"ID?.... Oh!" She takes a moment to dig out her datapad and taps some buttons. "The second day of the layover, Middle Watch. About 0300. And the ID..." She pauses, blinking. "This... this is a mistake. The ID is yours, Sai."
"What?!" I twist in my seat to get a look at her and her datapad, unthinkingly raking some of the crash harness over my injury. I stifle a cry.
I have been hacked. By some rebellion saboteurs who might even want to frame me for treason. I might have to reset my transponder ID and probably a dozen attached credentials.
"Tch! Check again, after the burn. See if there's a duplicate or an ID switch."
This pain is pushing my anger past a useful point. I need to cool off a little. Think.
I've spoofed personal transponder IDs before. It's not easy but it's also not impossible. You can't crack the encryption in less time than a year, which is why you copy the whole thing, or you hack the monitoring system of the location you're in.
If you're working off of a transponder doppelganger and not bothering to hack a console, you need a couple of things; a portable radio block (easy), and a farraday cage for your victim to be in at the right time (challenging to hide).
I'm better with hardware, so I cloned the transponder and built a farraday cage into Nashe's bedroom while xie was away on a trip. I had a party I wanted to drink at.
I start analysing the pattern of the missile fire against what I know about the ship's power plant and automation. There's an idea bubbling, but I don't quite know what to do with it yet.
"Hmm..look into my medical data over the same period and see if my resting heart rate makes an abrupt, non-trending shift."
Three last time, four this time..they're trying to make sure they have a little kept by. So should we, with my shield work. These are EMP missiles, according to Alchea's scans, so I need to dissipate their energy away from the ship. Thin-sandwiched layers of shield may do the trick without draining our power overmuch.
You hear Alchea say that the opposing ship is disengaging. I guess they won't need your cleverness after all, this time. But you learned something critical about that ship and maybe the rebel fleet in general. What was it?
"Yes, Sai, it did. This isn't your pattern at all. She says that almost instantly once your data shows on the screen. Like she didn't have to analyze your pattern much.
Terci gets a brief glance from me. That's some certainty on display. Still, I feel a deep relief. "Phew. Looks like our saboteurs took the hardware route, which leaves us with intact network security and arguable evidence that this wasn't my doing. We'll have to tear up my quarters later, and get my clearance codes reset."
I watch the Winter's Heart leave our range intently. They could change their minds. As they bank off of our vector, scans show a high magnetic variability to the systems arrayed in its underbelly. Probably the main power plant, going less shielded because it's a droned ship. Vulnerable to a magnetic coil attack. Internal shielding works both ways, you know.
Comments
"ID?.... Oh!" She takes a moment to dig out her datapad and taps some buttons. "The second day of the layover, Middle Watch. About 0300. And the ID..." She pauses, blinking. "This... this is a mistake. The ID is yours, Sai."
"What?!" I twist in my seat to get a look at her and her datapad, unthinkingly raking some of the crash harness over my injury. I stifle a cry.
I have been hacked. By some rebellion saboteurs who might even want to frame me for treason. I might have to reset my transponder ID and probably a dozen attached credentials.
"Tch! Check again, after the burn. See if there's a duplicate or an ID switch."
"Already running, Sai. It... it authenticates correctly."
How hard is it to hack a personal transponder ID, Robynne? I mean... didn't you do it once?
This pain is pushing my anger past a useful point. I need to cool off a little. Think.
I've spoofed personal transponder IDs before. It's not easy but it's also not impossible. You can't crack the encryption in less time than a year, which is why you copy the whole thing, or you hack the monitoring system of the location you're in.
If you're working off of a transponder doppelganger and not bothering to hack a console, you need a couple of things; a portable radio block (easy), and a farraday cage for your victim to be in at the right time (challenging to hide).
I'm better with hardware, so I cloned the transponder and built a farraday cage into Nashe's bedroom while xie was away on a trip. I had a party I wanted to drink at.
Eventually I came clean.
I start analysing the pattern of the missile fire against what I know about the ship's power plant and automation. There's an idea bubbling, but I don't quite know what to do with it yet.
"Hmm..look into my medical data over the same period and see if my resting heart rate makes an abrupt, non-trending shift."
Three last time, four this time..they're trying to make sure they have a little kept by. So should we, with my shield work. These are EMP missiles, according to Alchea's scans, so I need to dissipate their energy away from the ship. Thin-sandwiched layers of shield may do the trick without draining our power overmuch.
"Yes, Sai, it did. This isn't your pattern at all. She says that almost instantly once your data shows on the screen. Like she didn't have to analyze your pattern much.
Terci gets a brief glance from me. That's some certainty on display. Still, I feel a deep relief. "Phew. Looks like our saboteurs took the hardware route, which leaves us with intact network security and arguable evidence that this wasn't my doing. We'll have to tear up my quarters later, and get my clearance codes reset."
I watch the Winter's Heart leave our range intently. They could change their minds. As they bank off of our vector, scans show a high magnetic variability to the systems arrayed in its underbelly. Probably the main power plant, going less shielded because it's a droned ship. Vulnerable to a magnetic coil attack. Internal shielding works both ways, you know.