Cyberspace

When you Hack something, you reach through cyberspace to make computers and networks do things they’re not supposed to do. To do so, you generally need a hacking suite, which can come in many forms: a personalised terminal, a portable console, maybe even a cranial implant. Regardless of its exact form, a hacking suite has the processing power and the specialised tools required to hack effectively.

You can use hacking to manipulate any computerised system that depends on code or software, as long as you are able connect your hacking suite to it. If it’s mostly analog machinery or electronics, you might be better off tinkering or engineering with Rig. Areas that are more technologically sophisticated tend to rely heavily on computers and software, and will have lots of hackable infrastructure. Areas that are more rugged and low-tech are more likely to use analog systems with mechanical or electrical components.

Getting Online

Cyberspace is the name given to the virtual world, invisible to the senses but everpresent whenever you find yourself in civilisation’s bounds. It’s synonymous with the public grid, the regional “internet” that supports your area - whether that region is a planet, a space station, or an asteroid colony. The most developed planets have near global grid coverage, with relay satellites and access points providing connectivity to all but the most remote locales. On rugged frontier colonies, coverage is likely to be a lot more spotty and deadzones a lot more common.

In most places, access to the public grid is free and available to anyone with a datapad. Going online gives you access to almost everything an ordinary person would want to do: you can get paid, spend money, make calls, organise your daily life, and interface with the devices around you. You might use your datapad to unlock your front door, or to instruct your vehicle to park for you while you sign into the office. Most users don’t understand how it works behind the scenes and don’t need to; it just works.

When you interact with cyberspace, you might use one of three interface methods to do so:

• Manual Operation. This is the simplest, most common and most accessible option. Whether you have a datapad, a stationary terminal, or an advanced hacking suite, it’s always possible to interact with cyberspace the old-fashioned way. Press buttons, tap a screen, gesture at a holographic interface. It’s simple and reliable, but it occupies your hands and your attention. Hacking something this way can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours.
• Augmented Reality. With smart peripherals - like a pair of smart glasses or even a cybereye - you can use augmented reality, overlaying the virtual world over your vision. Your applications and programs coexist with your physical surroundings, and you can control them using gestures, words and even eye movements. AR isn’t faster than manual hacking, but it does free up your hands and can make it easier to use your devices surreptitiously.
• Neural Interface. Reserved for career hackers, security specialists, and serious gaming enthusiasts, those who have augmented their brains with a neural implant can interface at the speed of thought. This reduces the time it takes to hack from hours to minutes or even seconds. That speed comes with a cost, though: when you hack through a neural cutout, you risk much more than your hardware or your anonymity. A hack gone wrong can fry your synapses and melt your brain.

Getting Connected

The first question the GM will ask you when you want to hack something is: How will you connect to the system?

Depending on what you’re trying to hack and how it’s online, the answer might be:

• Public Service. Social networks, open databases and public archives, news and educational feeds, hobbyist forums, and online games. To connect, all you need is grid access. The “public” part of an organisation is usually well-segregated from their internal networks, but not always.
• Hidden Service. A secret site or remote access node for a corporate network. It may be on the public grid, but it’s not advertised. To connect, you’ll need to know where to look… or spend some time sifting the deep net.
• Wireless Network. Most devices and systems on home and corporate networks are accessed this way. To connect, you’ll need to be in radio range of the network or access point. That usually translates to being in the building, or at least near it.
• Hardwired Network. Usually reserved for highly secure systems and data. If a network doesn’t have any wireless access, just getting close won’t be enough. To connect, you’ll need to physically connect to a network access port.
• Direct Wireless Connection. Used by ad hoc devices like drones or remote-controlled turrets and cameras that aren’t part of any network. To connect, you’ll need to be in radio range of the device.
• Direct Physical Connection. Think of a manual override on an airlock, a diagnostic port on a suit of powered armour, or anything that isn’t meant to be accessed wirelessly. To connect, you’ll need to physically plug in.

You don’t normally need to make a roll to actually connect to a network or device. For example, if a camera is on a corporate wireless network, you don’t have to make one roll to hack into the network and a second roll to hack the camera. Both steps are included in the same roll. You might need to Hack if you want to pivot from the main corporate network to a segregated security network, though, or Rig to connect to something at the periphery of your radio range.

Personal Devices. If you want to hack someone’s datapad, cybernetic eye, or smartlinked gun, treat it as a wireless network. Personal networks of this type tend to have a much shorter range, though - you’ll need to be within throwing range to hack them. Wireless devices can also typically be turned off or switched to an offline mode, and canny operators will do so if they start acting up.

Network Taps. A network tap is a device that can plug into a device or network and broadcast access to it, allowing you to connect to it remotely. They can either provide access via local radio or over the public grid.

Getting In

Once you know how to connect, the next question is: What do you want the system to do?

Are you trying to operate a physical device, like opening a door? Are you trying to manipulate data, like falsifying records or looping a camera? Are you looking for something, like sensitive data or access codes? Or will you not be satisfied with anything less than complete control of the system?

What you’re trying to achieve factors heavily into the risk and effect of your actions. If you’re trying to accomplish something straightforward, a single action roll is often enough. If you want total control over the system rather than a specific behaviour, you will usually need to fill in a progress clock.

If you’re trying for something truly elaborate, you might even be better off using a long-term project to track your progress. For example, if you’re trying to worm your way into a megacorp’s crown jewels by hacking your way into a subsidiary of a subsidiary with threadbare security and slowly working your way closer, that’s a project that’ll take weeks or even months before it ever pays off.

Security Levels

Just as other threats you encounter might be assigned a quality rating by the GM, the systems you can hack are assigned a security level from 0 to 6. You can use the table below as a rough guide to the different levels of security a hacker might come across.

Quality	Security Level	Description
0	nonexistent	Wide open, stuck in debug mode, security systems broken or disabled.
1	poor	Obsolete, poorly maintained, full of bugs, low hanging fruit.
2	adequate	Small business grade, off-the-shelf streetware, irregular updates.
3	good	Enterprise grade, trained security personnel, regular updates.
4	excellent	Military grade, expert security personnel, strict controls and protocols.
5	superior	Cutting edge, elite security personnel, extreme controls and protocols.
6	impeccable	Megacorp headquarters, military flagship, prototype AI - the best of the best.

When determining the risk and effect of an action roll to hack something, start by comparing your Hack rating to the quality of the system you’re trying to hack. If you have 2 dots in Hack, for example, then you can go toe-to-toe with a quality 2 system as long as you have the right equipment.

Of course, that means that even a master hacker is going to be outmatched against quality 5 and 6 systems - this is intentional. Going up against serious military encryption or experimental artificial intelligence is always going to be shaky, and you’ll have to get creative if you want to be on an even footing:

• Potency: You might gain an edge if you have insider assistance, stolen access codes, an internal access point or some other advantage up your sleeve. Or they might have potency on you if they are forewarned and are on alert.
• Quality: You might gain an edge if you have a fine hacking suite or are willing to burn a cutting-edge zero day exploit on the target. If your hacking suite is damaged or underpowered, this could work against you. If you’re using a datapad, you’re at a serious disadvantage.
• Scale: You might gain an edge if you get assistance from other hackers, stage a diversion to tie up the system’s resources, or keep your hacking focused and surgical. On the other hand, this could be a disadvantage if you’re trying to pull off something ambitious and far-reaching.

As usual when setting risk and effect, the dominant factor is what matters. Having potency from stolen access codes won’t be enough if the security level of the system completely outmatches you. Having a slight edge in terms of quality won’t matter if you’re trying something incredibly ambitious and far-reaching. If one factor overshadows the others, then the dominant factor is what determines your positioning.