Hacking

With the advent of the internet, there's a lot of information out there.  Sometimes though, the people who own it don't want just anyone to have it, even if that information could save the world.  That's where the hacker comes in.  He uses a computer system to gain access when he shouldn't otherwise.

The basic method to hack a computer system is a bit like breaking into a door.  You can bash your way in, but someone might hear you and they'll know you were there.  Or you can pick the lock, sliding in with no one the wiser.  Or of course, you can look for another way in, maybe leaving a window unlocked so you can come back later.

To bash your way in, you'll need to roll Intelligence and Computers to Crack the system.  Each success adds together, and when you've gotten enough success to beat the Security Level of the system, you're in and can get the information you want.  This represents cracking a password with brute force or overloading a system.  It can work, but its obvious and easy to track.

Using an Exploit instead is more subtle.  It lets you pick the lock essentially.  This adds successes the same as Cracking, but applies a -3 to the Intelligence and Computer roll.  Even if unsuccessful the user will have a +2 on their roll to prevent being Traced.

 Finally there's a Rootkit.  A rootkit is a program that allows you to access a computer from elsewhere.  It bypasses security, but generally you have to have physical access to install it, or get 4 more successes than needed to simply access data on a remote computer.  Once installed the system can be accessed by the hacker freely until it is noticed and uninstalled.

The system represents the computer that is being attacked.  There are several things that a system administrator can set up to make hacking more difficult.  

• Firewall - A firewall is either a program that runs on the computer that it protects, or a separate computer that traffic runs through.  Either way, it has the same effect in play.  The simplest are software firewalls that run on the computer.  These are worth 1 point.  2 point firewalls are small external routers.  3 point firewalls are larger, more expensive routers.  A 4 point firewall is a separate system that has the sole purpose of keeping out intruders.  For each point of firewall, the first success on a hacking attempt doesn't count.  So if a system has a Security level of 5 and a 2 point firewall and a hacker gets 3 successes on his Cracking roll, the first two are not counted.  He will need 4 more successes to break into the system.
• Security Level - All systems have a security level.  Once an attacker accumulates as many successes as the Security Level, they have access to the system.  A regular PC has a SL of 1.  A small server has an SL of 3.  Large servers have an SL or 5.  Large government or corporate supercomputers could have an SL of 7 or more.
• Updated System - The system recieves frequent updates to its operating system.  Attempts to find an exploint will get an additional -2 penalty.
• Trace - The system attempts to track the attacker.  The user makes an Intelligence and Computer roll defensively.  If the user doesn't get a success the target computer will log their intrusion attempt and network address.
• Encryption - Even if your system is compromised, you can still protect your data with encryption.  This scrambles the data.  Unscrambling it requires 6 Success levels.  In addition, the first successes are ignored as if the user were trying to penetrate a firewall.  This could be 1 to 3 depending on the strength of the encryption.