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[SafariJohn]

Actually not inspired by the new blog post, I was rather watching a show called "Connections" and the Pony Express came up. It occurred to me that if the FTL relays aren't 100% private and secure, then there would be couriers to transport high-priority confidential messages.

With all the various interests in the Sector, couriers would surely be a common sight.

But then that nicely ties into the new missions with message delivery missions. Or even intercepting deliveries.

[Unfolder]

That's a neat idea, but, at the same time, I imagine encryption technology has advanced pretty thoroughly to the point where it would be nigh impossible to crack secure messages. I imagine the descrambler keys for respective factions are hidden in vaults in the center of their main bases.

What I think would be more realistic, and necessary, would be a fast courier/blockade runner carrying hard currency like bullion. Specifically gold, silver, platinum and palladium coins and bars, which would be a guaranteed way for factions to issue credit, specifically "credits" in times of war (aka, all the time). It would be especially vital for stations and planets under siege, or suffering from some cataclysm.

[SafariJohn]

That's a neat idea, but, at the same time, I imagine encryption technology has advanced pretty thoroughly to the point where it would be nigh impossible to crack secure messages. I imagine the descrambler keys for respective factions are hidden in vaults in the center of their main bases.

Given enough time and resources, any encryption can be defeated. The problem with sending messages electronically is that if your encryption is broken and your messages being intercepted, you might never find out until it is far too late.

Intercepting electronic messages is as simple as hacking the comm relay to send the message to the original recipient and an address of your choice. Given how easy it can be to plant comm sniffers currently, the comm relays aren't exactly secure.

[BillyRueben]

You could probably intercept a mail courier and "encourage" him to talk about as easily as you could crack an encrypted message.

[Aeson]

You could probably intercept a mail courier and "encourage" him to talk about as easily as you could crack an encrypted message.

There's no reason for the courier to know what he or she is carrying. They'll know where they're supposed to take the message, and they'll know who it came from, but they probably won't know what's in the package to be delivered. If it's sufficiently important, the courier may also have instructions to destroy the package at the first sign of trouble (or under certain other criteria). The courier may also have escorts of some form or another, depending on the importance of the message and the relative values of secrecy and security. Additionally, there's no reason why the courier-carried message couldn't be as heavily encrypted (and it could perhaps be more heavily encrypted) than the transmitted message would have been.

Beyond that, if the courier is attacked or disappears en route, then even if you don't know the ultimate fate of the message, you know that something happened to it and you can adjust your plans accordingly. This is typically more than you'd get with comm relays, where the interception of the message neither delays nor prevents the arrival of the message. Although if the interception of the transmission is done by installing a sniffer on the relay rather than having some receiving equipment in the right area, then regular inspection of the relay could at least theoretically give you warning that your messages have been intercepted.

Intercepting electronic messages is as simple as hacking the comm relay to send the message to the original recipient and an address of your choice. Given how easy it can be to plant comm sniffers currently, the comm relays aren't exactly secure.

Transmission interception doesn't even require that you hack the comm relay or install a physical sniffer. It's a transmission of some type, meaning that if you can put something with the right equipment in the right area you can pick up the messages.

[Unfolder]

Given enough time and resources, any encryption can be defeated.

I don't think that's true, lol. I read somewhere that a 20-30 character password cannot be brute forced by even the world's most powerful computers. By that logic, a quantum scrambled message would require computer the size of several galaxies to crack. Now of course, if you HAD the scramble key, then intercepting couried messages would be vital, but I imagine they would stuff the key in an offline AI programmed to self destruct in the event of tampering, inside a vault, surrounded by lasers, in the heart of their main base. 

[Aeson]

Given enough time and resources, any encryption can be defeated.

I don't think that's true, lol. I read somewhere that a 20-30 character password cannot be brute forced by even the world's most powerful computers.

Then what you read is either wrong or includes an assumption about the available time. If you assume that the password has to use characters found on a standard keyboard, then there are 95 possible values for each of the 30 characters (assuming I've counted correctly; 62 alphanumeric characters and `~!@#$%^&*()_+<>?:"{}| ,./;'[]\-=). It's not impossible to brute-force your way through this so much as it's impractical; after all, you presumably want the information decrypted within some relatively short period of time.

Moreover, "impractical to break by brute force" is not equivalent to "impractical or impossible to break."

Now of course, if you HAD the scramble key, then intercepting couried messages would be vital, but I imagine they would stuff the key in an offline AI programmed to self destruct in the event of tampering, inside a vault, surrounded by lasers, in the heart of their main base. 

And this would be useful how? If the key is required to read the message, then every intended recipient of messages which use the encryption must have access to the key, and depending on the method used for the encryption the senders of messages using the encryption may also require access to the key. If the key is only available at the "main base" of a faction, then the encryption algorithm is essentially worthless, as you cannot send messages to anyone who isn't already at the main base.

[Thaago]

I think couriers would be common for physical things. I personally don't see gold etc being transported because I think rare metals are an exceptionally silly way to represent money, but some other form of non-digital currency would work. Or bits of scrounged tech that are interesting, but not important to warrant a whole convoy.

Encryption as we know it today is trivial to make "unbreakable" (read: 1000 years with all known computers working on it) as the time to decrypt goes up exponentially with complexity while the added size to the message goes up linearly. Quantum computers MAY be able to break current encryption in linear time, though no one has ever made a practical one. If the Starsector people come up with a new encryption which is exponential to crack even for quantum, then messages will be secure. If not (we haven't yet), then they will be crackable by someone with serious money/resources. *shrug* whichever makes for a more interesting universe is good by me.

Either way, you usually can't hide who you are sending messages to, even if you hide what you are saying. So couriers would be nice for people who really don't want their comms tracked.

[Midnight Kitsune]

Quantum computers MAY be able to break current encryption in linear time, though no one has ever made a practical one. If the Starsector people come up with a new encryption which is exponential to crack even for quantum, then messages will be secure. If not (we haven't yet), then they will be crackable by someone with serious money/resources. *shrug* whichever makes for a more interesting universe is good by me.

Ummm, no. If we get a real quantum computer working, it is thought that it would TRIVIALIZE current encryption right now\, which is one reason why many military branches and their "supply" companies (like Lockheed Martin) along with government organizations (like the FBI, CIA and of course the NSA) are funding some of the prototypes.

[orost]

Trivialize one specific kind of encryption used right now. Cryptography based on the factorization problem is the most popular solution, but there are alternatives immune to quantum computers (with their currently known algorithms) and QC ever becomes a real threat a switch will happen and render that a non-issue.

I think it's safe to assume that in any setting where there are computers there exists (in principle) unbreakable encryption. There's always one more method to switch to if an outside context technology (like quantum computers) threatens the current one.

[Thaago]

Quantum computers MAY be able to break current encryption in linear time, though no one has ever made a practical one. If the Starsector people come up with a new encryption which is exponential to crack even for quantum, then messages will be secure. If not (we haven't yet), then they will be crackable by someone with serious money/resources. *shrug* whichever makes for a more interesting universe is good by me.

Ummm, no. If we get a real quantum computer working, it is thought that it would TRIVIALIZE current encryption right now\, which is one reason why many military branches and their "supply" companies (like Lockheed Martin) along with government organizations (like the FBI, CIA and of course the NSA) are funding some of the prototypes.

Like I said: linear time. For computers saying something is in linear time is basically saying it is trivial.

[BillyRueben]

So what would this add to the game anyway? Another reskinned fetch quest?

[Protonus]

I could practically think that Officers can also be solely be capable of delivering items To and From the player to its constituent customers, like a big trader boss would normally do.

[Unfolder]

And this would be useful how? If the key is required to read the message, then every intended recipient of messages which use the encryption must have access to the key, and depending on the method used for the encryption the senders of messages using the encryption may also require access to the key. If the key is only available at the "main base" of a faction, then the encryption algorithm is essentially worthless, as you cannot send messages to anyone who isn't already at the main base.

Hahah, that's a good point, I guess you could have vaults on multiple bases, and maybe a capital class. Smaller ships would just have to suck eggs and make do with broad orders (kill everyone, trade space goo)

I think couriers would be common for physical things. I personally don't see gold etc being transported because I think rare metals are an exceptionally silly way to represent money, but some other form of non-digital currency would work. Or bits of scrounged tech that are interesting, but not important to warrant a whole convoy.

I don't see how it wouldn't be bullion because it's 1. quantifiable 2. readily available 3. intrinsic value 4. untraceable 5. producible by all sides. But then again, that's probably way too much detail that wouldn't necessarily add anything to the game from the player's standpoint. But I just think the "Credit" space bitcoin system is absurd (if convenient). You can think of it as France and Germany going to bloody genocidal war but painstakingly maintaining a shared market. The temptation to close down the enemies market completely by forbidding any transactions from these codes would be the logical first step of any conflict. Starsector war is sort of "gloves on" from a strategic level

[Megas]

Credits assume there is a stable government that can (be perceived to) be trusted to back up its fiat currency with hard currency (of some commodity like gold) when necessary.  Does the sector even honor the Domain anymore?  That said, Starsector is a game, and the gamer does not care what name or fluff his money has.  It could be named Wonka candy bars for all he cares; as long as he can spend it to get his ships, guns, fuel, and supplies, he is happy.