Cyberspace

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Cyberspace is a virtual environment that exists to exchange and store electronic data.

It relies on the presence of interconnected electronic devices and Communications Equipment.
It can be accessed by individuals using a device known as a Cyberdeck.
Individuals who access Cyberspace are known as Cyber Jockeys or simply jockeys.

Description (Specifications)

Cyberspace is the virtual, unseen fabric existing between databases and computer entities. It is a nebulous, electronic world, linked and interconnected by Communications Equipment, where data is exchanged between nodes. Essentially, cyberspace is perceived by a jockey as a dark horizon-less plane that fades into a grey static haze.

The static haze is the perception of the flow of data through the general fabric of cyberspace.

Entering cyberspace allows data nodes to be accessed and the flow of data between them and other nodes to be observed, mapped and understood. The width of the data rivers show the concentrations of data flowing between nodes. The larger and taller a node is, the more information it contains. Different colors within individual nodes or clusters of nodes represent different types of data. Intensities of color represent concentrations and importance of data, and also indicate its "natural" level of security: nodes protected by higher levels of security are generally silvery in color. The larger the node and the deeper the colors, the more information it contains.

Navigating Cyberspace

No information yet available.

Data Nodes

Concentrations of data, contained within real world devices such as computers and robot brains, are perceived as nodes of different colors emerging from the cyberspace plane. Nodes most typically appear as cylindrical or cuboid, though specific nodes may be perceived as complex geometric shapes, as multi-faceted, or resembling natural crystals. Though it is not universally true, the simpler the device hosting the data, the more basic the form of its cyberspace node.

Sophisticated or advanced devices that have a cyberspace presence may engineered to have a simple shape within cyberspace in order to avoid drawing undue attention.

Structure

Each node represents one or more electronic devices connected to cyberspace. A cluster of nodes will generally represent a closely linked network of devices such as servers, though they often have a dispersed real world geography. Each device tends to contain a variety of types of data and as such a single node can have many bands of color.

Nodes are the jockeys perception of computers, artificial intelligences and electronic devices of all kinds that have a presence within cyberspace.
The jockey's Cyberdeck is always visible as a node.

Identification

Most nodes carry a series of properties that they use to identify one another. This information includes:

Corporate or business name.
Network address code.
Geographical code.
Official registration code.

These properties are freely viewable and may even be displayed as readable data in cyberspace above a node – this may be part of local legal requirements. Nodes that do not carry such properties are usually private data sources belonging to individuals, or ‘black’ corporate entities that are operating without official permission.

Types of Nodes

Data Color	Data Type	Security Level
Silver	Heavily encrypted	Varies
White	Public records, navigation hubs	0 (Open)
Orange	Media/entertainment data	1
Grey	Unspecified/uncategorised data	1
Green	Environmental data, Life Support	2
Yellow	Personnel data, social media	2
Blue	Technology/technical data	3
Purple	Financial data (including tax records)	3
Red	Government data	3
Black	Military data	3

Data Flow

Specific exchanges of data are perceived as rivers of encrypted silver. A data river emerges from a node and tracks across the cyberspace plane, rapidly connecting with another node. Rivers can only be followed back and forth between the source node and the receiving node: they cannot be chanced across within the static haze, nor can they be jumped between.

Unless one of the nodes is prevented from doing so, the two connected nodes are able to interrogate one another and exchange data.
The jockeys Cyberdeck is always connected to one or more nodes by a data river.

Communications Speed

Establishing a communications link between nodes is limited to real world physics and relies on the use of Communications Equipment. Communications signals travel as wavelengths of electromagnetic energy at speeds of approximately 300,000 km per second.

A real world communications link between electronic systems allows a data river to be established in cyberspace.
A link between devices located on the surface of a world is effectively instantaneous, no matter what their global location. It may be possible to establish links may be established through physical materials such as conductive cables or fiber optics, or by means of wireless (typically radio or lascom) transmissions.
Establishing a data river to nodes that are physically very far away takes time. Establishing a communications link with a node located on a starship or on a secondary world within a system may take many minutes or even hours. Retrieving data from such a node takes an equal amount of time.
If the communications link is lost or jammed, the faraway node becomes inaccessible. The jockey will generally return to their Cyberdecks node. If data was being retrieved it will be partial, fragmented or completely unusable.

Data Security

Every node carries security. This ranges from basic firewalls and antivirus software through to deep-level, 100% encryption algorithms that renders the nature of the data contained within the node unreadable from the outside. A node with above average levels of security has a silver appearance.

Nodes are policed by internal detection programs – Watchdogs – that are constantly hunting for unauthorized activity.
Security is rated on a scale of 2 to 15. The higher the number, the greater the level of security.
Security must be overcome to gain access to the data.

Security Levels

Security Level	Basic Details
0	Read-only data.
1	User login, data entry and retrival.
2	Basic commercial firewall and antivirus software. Administrative access.
5	Advanced commercial firewall and antivirus software. Programming access.
8	Custom-developed security software.
12	A heavily protected network running sophisticated custom-developed security software.
15	A heavily protected network running extremely sophisticated custom-developed security software with trace and hunter/killer programs.

Security Measures

Different responses may be triggered if the jockeys activities are detected:

Intrusion alert: Watchdog programs detect the intrusion attempt and it is notified to administrators. The intrusion cannot be traced.
Intrusion alert, plus automatic notification of intrusion attempts to security services. The intrusion cannot be traced but the security knows to look out for distinctive signatures and patterns that may occur within the node at a later date.
Intrusion alert and notification, plus trace programs that identify the signature and source of the intrusion attempt and automatically deny any future attempts from the same source.
Intrusion alert, notification and tracing, plus Hunter/Killer programs that launch automatic counterattacks against the source.

History & Background (Dossier)

Cyberspace has existed as an environment since electronic devices have been able to communicate with one another via Communications Equipment. The first large scale existence of cyberspace occurred during the First Imperium but cyberspace reached its modern form during the Rule of Man. It emerged from the evolution of Terran computer technology achieved prior to the Interstellar Wars period: following those conflicts a combination of Terran and Vilani electronic infrastructure became ubiquitous.

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