Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 4125035" data-attributes="member: 8835">Here's some more ideas:write an expert system for day-trading on the stock market.  For my PC, I had a high wealth and finances score, so I justified it by claiming my PC had written such a tool to make my money.  In the end, for any expert system or knowledge base, your PC should have some knowledge in that area.  This ensures a good application that can actually solve the problem...on the "hacking" side, here's some other useful tricks. Please note, I do not endorse attacking REAL systems, nor I am posting instructions on how to do so.  I'm giving a general description of the approach used, so both player and GM sound like they know what they are talking about.network traffic attacks are useful against a network to tie up resources, preventing data from getting in or out.  This would also affect the players ability to do so.  The reasons for doing so might include preventing someone else from using the network.  For companies using Voice-OverIP, you could possibily interfere with that as well (anyone with VOnage or cable-modem phones can attest to that).  It could be obvious to tell where the attack is coming from (which is why skilled hackers use remote controlled slave computers)Remote controlling computers: every copy of Windows since XP has a remote desktop feature.  It ties into the Help & support feature.  In theory, it's off by default.  Some people turn it on, so they can remote in from home.  That's a vulnerability/feature.Getting ahold of someone's computer is usually pretty handy.  At work, they are more likely to keep sensitive data on it, than on a server file share.  This is because it's just easier to use it that way (despite the security risk).  Knowing this, should shape how your PCs approach a problem.Social engineering is how hackers get information (that will help them do technical stuff later).  Generally it means posing as an office worker or repair man and getting to areas that let you see how things are laid out, or to see people typing in passwords in cubicles (known as shoulder surfing go see the movie Hackers for an example).  In RPG's that's a great encounter/skill test to play out.Computer security is usually laid out by differing groups, within an organization.  In a small organization, you can exect it to be light, as they will often have a "it's just us" mentality.  If there's any passwords, it's probably few accounts, shared by many.In a large organization, you can expect an IT department has setup servers with security to host business data.  All the business workers use it.  The technical labs (in a research or design firm) probably setup their own servers because IT can't get it right (or does so in a way that inhibits their work).  Technical labs are run by technical people.  They can setup their own server pretty easily.  This in turn is their weakness, because they become a "small organization" mindset, and security is pretty lapse.  What this means is, depending on the PCs goal, security may be tighter or lighter.Back to cellphones:all new cellphones are required by law to have GPS functionality built-in.  This is for 911 purposes, and usually isn't displayed to the user.  There are some phones that do expose the GPS feature (so you can get directions).  There's 2 faces to this, 1) authorities could track where calls were placed.  It is unlikely, barring an active search warrant and investigation that they will be looking as the call is happening.  But retro-active research is very viable.  2) the GPS where-am-i feature can help PCs from getting lost.  This once again leads to the "just give the players a map" mindset that I have as a GM, because it speeds up gameplay.I'm thinking that some of what I've written could be used by GM's to shape hacking encounters.  Or by players to come up with a technical approach to solve a problem.</blockquote>

Verification