💾 Archived View for clemat.is › saccophore › library › ezines › textfiles › ezines › FLIPPERSMACK › … captured on 2021-12-03 at 14:04:38.
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A Beginner's Guide to TSP and GETS by weev In response to a 1981 report on the vulnerabilities of national communications networks, Ronald Reagan signed Executive Order (E.O.) 12472, which granted the National Communications System (NCS) broadened control over all public commerically-offered communications networks in this country. In response, NCS began to plan a system that would ensure government agencies and employees the ability to complete a call to any working point on the network at any time. The Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) was born. All calls using the TSP will eventually end up routing through a diverter of some sort located in the 710 area code. This area code receives virtually no billing costs, as telecommunications companies grant free usage of their networks to high-priority government calls. There is a threshold to their generousity, as they only allow the NCS a static amount of network usage per year before NCS has to pay for it. However, NCS has never crossed this threshold. The GETS uses prioritized trunk queues and in a handful of places (including Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, NORAD, Arlington, etc) several completely seperate trunks that have been reserved solely for GETS use. Yes, I know the prospect of having a priority trunk on every call is very appealing. Keep drooling, because the NCS is trying to extend it's priority status to internet traffic as well, so soon maybe all the routers of major backbones will recognize certain blocks of .gov ipspace as "priority communications." There are many government agencies that have been given some sort of access to GETS, including the US Postal Service, though I have no idea why they would need it. There are five priorities attached to GETS calls. They include: Priority #1: National Security/High Ranking Leadership Priority #2: National Security Posture and US Population Attack Warning Priority #3: Public Health, Safety, And Maintenence of Law and ORder. Priority #4: Public Welfare and Maintenence of National Economic Posture Priority #5: Low-level Emergency See, why does the Post Office need GETS access? Maybe it's so the Postmaster General can call 900 sex lines for free. (Yes, GETS does have 900 access. Your taxes at work!) In the event that switches are crowded with priority 3 calls, a priority 1 or 2 call would take higher priority. I don't see that ever happening, but the system is there so if it does happen, a higher-hierarchy call can still get through. Now, to get into the GETS system, you would have to call a GETS Access Number. The "universal" GETS access number is 710-NCS-GETS. There are many others, but that is the main one. To actually use GETS, you will need an authorization code. GETS and TSP Authorization Codes There are two forms of authorization acceptable for GETS. One is an automated GETS calling card number. The other is a TSP authorization code traditionally given to a live operator. The second is extremely rare. GETS calling card numbers are anywhere from 7 to 24 digits, depending on the priority they are fixed at and what organization the owner belongs to. They are usually ten digits. May I say that bruteforcing GETS codes is extremely impractical, since all TSP users are required AT MINIMUM to resubmit their elegibility requirements for GETS once every two years, and if you are a member of certain organizations or have a high priority it's every three to seven months. There are no "old" GETS codes lying around in the database. All TSP authorization codes follow a standard 12-digit format. For example: TSP4LPFF0-02. The first 3 are always "TSP", then there is a six digit alphanumeric identifier, and the last two numbers are the "provision priority" and the "restoration priority". If the last two numbers of the code are both zeros, then that pin has no priority level on public switching networks. It does however still let you dial to numbers that can only be dialed from a source within the 710 area code. If you recite the code verbally, do NOT forget the dash, as it is required protocol to say "dash", as in: "tee ess pee four ell pee eff eff zero dash zero two" Callers who forget the dash will immediately put up a red flag to an operator. Getting a GETS code? Well, maybe you could try talking to the GETS administration office at 703-607-6118, or you could talk to the Office of Priority Telecommunications (OPT) at: Manager, National Communications System ATTN: Office of Priority Telecommunications 701 South Court House Road Arlington, VA 22204-2198 Voice: 703 607 4932/703 607 4933 Fax: 703 607 4937 The Priority Telecommunications Services (PTS) Server The PTS provides remote administration of TSP functions. The PTS server resides in the OPT. It is actually 4 seperate workstations, each of which have their own dialin number. The PTS server is accessed using PCAnywhere 2.0(Win3.1) or 7.5/8.0(Win32). The dialin numbers are 703-607-6892 703-607-4992 703-607-6840 and 703-607-6850. You will need a username and password. Passwords are 8-24 characters long. Inside the PTS system, you can make requests for TSP priority codes, revalidate any older users access that has come close to expiring, you may put in work orders to service switches and other equipment involved in the TSP network, and you may report users of TSP services who have been having technical-related troubles using the TSP service. You may also see summaries of all current requests for TSP access that are still being processed. And on top of that, you can make requests to revoke services if you want. Those requests are almost always granted first and then questioned later. The most useful function availible to those who would illegitimately exploit TSP for their own benefit is the ability to freely revalidate expiring TSP codes. In this way, you could find a TSP code and keep it valid indefinitely. Also, using work orders, you might be able to social engineer backdoors into equipment and servers vital to the operation of TSP and GETS. Well, that should be enough info for now to go and hack the planet or something. -weev