#cyberlock

[headlesssamurai]

//simon_goinard/

[gojeffcho]

Lawyers threaten researcher over key-cloning bug in high-security lock

"CyberLock" securing police and airports has critical vulnerabilities, report warns.

CyberLock offers a line of "high security" locks and cylinders as well as related products and services for updating, managing, provisioning, and storing CyberKeys. In various marketing materials, CyberKey is described as "unclonable" and suitable for use in money handling and critical infrastructure systems as a secure and auditable solution.

However, after some reverse engineering it appears that these devices are easily cloned, and new keys can be created from lost cylinders and keys regardless of the permissions granted to the key. Additionally, time-of-day restrictions are enforced by the key, not the cylinder, allowing an attacker access at any time regardless of the configuration.

From the findings of the security audit on CyberLock systems.  The CyberLock response:

Moreover, IOActive's reverse engineering process required the use of skilled technicians, sophisticated lab equipment, and other costly resources not generally available to the public to extract [company name redacted]'s firmware from an embedded semiconductor chip... To suggest, as your report does, that [company name redacted]'s products suffer from "severe" vulnerabilities simply because you were able to develop a bypass in your lab ignores the fact that the exploit in question was not possible without the use of costly and sophisticated lab equipment and highly skiled technicians—not exactly a real-world scenario for the intended use of [company name redacted] products.

If you don’t think that malicious entities are willing to go to great lengths and costs to reverse-engineer and attack a security system that guards the likes of metro systems, police departments, public utilities, and airports, you shouldn’t be in the security business.  If you don’t think that “hackers” love taking on a challenge of this complexity, and can manage to duplicate a key that marketing materials claim is impossible to duplicate, that’s a pretty clear signal that nobody who takes security seriously should do business with your company.

[renge-mamory]

When the 25 sector - the best of bases in the UK is exposed to a mysterious attack and disappears from the face of the earth, the Royal network has huge losses.

Without information 25 sector other base helpless against a new cyber-attack.

But suddenly in the doorway 22 sector appears soldiers - the sole survivor of 25 sector...

Okey-okey, it's happened. My cyberAUlock. 'Absolute error'.

Enjoy. I will try to post 3 pages at a time.

[klodwig]

[cylin-aka-ankamo]

CyberLock - The Heart

"Let me see it."

"No, Sherlock, please, it's not-"

"Let me see!" Sherlock grabbed John’s arm roughly, prying it away from his chest. He stopped abruptly, staring. John turned his head away, not wanting to see his friend’s face change. He was human, John was not.

Sherlock’s breath washed over John’s forehead as he stared in slight horror, but also in fascinated wonder. “My God, John…,” he breathed, the words quivering oddly. “Other Cyborgs have a human brain, but you – you’ve got –” His fingers trailed over the broken synthetic skin, the inner transmorphic body visible, as his voice whispered out to nothing. His fingertips stopped over where John’s human heart was beating frantically in its protective casing, pumping fluid through his phoney body.

"The case is cracked," Sherlock observed quietly.

John smiled without humour. “I’m not invincible.”

  Cyborg AU anyone? Anyone wanna write this??? *casts hopeful glances around*

[narcomanic]

Can Sherlock/Ghost in the Shell finally become a thing? The utter lack of crossover makes my geeky heart weep. ;~;

(Obv. Sherlock would go for full cyberisation to rid himself of those pesky ~human defects~ and people would mock him by calling him a robot or ghostless and John would have a prosthetic arm and the intermittent tremor would be diagnosed as a psychological rejection of his cybernetic parts and asjkdhaskjh I just have a lot of headcanon for this AU.)

[leonawriter]

CPU (part 1) And sorry for the wall of text!

Error.  Error.  Systems Malfunction.

The rest of the batch were spread out in military lines to his front, back and sides.  All of them wore the same nondescript t-shirt and trousers, the shirt being mainly for the use of the users, as their individual batch number was on each individual's clothing, the same 'expression' or lack of, on each and every one of them.  He did not have to have seen their faces to know.  His own face was similar.  Having not received a mission, the personality core was still blank.

Mission parameters could be anything from a simple human integration experiment to the assassination of an individual or individuals unknown with the possibility of final termination should the unit be discovered as non-human.  Before a unit's mission was decided and the personality core written onto, emotions were not necessary.  Nor was curiosity.

This was why he powered his eyes down as his auditory receptors picked up the sound of the door handle of the storage facility turning, and then the following three sets of footsteps as one more individual than usual made his way into the area along with, if he was not incorrect, the chief coordinator and the head scientist and technician.

"And these are the 'units', then?"

A pause.  The tone used had been what could be called 'emotionless', however the unit questioned that.  Humans were full of emotions.  The theory therefore had to be that whichever emotion was being run currently, was being hidden.  The emphasis on the term 'units' was also of interest, and he filed it away for later perusal.

"You'd be right.  This is the 'S' batch - they're all different, as you can see.  That's due to using varying heights and weights rather than one single template.  And of course, then there are the skin grafts..."

That would be the chief coordinator.  Mr. Langdon Farefellow.  The scientist, Dr. Ezekiel Kristoff, rarely said a word when not coerced.  The few words he did speak were never about anything other than his work.  The units themselves.

"Hm.  Yes, they do look rather lifelike, don't they?"

Tap.  Tap.  Step.  The new man had something with him, that clicked against the floor.

"That would be the skin grafts - well, when I say skin...  It's really so much more than that."  The chief coordinator could always be trusted to find something to be proud about with the work he'd done.  And very rarely was there a chance to show this to another living being.  "DNA taken from a living human being, while they were still alive.  Yet for whatever reason - murder, accident or natural causes - they aren't any more.  None of the faces you see here should be recognised as machines, because the faces themselves really aren't!  Or the rest of their skin - go on, touch one!"

There was a slight pause, and then more echoing footsteps.

"I think I'd rather not, thank you all the same."

An odd tone, there.  One he'd never heard before.

"Oh, well you can take my word for it - they really do feel indistinguishable from your average, every day human being like you or me!  You can't even feel the mechanics underneath the skin layer, due to the fine gel that sits in place underneath - took us ages to develop that, but now we've cracked it."

"I'm sure it was well worth the effort, Mr. Farefellow.

"It was indeed!"

The footsteps were now echoing in his direction.  Although not quite within a hundred yards.

"And what about the rest of their... functions?"

The 'emotionless' tone was back.  Disguising either the same set of 'feelings' or a different one.  

"Completely logical, but they're programmed to blend in.  To integrate into human society - this means they can eat, drink, sleep... there's a way for them to achieve everything.  It's simply remarkable, don't you think?"

"Indeed."

A creak of leather.  A rustle of fabric.  The third man was leaning back on his heels, before he started to walk forward again.  Close, now.

"Very well, then.  Show me."

"They aren't programmed yet..."

Possibly the first sign of the man's wavering that evening.  The third man was confident.  Not desperate.  Not greedy.  Not swayed by their arguments.

Mr. Farefellow would have a challenge on his hands.

"Yet surely they can talk?"

"What?  Oh, yes!  All of them can talk.  Not much, but they can.  There are always two options available to them - imitate the speech of a normal human being using their approximation of a voice box, situated in the throat, or digitally recreate the words they want to say using..."

"Yes, yes."  Impatience.  "I think I understand the theory.  What I would like would be to see it in practice.  If you don't mind."

"Of- of course."  And now, one of them would be called upon.  "Unit S-516.  Username Farefellow, allow boot-up and normal running procedures."

[>>>User: Langdon Farefellow {request=boot-up and RUN.} Pre-Existing Command Present 

>>>Replace Pre-Existing Command?

>>>[QUERY] Command = Leave Unaltered.]

"Unit S-516, listen to and answer the new user."

[>>>User: Langdon Farefellow {Command=Obey} Command Accepted]

There was a pause.  The unit waited, patiently, for it to end and for his first command to be given.

"Very well, then.  State your name."

"They-"

"I am called Unit S-516.  I do not have a name.  We are named once we are on our mission.  Not before."

Something must have created a change in temperament in the third man, the new user, as his auditory receptors picked up a hitch in the man's breathing completely unrelated to any health problems he may or may not have.  The logical answer was that this was an emotional response to a cause unknown.

"Can they open their eyes yet?  Or is that also something that is given to them upon their first mission?"

"Oh, no.  Their eyes are complete.  Unit S-516, open your eyes."

He did so.  

It took a moment for him to adjust to his surroundings, the human users in front of him a change from the constant sight of the others in the batch.  Langdon Farefellow was standing in front and to one side of him, and the scientist had put himself at the end of the line.  But the one who had his attention completely was the one who was standing directly in front of him.

The third man was not quite of the height that his body had given him, but did carry himself with a superior air.  The object that had previously tapped against the floor was an umbrella.  He had streamlined features and a sharp nose.  His body suggested a bad diet and a lack of exercise, although his eyes-

The third man's mouth opened just wide enough for him to whisper something under his breath.  One word.  No more.  No less.  Obscure enough not to be understood immediately.  Low enough not to have been heard by human hearing.

Sherlock.

Unit S-516 did not know where the word came from, or if it could be something he had simply not encountered yet.  It was possible.  

"My name," said the third man, drawing himself up to his full height and bringing the umbrella in front of him, "is Mycroft Holmes.  Do you recognise that name?"

This time, Langdon Farefellow did not attempt to interrupt before the unit had started to speak.

"Username noted and stored.  Nothing of the world is known until we are given a mission.  Once the mission is complete, we are wiped and made ready for the next.  Answer - recognition unsuccessful."

"I see," Mycroft Holmes said, deep in thought, as he stepped away.  "I... see."

....

Walking out of the building, factory and all, Mycroft shuddered.  Say what you like about his cold exterior, but even he was able to be chilled by the countless faces simply staring blankly into space, many with their eyes closed, standing stock still all in their rows.

One of them still yet bothered him, though, even well after he'd started the drive home, his driver at the wheel and his PA sat on the other side of the car's passenger seating.

"Not what you wanted to hear?"

"Hm?  What?  Oh, no, in fact.  They were doing remarkably well.  Almost too well, I'd say."

"Hm.  I think I see.  Spring cleaning?"

It was nowhere near spring, being still only halfway through February.  But that wasn't what she'd meant.  He nodded, wearily.

"They looked like human beings without souls.  I can't think of a better way to describe them.  Aside from one."

"Oh?"

"Quite.  Alert the cleaners to spare 'Unit S-516'.  I have my suspicions..."

His assistant turned to face him, a question filled with worried curiosity written on her face, but said nothing to that effect.

"Understood, sir."

They spent the rest of the car ride in silence, aside from the tapping of his assistant's phone.

....

AN: I've been playing this character for a bit in roleplay over on livejournal, but this is the first actual fic of him that I've written up.  I'm hoping to explore a lot of his backstory before going into the already-travelled areas of canon, although those will be vastly different, when told from such a different viewpoint.