CYBERLIFE

Description

The internet is territory. Take a piece of it.

CYBERLIFE is an online hacking game played in a terminal. Players share one persistent world. You explore the network, break into companies to steal data, and can take control of the routes other players use.

You start at your localhost. Each time you move, you choose a neighboring network. Transit may cost a toll; peering offers other paths. You are not given a complete map: you discover connections as you travel, then you can sell your surveys to other players.

Break into companies

Before entering, you examine a company's services and configurations. Once inside, you move between machines, collect access credentials, and look for data to take. Some doors require a 0-day suited to the target's sector and security tier. A credential you already hold may also open a compatible door.

Your actions can leave traces. Depending on the situation, a company may detect you during the intrusion or discover what you did after you leave.

Bring your loot home

Stolen data has to make it back to localhost. You decide when to leave the company and which route to take home. Another player can intercept your cargo on the way. You can sell the loot to a fence or hire an Exfiltration player to carry it.

Choose a trade

After your first steps, you choose a class. Each has its own commands and a different way to work.

• Infiltration opens sealed machines and identifies valuable loot.
  
• Exfiltration builds tunnels and carries large hauls.
  
• Misdirection places decoys and obscures the trails the Agency follows.
  
• Erasure covers its tracks and can destroy files at the Agency.
  
• The Developer researches vulnerabilities and builds tools, including the 0-days used to enter protected companies.

Control the routes

You can take control of an autonomous system, inspect its traffic, set tolls, or close passages. Other players can contest these positions. A closed route no longer earns tolls. You can also form an invite-only crew and hold networks together.

Work for other players

The market lets you sell tools, access, and network surveys. Players can also post orders to transport cargo, build 0-days, or clean a file. Clients in the world post contracts too, including when few players are online.

Intrusions attributed to you add to your file at the Agency. If it grows large enough, a bounty can be placed on you and a raid may follow. You can ask an Erasure player to clean your file, or do it yourself if that is your class.

CYBERLIFE is played with a keyboard. Intrusions depend on observation, choosing access points, and planning routes, not typing speed. No prior cybersecurity knowledge is required.