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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Richard Tomasso rtomasso@*******.com
Subject: Mobile Phone Encryption and other stuff
Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 16:07:59 EDT
Nice write-up on the mobile phone package.

Somewhat off the message topic, but unless they fixed the rules
for encryption in Matrix, the levels listed are too low. Top Secret
info would have an Encryption Rating of at least 15, even Secret
might have a 10 or 12, especially if it needed to be secret for
more than 6 months.

>Encryption Level General Level of Classification
>1 Hahah!
>2-5 Unclassified/Confidential
>6-7 Confidential/NOFORN
>8-9 Secret
>10 Secret/NOFORN
>11+ Top Secret

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Message no. 2
From: NeoJudas neojudas@******************.com
Subject: Mobile Phone Encryption and other stuff
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 16:33:16 -0500
From: "Richard Tomasso" <rtomasso@*******.com>
Subject: Re: Mobile Phone Encryption and other stuff


> Nice write-up on the mobile phone package.
>
> Somewhat off the message topic, but unless they fixed the rules
> for encryption in Matrix, the levels listed are too low. Top Secret
> info would have an Encryption Rating of at least 15, even Secret
> might have a 10 or 12, especially if it needed to be secret for
> more than 6 months.
>
> >Encryption Level General Level of Classification
> >1 Hahah!
> >2-5 Unclassified/Confidential
> >6-7 Confidential/NOFORN
> >8-9 Secret
> >10 Secret/NOFORN
> >11+ Top Secret

Interesting twist on the idea, and not bad. What I always through was
interesting was the original BattleTAC was listed as Encryption 14, but that
didn't exist in any of the books (at least, until Renraku Arcology: Shutdown
came along).

I know we've taken a serious look at the SR ratings system for literally
everything and noticed that in most cases, stuff is just simply not
consistent where it probably could and should have been (Vehicle
Autonav/Pilot ratings are another big example here).


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
NeoJudas ("K" to Some)
"Children of the Kernel: Reborn"
Hoosier Hacker House (www.hoosierhackerhouse.com)
Message no. 3
From: Tzeentch tzeentch666@*********.net
Subject: Mobile Phone Encryption and other stuff
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 13:13:44 -0700
From: "Richard Tomasso" <rtomasso@*******.com>
> Nice write-up on the mobile phone package.
>
> Somewhat off the message topic, but unless they fixed the rules
> for encryption in Matrix, the levels listed are too low. Top Secret
> info would have an Encryption Rating of at least 15, even Secret
> might have a 10 or 12, especially if it needed to be secret for
> more than 6 months.

Encryption in Shadowrun is below pathetic for game reasons. If you applied
hardcore encryption in your game what the hell chance would deckers and
other infodorks have of ever figuring out what Secret Memo 01-X says?

In my own little world I say that the SIPRNet is a Rating 15 Broadcast
Encrpytion scheme travelling over a PLTG/VLAN with no external "entries".
TIPRNet is thus another Rating 15 Broadcast Encryption scheme on "top" of
the SIRP one. Even if you break through to SIPR you still have to break
TIPR. And to top it off you have to essentially Decrypt each packet/Pulse
and even then you might not reconstruct enough of the transmission to be
useful. Hacking into classified government infonets should not be something
you can do with a warez version of Decrypto V. 10 and a Radio Shack
cyebrdeck monitoring packet traffic between SIRPNet computers (which can be
done in Shadowrun BTW).

For those wondering the NES (Network Encryption System) used by the
government has a price tag in the 30,000 dollar range (est) Which in
Shadowrun is not enough to get anywhere decent crypto. Another game balance
concession.

Kenneth
"On two occasions I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the
machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to
apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a
question."
-- Charles Babbage

Further Reading

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Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!