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==Phrack Inc.==
Volume Four, Issue Forty, File 2 of 14
[-=:< Phrack Loopback >:=-]
By Dispater & Mind Mage
Phrack Loopback is a forum for you, the reader, to ask questions, air
problems, and talk about what ever topic you would like to discuss. This is
also the place Phrack Staff will make suggestions to you by reviewing various
items of note; magazines, software, catalogs, hardware, etc.
In this issue:
Retirement of a Hacker : Jester Sluggo
Truth Is Out Of Style : Dispater
Tim Foley Virus : Guido Sanchez
The Hacker Files (from DC Comics) : Newsbytes
Sneakers (from Universal Pictures) : Press Release
Pirates v. AT&T: Posters : Legacy Irreverent and Captain Picard
Telco Trashing Yields Big Rewards : Anonymous
Anonymous Mail On IBM VM Systems? : Apollo
WWIV Link Hack : Mr. Bigg
The Day Bell System Died : Anonymous
The 1992 Consumer Electronics Show : Sarlo
_______________________________________________________________________________
x x x
| | |
+------------+
| Retirement |
| of a |
| Hacker |
+---+------------+---+
| by Jester Sluggo |
+-+--------------------+-+
| Released: July 9, 1992 |
+------------------------+
I would like to begin by saying "Hello" to all readers of this file, but
unfortunately it will be my last time. I've been a member of the "hacker
underground" for over a decade and am one of the few extremely lucky hackers
who has successfully hacked a great number of computer systems, phone systems,
and other technologies, yet has never been caught. I wish to take this last
opportunity to reflect on my experiences, and express many personal views,
because although there are feelings of sadness, it is my pleasure to announce
my formal retirement from this "underground" community.
My decision to retire has been a carefully planned path which began several
years ago. During the early 1980's, the innocence of hacking and exploring
computer systems for my quest of knowledge was a great thrill. Every system
was like an unexplored door which lead to unlimited opportunities; various
computer systems, operating systems, languages, networks, software, and data.
But it was in the later part of the 1980's when I began to realize that I had
to focus my interests, knowledge and experience towards a legitimate career.
It's nearly impossible to earn a living solely within the resources of the
hacker underground, and the idea of abusing technology for monetary gain is
against the (unwritten) code of hacker ethics. Also at this time, the
innocence of exploring various systems was being replaced by the realities of
ruining my entire future at such a young age if I was caught and convicted by
the United States' legal system.
The media and law-enforcement agencies have almost always been biased against
hackers, and these are two powerful entities that influence society. Hackers
have always been presented in a negative context, whereas their discoveries,
efforts, creativeness, and hard work have been ignored except among fellow
hackers. In a way, it's similar to how the U.S. government and corporations
support research and development: A group of researchers discover, explore,
refine, or exploit a certain technology over a period of many years, yet their
efforts go unnoticed unless their research results in a product acceptable to
society. The researcher's results are shared, respected, and challenged among
the scientific community and journals long before they ever result in a product
(if they ever result in a product). In the same way that researchers and
scientists relentlessly pursue their interests, I pursued answers to my
curiosities and interests.
It is the groups that want to control the society (the legal system, and
police) which have labeled "hackers" as notorious people. Hackers can use
technology to access a variety of information which was previously accessible
only to these groups, and these controllers are afraid of losing their
advantages and control. Currently in US, the FBI is afraid of losing their
ability to easily tap fiber optics so they're proposing to make it mandatory
for central offices to make it easier for them. If people knew how common
illegal wiretaps occur, they'd be upset at the abuse of power. Police are
making illegal search and seizures, and district attorneys are filing
outrageous affidavits to protect their control of power and access to
information.
It was in the middle to late 1980's when the legal system and law enforcement
agencies increased efforts to severely penalize hackers, when the risk of
getting caught began to outweigh the excitement of discovering. It is
unbelievably difficult to carry the burden of a "serious" criminal record
throughout one's life when you're 20 years old (or for that matter 16 years
old), as well as the eternal monetary debt which comes with these consequences.
In the 1970's, the founders of Apple computer were caught selling Blue Boxes
while they were in college and got off with a minimal fine. With todays laws,
the potential jail time, monetary damages, and lawyer fees, the system would
have wasted and banned the brilliance of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Apple
Computer (and microcomputers) might not have been born (IBM would have loved
that).
Technology has changed faster than the legal system and society can adapt, so
for now, unapproved exploring of these technologies has been declared a serious
offense. Society trusts the legal systems' judgement, but even in 1992 law-
makers are just barely beginning to understand technology: "Is software
patentable (do not confuse with copyrightable), and to what degree?", "What
privacy and freedom of speech should we have with electronic mail and
communications?" Don't let unqualified law makers make decisions about
technology-related issues that will affect you, without them knowing what you
have to say.
So it was in the late 1980's when I began preparing for my retirement. I
outlined a set of goals and a plan to achieve them. Unfortunately this plan
required several years to fulfill, but I knew it was the right time of my life
to begin this ambitious plan. The goals I wanted to achieve were:
1) Pass the knowledge I've gained onto others.
2) Keep the "hacker" movement active.
3) Prepare myself to be legitimately successful so that I can help to
influence society's views about technology as a member of the
society.
Due to the increasing danger of getting caught, and to become successful, I
was forced to hide from the mainstream hacker community and make my actions and
efforts unknown. The first two goals were closely related and took slightly
longer to complete than my original plan. However, they were a much greater
financial sacrifice than I ever imagined. The third goal will probably require
the rest of my lifetime, but it's a challenge I accept.
To complete goals 1 and 2, I've spent the last 5 years preparing a "tomb" of
information and knowledge used within the hacker community. Not all of the
information is complete, but neither is the seed that grows to become a tree.
Anyone with a telephone can guess ("hack" according to the media and law
enforcement) 4-digit passwords to telephone calling cards or PBX out-dial
lines, but I wanted "real" hackers. I talked and met with 100's of hackers
world-wide to find the right individuals who can responsibly learn and append
to this "tomb" -- people who have the desire, respect, effort and ability to
encourage new generations of hackers. This group has been selected and
trained, and I feel they are some of the best prospects. Their international
mixing should give them an almost unlimited number of opportunities, and some
protection. I wish them the best of all luck in their endless journey of
learning and knowledge.
To become legitimately successful meant getting a respectable job. Obviously,
with my interests, I knew it would have to be in the high technology
industries. Unfortunately, getting a job interview or a job offer with these
companies is difficult because the Human Resources departments always shun the
hiring of hackers. This is ironic, because many of the engineers and
programmers within these companies are made of ex-hackers, or people who share
a similar intense interest in technology. Also, since some of best experiences
of a hacker are discovered non-legitimately they can't be presented on a
resume.
My first step towards completing this goal was instinctive; to keep my
excitement and enjoyment focused intensely on technology. This may sound
strange, but many hackers know friends who "burn out" on hacking or working
in the high-tech companies, and I didn't want to 'burn out' at 20 years of age,
so I had to slow down my hacking activity.
The next step was getting a college education, which I've completed. College
is not the answer to everything... in fact it's not the answer to anything,
however, college is an experience I wish everyone could experience -- it's a
unique experience. A college degree will not guarantee a job, but it might get
you past the Human Resources department. If you have the chance to attend
college, don't miss this chance. I realize employers prefer experienced
workers over inexperienced "fresh" college graduates, but if you have a focused
interest on a certain technology, then you will find a way to keep updating
yourself while suffering through college. And like me, you will find the
college degree combined with the results of your focused efforts will open the
best job opportunities to you. Be focused and patient... it worked for me!
I am currently working on the inside of a technology-related company, enjoying
the work I do for a living. In fact, sometimes I think to myself, "Wow, I get
paid for doing this!?" It's a thrill to be doing what I do, yet I must work
hard, and continue working hard to achieve the highest position I am able to
reach to make the most of my abilities. In doing this, I hope someday to give
something back to the non-hacking society which may show them that hackers are
constructive to society, thus, changing their negative view which has labeled
hackers synonymous to "criminals." I would like to see mature, legitimately-
successful hackers, form an interest group to help cultivate the energy of the
younger hackers.
Although I am retiring from the community, I can never retire the curiosity and
intense interest I have about technology. Instead, I now focus these aspects
legitimately into my daily work and will continue to do so. I've immensely
enjoyed my involvement in the hacking community and will always treasure it. I
also hope to eventually persuade people to accept hackers and to not persecute
them. This last goal is the most ambitious goal, but I feel it's the most
important goal, because those groups that control society are wasting a group
of young and talented individuals who could be inventors of future
technologies. Now, I will formally say "goodbye" to my friends in the hacking
community... but not for the last time.
Persevere,
Jester Sluggo
_______________________________________________________________________________
"Truth Is Out Of Style"
An Investigative Report Into Computer Security Corruption
by Dispater
It seems that these days the anti-virus industry/community has brainwashed the
public into thinking that any use of a modem will put you in contact with an
unfathomable array of dangers. It sounds like something your mom said, when
she didn't want you to stay out after dark doesn't it?
As it turns out the anti-virus community has all the moral fiber of television
evangelists. As they preach on about the horrors of accessing information
(without purchasing one of their products), they are engaging in the activity
that they claim should be made a federal offense, in Congress. That is the
"distribution of computer viruses. Not only have they been involved in this
type of activity since they industry began, but now there is a self proclaimed
"elite" [smirk] group of so-called professionals within the industry that wish
to keep a monopoly on the virus trade, by ruining the reputation and lives of
independent researchers. So in a way, we now have a "virus cartel" within the
computer security industry.
The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses is a printed text that has been
around for a few years, but is finally making waves with people who think
Prodigy and CompuServe are the best networks ever invented. Anyway, this book
contains printed out versions of viruses. Gee, viruses are SO difficult for
people to get their hands on aren't they? Well, one of the information
dinosaurs got his name in print for condemning such immorality.
"Professional virus fighters such as Alan Solomon at S&S
International are madder than angry hornets over the publication.
They are encouraging anti-black book campaigns that include
PICKETING THE AUTHOR'S HOUSE, boycotting shops that sell the book,
petitioning Congress, and even bringing in lawyers."
-- ComputerWorld, June 29, 1992, page 4 (emphasis added)
Well isn't it interesting to note that while Mr. Solomon is encouraging
personal and economic harassment of Mr. Ludwig, his close friend and business
associate, Sarah Gordon is doing the dirty work for him.
The Con
~~~~~~~
The National Computer Security Association's 1st Annual Conference on Viruses
took place in Washington, D.C. this past June. Alan Solomon and Sarah Gordon
were there in full force. Gordon has often been referred to as being Solomon's
sidekick and nowhere did she live up to this distinctive title more than at
this conference.
At the conference, Gordon purchased not one, but two copies of Ludwig's book
and then immediately ran to the conference organizer to make a dramatic scene
over how immoral it was for Mr. Ludwig to be selling such a thing. As it turns
out this is not the first time Sarah Gordon has engaged in such hypocritical
behavior.
Another interesting thing to note at the conference is the fact that one
evening, Knight Lightning and a couple of others noticed some people sitting
around a room and walked in out of curiosity to what was going on. As it
turned out what was going on was a "midnight meeting" of sorts. KL and friends
were asked to leave because "it was not appropriate that <they> be here." Why
wasn't it appropriate? It's because what these people were doing was
discussing the ways they were going to "take down bulletin boards" and damage
people's career's who distribute viruses.
Sometime after this conference, I learned about their plan to use "the media to
ruin these sysops. For example, to use influence with the media to call
attention to this type of activity." These people even went so far as to
compile a list of BBSes that they wish to "take down."
The Hit List
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phrack received anonymous mail containing the BBS "hit list" that the self-
proclaimed "elite" group of modem vigilantes put together to target first.
Upon our receipt of this list, Phrack staff members contacted the sysops of
these boards and as a result, many of the numbers have since been changed.
+1-206-481-2728 The Festering Pit of Vile Excretions
[This phone number belongs to a construction company
called Custom Building Co.]
+1-213-274-1333 West Coast Technologies (Tymnet 311021300023)
+1-213-274-2222 DII
+1-213-PRI-VATE\
)BBS-A-Holic
+1-ITS-PRI-VATE/
+1-301-PRI-VATE\
)Digital Underground
+1-301-913-5915/
+1-301-948-7761 Cornerstone III
[ ]
+1-305-669-1347 The Penthouse
+1-516-466-4620\
)Hamburger Heaven: this was down for
+1-517-PRI-VATE/ software problems, was titled Sentinel's Gate
+1-602-491-0703 The Final Frontier
+1-708-541-1069 Pirate's Guild
+1-717-367-3501 Night Eyes
+1-818-831-3189 Pirate's Cove
+1-901-756-4756 Silicon Central
+1-916-729-2112 The Welfare Department
[This is an insurance companies phone number]
+1-213-274-1333 West Coast Technologies (Tymnet 311021300023)
+1-213-274-aaaa DII
+1-313-LIM-ITED Canterbury Woods
+1-409-372-5511 The Crowbar Hotel
+1-514-PRI-VATE\
)The Sacred Reich
+1-514-975-9362/
+1-516-328-0847 The Grave of the Lost
+1-516-541-6324 Realm of Heroes
+1-708-459-7267 Hell Pit
+1-713-464-9013 South of Heaven
+1-818-831-3189 Pirate's Cove
+1-819-PRI-VATE Brain Damage
It is unclear as to whom is directly responsible for the organization of this
group or who is responsible for creating and distributing the list, however
there were representatives from CERT, ISPNews, and several other well known
individuals who are self-proclaimed security experts as well as a slew of
nobodies who wish to make a name for themselves.
The Hell Pit BBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hell Pit is a BBS system in Chicago and operated by a sysop named Kato.
Kato has a legitimate curiosity (as if a curiosity needs to be validated) about
the inner-workings of viruses. I shall let him relate his experience:
"I have been running The Hell Pit BBS for the past 3 years. It's gone
through many phases in that time, but the most recent has been my affection
for computer viruses. I became interested in viruses about one and a half
years ago and I set up a virus file base on my system. At first I had a
mere 5 or 6 viruses that I had collected from a system in the area. My
collection has grown to about 700 IBM computer viruses."
"It seems to be their objective to shut down my bulletin board system and
therefore eliminate my virus database. Considering these anti-virus
personnel claim to be interested in aspects of computer security, I find
their tactics highly questionable. There was recently a NCSA anti-virus
conference. I learned from sources that one of the people attending the
conference [Sarah Gordon] had committed certain acts on my BBS. This person
claimed to have called up, uploaded 3 fake viruses, gained access to my
virus database and then downloaded several viruses. This is their proof
that I do not adequately control virus access on my system. The anti-virus
personnel do not allow me to defend myself."
"Anti-virus personnel themselves have committed the same mistakes as I did,
probably much more often. There is no set of rules that determines what
makes someone an anti-virus authority. Certain people that seem to fit the
mold are allowed to exchange viruses with anti-virus personnel. What are
the criteria for these people? Is there any? It has been my experience
that if you get involved with the right circles, you are considered an anti-
virus authority. However, there are many places in the anti-virus community
for viruses to leak out. For one thing, you can never be certain who you
are dealing with. Just because someone is smart and claims to hold an anti-
virus attitude is no guarantee that that person isn't an "in the closet"
virus writer.
"At anti-virus conferences such as the NCSA anti-virus conference, guests
were exchanging viruses like they were baseball cards. That isn't what I
would consider controlling access."
"They do help a lot of people with computer troubles. However, to criticize
me for not properly controlling access to my collection of viruses is being
hypocritical."
"If anyone would like to call my system to check things out, feel free. I
have a lot more to offer than just computer viruses. I have a good number
of text files and some pretty active message bases. The Hell Pit BBS -
(708)459-7267" - Kato
Conclusions
~~~~~~~~~~~
It seems there is a move afoot in the anti-virus community to rid the world of
bulletin board systems that disseminate viruses openly and freely. The anti-
virus professionals believe that they must "defend the world" from this type of
activity. Even though during a recent conference in Washington, D.C., it was
disclosed that an anti-virus researcher recently uploaded three (3) viruses
onto a virus BBS (Hell Pit). Why was this done? To "expose the fact that the
sysop was not as careful as he claims to be." The person that did this was
then able to download viruses which was against the policy the sysop claimed
was in place (of course this statement is based upon the integrity of the anti-
virus community and their integrity is obviously suspect).
So, the anti-virus community set-up this sysop and made an example of him in a
national conference without allowing him the opportunity to defend himself. In
fact, the sysop may still be totally unaware that this event has even occurred,
until now that is.
These anti-virus researchers were openly exchanging copies of viruses for
"research purposes only." It seems okay for them to disseminate viruses in the
name of research because of their self-proclaimed importance in the anti-virus
community, but others that threaten their elite (NOT!) status are subject to be
framed and have examples made of them.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This type of activity raises a very interesting question. Who gives private
sector computer security employees or consultants carte blanche to conduct this
type of activity? Especially when they have the gall to turn around and label
hackers as criminals for doing the exact same thing. The answer is not who,
but what; money and ego. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of this whole
situation is that the true battle being fought here is not over viruses and
bulletin board systems, but instead the free dissemination of information. For
a group of individuals so immersed in this world, there is a profound ignorance
of the concepts of First Amendment rights.
Phrack Magazine is ready to stand tall and vigorously keep a close watch and
defend against any incursion of these rights. We've been around a long time,
we know where the bodies are buried, our legion of followers and readers have
their eyes and ears open all across the country. Those of you in the security
industry be warned because every time you slip up, we will be there to expose
you.
Dispater
_______________________________________________________________________________
Tim Foley Virus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Guido Sanchez
Right after I moved from 512 to 708, I had the misfortune to realize that Steve
Jackson Games, a company whose games I readily buy and play, had a BBS up in my
home town called the Illuminati BBS. This was my misfortune as I could have
called it locally in Texas, but now instead had to spend my phone bill on it
from Illinois.
A good year after the Secret Service assault of Steve Jackson Games, after most
of the "evidence" was returned with nifty little green stickers on it, a text
file was put up on the BBS called FOLEY.TXT, a simple copy of the lawsuit that
Steve Jackson Games had filed against the government, also known as
JACKSUIT.TXT, distributed by the EFF I believe.
[Editor's Note: We have been unable to confirm that EFF ever released a file
called JACKSUIT.TXT, however details of the EFF's
participation in the Steve Jackson Games lawsuit can be found
in EFFector Online 1.04.]
It was called FOLEY.TXT obviously because of Timothy Foley, a big-shot
government guy [actually an agent for the U.S. Secret Service] who is one of
the defendants in the case. I downloaded the file, and zipped it into a file
called, surprisingly enough, FOLEY.ZIP.
Within the next week, I was gleefully spreading information as usual, and
uploaded the FOLEY.ZIP file along with a batch of viral files to a local BBS
with a beginning virus base. The theory here is to spread viruses about,
accessible to all so that wonderful little Anti-Viral programmers cannot
succeed.
Unfortunately, the FOLEY.ZIP file was put into the viral file base, and before
I could warn the sysop to move it into the appropriate file base, about 8 lame
warezwolves had downloaded it and by the end of the week it was widely spread
around the 708 NPA.
The moral of this story? None really, it's just an amusing vignette of what
can happen when people become involved in the intense bartering of information
that takes place via modem, and can get ridiculed if they're not sure of their
commodity. That's all this huge business is, everyone is a courier. Whether
they're pirated files, adult files, sound files, viruses, or text files; 90% of
the time they're just downloaded from one 1.2 gig board and uploaded to the
next one for more credits to download more files, etc.
It's a great big cycle, just like life. So, to risk sounding cliche, my rally
to all is this: "Slow down! Sit back and pick the roses, eat them, digest them,
and eventually <hopefully> excrete them!" Mr. Warhol, my fifteen minutes are
up. The soapbox is now free.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Hacker Files June 22, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen (Newsbytes)
NEW YORK -- DC Comics has announced the introduction of a new twelve-issue
series, "The Hacker Files." DC spokesperson Martha Thomases said that the
first issue will ship on June 23rd.
The series, created by science fiction author Lewis Shiner, deals with the
adventures of "super-hacker" Jack Marshall who, prior to the events chronicled
in the series, unjustly lost his job at Digitronix and now operates as a free-
lance consultant.
The first story line, covering the first four issues of the series, deals with
Marshall's attempt to uncover those responsible for jamming ARPANET (Network of
Advanced Research Projects Agency) and causing NORAD's Space Surveillance
Center inside Cheyenne Mountain, Wyoming to malfunction, bringing the United
States to the brink of nuclear war.
In the course of his investigation, Marshall, AKA "Hacker," is assisted by a
number of members of the hacker community -- "Master Blaster," "Sue Denim," and
"Spider" (Master Blaster, whose real name is Mikey is a student at New York
City's Bronx High School of Science).
Fiction comes close to reality when it appears that the person responsible for
the virus that caused the damage is Roger P. Sylvester, a student at Columbia
University and the son of a high ranking official at the National Security
Agency (NSA); on November 2, 1988 Robert T. Morris, Jr., a Cornell student and
son of NSA's chief computer scientist, caused the crippling of the Internet
through his release of the "Internet Worm."
Shiner told Newsbytes, "The similarity of the characters was, of course done
intentionally -- you might even note the somewhat subtle connection of the
names: 'Sylvester The Cat' and 'Morris The Cat.' I did it partially to show
those somewhat knowledgeable about computers that the plot was not made out of
whole cloth but was the result of a good deal of research."
Shiner continued, "When reading comics, I look for information density and I
tried to make the Hacker Files rich in that regard. I'm hoping to attract some
computer-literate young people to comics -- comics were one of the earliest
forms of expression to make great use of computers and I hope, with the Hacker
Files, to involve more computer types in the medium."
Shiner also told Newsbytes that his experience as a programmer with a small
Dallas software firm provided him with an ongoing interest in computer and
communications technology. He added, "The firm was sold to EDS (Electronic
Data Services), Ross Perot's firm, and, with long hair and jeans, I didn't fit
into the EDS mold so I left and concentrated on writing."
_______________________________________________________________________________
"Sneakers" by Universal Pictures June 24, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from PR Newswire
Follow A Team of High-Tech Security Experts
Into The Complex World of Computer Crime
"I was trying to break into Protovision. I wanted to get the programs for
their new games." -- David Lightman (Matthew Broderick, "WarGames").
"The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy or money. It's run by
little ones and zeros. Little bits of data. It's all just electrons." --
Cosmo (Ben Kingsley, "Sneakers").
In 1984, screenwriters Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker received an Academy
Award nomination for their script which followed the adventures of a young high
school hacker (Matthew Broderick) whose computer made contact with the
mainframe computers at North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
A critical and box office success, "WarGames" was the first major motion
picture to explore the emerging worlds of computer games, hacking, crashing and
data piracy. It soon found a legion of fans who had also discovered the vast
frontiers available through their personal computer.
Eight years later, Parkes and Lasker along with writer-director Phil Alden
Robinson ("Field of Dreams") have collaborated on "Sneakers," a Universal
Pictures release which follows a team of high-tech security experts into the
complex world of computer crime. The caper film, directed by Robinson, stars
Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, David
Strathairn, James Earl Jones, and Mary McDonnell.
Parkes and Lasker first heard the term "sneakers" at a computer convention in
1981 as a nickname for IBM's kid programmers. Months later, they met the
editor of a small computer magazine who had a very different definition of the
word. "Sneakers," their source explained, is a term that is synonymous with
"black hatters" and "tiger teams," or individuals who are hired to break into
places in order to test the security of the installation.
Teaming up with Robinson, the trio wrote the basic outline of a story about a
team of sneakers whose questionable pasts had brought them together. Robinson
then embarked on some extensive research, but what had begun as basic fact-
finding about computer outlaws soon evolved into clandestine meetings with
underground hackers, FBI men, cryptologists, wire tappers, professional
penetrators and an endless stream of cyberpunks who were the pioneers in system
break-ins.
The "Sneakers" research led to meetings with numerous characters, ranging from
the notorious Captain Crunch (John Draper) to renowned mathematician Leonard
Adelman, called the father of public-key encryption. Using computer
encryption as a plot device, the writers were able to concoct an intricate
"what if" story which explored the possibility of a "black box" that could
potentially crack the code of any electronic information in the world.
"'Sneakers' has to do with a new age... the information age," said Redford.
"It's quite possible that a war in the future will be a war of information.
Whoever has it, wins."
Coming to theaters this September.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Pirates v. AT&T: Posters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special thanks to Legacy Irreverent and Captain Picard
On May 24 1992, two lone pirates, Legacy (of CyberPunk System) and Captain
Picard (of Holodeck) had finally had enough of AT&T. Together, they traveled
to the AT&T Maintenance Facility (just west of Goddard, Kansas) and claimed the
property in the name of pirates and hackers everywhere.
They hoisted the Jolly Roger skull and crossbones high on the AT&T flagpole,
where it stayed for two days until it was taken down by security.
This event was photographed and videotaped by EGATOBAS Productions, to preserve
this landmark in history. And now you can witness the event. For a limited
time they are offering full color posters and t-shirts of the Jolly Roger
Pirate flag flying high over AT&T, with the AT&T logo in plain view, with the
caption; "WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CONQUERED."
Prices: 11" x 17" Full Color poster........................... $ 7.00 US
20" x 30" Full Color poster $20.00 US
T-shirts $20.00 US
If you are interested in purchasing, simply send check or money order for the
amount, plus $1.00 US for postage and handling to:
CyberPunk System
P.O. Box 771027
Wichita, KS 67277-1072
Be sure to specify size on T-shirt.
A GIF of this is also available from CyberPunk System, 1:291/19, 23:316/0,
72:708/316, 69:2316/0. FREQ magicname PIRATE
_______________________________________________________________________________
Telco Trashing Yields Big Rewards July 20, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Anonymous
A few days ago, I was faced with a decision about what to do that fine evening:
Try and make amends with my girlfriend or go dumpster diving down at the Bell
Central Office. Well I guess I am a true lamer since I opted for the telco,
but my choice did not go unrewarded as I found a nice little treasure.
The building is a old 1940's brick place with almost no security whatsoever,
not even a guard on Sunday nights. So, it was no problem to jump the barbed
wire fence that surrounded the truck lot where the dumpster was located. After
rooting around through the dumpster for something worth my while, I came across
a medium sized box that apparently had been used by one of the employees for
moving since written on the were the words "pots and pans, kitchen."
Naturally intrigued by this strange box in a telco dumpster, I opened it and
found quite a surprise! There, staring up at me, was a binder with a label
stuck on it that read "Phrack 23." Inside I found the entire collection of
Phrack 1-39, Informatik 1-4, and LOD/H Technical Journals 1 and 2 (apparently
they were too cheap to print out the rest). They were poorly printed on a
laser printer (or well printed on a ink jet), but they were much better than
the cheesy job I had done printing out mine. :-)
Apparently someone at the telco is a phreaker that infiltrated the ranks of
South Central Bell or they have been reading up on the latest and greatest in
the phreaker/hacker community.
Perhaps not as valuable as a list of COSMOS passwords or dialups, but still it
was quite a find.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Anonymous Mail On IBM VM Systems?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 92 14:54:58 EST
From: Apollo
Subject: Anonymous Mail
To: Phrack Staff
Dear Phrack Staff,
I was reading a past Phrack issue and noticed that you can send anonymous
mail from a UNIX system. I know that there is a way to send it from a VM
system. However, the people at my node don't want anonymous mail sent, so they
do not tell us how it's done. Can someone PLEASE tell me how I can send
anonymous mail via a VM system?
-- Apollo --
From: Mind Mage
Subject: Anonymous Mail
To: Apollo
I assume that you know you can telnet to any VM system on the Internet and send
anonymous mail using port 25 and a commands that are very similar to that of
the UNIX SMTP.
If you want to send it from your particular system, you can try telneting to
port 25 of your own machine and doing it from there.
Mind Mage
_______________________________________________________________________________
WWIV Link Hack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Mr. Bigg (Rebel-*-Jedi)
Not that many people care but here is a nice little trick I happened to come
across and feel like sharing.
Hack for WWIV Systems Using Multi-Net v1.0 Mod
Usually used for LinkNet
Main Login: @-!NETWORK!-@
Link Login: 1 (or whoever is sysop)
//edit config.dat
find system password in file
abort editing
//dos
enter system password
Viola, access to Dos :)
Lamely enough there is no password. Check for users when using this mod.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Day Bell System Died
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sung to the tune of American Pie (with apologies to Don McLean)
Long, long, time ago,
I can still remember,
When the local calls were "free".
And I knew if I paid my bill,
And never wished them any ill,
That the phone company would let me be...
But Uncle Sam said he knew better,
Split 'em up, for all and ever!
We'll foster competition:
It's good capital-ism!
I can't remember if I cried,
When my phone bill first tripled in size.
But something touched me deep inside,
The day... Bell System... died.
And we were singing...
Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Is your office Step by Step,
Or have you gotten some Crossbar yet?
Everybody used to ask...
Oh, is TSPS coming soon?
IDDD will be a boon!
And, I hope to get a Touch-Tone phone, real soon...
The color phones are really neat,
And direct dialing can't be beat!
My area code is "low":
The prestige way to go!
Oh, they just raised phone booths to a dime!
Well, I suppose it's about time.
I remember how the payphones chimed,
The day... Bell System... died.
And we were singing...
Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Back then we were all at one rate,
Phone installs didn't cause debate,
About who'd put which wire where...
Installers came right out to you,
No "phone stores" with their ballyhoo,
And 411 was free, seemed very fair!
But FCC wanted it seems,
To let others skim long-distance creams,
No matter 'bout the locals,
They're mostly all just yokels!
And so one day it came to pass,
That the great Bell System did collapse,
In rubble now, we all do mass,
The day... Bell System... died.
So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?
I drove on out to Murray Hill,
To see Bell Labs, some time to kill,
But the sign there said the Labs were gone.
I went back to my old CO,
Where I'd had my phone lines, years ago,
But it was empty, dark, and ever so forlorn...
No relays pulsed,
No data crooned,
No MF tones did play their tunes,
There wasn't a word spoken,
All carrier paths were broken...
And so that's how it all occurred,
Microwave horns just nests for birds,
Everything became so absurd,
The day... Bell System... died.
So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?
We were singing:
Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
_______________________________________________________________________________
The 1992 Consumer Electronics Show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Sarlo
The Consumer Electronic Show is the annual event held in Chicago, Illinois,
that gives a sneak peek at the electronic products to come to market, as well
as products that are currently on the market.
The show is usually closed to the public. This year however, for a MEASLY $10
fee, the common shmoe can waltz his ignorant ass right up to the door, get a
green stamp on his hand, and walk up to several displays, oohing and ahhhing,
and gape like landed fish at the wonderous booths set up by various
participating companies such as AT&T, most major bell companies, IBM, Prodigy,
dozens of cellular manufacturers, Nintendo, Sega, and more software producers
than I really have the patience to list.
I take a taxi to the McCormick center, a convention haven, and enter through
the underground entrance. I walk down the nondescript hallway, noting that for
a center that is supposed to be housing the latest in the future technology,
nothing was that awe-inspiring. Expecting a lame show with shoddy video
graphics, I purchased my ticket, got my hand stamped and entered the doors.
Into an enormous room, filling my senses with an array of Lights and Sound.
You could almost smell the silicon as I made my way down the aisle displaying
the giant Phillips Digital Compact Cassettes screen. Not being a huge fan of
stereo equipment, I head over to the Sharp Electronics Display. It was a turn
in the right direction, as it brought me face to face with one of the clearest
and, per the name, sharpest video displays I have seen in my life. Their LCD
big-screen televisions, displaying a aquarium scene. Even close up, distortion
of the images were at a minimum. Along the north wall, a smaller, gutted
version of the LCD display was shown, giving electronics buffs a firsthand look
at the inner workings of the viewscreens. Turning a corner, I came face to
face with their dual-projection wallscreen television. Instead of ghost images
and a fuzzy, indistinct picture, I found that it may have very well be the
highest quality video projection system I have ever come in contact with.
Cellular Mania
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The highlight of the Cellular Phone section was the Motorola Cordless/Cellular
display area with a large sign showing the spokesperson for Motorola, the eye-
catching slogan above him:
"Cordless Phone Eavesdroppers Are Everywhere."
Immediately catching my interest, I wandered over to check out the smaller
print:
"But with my Motorola Secure Clear (tm) Cordless Phone, my private
conversations stay private."
Secure Clear, as the literature explains it, is an exclusive technology that
assures you that no eavesdroppers will be able to use another cordless phone,
scanner or baby monitor to listen to your cordless conversations.
As most of us know, security codes and multi-channels don't always prevent
eavesdropping. With the latest technology these days, security codes, one of
65,000 possible codes that are randomly assigned every time you set the handset
into the base, keeps someone from using your phone base as an outgoing
phoneline.
Using the Auto Channel Scan (ACS), the Secure Clear Cordless Phones
automatically skip any channels that register noise or interference. Three
guesses what Sarlo is getting himself for Christmas.
For more information on this or any other Motorola product, call their Consumer
Products Division at (800)331-6456.
On other notes, Technophone had a wide variety of cellular accessories,
including a Desk stand, spare batteries, an in-car charger, a new life of
antennae, QuickCharge AC chargers, and a hands-free unit for safe operation in
a car.
Omni Cellular had one of their Model "A" V833k Portable Hand-Helds open for a
demonstration, giving a static-free conversation with one of the salesmen.
Many of the features of this phone were:
o 90 Minutes of Talk Time
o 10 hours of Stand-by Time.
o and a sturdy design built right here in the USA.
Other features included Auto-Power Shutoff, Electronic Lock, 50 number memory,
and signal strength indicator.
East Building Hipster Hi-Jinx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Growing bored, I headed over to the map. Searching it, I found, almost
literally, my green light. On their illuminated map display, the green section
of the map beamed out to me.
"Computers"
Hauling ass to the door, stopping for a quick inspection of my bags by the
security guard, I strolled over to the east building (purchasing a way-keen
CES-92 T-Shirt along the way), I burst into the building with a renewed vigor.
Right smack-dab in the front of the entrance there is the awful stench of men
in business suits and cheap computer services. Right away, I knew I had found
the Prodigy display.
With free trials and the salesmen prodding the consumers to subscribe to their
system, I decided to take a look.
"Where else can you get such a great service, allowing you access to such a
wide variety of things such as an online message service, up-to-date news, an
online encyclopedia, and thousands of interesting users, people just like
yourselves?" The Online-Conman peddled his wares to the unsuspecting
consumers, not only misinforming them as to think that Prodigy is a useful
service at all, but to actually have the gall to shove a PS/1 in their faces
and tell them it's a quality computer.
"Umm... what about any Public Access Unix Site with an Internet or Usenet
feed," I asked. The clod then got on his high-horse and addressed me.
"Perhaps. But most Public Unix's, or bulletin boards, for that matter don't
have high-quality graphics to accompany the information." The man had
definitely done his homework. But apparently IBM and Sears soaped the man's
brains out thoroughly enough to the point where he actually bought the bull
that they were forcing down peoples throats.
"Yea," I said. "But most public access sites don't waste a quarter of your
screen space with worthless advertisements. I wasn't aware that pretty
pictures made the news or messages any more informative, either. But I might
also point out that they don't charge you a extra amount of money for every
message over the 30th one, read your mail or censor your public posts, or, many
times, even charge you a fee at all, other than possibly an optional
subscription fee, around $50 a YEAR at most, nor do they have small datafiles
that collects information from the fat table from the subscribers." As I was
speaking, the salesman was trying to interrupt me, finally succeeding at this
point.
"Well, I can see you have a lot of questions," the salesman evades rather well.
"So I'm sure this gentleman over here will be glad to answer any of your
questions, while I can take this lady's question...Yes?"
I was approached by another salesman who asked me what questions I needed
answered. I said none, seeing as I didn't have much interest in his system
anyhow, and that I was just seeing how good the Prodigy salespeople worked
under pressure. He said he would be glad to answer any questions I had, but if
I were only there to harass people, to please take it elsewhere.
Then it was off to the various other setups. Magazines were on display and
free for the taking here, including Mobile Office, Various Nintendo/Game System
magazines, and Audio Equipment. Walking down one of the back isles, I heard a
bit of conversation that caught my ears.
Star Trek Straight To Your Home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Computer. Recognize Picard, Jean-Luc. Kitchen Lights ON, Turn ON the VCR and
hit RECORD. Close the Curtains, and turn on the Extasy Channel. Prepare to
record "Chicks with Dicks."
- Jean Luc Picard
Stardate 1992.4, 2:45 A.M.
Such a Scenario is something you would think you could find only on Star Trek,
right? Wrong. With the Mastervoice, the "Ultimate in Home Automation", the
mastervoice is much like your own personal butler, telling the correct time,
activating and operating any device in your household, and even with it's own
alarm system. All of this, at the command of your voice.
Mastervoice can be designed to be used by up to four people, can be trained in
any language. It distinguishes who is speaking, obeys the commands, but also
speaks back to you -- in a HUMAN sounding voice. Male or Female. You can add
or delete voices from it's recognition systems, you can also create new
response words as well.
Featuring control over lights, stereo, TV, coffee maker, heating and cooling
systems. It also has a Household Noise Override that allows you to have stupid
children racing around your home in an obnoxious manner without disturbing the
unit.
Plus, it is also a speakerphone/telephone with stored numbers. At the sound of
your voice, it will dial or answer incoming calls and allow you to carry on a
conversation without ever having to touch the system. It also interfaces with
your PC for memory storage or control operations.
Built in infrared sensor and intrusion detection systems are another highlight
of this demonstration. As it recognizes up to four voices, you can assign a
password for each voice, being anything from "I am home" to
"Supercalafragilisticexpialidoshes". If all fails, it can call the police for
you. Nutty as all hell.
Mastervoice operates thru carrier current modules. This model, as one of the
top of the line voice-recognition home-use systems, it is up there in the
$4,000 plus range, but seeing all the stuff it does, it's well worth the price.
Skipping the Game Module Section (Nintendo/Sega/TurboGraphix/etc) entirely, I
ran into an interesting palmtop known as the Psion Series 3, and their new
interlink software. Windows Compatable, the palmtop not only has communication
software for a link between your PC and Palmtop, but also will support standard
Hayes and Hayes compatible modems. Sporting a qwerty style keyboard and a
romcard port, 128k and a 40 column screen, the Series 3 may be limited, but
provides an acceptable amount of access to other online services. Though for
now, a Windows based software package is only available, at the time of this
writing, there will be DOS and UNIX compatible packages available to the public
in 5 to 6 months.