Creating a safe network

# Defending the network

## Tips to defend your network

-By Cubical and Semmelbrot12.

**PLEASE, USE GRAMMAR. DO NOT POST FALSE INFORMATION (edits such as "When your scanner is on level 3.5" will be deleted and the latest version is going to take place. Minimum recommended level in the game "Hackers" is 15.**

Version 0.0.6
**PLEASE, UPDATE THE VERSION AND PROVIDE DETAILS ON WHAT YOU CHANGED WHEN CHANGING THIS ARTICLE!!!**

If you make a change, you can write your username and date of change here:

Version 0.0.1: Cubical

Version 0.0.2: \*unknown\*, but whoever did it thank you :D

Version 0.0.3: Cubical

Version 0.0.4: SMG570

Version 0.0.5: Cubical - Update description: new stuff and so on.

V0.0.6 - Cubical - Hacking tips

V0.0.7 - Not An IO guard - Hacking Tips

* Do not connect NetConnections to Security Nodes. NetConnections cannot be attacked, the security nodes will simply be captured. The Black ICE has a glitch which makes it look like it is attacking the node, although it does not as it only is an optical bug.
* Link NetConnections to Hacking Nodes: Program Library, Evolver, and Compiler. Hacking nodes have little value during defense. The nodes with NetConnections should (usually) be grouped together as a chain. This will force the enemy to enter the body of your network at a single predictable location,
* Force the enemy to go through at least one Code Gate before they can enter the main body of your network. Cheap Beam Cannons, Shuriken, or even Worms can take down a Code Gate reasonably quickly if they are allowed to attack from two directions at once. Don't let the enemy attack a Code Gate from two directions, and dont put a NetConnection to the code gate. The code gate can defend itself easily, and if linked to the netconnection, as mentioned earlier, the node is unable to defend itself.
* Avoid allowing the enemy to attack a Code Gate from a captured Black ICE, as that provides the enemy 5 program slots to speed their attack. Taking down a Code Gate most commonly requires a Battering Ram or Blaster, which are large expensive programs. Do not allow the enemy to attack two Code Gates from one node, as they can place a single Battering Ram or Blaster to take down the second gate "for free". Similarly, do not allow a single Blaster to take down both a Code Gate and your Core.
* It is often good to place a Scanner directly after a Code Gate, where it can see any incoming Stealth attacks. Scanner also serves as a good choke point.
* A choke point is a node the enemy needs to pass through, where you minimize the attacker's ability to attack and maxize your own attack strength. A good choke point node has few program slots, low firewall defense, and many net connections. Scanner is the most commonly used as a choke point, but low level Guardian and low level Sentry also make good choke points. Even a low level B-coin Mixer / low level Database may be used as a choke point, if you have a main high level B-coin Mixer/Database elsewhere.
* Turrets and Black ICE should be linked after a choke point, maximizing firepower on that choke point.
* AI Hawk should be placed deep in your network, where it can see and attack any choke points.
* High level B-coin Mixers and Databases should be kept as far from NetConnections as possible, prefferably at the maximum range of 9.
* Depending on your economic strategy your high level B-coin Mines and Server Farms can be deeply protected along with your B-Coin Mixers and Databases, or low level Mines/Farms may be used as sacrifical nodes elsewhere. An attacker may not bother fully hacking your network and raiding your main resource storage, if they can easily raid a few sacrifical resources.
* Unless you are using a Maelstrom defense you should usually ensure the enemy can only attack your Core from a single direction. This prevents the enemy from capuring it too rapidly. The Core may either be placed far from NetConnections as a final barrier protecting your resource storage nodes, or the Core can be placed near NetConnections as a sacrifical counter to Kraken attacks.
* Sentry is the most important defense node. Sentry spreads Antivirus to other nodes. Antivirus has the same attack strength as the Sentry node itself, Antivirus allows non-combat nodes to attack, and Antivirus adds to the attack strength of Turrets and Black ICE. Keep at least one strong Senty far from any NetConnections, so it cannot easily neutalized by Wraith. Any additional Sentries should generally be kept seperated from each other, to help speed the spread of Antivirus. It is fine to have low level Sentry along with high level Sentry - the strongest Antivirus will spread very rapidly across any nodes that received Antivirus from a weaker Sentry.
* Avoid upgrading multiple defensive nodes at the same time. Nodes are non-functional while upgrading. Upgrading multiple defense nodes at once will leave your base extremely vulnerable, and each of the upgrades will take much longer to complete.

## Low Level Tips (<20)

* Maximizing the sentry is really recommended and probably the best idea as low level player usually have weaker programs.
* Some of the players may be using worm and shuriken as their main attack. Therefore, higher level sentry is better to capture the nodes faster (worm has long duplicate time).
* Maelstorm layout probably is the best meta, because most of the players don't have strong shuriken, or shocker yet.
* When using Code gates on your network,Worms will become useless unless on a higher level. Getting trough a Code gate with these is impossible, even with a lvl.1 Code gate.
* The access program is researchable on core lvl.5, although the evolver says otherwise. This is as on core lvl.4, you can only hold around 2000 B-Coins, which is insufficient to research Stealth Programs.
* It is ideal to install a Scanner since stealth hacks will happen more often, Be weary of Access and Wraith If you have a low level Scanner people can weaken your defenses critically and get to your Resources.

> Hacking Tips
>
>

When in stealth mode, disconnect a bit earlier (3500 detection points) so that the one you just hacked cannot retrace. Ignoring this will allow the admin to retrace you.

To simplify, a stealth attack can NOT be traced back (so if you stealth successfully, you are safe). A loud attack IS retracable, so if the target is strong, well...
IF you want to go loud, place access outside the following points:
Choke points
Code gates

Code gates are destroyed when taken (not really sure if this is the case when taken during stealth), and who would want to start raiding from a choke point?

It is highly adviced you research the following programs: Data Leech, Access, and Wraith.
If you do research these, success chances will raise drastically.

When in stealth, just getting access to an scanner is not stopping the scanner. Use the wraith on the scanner to stop its scanning.