From ARG Security Wiki
Nothing to see here!
The content for this site is still being developed. Please check back soon for more information!
[edit] Overview
The purpose of this site is to provide an online component to the paper entitled "Computer Security in the Context of Alternate Reality Games." [editor's note: this site is not yet complete, nor is the paper. When the paper is available, it will be posted here.] Because I (BrianEnigma) am smart (or so I'm told), but also smart enough to know that there are smarter and more experienced people than I, this site was developed as a place to facilitate conversation and collaboration about this topic. Both the "latest stable version" (to use software terms) of the paper is available as well as the current working draft.
To quote the paper:
- The intent of this paper is to bring to light, in one place, the computer security topics related to running Alternate Reality Games (ARGs.) Previously, this information has been relayed anecdotally or in closed private forums, but a comprehensive source has never been available. This paper will enumerate the issues and provide working solutions for each. The intended audience is varied. People that are new to running ARGs will find it useful to read every section in detail. Similarly, veteran teams that wish to hire a technical consultant--one without a background in ARGs--may find this information useful to highlight the differences between regular computer security and ARG-specific security. Veteran ARG technologists that are already familiar with the topics may just wish to use the section headings as a "pre-flight checklist."
[edit] Latest Print Version
The print version of the paper should be considered a snapshot in time. It is a single PDF file that can be downloaded, emailed, printed, and otherwise treated as a regular document.
TODO: link to PDF [when available]
To peek at a preview of the outline, see: http://argsecurity.netninja.com/outline/
[edit] Online Version
The online version is a little more difficult to traverse and a little more difficult to send to people, but has more up-to-date information, contributions, and comments.
TODO: link to table of contents
[edit] Updates
From the paper:
- The internet itself was founded on a set of “standards” called RFCs, or Request For Comments. There are thousands of them detailing most protocols and interoperability standards. Each one started out as a memo that effectively states “hey, this is how I think it should be done...” and then proceeds into technical details. People with ideas for changes and improvements can contact the author and, with enough interest, new RFCs come out that obsolete older ones. Each RFC is not exactly a standard (until enough people start using one to make it a de-facto standard.) Nor are they quite “living documents,” as they have to be fairly immutable to be considered a standard.
- I would like to consider this document the equivalent of an ARG RFC. It is solid and stable enough to base work upon, but I would be happy to listen to feedback and incorporate it into future revisions of this document. The ARG world is a constantly shifting place and this document will need to evolve over time to properly cover its stated topic.
On occasion, the updates to the online version will be merged into a new version of the print version. Check back for updates.
