Malware

[UnknownMurder]

I'm not so sure why no one has ever thought of this... It's not a bad thing....RIGHT? RIGHT.

 

A New Issue has Arises! Uh-Oh...

MALWARE

For Non-Geeks: Malware is a software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems. In other words, a Malicious Virus.

My Propose:

• Traitor Item to Spy on People via computers
  
• Once a while event that disrupts some of the Computers
  
• Open up a new Job in Engineering Department: IT. IT are the people who works on the Computers whilst protecting. They can even install ANTI-VIRUS.

Edit: OR A NEW DEPARTMENT

The Antagonist should not be only limited to entertaining the crew by means of physical or verbally force. As a result of this potential outcome, Security would not be the only ones facing the antagonist force.

I don't need to explain suggestion rather letting you to explain it but there is no way that they can escape from the Blue Screen of Death or having the Computer never been broken.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Guest

[LordFowl]

A very neat concept, inhibited by the fact that computer's aren't all that common, especially as personal devices. I'd pack this idea into an idea that re-imagines how we use computers. (I'd also include electronic devices such as PDAs)

[Arrow768]

I would love that idea.

But having a IT Department only for the possibility that someone might hack a terminal / pda / whatever seems a bit overkill.

I would also add tcoms / messaging to the tasks of the IT department and remove them from engineering.

Later on we could refine that idea to add a departmental server to a central server room, that does various things such as store the medical / security / employment records / research data (we already have that one), control various functions in the department (doors, lights, machines, atmos, ...)

If someone manages to get physical access or otherwise control of it, they are then able to take control of the department.

So basically they could:

* Send false sec records to the sec huds of the officers.

* Impersonate someone else (Head of Staff) and send a fax to a fax machine.

* Lock the AI / Cyborgs out of various machines / systems

* Lock someone inside of their office and start syphoning it slowly, to give engineering time to react (Get to the air alarm and disable remote control)

But there also needs to be a mechanic to counter that:

* Reboot the server -> Every non-commited configuration is dropped and it takes 5 minutes to reboot (During that time, the department is shut down, like in a powernet-anomaliy event)

* Complete reboot and reset -> Same as reboot but wipes the departmental server, restores the default settings and takes 7 or 10 minutes (Every Record is reset to the round start state)

* Firewalls -> By default only allows terminals of the same department write access to the server, and some other departments read access (For example the Medical Firewall, might allow sec read access to get the mental / physical state from someone)

* Intrusion Detection -> Alerts the Admins if someone is attemting to breach the firewall and allows them to trace the workstation from where its happening

* Intrution Prevention -> Adds additional Obstacles to the departmental server, like requiring a voice prompt before allowing access.

* Anti Virus -> Allows to detect and remove malware from the departmental server. Scanning the Server takes 5 minutes.

By default only a basically configured firewall exists on each departmental server (No IDS / IPS), it should have random "holes" in it, that the IT Department needs to find and fix.

[CakeIsOssim]

In-game electronic warfare.

I love it.

As the player of an AI who's half-purpose was to be an extremely advanced electronic security system (to prevent system attacks from both internal and external hackers), I would love for the AI to have a huge role in something like this, because, nothing fights programs better than other programs - especially extremely intelligent programs.

There's a thing where, if a door is hacked and the AI wire is pulsed (or something along those lines), it kicks the AI out of the door. But if they interface with it, it starts a script that tries to override the door controls, and takes roughly a minute to finish before the AI has control over the door again. Something like this would probably fit in with any computers/cameras/doors/air alarms/APCs taken over by malicious programming. Probably a lot easier to code, as well.

[K0NFL1QT]

An IT department has been suggested before, but I don't think it got much traction. I've come around to the idea. Roll this and this into one proposal; the Communication Engineer.

At it's basic level, an alt-title with telecom access would probably suffice if not an individual engineering class role by itself. But for this all to come together nicely would probably require adding in a layer of complexity to consoles that may or may not pay off considering the amount of time you'd have to devote to it. I envision something like the difference between airlocks with the wire-hacking, versus airlocks with no hacking. They're both usable, opening and closing as per ID, but the hackable version has other options for those willing to risk it. Random events could affect the console stations in an area and require the deployment of a Communications Engineer to rectify, or the standard operations of consoles could be upgraded or disabled in some way more subtle than total deconstruction. Preferably they'd have their own custom tool for the job, like a compad with a datajack, or something that they either spawn with or find on telecoms in limited supply. Or it could simply take whapping a console with a multitool to access the hackable layer, which would be a similarly simple minigame as airlock wires.

[LordFowl]

The most simple and sensible tool I feel would be a PDA with a special datajack implant.

[K0NFL1QT]

If by implant you mean PDA cartridge, then yeah. That'd be perfect.

[UnknownMurder]

An IT department has been suggested before, but I don't think it got much traction. I've come around to the idea. Roll this and this into one proposal; the Communication Engineer.

 

 

That is not an IT, that's a different field. People who watches over the Comms aren't IT. It's more of a radio guy. Sorry, I don't remember job title... Radio operator?

Edit: To those who wanted IT to work on radio comms is not what I had in mind. But, PDAs? Sure. Arrow really had hit the target of what I was hoping. Secondly, that suggestion KON had posted was a different suggestion to what I had in mind.

[Guest]

Bay malf can already blow up PDAs. It's hilarious.

The Nuke op PDA as well as the traitor PDA cartridge that we had back in 2014 used to cause PDAs to explode, but those got patched out and suddenly forgotten.

[CakeIsOssim]

I want this to be as in-depth as mechanically possible. I want to feel more useful when it comes to electronic warfare. Imagine, nukeops disabling things from a distance before even going in for an attack. The AI, or some technician, fighting them with another computer or compad somewhere.

[gyrates internally]

[Jennalele]

This has so much potential, and in the morning, I'll make a list of ideas I can spitball in here. I want this. I need this. Bonus points if it can somehow tie into the station AIs, Cyborgs and maybe even IPCs.

[UnknownMurder]

This has so much potential, and in the morning, I'll make a list of ideas I can spitball in here. I want this. I need this. Bonus points if it can somehow tie into the station AIs, Cyborgs and maybe even IPCs.

 

Thanks! In exchange you must give up your 50% life span.

I kid, however thanks!

Edit: Would it be possible to make this only Aurora Thingg like IPC being able to change color.

[K0NFL1QT]

An IT department has been suggested before, but I don't think it got much traction. I've come around to the idea. Roll this and this into one proposal; the Communication Engineer.

 

 

That is not an IT, that's a different field. People who watches over the Comms aren't IT. It's more of a radio guy. Sorry, I don't remember job title... Radio operator?

Edit: To those who wanted IT to work on radio comms is not what I had in mind. But, PDAs? Sure. Arrow really had hit the target of what I was hoping. Secondly, that suggestion KON had posted was a different suggestion to what I had in mind.

 

Packaging them together works though, and makes both ideas more fleshed out. One of the critiques of a telecoms role was that it would not have enough to do, and the same with your IT Guy role. When nothing goes wrong, there's nothing to fix. Also, the comms equipment is operated by consoles so it makes sense if the comm technicians can repair their own machines if something goes wrong. And if the IT/Comms guys can utilize the space at telecoms, then there's no need to work space for them onto the regular station map.

[Vanagandr]

You'd need a way to trace the decker, so you don't end up with Phoebe Essel 2.0: Cyberpunk Edition screwing up all your plans from the safety of some locker.

Distract them with attacks on something important, run a trace in the background, send the op team in to BREACH AND CLEAR, and suddenly you have two hackers.

[UnknownMurder]

An IT department has been suggested before, but I don't think it got much traction. I've come around to the idea. Roll this and this into one proposal; the Communication Engineer.

 

 

That is not an IT, that's a different field. People who watches over the Comms aren't IT. It's more of a radio guy. Sorry, I don't remember job title... Radio operator?

Edit: To those who wanted IT to work on radio comms is not what I had in mind. But, PDAs? Sure. Arrow really had hit the target of what I was hoping. Secondly, that suggestion KON had posted was a different suggestion to what I had in mind.

 

Packaging them together works though, and makes both ideas more fleshed out. One of the critiques of a telecoms role was that it would not have enough to do, and the same with your IT Guy role. When nothing goes wrong, there's nothing to fix. Also, the comms equipment is operated by consoles so it makes sense if the comm technicians can repair their own machines if something goes wrong. And if the IT/Comms guys can utilize the space at telecoms, then there's no need to work space for them onto the regular station map.

 

Thanks for your opinion but I must point out that IT are not the same as Telecom Technician. Your idea was turned down. This is about the IT who only trouble shoots computer viruses, that is my suggestion. The Telecommunication is off limit, and to be honest. No one likes when someone messes with telecommunication. The telecommunication shouldn't be messed with due to lots of complicated coding than IT itself. The telecoms are also on a different station and easy for antags to breach.

Please stop proposing a irrelevant addition to my suggestion. There is a such thing job in your mind called, "Communication Technician", but my suggestion is "IT Support Technician" led by their Head of Staff "IT Administrator", that is my view.

[Conservatron]

You'd need a way to trace the decker, so you don't end up with Phoebe Essel 2.0: Cyberpunk Edition screwing up all your plans from the safety of some locker.

Distract them with attacks on something important, run a trace in the background, send the op team in to BREACH AND CLEAR, and suddenly you have two hackers.

you can have a source trace, like how if you use a pai to hack a door the ai gets a hacking alarm

[K0NFL1QT]

Please stop proposing a irrelevant addition to my suggestion. There is a such thing job in your mind called, "Communication Technician", but my suggestion is "IT Support Technician" led by their Head of Staff "IT Administrator", that is my view.

 

You want a -whole department- dedicated to doing nothing but waiting for one particular random event, or a traitor who chooses electronic warfare? There is barely enough to this idea to justify a dedicated role under the Command of an existing department like Engineering, let alone a whole new department of staff. By merging the two ideas I was attempting to make it more likely that -both- might eventually get implemented in some way, because there isn't enough substance for either to really justify being coded on their own, but an amalgamation might just be worth it.

[Arrow768]

AI, Tcoms and Stuff to do

The point that K0nFL1QT makes is quite relevant.

* We need to add something for them todo while noone is screwing around with the system

* Or add something else to the portfolio of the IT Department that can be optimized.

(And to say that TComs is a different field is not completely right. At my workplace, we (the IT Department) are responsible for the IP-Telephony including the Emergency Numbers (although we work quite closely with our telephony provider)).

I could think of the following:

* People acutally RPing PDA / Workstation problems.

* Creating Problems for them (Just make Workstations / PDAs randomly break down, get infected with malware / ...)

* ??

CIO / IT Head

Altough I would love and hope to see CIO (Chief Information Officer) become a thing,

I dont think that we will make the "IT Administrator" another head,

but merely make him a Sub Head (like the QM and the CT´s) only bound to instructions from the captain / acting captain / majority command decisions.

(Usually the IT department is only bound to follow instructions from the CIO /CEO if there is no CIO, mostly to prevent stuff like: "I am the head of the Whatever department and I want you to give me more space on the servers, remove it from the other departments if required)

AI Involvement

I could think of a points system, where every Workstation has a set Number of points, that are regenerating with time

(How many points and how fast depends on the Hardware in the Workstation; There should be a few and beefy Workstations in IT)

The IT Guys (IT Administartors / IT Technicians) can use them to install IDS / IPS / AV / trace stuff / ... AND all the bad things if the It Administrator unlocks them (much like the Armory in Sec)

The Antags use the same principle, but they can only install the defensive stuff on their workstation / workstations they compromised

The Ai can decide to become networked.

It takes a minute to connect to the network, but then its essentially a supercomputer with quite a few points.

But the downside is, that its now a valid target for the antags to attempt to hack and takeover. (Change Laws, ...)

Once the AI is networked, there is a 10 minute delay before it can become disconected again. (Just think of some lore reason: "Majory Changes in the routing tables of the core routers are only possible every 10 minutes, because the routing tables need to be recalculated after a major change and the changes needs to propagate to the remote devices")

Now that the AI is networked it shows up as a bright red target on the computer list.

It can also disconnect after the 10 min delay, but it takes 5 minutes to disconnect and the disconnection cant be done while it is currently under attack.

There is the option for a Emergency disconnection, but it will render the AI confined to its core for 12 minutes. It cant use any cams or devices. (Lore Reason: "During a emergency disconnect all outside connections are forcefully removed and need to be reconnected manually.")

Times are subject to balance.

Location of the IT department

There would be two awesome places for the IT Department:

* A backalley in maint. A place where noone wants to go, but has to because their shit is broken.

You go through a barely lighted corridor. Can here the servers roar through an airlock. You can smell the smell of old and dirty electronic shit.

Then you finally arrive infront of a airlock thats labled with a sign "IT Department" you can still see a few letters that have not been completely removed. They read "#+*~^! Storage Room". Once you enter the room, you are greeted with a unfriendly "So, what have you broken again ?" by a guy with a long beard, long hair and a T-Shirt that reads: "BOFH". Next to him stands a smaller guy. You can see that he´s hiding something behind his back, it looks like a cattle prod.

You say: "I came here because I was wondering if you could help me with my private La..."

He suddenly gets a smile on his face and says: "Yes, please come in, Head right through the door here."

You can see that he motions to the small guy to get something.

"Are you sure that´s the right door, because it reads server room ?" - "Yes, thats the right door, I will follow you soon"

You see the warning signs that there is a fire suppression system, but dont really bother to read it as you head into the Server Room.

There is another warning sign inside: "When alarm sounds vacate at once. Halon 1301 being released"

Suddenly the door behind you closes and locks.

You hear a audible alarm: "The fire-suppression system has been activated. Vacate the room. The room will be flooded with Halon 1301"

You look through a window and see them point to a set of two buttons. "Immediate Release", "Open Doors"

They clearly point to the red once thats labeled with "Open Doors".

You press it. The last thing you hear on the coms: "EMT and Security to IT. Some idiot in the server room activated the fire-supression system and got gassed. We dont know how he got there"

Freely adapted from the BOFH stories from Travaglia

 

* A Area thats accessible nicely, maybe can be seen from the Hallway (with tintable windows of course if shit hits the fan, and IT needs some time to work on a problem).

With beautiful workstations, maybe the Server Room next to the IT Department, a few gadgets

a generous work area, some equippment racks, everything has a new and high-tec touch.

Just a great experience to work in.

Edit 1: Updated the Story. Updated the things IT could do when nothing is going wrong.

[UnknownMurder]

 

People are still interested from seeing this thread it would seems. Bump... Let's talk about this!

[Butterrobber202]

This gets all my approval. I'd be ecstatic if this gets added, ( NEW JOB IN ENGINEERING, PRAISE JESUS) I love the idea of it. But uh.... Make it user friendly, Becuase 75% of players most likely don't know how to do this IRL.

[UnknownMurder]

This gets all my approval. I'd be ecstatic if this gets added, ( NEW JOB IN ENGINEERING, PRAISE JESUS) I love the idea of it. But uh.... Make it user friendly, Becuase 75% of players most likely don't know how to do this IRL.

 

Awesome. Engineering isn't usually all about repairing the hull breaches which it is right now. It's about repairing technologies too. Having a computer not breaking down... Is pretty amazing even in that year, 2458.

I know what I'm doing, trust me. Look at my (NOT) latest works. http://m.9gag.com/gag/5582443

[Nanako]

I can see lots of IT-ish things to do, but i'd like to see them tied to some limiting mechanic, like research levels

To start off, the IT technician would have a special tool, a 'Datajack'This could be used to hack into any electronic device, electronically, perhaps with some little minigan. Essentially allowing you to do whatever the AI can do, but also allowing you to take priority and lock the AI out

The AI should be able to un-hack anything #that you've hacked, but doing this would be a process that takes both time, and input from the AI's player, so hacked items would still work efffectively as a distraction. And maybe the more advanced your IT tech is, the slower/harder your hacking is to undo

From various computers in your office, you could do stuff like looking through any camera on the station, and on cameras you've already hacked into, use them to remotely hack things that thecamera can see

Eventually if research gets high enough, you could have ways to remotely change AI laws, shut down the AI, send announcements,s call shuttles, listen in on communication channels, access the messaging server, etc. These things might require specialised viruses or decryption modules that would take some amount of time and experimentation to work

More ways to screw with synthetics could also be fun. Like a special kind of infrared light which, when attached to your clothing, causes you to appear as a nameless, uninspectable bright light, to AIs, borgs, IPCs, and any humans who are looking at you through cameras. This would be easy to make, maybe even present in IT from the start (so antags can steal and use them) but hella suspicious, since the AI would call security on you quickly

An upgraded version could simply make you literally invisible to synthetic vision, which would be great things to hand out during a malf AI round

[Guest Complete Garbage]

I can see lots of IT-ish things to do, but i'd like to see them tied to some limiting mechanic, like research levels

To start off, the IT technician would have a special tool, a 'Datajack'This could be used to hack into any electronic device, electronically, perhaps with some little minigan. Essentially allowing you to do whatever the AI can do, but also allowing you to take priority and lock the AI out

The AI should be able to un-hack anything #that you've hacked, but doing this would be a process that takes both time, and input from the AI's player, so hacked items would still work efffectively as a distraction. And maybe the more advanced your IT tech is, the slower/harder your hacking is to undo

From various computers in your office, you could do stuff like looking through any camera on the station, and on cameras you've already hacked into, use them to remotely hack things that thecamera can see

Eventually if research gets high enough, you could have ways to remotely change AI laws, shut down the AI, send announcements,s call shuttles, listen in on communication channels, access the messaging server, etc. These things might require specialised viruses or decryption modules that would take some amount of time and experimentation to work

More ways to screw with synthetics could also be fun. Like a special kind of infrared light which, when attached to your clothing, causes you to appear as a nameless, uninspectable bright light, to AIs, borgs, IPCs, and any humans who are looking at you through cameras. This would be easy to make, maybe even present in IT from the start (so antags can steal and use them) but hella suspicious, since the AI would call security on you quickly

An upgraded version could simply make you literally invisible to synthetic vision, which would be great things to hand out during a malf AI round

 

I actually like a lot of these, although I feel some of them should be restricted to antags, or at least require 'Illegal' tech levels.

[Butterrobber202]

Why hasn't this happened yet?

[UnknownMurder]

Bring forth this thread.