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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: Perplex City » PXC: General/Updates
[UPDATE] Police Department- 22nd Jan 07- Operation Bayonet
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Dranioth
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Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 92

 		[UPDATE] Police Department- 22nd Jan 07- Operation Bayonet
Take a break from finding the cube... If only for a little while.
Linked from The Path of Least Time update:

Quote:
++++ PERSONAL CASE NOTES - OPERATION BAYONET ++++

Lead investigator: Detective Helena Frye

Notes: This is a dark project.

Objectives

Objective 1: Locate, neutralise and detain the Third Power
Objective 2: Rescue any civilians being held
Objective 3: Retrieve any information related to the Receda Cube's location

Current Status

Attacking Third Power encryption (negligible chance of success)
Locating the destination of messages sent from Earth via the CRR and Relaynet
Attempting to discover the method the Third Power are using to transmit message from their base back to the CRR, and then Earth

Relaynet Intercepts

Last week, Signals Intelligence members from the Perplex City Police confirmed that the Third Power was using Relaynet to send unauthorised messages to an unknown location. While much is still unclear, the following is known:

1. Third Power hackers were accessing computer servers located at the subway stations throughout the city. Exactly which servers were compromised is still unknown (each subway station houses one server, and is connected to other servers in a network similar to that of the subway system itself).

2. It is known that all of the messages were first entering the network at KEY SQUARE station (SigInt believes that the messages are being transmitted from the nearby Centre for Reality Research). From there, the hackers were carefully choosing which servers through which to route the messages (trying to use as many compromised machines as possible to minimise the chance of detection).

3. While we are still trying to discover WHERE the messages were being sent (i.e. which station/server was the final destination), with the aid of Academy CRT member Kurt McAllister, we recovered the following information about five of the messages transmitted: the times (in milliseconds) that the following five messages were bouncing around the network servers before reaching the final destination.

Intercept 1: 60 ms
Intercept 2: 48 ms
Intercept 3: 57 ms
Intercept 4: 46 ms
Intercept 5: 59 ms

4. Police also have a network map (see image below) which lists the transmission times between servers on the network.

5. A complication is that messages can loop between servers in any fashion, possibly visiting servers more than once. However, as with normal routing, once a message reaches the destination server, it stops (i.e. it would not have bounced away from the destination server).

6. Knowing that all five messages originated from KEY SQUARE, and the above transmission times from KEY SQUARE to the destination, each message, individually, may have ended up at several possible stations. However, we believe that whichever station is reachable by the most of the five messages is the destination server to which the hackers were sending their messages.

7. Along with discovering the destination server of the messages, we also need to know which of the other servers were compromised and used to relay the messages to the destination server - this information may help us decrypt the messages we have intercepted. It is vitally important that we find the correct destination; guesses will not do, as we cannot afford to mount simultaneous assaults on multiple targets in Perplex City.

Message to readers on Earth: All members of Operation Bayonet are at full capacity. We require your assistance to discover the destination of the Relaynet intercepts. Please liaise with Kurt McAllister.


Picute included:
Quote:


So, here's what we know. All the messages started from key square, bounced around an indefinite number of servers, to reach the final destination. Something tells me that trying to figure out ALL the intercepts at once would not be a good thing, so we might want to try and split into groups. Or something. It's too early for logic.

Well, for those of you who were looking for a break from finding the cube, here you go. After all, what's a better way to start off your week than to track the messages of a grouop of crazed murderers?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:15 pm
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CommDirector
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 		Can it bounce back?
Question -- do you think the message can bounce back? (i.e. go to a server, then just bounce back again?)

Cause then, that complicates matters.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:48 pm
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Macavity
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Joined: 25 Jul 2004
Posts: 883
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 		Re: Can it bounce back?
CommDirector wrote:
Question -- do you think the message can bounce back? (i.e. go to a server, then just bounce back again?)

Cause then, that complicates matters.


I think that's highly unlikely. However, what about a loopback?

E.g., a message is sent from Trellis Gate, bounces to Quadrant, Amandier, Lyttleton, Azad Park, Meadow Road, and back to Trellis Gate.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:52 pm
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angadeon
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Joined: 31 Aug 2006
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Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

 		Re: Can it bounce back?
CommDirector wrote:
Question -- do you think the message can bounce back? (i.e. go to a server, then just bounce back again?)
Cause then, that complicates matters.


"A complication is that messages can loop between servers in any fashion,"

I believe they can.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:04 pm
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CommDirector
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 		brute force
I'm currently trying a mix of brute force + some quick skills with MS Excel.
So far ive now done ALL possible combo's (under 60 ms total) from key Square to Millamont Parade, etc. So thats about 1/3 done.

My only assumptions are it can't bounce back, and that the times on the map are also in ms. :p

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:09 pm
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Tornan Steel
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Joined: 29 Dec 2006
Posts: 36

 		I am considering creating a little program that will list all possible permutations for each message. It would mean a lot of work and I won't be able to start for a couple of hours but it should help.

What do you guys think

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:12 pm
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CommDirector
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 		program
Worth a shot there tornan.

I'm almost 2/3 done with all permutations assuming the message can't "bounce back". I'll be able to tell within an hour or so if my labors did give an answer.

If it doesnt, then i think the message can "bounce back", and then your program will be able to help. :p

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:18 pm
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PuzzledPineapple
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Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 352

 		Trial and error from a lovely bf has given the following as the only possible routes for 48 (bounce backs included):

Key Square -> Cheverly -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Key Square -> Milamont Parade

Key Square -> Milamont Parade -> Key Square -> Cheverly -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Feynman Point

Key Square -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Cheverly -> Varenne -> Ascendancy

Key Square -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Cheverly -> Key Square -> Milamont Parade

Key Square -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Upper Mobius -> Lower Mobius

Key Square -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Feynman Point -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Cheverly

Key Square -> Milamont Parade -> Second Archway -> Caldera -> New Hampden

Key Square -> Milamont Parade -> Second Archway -> Caldera -> Foreman Station

Key Square -> Milamont Parade -> Domus Plaza -> Polygon South -> Taversen Square

Blame him if it's wrong, blame me for spelling mistakes.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:26 pm
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Kigi
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Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 11

 		Ascendancy also possible in 46 via

milamont parade
domus plaza
polygon north
auger park

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:31 pm
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AtionSong
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Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 352

 		Quick spec - could the fact that all the messages originated at Key Square relate to the FRBP? I can't see how now, but maybe CT knew how 3P would communicate messages, where their hideouts are...I know it's a longshot, but just a thought.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:44 pm
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Kigi
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Joined: 25 Nov 2006
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 		Ascendancy in 59 - via

cheverley
key square
cheverley
varenne

and in 60 - as 46 but bouncing polgon north to auger park

but cant do 57 at present

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:56 pm
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PuzzledPineapple
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Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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 		I've tried doing 46 but I'm not as good as my other half, these are the only ones I've got:

Key Square -> Milamont -> Domus Plaza -> Polygon North -> Auger Park -> Ascendancy (as posted above by Kigi)

Key Square -> Grand Frederick's Station -> Cheverly -> Magine Corner

Key Square -> Cheverly -> Varenne -> Lyttleton -> Azad Park -> Ascendancy -> Auger Park -> Polygon North

The only overlap as Kigi points out is Ascendancy and as the page says

Quote:
However, we believe that whichever station is reachable by the most of the five messages is the destination server to which the hackers were sending their messages.


I wouldn't let the lack of a route for 57 put us off. I'm off to dinner - is this enough to email Kurt with?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:04 pm
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CommDirector
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 		done... but uhh... with complications
OK. Just finished the brute force method.

There is no "clean" solve I've found. I'll post my MS Excel worksheet in a while, plus a longer post about my assumptions.

But for now, what I've found is that there are NO MORE than two of the five message lengths that end up in the same point (server).

And of those messages (max 2) that can share an end point (server), there are 2 possibilities:
- Ascendancy (46ms, and 48 ms)
- Azad Park (46ms, and 60ms)

I'll post my excel sheet for scrutiny and trout.

My assumptions are (just to be clear):
- "bounce backs" are not possible (i.e. message goes to cheverly, then to varenne, then back to cheveryly)
- numbers on the map are "ms"
- the message does not "stay" in a server for any ms (i.e. no time is alloted to passing a server - ex. 1ms)

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:05 pm
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jonc
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Joined: 04 Jul 2006
Posts: 144

 		Re: done... but uhh... with complications
CommDirector wrote:

My assumptions are (just to be clear):
- "bounce backs" are not possible (i.e. message goes to cheverly, then to varenne, then back to cheveryly)
- numbers on the map are "ms"
- the message does not "stay" in a server for any ms (i.e. no time is alloted to passing a server - ex. 1ms)


I think assumption 1 is up for debate, but I think assumptions 2 and 3 are fine.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:09 pm
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DarkHuman
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Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 640
Location: Florida
AtionSong wrote:
Quick spec - could the fact that all the messages originated at Key Square relate to the FRBP? I can't see how now, but maybe CT knew how 3P would communicate messages, where their hideouts are...I know it's a longshot, but just a thought.


our answer of stations put together could be our 42 key string.
???could be???
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:09 pm
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