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Old 05-09-2019, 08:58 AM   #1
PBarone714
 
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Default Cyberpunk Netrunning

Went to cyberpunk character is netrunning, If a node has a password, Should I tell the net runner what type of node (e.g. financial, R&D, accounting) it is before he cracks the password? If he successfully uses Recon Before he cracks the password, should I tell him what type of node it is?
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Old 05-09-2019, 09:42 AM   #2
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

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Originally Posted by PBarone714 View Post
Went to cyberpunk character is netrunning, If a node has a password, Should I tell the net runner what type of node (e.g. financial, R&D, accounting) it is before he cracks the password? If he successfully uses Recon Before he cracks the password, should I tell him what type of node it is?
I haven't run Cyberpunk recently, so I don't know what the official answer is, but... In general in real life it could vary depending on what a "node" is. If you're talking about a web API (publicly reachable connection point), you can fairly easily tell what the API is for.

But if you're on a network and a "node" is a computer with an authentication requirement to access it, finding out what it's on the network for might be more difficult. You could poll the network ports to see which ones are available for connection, and make guesses about what the computer is there for based on that. If port 21 is open for example in real life, there's a good chance the computer handles some FTP functionality. There are common ports used for certain things. And those open ports could be security vulnerabilities as each one likely has an authentication method that goes along with its function, though access to the system itself is still limited to using network authentication.

Anyway... Recon likely has a decent chance of giving some useful information. If you're looking for simple to run, I'd just ignore what type of node it is in determining whether recon works, and let them make a skill roll. Better margin of success equals more information.
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Old 05-09-2019, 11:52 AM   #3
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

Presumably different parts of the "VR landscape" are used for different things, so that might help? If other nodes in the area are, say, HR records, then the others might well be...
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Old 05-10-2019, 03:15 AM   #4
PBarone714
 
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

I found the answer in the Cyberpunk book p. CY82, "Also, the GM shouldn't make anything but the Node Number and System Icon public when the player encounters the system -- he'll have to figure out everything else himself!"
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Old 05-10-2019, 09:36 AM   #5
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

It is probably worth stating that Cyberpunk came out in 1990. Things might have changed in the interim.
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Old 05-10-2019, 10:03 AM   #6
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

If the Recon attempt represents a search of data related to the node it would give your netrunner a good idea of what it is normally used for. It wouldn't necessarily be useful for determining hidden data in a cache or reflect a recent change to that node. For instance if a corporation is trying to conceal R&D records they're transmitting so they store them in a node that normally transfers transaction receipts to overseas banks then the juicy data in that Node is going to be largely invisible until you're inside.
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Old 05-10-2019, 08:03 PM   #7
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

I don't know if this is relevant but Stuxnet used at least five undiscovered exploits and perhaps quite a bit more (apparently the launcher was hoarding them) to break it's target. As it was not on the normal network it had to rely on old fashioned sabotage techniques (outright traitors and just plain sluggards about security) to get through.

It would be interesting to know how long Whoever It Was (we would never do that) spent casing the target.
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Old 05-10-2019, 08:41 PM   #8
RyanW
 
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

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As it was not on the normal network it had to rely on old fashioned sabotage techniques (outright traitors and just plain sluggards about security) to get through.
That is one of the most reliable ways to break into a system. As the number of users increase, the odds that one of them can be turned into an unwitting accomplice approaches 100%. "Hi, this is Barry in IT. We're having some issues with your system account. Could we get your login and password to see if we can clear it up?"
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Old 05-10-2019, 09:53 PM   #9
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

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It is probably worth stating that Cyberpunk came out in 1990. Things might have changed in the interim.
That's putting it mildly. Pyramid 3-21 has a whole different set of rules for netrunning starting on page 4.
Per the original question. Are you using GURPS 3rd edition or 4th? Which rules set you're using affects the answer.
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Old 05-11-2019, 02:33 PM   #10
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Default Re: Cyberpunk Netrunning

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It is probably worth stating that Cyberpunk came out in 1990. Things might have changed in the interim.
It perhaps could have come out even earlier if the U. S. Secret Service of the time could tell the difference between reality and fiction.
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