looks unprotected, but when
the secret password is not given an alarm is triggered and
multiple backtraces started. A slicer can detect these pas-
sword traps, as they are called, by beaten the hide check
(often same level program) with a search check. Though search
is not an usual computer skill, finding a hidden password trap
is something that has to be looked for, not something that can
be detected by being good with computers. Search is about
looking around and knowing when not to trust a situation.
Comp. prog. is about writing programs. When a trap is found it
can be cracked as any other password, though an alarm is
already triggered when the roll is missed by 5 or more. Some-
times other protection types are hidden, but this is very
rare.

Help: Trap Finder
A trap finder is a program that you send a little ahead of you
and that searches for any password or other traps. It gives a
+1 to +2D to the slicer's check. Building one yourself goes by
Building Program Rules.


                                       Second External Protection

Sometimes is the key/bodycheck protection later asked when
trying to access restricted data. Getting past this protection
is the same as if trying to enter the system from the outside.

Help: Same as First External Protection.






[This is all that I could come up with, if you have any ques-
tions, additional idees or comments, please say so. Most of it
is a collection of idees from different roleplaying games, and
my own experiences/knowledge of security. So it are absolutely
not perfect rules. So if you can think of beter/improved ones,
please do.]


Greetings from Thijs.

Being hopeless does not mean being without hope!
  J.M.Krijger@fys.ruu.nl
  {http://www.fys.ruu.nl:80/~krijger}