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SCP-976 Safe ✓ high confidence
SCP-976
Expected annual
$359K
One-time setup
$309K
Annual recurring
$356K
Personnel
6
One-time setup costs are approximately $309,000 driven by secure isolation fit-out, custom interface development, storage and contingencies; recurring annual costs are approximately $355,500 driven primarily by personnel, fringe benefits, and ongoing storage/maintenance.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $309K
Facilities $75K
[#1] Secure isolation room fit-out (Faraday cage, EM shielding, HVAC, fire-suppression, badge/biometric doors, tamper-evidence and signage).
Equipment $55K
[#2, #4] Dedicated air-gapped workstation and peripherals (#2: $10,000); forensic imaging hardware and initial secure storage purchase (NAS + tape drive/library) (#4: $45,000).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $50K
[#3] Specially-designed read/interface hardware and R&D (FPGA/controller development, custom cable/adapter, firmware/software, bench testing).
Contingency Reserve $50K
[#8] Contingency / emergency response reserve for immediate incident response (quarantine, emergency forensics, rapid staffing, extra storage).
Research Contingency Reserve $50K
[#25] Research-specific contingency reserve for hazardous or actionable content review (discretionary high-security response fund).
Sop And Training $10K
[#7] SOP creation and initial training for daily extraction, handling, emergency procedures, and non-networked workflows.
Legal And Compliance Initial $10K
[#23] Initial legal/compliance and cover-story setup costs (redaction workflows, legal review, NDAs, cover narratives).
Non Destructive Imaging $5K
[#5] Initial full CT/X-ray/materials scan session to document internals without opening casing.
Background Checks $4K
[#6] Initial background checks and security clearances for assigned staff (approx. $4,000 for a small team).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $356K/yr
Staff Wages $190K/yr
[#11, #12, #13] Data analysis personnel (2 × Level-2 analysts = $160,000/yr), senior oversight partial allocation (Level-3 approver time = $20,000/yr), technician/operator part-time allocation (0.1–0.25 FTE = $10,000/yr).
Fringe Benefits And Overhead $66K/yr
[#15] Fringe benefits, payroll taxes, HR and administrative overhead (~30% of personnel costs).
On Site Security $30K/yr
[#14] Incremental on-site security costs (dedicated watch, increased patrols or part-time post).
Cover Story And Legal $20K/yr
[#23] Ongoing legal/compliance and cover-story maintenance (redaction, legal review, third-party NDAs).
Storage Growth And Amortization $16K/yr
[#10, #24] Ongoing raw data storage growth (~11.7 TB/yr raw; three copies) and amortized hardware refresh/replacement (media purchases and periodic refresh).
Software Licenses $10K/yr
[#17] Forensic suites, image/video processing, secure-scan tooling, offline VM/support fees.
Research And Monitoring $5K/yr
[#9] Daily automated backup operations (scripting, scheduler, monitoring, alerts, small on-call costs).
Maintenance And Support $5K/yr
[#18] Support contracts for NAS/tape/library, spare parts, replacement interface modules, calibration.
Cybersecurity Audits $5K/yr
[#20] Quarterly air-gap verification, EMI testing, covert-channel checks, and related audits.
Offsite Vaulting $3K/yr
[#19] Off-site archival vaulting and periodic physical transfer fees for encrypted tape sets.
Energy And Utilities $2K/yr
[#16] Power for workstation, NAS, and HVAC for the secure room.
Supplies And Consumables $2K/yr
[#21] Consumables: write-once media, labels, gloves, sleeves, and cataloging supplies.
Logistics And Transport $1K/yr
[#22] Courier/shipping for physical media rotation and external testing.
Facilities Maintenance $0/yr
[]
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $356K/yr
93.0% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with daily extraction and routine operations; no significant incidents.
routine_backups regular_analysis scheduled_maintenance
🚨 Minor Incident $380K/yr
6.0% probability / year +$25K vs baseline
A contained incident such as corrupted slice requiring emergency forensics, short-term surge staffing, and limited legal review.
corrupt_or_hazardous_slice failed_backup_recovery small-scale_forensic_response
🚨 Major Breach $556K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Serious event (e.g., memetic contamination or data-derived hazard) requiring full emergency response, quarantine research, external specialists and larger legal/PR actions.
memetic_or_biohazard_discovery data-driven_cascade_incident external_exposure_or_fatality
👥 Personnel 6 total
Role Count Notes
Research Analyst / Data Analyst (Level-2) 2 Two full-time analysts to ingest and analyze daily 32 GB slices. (Item #11)
Research Supervisor / Level-3 Approver 2 Two Level-3 approvers required to sign off for access and oversight (partial FTE allocation reflected in staff wages). (Item #12)
Technician / Operator 1 Part-time technician responsible for media swaps, verification and basic hardware tasks (0.1–0.25 FTE). (Item #13)
Security Officer / MTF Agent (incremental) 1 Dedicated or part-time security post to increase audit frequency and control access. (Item #14)
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provided explicit line-item estimates for nearly all costs; SCP-976 is Safe and well-documented, so cost drivers and magnitudes are well-constrained though contingency sizing retains some judgment.
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