| From: | mneideng@****.caltech.edu (Mark L. Neidengard) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Trace Back |
| Date: | Sun, 10 Mar 1996 19:27:52 -0800 (PST) |
>
> I'm still in the process of reading this post, but this is mostly just a
> plot device to let everyone know that J&G are currently out of Seattle
> (New Orleans right now, je pense)
Sure, though calling something a plot device is by no means sufficient by
itself for motivating something's existence.
> Nah, shouldn't be too hard. Just make sure it goes through one of your
> own nodes, or is tackled by one of your own peices of IC before it reaches
> the target node.
This is only good until the signal leaves your part of the net. All things
being equal, the "packet" could be traced back to the subnet where it
originated. Now, if you wish to erase that sort of information, you need to
fuck up the mechanism that is keeping tabs on the routing, which is
normally not controllable through the same "channels" that the data itself
flows. And hence constitutes a much more annoying challenge.
> Not to mention, by the appearences of the Srun universe, you should be
> to include code in your messages: Just trigger it at the latest possible
> moment and munge the hell out of your source path... =)
A mail bomb. Which may or may not work depending on the amount of hardening
the target system has. Also, some systems are actually too unsophisticated to
support mail bombs.
> > You can play all sorts of games with the routing, like run
> > through a dozen SANS and through a satellite, but it should still be possible
> > to at least find the last SAN it went through. A sat link _has_ to come to
> > ground somewhere, right? However, it is my impression that J&Gs nonsense
> > doesn't even allow that. And there is no way on God's Green Earth that those
> > two are anywhere near expert enough to even pull those stunts on their own.
>
> Damn straight. Thats why they don't. Like I've said: They aren't
> deckers. They're combat deckers. They're marginally good programmers
> (could get their asses kicked by a normal decker if it came to running
> naked), they have a _lot_ of rudimentry knowledge (they can talk
> intelligently about a lot, but they can't do most of it). But who does the
> goods: SI. (Well, not really, but SI is CENTRALLY responsible).
We want to beware of any one list member munchkinizing their characters, either
directly or through the intervention of a Third Party(tm). I would like to
hear some justification for why S-I should invest this sort of effort in
the Dynamic Duo before I assent to it quietly.
> As to HOW it's done: SI has a very healthy and active EC unit
> (DeltaCore). They are doing a Lot of Very Strange Things. But on a really
> small scale (like munching the insides out of a lot of Ma and Pa systems,
> and the like -- nothing noticable, and nothing to anyone who _would_
> notice).
That S-I should do research in Matrix-related matters is neither anything new
nor anything unique.
> Since they own/have-access-to lots of these little systems, all they do
> is route. Big Time. Bounce the message around for four or five minutes,
> making sure to remove all trace information. Then give it a whack of
> totally useless/corrupted routing info and send it to Sland.
This breaks down when large corporations (who are harder to hack) own the
major pieces of the backbone web. Ma and Pa might get you across the town,
or even across the city, but it should not, in general, be possible to cross
the globe strictly on the basis of parochial net connections.
> We're talking Shadowland. Why would the sysops worry? They're running
> this for fun (as far as I can tell from the sourcebooks). No damage is
> being done to Sland, so why bother?
Ah, but damage is being done to ShadowLand's credibility as an "equal" forum
for data exchange, which would drive potential users away. As I take it,
the goal of the sysops is to foster free exchange of information, and this
is hampered by those who would participate on an uneven footing. The more
uneven the footing, the more worrisome to the sysops.
> > Some other mechanism has to be at work, and I think it is something that is
> > out of the league of everyone but the Big 8 and the top .05 percent of the
> > world's shadowrunners. And there is no way in hell, despite Mr. Hughes' and
> > J&Gs protestations otherwise, that they are capable of pulling this off.
>
> Uh. No. I'm not a munchkin (usually). As everyone says: J&G have corp
> backing. Just because my characters say or do something, doesn't mean I
> beleive it. *grin* Which is a good thing, 'cause I've had some pretty
> gross characters... =)
But it is not legitimate to claim "corporate backing" and then proceed to do
whatever you feel like. Certainly there are other characters with corporate
backing who may not have access to the same "plot device". I think this
particular excess (totally anonymous signal origins) needs to be corrected.
> > I'm more concerned about making sure EVERYONE here plays on the same
> > field, with the same equipment.
>
> Heheh. Sorry. SI has a shit-load of resources (stuff should be
> happening this summer to make clear how and why -- this of course depends
> on my summer job situation... =)
My apologies, but I'm not content to wait until summer while some list
participants enjoy apparently unequal access to world resources. Please
clarify the reason why S-I is able to cause this nonuniformity.
--
/!\/!ark /!\!eidengard, CS Major, VLSI. http://www.cacr.caltech.edu/~mneideng
"Fairy of sleep, controller of illusions" Operator/Jack-of-all-Trades, CACR
"Control the person for my own purpose." "Don't mess with the Dark
Elves!"
-Pirotess, _Record_of_Lodoss_War_ Shadowrunner and Anime Addict
