Route mechcomp packet data through the mainframe

[Roomba]

Right now it's really easy to screw over the entire station with a few mechcomp components and packet fuckery. A secluded room and a data terminal, and you can make a machine that automatically recalls the shuttle, or bolts closed every door on the station, and if networked APCs are added, could potentially shut down every department on the station as well. It's pretty much uncounterable save by hunting down and physically dismantling the machine, and several times I've seen admin intervention called in for the automated shuttle-recaller. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but one thought I had was to require all mechcomp packet data routed through the mainframe, so if a mechcomp machine is messing up the entire station, the mainframe could be turned off as a last resort.

[BaneOfGiygas]

On the one hand, I don't see this sort of thing being utilized very often by way of the lack of people who tend to bother with this kind of stuff. But on the other hand, some of the mechanisms you describe sound so unfathomably obnoxious and annoying that a failsafe would be very much appreciated in the event that it does happen.

[Dabir]

Right now it's really easy to screw over the entire station with a few mechcomp components and packet fuckery. A secluded room and a data terminal, and you can make a machine that automatically recalls the shuttle, or bolts closed every door on the station, and if networked APCs are added, could potentially shut down every department on the station as well. It's pretty much uncounterable save by hunting down and physically dismantling the machine, and several times I've seen admin intervention called in for the automated shuttle-recaller. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but one thought I had was to require all mechcomp packet data routed through the mainframe, so if a mechcomp machine is messing up the entire station, the mainframe could be turned off as a last resort.

Far from uncounterable. You can make your own machine that automatically calls the shuttle when it detects a recall packet and that should be the end of it, cause the recaller won't be able to respond twice within three seconds. Or you could cut the dishes' connection to the powernet and make sure the one on the bridge is still connected to the bridge comm console. Bolting down every door on the station is, I'd like to point this out, basically impossible, and trust me I've tried. And as for networked APCs? We already have the APCs on the network and I've never seen anyone do anything with them, I don't think anyone even knows how.

Also your solution is entirely infeasible. Do some work with the things yourself, figure out how it all works and what's going on, then if you're still worried come up with a better idea.

[Roomba]

Fair enough, I have little to no idea how it works and I'm just tossing out a vague thought I had. That said, if the only answer to a machine messing with packets is building another machine to counter it, it sounds like there really should be some way to hard counter it. I'm mostly speaking from the perspective of the AI during a couple of those rounds, where I have no means of physically affecting anything and all the requisite cameras and APCs have been hacked.

[Dabir]

Cutting wires to cut off their access to whatever systems they're affecting is the hard counter.

[Marquesas]

Also your solution is entirely infeasible.

Sorry.