Guide to PortSign


Part 1: Overview and Features
Part 2: Hacking: Methods and Examples
Part 3: Other Tools
Part 4: Key Codes
Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions
Part 6: Navigation
Part 7: The Demo Tutorial


Part 2
Hacking: Methods and Examples

Locating Servers
In PortSign, a server refers to a computer which you as a player, can potentially crack into. Vulnerable server targets can be found in several ways, including:

1) News Server
2) Server Links (in the connection tool)
3) Scanner and Speed Scanner tools
4) References in files
5) Potentially in any message, email, etc.

Methods
Once you have the IP address of a server (an IP address is a three part number like 101.132.243 which refers to a target), you can try several different ways of cracking in. A few of these are described below, and there are more available in the game.

Different Servers are vulnerable to different hacking tools. For example, one might be vulnerable to a password crack, and nothing else, yet another one might only be vulnerable to a strong code overflow attack.

The password cracking tool can attempt to manually crack a server password if it is 3 characters long. It may take a few minutes, and if conditions are right, is likely to be eventually successful.

The intrusion tool will attempt to inject code to a remote file in order to reset the server password to its default. Different servers may default back to different passwords based on what connection software they are running. More information on default passwords can be found in the Info Library in Systems I.

Social Key gives you an interface to attempt social engineering on people with physical server access, and the administration password. They will ask you questions in an attempt to discover if you are the system administrator, or just some hacker trying to get into their server.

There are more hacking methods available for you to discover in Systems II, including Code Overflow and Direct Path. Some of these are not immediately available require you to have a certain number of Key Codes to unlock the tools. (See Part 4).

A basic example using the password cracking tool

First, this tool (found on the Systems I menu) can only crack short passwords of 3 characters in length. Let's say you have found a target at 101.102.103.

You can find out the length of a password by using the Net Console tool.
Open it up from the Systems I menu. With this tool, you use the computer keyboards to type in commands. Move the mouse pointer over the black area of the window, and type HELP, followed by the enter key. It will show you a list of commands that are accepted.



We are going to use the lookup tool to check the length of the password on our target server 101.102.103. To do this, type

lookup 101.102.103

in the console, and press the enter key. You should see something like what is shown in the screenshot above.

PASSLEN=3;FILES=UNDETECTABLE,NAME=TEST.COM

Here it is shown that the length of the password is 3 characters. This makes it a great target for the basic cracking tool!

Close the Net Console and open up the tool called Pass Cracker.



Type in the IP address of your target, and click Start. The letters should change randomly as it attempts to crack the server password.



If all goes well, within a couple of minutes your password should be cracked!
It should look something like this.



Now we can connect to the remote server and see what we can find!
Open the Connect tool from the menu. This is the primary tool used for connecting to remote systems, and has plenty of options once successfully connected.

Enter the IP address 101.102.103 into the box, and hit the connect button.
You should get a screen asking you got the administration password.



Enter the password you found with the cracking tool, in this case it was ABC,
and press enter. You should be presented with the following.



IMPORTANT: ONCE YOU ARE CONNECTED TO A SERVER, OR ENTERING A PASSWORD, IT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT ON THE SERVER FOR LONG, OR YOU COULD BE TRACED AS A HACKER, AND FINED. ALWAYS DISCONNECT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO PREVENT HAVING TO PAY A FINE.

You can check how much in danger you are of being traced by checking your risk factor, the number displayed as a % under the menu.



If this number gets above 40%, you are at risk of being caught and should disconnect as soon as possible!

Once you are connected to a server and have complete access as the screen above, you can do several things.

Steal Money
If there is money on the server, you can transfer if to your own account, or someone else's! Click the Transfer Funds button and enter your information.



Then click Transfer to finalize the transaction. Once you steal money from a server, no other PortSign players will be able to steal it as well. Whoever gets it first gets to keep it. You can steal whatever amount exists on the server, or less if you want, and transfer it to any player.

Shut down the Server
You can shut down servers so they become temporarily unavailable to all players in the PortSign environment. There is only one way to turn them back on manually, which is available only to players who have unlocked some Key Code tools. (See Part 4). Note: As soon as you shut down a server, you will be disconnected from it.



Delete Logs
If you run out of time on a server, and need to disconnected before you get traced, Deleting your logs can be an effective way to quickly gain a few more seconds. Simply click the button while connected to a server.



Key Codes
Collect Key Codes to unlock new PortSign tools and features in Systems II.
When you are connected to a server, click the Key Codes button to see if there are any Key Codes on the server. Write down the Key Code and enter it in the Key Codes tool later. (Available in Systems II). You can only use each key code once.



Leave a message for other system administrators
In this small text area you can leave any message, a mark of your presence, or anything. This will only be visible to other players who hack into that server. Make sure you click the save button to save the message.



Public Website Text
All servers have a public website. (Accessibly in Systems II by the Site Browser). Once you are connected to a server, this can be modified to anything you chose. Make sure you click the save button to save the text.



Files!
Some servers have a list of files which you can download onto your own local system. Sometimes, these files even contain useful information. Once a file is downloaded, it can be viewed in the Writing Pad.



To download a file, click the Download button next to its name. If the file slot is empty, or you already have the file, there will be no download button available.

Again, you can view your downloaded files using the Writing Pad tool
available in Systems I.


Part 1: Overview and Features
Part 2: Hacking: Methods and Examples
Part 3: Other Tools
Part 4: Key Codes
Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions
Part 6: Navigation
Part 7: The Demo Tutorial


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