Illegal hacking tools can be bought from pirate stations or built from parts, and then used to hack stations. Hacking stations can be used to steal cargo, reduce station defenses, and hamper station production.

Hacking can be done in the the station’s engineering room or security room (accessed via station elevator transport). Visit the room and interact with one of the control terminals to hack that terminal (and the system it controls).

Effects

When you activate each terminal, you’ll see very brief description of what effect hacking will produce, and you can then proceed or step away.

• Engineering hacks affect station production
• Security hacks affect station weapons, defenses and repair
• Storage system hacks (security room) eject some of the station’s cargo into space

Hacking a terminal consumes the hacking tool you used and removes it from your inventory.

There is no reputation penalty for hacking. The one exception is that if you hack storage and then use a ship to collect the ejected cargo, the station will decide you were responsible and turn hostile.)

Hacking tools

You can find hacking tools (and components to make them) in dropped crates from destroyed ships, at black market contacts, and at pirate stations. Assemble the components into hacking tools at the workbenches next to station trade counters.

See the Inventory Items and illegal Items sections for information about item crafting, black market contacts and pirate stations.