Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site umd5.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!don From: don@umd5.UUCP Newsgroups: net.startrek Subject: Prefix Codes Message-ID: <649@umd5.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 21:20:46 EDT Article-I.D.: umd5.649 Posted: Wed Jul 10 21:20:46 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 00:39:49 EDT Distribution: net Organization: U of Md, CSC, College Park, Md Lines: 41 *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** In article <342@moncol.UUCP> john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) writes: >>From: kyrimis@tilt.FUN (Kriton Kyrimis) >>I was thinking about admiral Kirk's trick of lowering the Reliant's shields in >>STTWOK the other day, and suddenly realised that the federation will soon be >>in for a nasty surprise: it won't be long before some Klingon/Romulan hacker >>comes up with the following piece of code for their battle computer: > >As the quoted article points out, they are a horrible security flaw. *IF* a >Romulan or Klingon attack fleet could get the master list of prefix codes, >all they would need to do would be mount a massive invasion, wait for the >massive Federation defending fleet, and blow the Feds to dust. > >[...] >The prefix code was an interesting plot device which got Kirk out of a sure >no-win scenario. Unfortunately, we are now stuck with the existence of >prefix codes and all that entails. > So who's to say that the prefix codes are not a new invention? Although it is not part of the 'official' ST material, the Sourcebook Update for ST: the RPG gives a good explanation for the codes. The prefix codes were a new invention installed in the newer ships (or added in refit) intended to allow for the rescue of a ship disabled in some fashion (but not during battle). If a ship would be used in battle, the commander would change the prefix codes. (That's probably what Kirk did. But then, Styles was a showoff!) Any additional comments? -- --==---==---==-- ___________ _____ ---- _____ \ //---- IDIC ----- _\______//_ ---- ---------- ARPA: don@umd5.ARPA BITNET: don%umd5@umd2 SPOKEN: Chris Sylvain UUCP: {seismo,rlgvax,allegra,brl-bmd,nrl-css}!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!don