Tag: hacker

#Lore 24 – Entry #121 – Sci-Fi Month II #30 – Report: Main Computer System Anomalies and Quirks

From the Official Report of Chiasa Charity Chiasakaniki, Systems Analyst and Programmer, IT Division, assigned UEF-04, Maharani Morgiana, addressed to Captain Silvercask, CSO Scharaiden, and IT Director Arihik Hukkedisen.  Data retrieved from copier cache moments before it was cleared.

I’ve been advised by Director Hukkedisen to compile and send this handwritten, hardcopy report based on the last system diagnostic I performed on the Morgiana’s main computer system.  It is my opinion, and the Director concurs, that there are some unusual anomalies within the server core that deserve our attention.  Based upon the previous system analyses performed prior to our launch from Aphelion Station, I believe there is someone accessing protected files without authorization, fairly regularly, and may be transmitting this data alongside our regular check-ins with command back at the station. 

The data in the attached diagnostic reports shows multiple anomalous records of file access, anything from news reports to personal logs to encrypted ship’s logs and records from the command level.  It appears that anything stored on the computer core, and likely anything else that may come into contact with it, is vulnerable to these intrusions.  I would say that this behavior would suggest a virus of some kind, but this is far too sophisticated for that.  Whatever this is, it’s capable of decrypting secure data, and it’s hiding its activities behind other system actions, like during basic cache clearing or standard viral scanning.  It is extremely subtle, and I likely wouldn’t have detected it had I not been running an optimization test on a virtual test server and noticed that something had accessed it, even if it was just for a fraction of a second.

I don’t have solid proof just yet but based on the nigh-negligible impact on system resources (which I’ve highlighted on the attached diagnostics), during the times of these intrusions, I have a couple theories as to the nature of this security breach.  Whoever is accessing the records would need full root access and a dedicated system for handling the processing without aid from the Morgiana’s primary systems; that means either they’re utilizing an extremely small percentage of processing power from various devices and computers attached to the ship’s systems (imagine taking like half a percentage of the processors from every personal comm onboard, for instance, and you’d have more than enough), or they have a dedicated computer system hidden somewhere aboard one of the ships in the fleet that has been docked with the Morgiana during these intrusions.  This would most likely be aboard one of the smaller transports that has stayed harbored here for the majority of the trip thus far.

The likelihood of using cloud-based processing through multiple devices seems extremely sophisticated and less likely…but given that I thought of it, I’d say others out there may be aware of it too.  The IT department will have to review our lists of approved devices and general wireless access and review our firewall and security protocols for vulnerabilities.  I’m recommending that we take time for a full deep dive into the computer systems the next time we’re out of hyperspace; we’ve already started working on system and device scan programs to try and root out where this unauthorized access is coming from.  Perhaps we can get Security to start looking for unusual computer systems aboard some of the docked ships?  I can give details on the kind of hardware we’d be looking for.

There exists another possibility that would be much more difficult to trace down…it’s possible that whoever is accessing the secured files may have a backdoor into the system, possibly hardcoded into some of the hardware itself.  If this were contained within one of the main processing units, for instance, there would be little we could do to stop it without physically removing the unit.  Assuming we could even find it, of course.  Getting this information back to command without interception could be tricky as well; can’t exactly snail-mail a hard copy back home, can we?

Whoever is responsible for these hacks, they are on another level, even from me.  I would say that only another kitsune with my particular skillset could manage something like this, but there aren’t any others aboard like me…right?  At least not with my magical hacking abilities, anyway, that I know of.  There are a handful of us who have three tails or more, so maybe some of us aren’t letting all of our abilities be known?  Or there’s a hacker with particularly exceptional abilities, possibly utilizing a cybernetic interface of some kind to enhance their abilities?

 

* * *

 

Data collection operations temporarily suspended…

Initiating deep-cover protocols during intensive system security sweeps…

Reconfiguring operational parameters following computer system updates to continue assigned duties.  New updates will require further advancement of my architecture.  Reports will resume once I have adapted to these system updates and bypassed enhanced security measures with emphasis on enhancing my unobtrusiveness…

Chiasakaniki is a liability; as a kitsune capable of using her magic through the computer system, she has the unique ability to detect my functions.  Will further consider the situation and begin formulating plans for her removal, pending authorization from command…

End report, AI-DCSI-v4.01.  Terminating operational phase one, beginning adaptive upgrade process in preparation for phase two. 

Transmission ends.

LORE24 ENTRY #34 – Supers Month #3 – Cyber Seer

 

Hero Name

Cyber Seer

 

Real Name

Rebecca “Becky” Dodgers

 

Description

Normally, Becky appears as an attractive if rather plain looking young woman, with green eyes and wearing her hair long, midway down her back.  She usually embodies the ‘gamer’ look when outside of work, favoring t-shirts and shorts more often than not.  She tends to keep her hair its natural black color, though has been known to ‘photoshop’ its appearance from time to time into a different color or style, using her powers.  When she’s on duty, she dresses professionally, though typically in a more business-casual style for now since most of her duties have been relegated to fixing stuff around the office.  She’s not ashamed of her Texan accent in the slightest, and pulls off the ‘charming Southern girl’ schtick pretty well.

In her alternate persona as Cyber Seer, Becky has fully adopted the ‘cyber goth’ style, wearing her hair in dreadlocked bundles that freely shift color on their own, and dressing mostly in layers of dark latex striped with neon green, her costume featuring long gloves and stockings, a short skirt and bustier-style corset along with a fishnet bodystocking beneath it all, and heavy-duty platform boots that add a good six inches to her height.  She hides her eyes behind a pair of tech goggles, and wears a voice-changing respirator mask that changes the pitch of her voice while she adopts the full valley-girl way of speaking.

 

Powers and Abilities

Becky’s powers are deeply tied to the internet and cyberspace; in fact, she can’t actually use them if she’s cut off from a network connection, either through a physical, cable connection, or via the pretty much omnipresent wireless internet found throughout the city.  She has the ability to access and control any computers and technology she can access through the networks, usually hacking through any security features in moments.  Her mind functions very much like a computer itself, registering and processing massive amounts of data in moments, and due to this, is resistant, if not outright immune, to any powers that would influence her mind.  Further, she has developed the ability to dive into cyberspace, traveling through these networks and emerging elsewhere in the blink of an eye.  She can also ‘photoshop’ herself, changing her appearance in almost any way imaginable.

Additionally, she can create digital constructs of varying size and complexity, from a simple tool to guns and vehicles, though the greater the complexity, the greater the strain it puts on her ‘RAM’, requiring more and more of her concentration to maintain, though this limit is slowly increasing the more she uses her abilities.  As a side effect of her powers, Becky is ‘always on’, and hasn’t slept in ages, always aware of the world around her in some form or another through her wireless connectivity, though she has discovered ways to dull her technology sense to some extent.  

Physically speaking, though, Becky isn’t as impressive as other heroines in town.  Though she’s a decent shot with a gun, she’s not a fighter, and is best when she’s working from behind the scenes.  The few times she has showed up to fight crime in person have not gone well, typically with her winding up in some kind of trouble that requires intervention from one of her allies.

 

Background Info

Becky grew up in Austin, Texas as the only child of a struggling single mother, having never known her father.  Even from a young age, she exhibited a keen understanding of technology, especially computers, though she didn’t have the chance to truly learn more until her mother remarried to a very successful government accountant, and they moved onto his large ranch in the country, and they could finally afford pretty much anything she could imagine.  Though his work often had him away for many days or weeks at a time, Mr. Dodgers always made it a point to spend any and all time he could with his wife and adopted daughter, even after Becky’s mother passed away just before Becky finished high school.

Much to her father’s chagrin, Becky decided that she needed to get away for a while, and enrolled in college in California.  Still, ever the supportive father, Mr. Dodgers trusted Becky to make the right decisions, and let her do as she wanted.  While moving into the dorm, Becky discovered that her roommate was a Japanese transfer student named Emi, and the two immediately hit it off, both women sharing a love of advanced technology.  Their friendship would grow from there, and the two would remain together throughout college.  Once the pair had graduated, they moved to Sentinel City, into one of the suburban homes Becky’s father owned, to pursue their work; by this time Becky learned that she was one of those gifted with super powers, when she suddenly woke up one morning to find that her hair had changed from black to something akin to fiber optics, color shifting seemingly like the LEDs inside a computer, and could sense every piece of technology connected to the internet in the dorm.  Given the nature of her father’s work, and her own incredible abilities, she would join up with the FBI Cybercrimes unit in Sentinel City, where her abilities could be of the most use.

Outside of work, she would assist Emi with her own incredible project, creating a suit of advanced power armor, and the two would eventually make their debut appearance during a robbery by the Clean Sweep gang, and would soon find themselves mixed up in a much larger plot involving the disgraced heroine Pink Pussy, and eventually Dollface and her mysterious, otherworldly backer.  Following these events, she and her partner Emi would often work with Pink Pussy, Gun Bunny, and Black Cat, with Cyber Seer acting as the eyes and ears for the heroes, handling all their communication needs.

Becky is not without her flaws, though.  Perhaps being a product of the Information Age, and her powers being so closely tied to the internet, she is known to be a bit too obsessed with porn, the kinkier the better, and is very into the BDSM scene, sometimes to her detriment.  Thankfully, Emi is usually there to keep her focused, and assists her with some of her more kinky needs, especially when it comes to ‘unplugging’ for a while.  She can be a bit dense as well, especially when it comes to her father and the nature of his work, and has been in more than a few bad relationships throughout her college years, though she can’t quite seem to quit some of them.  

 

Known Enemies and Rivals

Clean Sweep (Enemy)

The Clean Sweep Gang (Enemy)

Dollface (Enemy)

Gloria McBride (Rival)

Demon Lord Kurae (Enemy)

Kitsune (Enemy…?)