When does passive trace start in Uplink?

Solution 1:

A passive trace starts when the victim discovers the damage has been done (e.g. data destroyed, large money transfers) if they have a trail. Nuking the target eliminates the trail (either via deleting system files and rebooting or running Revelation). If you can, use Log Deleter v.4 just to be sure. If you have a respectable tunnel chain, a passive trace can take days. If you're careful not to pick up any active traces, you can do a bunch of jobs in the space of several hours without worrying, then delete the logs on one of your first hops to prevent any possibility of a passive trace succeeding (The InterNIC server is best for this because they will never trace you).

Banks are a special case, though. You only have 2 minutes to eliminate the money trail by using Log Deleter to remove the statements. Having an account at the same bank as your target will save you a few precious seconds. After you've done that, don't forget to remove the usual log trails, though that is not as time critical as removing the money trail.