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From: ccrdave@ucdavis.UUCP (Lord Kahless)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Prefix numbers, or how to destroy a federation starship
Message-ID: <235@ucdavis.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Jun-85 20:31:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucdavis.235
Posted: Tue Jun  4 20:31:22 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Jun-85 06:13:55 EDT
References: <297@tilt.FUN> <342@moncol.UUCP> <299@tilt.FUN> <300@tilt.FUN> <301@tilt.FUN>
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 29

> > Regarding prefix numbers.  They are a security risk only if you're
> > stupid enough to let your ship's computer listen and respond to
> > incoming transmissions.  Presumably, there's some sort of "worm-filter"
> > or "listen-only" computer mode that high-ranking officers would know
> > how to turn on if they suspected that someone was about to use prefix
> > numbers to hose over their ship.
> > 
> This would beat the whole purpose of prefix numbers. Prefix numbers are
> supposed to be used to take command from an unwilling captain. Can you
> imagine Khan saying to Kirk, "Ok, Kirk old friend, I've switched off from
> listen-only mode, so you can lower my shields and blow my ship to
> kingdom come"?
> -- 
> 
> 	Kriton	(princeton!tilt!kyrimis)

In the Klingon Empire, the ship's computer will reject any and all
security codes it receives for a solid week and send off alarms like
crazy if somebody sends over the wrong code.  It is only logical that
the Federation would have included some sort of simmilar protections,
to prevent brute force attacks and to alert the bridge crew in the
event of somebody trying to break in.

It would be illogical for Khan to know of such codes.  He hadn't
spent that much time piloting a star ship.  As Kirk had just pulled
the trick on Khan, it would be logical for Kirk to have his chief engineer
change the code before they stole the Enterprise.

			Lord Kahless