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2600 Magazine - Volume 1, Number 1 1

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VOLUME ONE, NUMBER ELEVEN

Exploring Caves in Travelnet

One fine summer day several years ago, a phone phreaJt discovered
yet anot her i ntencsti tig telephone number, what was it? A modem? A •
dialtonc? A very special operator? No lo all of the above- -(Ais was
something truly amazing and unique. This was TRAVELNET.

Of ™uTw t he didn’t know at the time what he had dialed into. But
this is what he heard. Two rings,a tone that lasted For about half a
Hftnnd (it hud about the same pitch of a Sprint tone), and then a voice!
Noi just a recording, not just a human asking whal it was you wanted
but a recording asking you what it was you wanted ! Sort of like hearing
an answering machine for the first time, but this was no answering
machine.

"Authorization number, please,* tt sensual, husky female voice
asked. And since he was a rather clever guy. be hit his t.ouch tone*
keypad. Every timehe entered a tone, he heard a short “hooop," like an
acknowledgement of some sort. After four of these “booops* the
automated hdycame back and said "fetgJifceightsevetKero." But, alas,
those were not 1 tic keys he hit. Jn semi-desperation, he hit another key.
The female voice came back and said, “Please repeat, yes or no 1 ?" But
whal was the question? He quickly realized that she must have lwti
somehow Hying to confirm the entry of his numbers. But how do you
convey the word “no” on a touch tone* keypad?

He went through the whole process again and wound up getting
dumped into a recording that said fin an authoritative female voice},
"The Trftvtlnei number you dialed is incorrect- please check the
number and dial again."

He called hack. Again he tried entering numbers and tried to figure
out why they wouldn’t correspond. All of a sudden, his baby sister
(who had been growing increasingly bored with a raltlc in the neKt
room), decided to let out ibe son of scream ibai baby sisters arc known
for. What’s important about this is that after the scream was over, our
friend heard quite disci nelly over the telephone lines; "booop

“Wow," he said. "Booop," it repeated. It recognized speech! He
called it back and started entering numbers with his voice. It worked! .
After four numbers were entered, Ll would repeat them back to him and
he had the option of saying either “^es” or "no” If he said L, ycs"or
remained silent, he had the opportunity to enter four more numbers. If
he sjj id “no” the machine would make every effort to find out what the
number was by asking him twice just what it was he meant to say. There
were a few simple rules— he had to enunciate clearly and say the word
“zero” instead of “oh". .

But what would this lady let him do if he guessed the right eight
numbers? And how could he possibly get such a long number anyway.
Would he have to call up the lady and slowly and patiently pronounce
Lillie words over and over? Since he knew that there were over
100,000,000 possible combinations and that no more than a thousand
probably worked, fie understood that it would take some thinking to
satisfy the mechanical voice. He needed lo find some good Old-
fashioned human incompetence . If the machine had trouble hearing
him. or if he remained silent, it would eventually say. "Sorrv, we’re
having difficulties. H Then it would connect him lo a human, rie stuck
on the line and when the operator answered, he asked her what number
he haddialed. "This is Genera I Motors Travelnet, sir,’* she replied. **l Yn
terribly sorry, ^he said. “I was trying lo gel the speaking clock. "'Thal^
okay, " the operator said. "Goodbye.”

So il was General Motors f This would be easy. He waited a day and
called back. He got connected to another operator, who a^ked him
whal he wanted. "This i* J.C. Slcppleworth from Fort Wayne
GMAC, H he snarled. "And I've been having trouble using, ibis
confounded phone system, "“Well, why don't you call the instruction
number, sir? She gave him the number. He called this number and
heard a full demonstration on how to use the system. It was used to
make phone calls, which he sort of suspected. After you enter your

eight-digit code, you enter a ten-digit phone number or. if dialing
internally within General Motors, a seven-digit number. The recording
even spoke a demo authorization code to get the point across. After
hearing this, our friend wondered if he should try l hie demo code. “No.”
he deckled, “They couldn't possibly be that stupid.** He tried it anyway
and! guess what? The moment he confirmed the last number, the lovely
voice asked a new question! "Destination code, please?* (In other
words, the phone number you're trying to call.)

It was an extender — a long and short distance phone service. He
proceeded to test il, out. and he found that he could call virtually
anywhere in the country for free. But who carts about free calls? He
wanted to explore. And explore he did. He tried many things and
learned many things. He found ihathe could avoid the ItidyY voice if he
keypadded in the numbers before she could speak. This way the call
would go through normal Lywithoui any arguments, on pronunciation.
This allowed him to test many, many codes without much hassle. He
found that by mixing up his working code a little, he was able in find
many new ones. The simplicity was astounding. In a short lime, he had
found Literally hundreds of codes. After this, he sat down one day and
stared at his list of codes. Alt of a sudden, he realized something. Each
group of fouradded up toeilher?, 19. nr 39- a sort of base-nine code.

He wrote a short program and printed out all possible four-digit
combinations that added up to these magic numbers. He was set tV \
life.

He used the system to explore internal offices. If no area code was
entered , every "exchange put you in a different.ps rt of the country . One
cjicfiangt.W, simply dumped him Into a feed from a Detroit radio
station. One day, his Demons! ialcr, which is basically a touch tond*
generator with a memory, came across a re-order fa fast busy signal)
that turned into a diaitone in twenty seconds. The connection wasn^
great, but he found that he could make a direct call dfirwfaw. He could
dial overseas directly. He figured that he was at the switchboard of
someoffioc branch faraway from where he originally cal led- He found.

: out whal the number was by calling a friend person-to-person colled,
who then asked the operator for the number so that tht"perst}n**cau]d
call back when he. returned. When he called up the number he was
dialing from, they answered, “CM AC." So it was some distant office
that be was making his calls out of. using a Travelnet code and an .

■ internal number to gel there. It was so roundabout that he knew
nobody would figure it out. In fact, several people that he called
received calls from that office asking if they knew anybody wbo
worked there that would call them at three in the morning. .It was
incredible! Even if a friend had wanted to frame him. it was doubtful
that they would connect him with this distant city from which the call
supposedly emanated. And the funny thing was that the company was
probably placing a 24-hour armed guard on the building, thinking that
someone was breaking inand making calls. Someone was, but in a way
they could never figure out.

There’s much more to the world of Travelnet, particularly on their
internal network. And the same number works to this very day, which,
by the way. is toll-free. But we Ve heard of cases where people have been
trapped into paying for whal they did and it^s quite likely the system is
heavily monitored.

A simitar system called WIN was used by Wcstinghouse before they
gave up i n d isgust after their lines were constantly tied uphy phreaktrs
and hackers. Honeywell makes the actual system and there are others
in use around the country one. wt hear, for the state offices of
I Hi nois, a not her for ; Ralstcin-Purina . the folks who blow up sewers i
' Louisville, KV.

As usua I, nobody at T ravelnei understood any of the questions we
asked them and no one returned our calls, Maybe the lines were all
tied up.

1-61

Fun With Fortress Fones

lie uriictc will focus pitmarily on the standard Western Efcdric single-slot
turn leiiphoiK faka fortress fonc) which can be divided into 3 types:

Dial-Tone First [PTF]

• Coin-First fCF] fi.e., it wants your money before you receive a dial Unit)

i Dial Post-Pay Service [PP] (you pay after the party amwen)

Dt^fUbti Coin* (Skip)

Onctyou havedepo&ited younlupintoa fort ecu. it ia subjected to a gamut of
testa.

The first obstacle for a slug is the magnetic crap. This will slop any light-weight .
magnetic slupnnd coins, If ii ptaxt this, the slug is then classified ota nickel,
dime, orquarter. Each slug, is then checked far appropriate iin And weight. If
these teats are passed. it wilt then travel through a nickel, dime, or quarter
magnet as a ppropriate. These magnets set up an eddy current effect which causes
coins of the appropriate characteristics to stow down so they will follow die
correct trajectory. If all goes well, the coin will follow the correct pnth(u*ch as
bouncing off of the nickel anvil) where it wilt hopefully fall into the narrow
accepted coin channel.

The rather elaborate teds that arc performed as the coin travel down the coin
chute will scop most slug* and other undesirable coins, such ns pennies, which
must then be retrieved using the coin release kver.

If the slug miraculously survives the gamut, it will then strike the appropriate
totalizer arm causing a rale hr I wheel In rotate mux- for every 5 cent irucftnKnl
(e.g-. a quarter will cause it to rotate 3 times).

The totalizer then causes the coin signal oscillator to readout a dual-frequency
signal indicating the value deposited to acts (a computer) or the TSPS
operator. These are the same tons? used by phreaka in the iubmout red boxes.

For a quarter, 5 beep tomarc outpulscd at [2-1? pulses -per second | PPS). A
dime causes 2 beep lonnat 5-H.S l*PS while a ntckd causes one beep tme at 5-8.5
PRS, A beep con si sis of 3 tones: 2300 +1700 Hz.

A relay in the fortress called the "B relay 1 " ( yes, l he re is also an ‘'A relay")
placet a capacitor serosa the speech circuit during totqlinr readout to prevent
the “customer" from hearing the ted box tones.

Ln older 3 slot, phones, one bell ( 10 KM 100 Hz.) for a nickel, two bells for a
dime, and one gong (H00 Hz.) for a quarter arc used instead of ihe modem
JH^jrfrequcncy tones.

' TSPSiidArre

u'hile fonrCHHCS are connected to the CD of the am. all transactions are

handled via the Traffic Service Position System f]"SPS). In arms that do not
have AdS, all calls that require operator assistance, such as culling card and
collect., are automatically routed to a TSPS operator position.

In an effort to automate fortress service, a computer system known Us
Automated CoinToLI Service (ACTS) has been implemented in many areas,
ACTS listens to the red ho* rignari fmm Ihefoncuand lakes appropriate action.
It is ACTS which say*. "Two dollars please.f pause) Please deposit two dollar*
for the next len seconds... " and other variations. Also, if you la Ik for more tha n
three minutes, and then hangup. ACTS will tail back and demand your money.
ACTS is responsible far Automated Calling Card Service, too.

In addition. ACTS provides trouble diagnosis for craftspeople (repairmen
specializing in fori res ses). For example, there is a coin test which is great for
tuning up red boxes. In many areas thin test can be activated by dialingQ959 1 2.10
at a fortress (thanks to Karl Marx for this information), Once activated it will
request that you deposit variouscoins. It w ill (hen identify the coin and output
the appropriate red box signal. The cuirts a re usually returned when you hang

in make sure that there is actually money in the Tone, the CO initiates a
"ground test" at various limesfodetemnine if & coin k& actually in the font. This is
why you mu*i deposit at least a. nickel in order to wv a red box!

Green Boxes

Faying the initial rate m older to ure a red box (on certain fortresses) left a
sour taste in rrsinv ted hniter^ mouths. Thu* (he jim bo* wps invented. The
green box generates useful tow such, as COIN COLLECT, COIN RETURN,
and HIN(jBACK. These are the tunes that ACT'S or IhcTSPS operator would
nend (a. the CO when appropriate. IJ nfortunately . the green box cannot be used
at a fonrens ^talkm but it must be used by (he tulini party.

Here are the lores:

COIN COLLECT 7M * 1 1 » Hi,

COIN R FTVW* IIWtinOHt,

RINGS ACK TH«1THHe.

Before the calked party sends any of (best tones, an operator released signal
_>^uld he sent to alert (he MFdelCCtnrsat I he CO. This can be accomplished by
IKX) H?, ora single 2M0 Hz. wink (90 ms) followed hyaWlmipap
.j then the uppmpriatc signal for at least 9W ms.

A Isn, do not forjiet that the iml ial rate iseolleeted shortly before I be 3 minute
periraJ is up.

Incidentally, once the stove MF tones for colloctingaiid rttu mingcoitlfi reach
the CO. (hey are converted into an appropriate DC pu Ise { - 1 30 volts for return
and *1 JO volt! for crilrri), This pulse is then sent down the tip 10 the fortress.
Thix cause* the coin relay to either return or collect the Midi.

The ilkpd "T-Network" take* advantage of this information- When a pulse
for COIN COLLECT [+IJ0 VDC) is sen! down the line, it must be grounded
somewhere. This is, usually either (he yellow or black wine. Thus, if the wire" are
exposed, these wires dn be cm lo prevent the pulse from beinggrounded. When
the three minute inilia.1 period hahttOsl up. make sure thti the black and yellow
wires a re severed, then hangup, wail about 1 .5 seconds in case ofa second pulse,
reconnect the wires, pick up Ihe tone, hang upagain, and if all goes well it should
be jackpot time.

Physical Attack

A iy pica I fortress weighs roughly 50 pound! with an empty coin box. Most of
this is accounted for in the armor plating. Why all the security? Well, Bell
attributes it to the follwing:

“Social changes during the lWfl^i made the multisloi coin station a prime
target for vandalism, strong arm robbery, fraud, and theft of service. This
brought about the introduction of Ihe more rugged single slot coin station and a
new environment foF coin service . 1h [we related, story, pap: 1-63],

As for picking the lock- 1 will quote Mr. Phelps: "We often fantasjje about
"picking the lock’ or 'getting a master key". Well, you can forget about it. E don't
like to discourage people, but it will save you from waiLing a lot or your
time time which can be put to better use (heh, hrh).!’

As for physical attack, the coin plate is secured on all four sides by hardened
steel bolts which passthrough two slatseach. The**- bolts a re in LU-m interlocked
by the main lock.

One phreak l know did manage to take one of the ’ ‘mothers'* home (it *hh
attached in a piece of plywood at a consinxiioii site! otherwise. the permanent
ones arc a bitch to detach from the wall!). It took him almost ten hours to open
the coinbox using a power drill. Pledge hammers, and crow bars. It turned out to
be empty. ..perhaps next time, helldcpcsii a coin first to hear if it slushes down
nicely or hits Ihe empty bottom with a clunk -

Taking the- fone offers a higher margin of success, although this may he
difficult . often requiring brute force. Their have been several calves of back a* ks
being lost trying to takedown a fone! A quick and dirty way co open the coin box
is bv using a Shotgun. In Detroit, after ecologists cleaned out a municipal pond,
they found 1MI cnln phones rifled.

In colder areas, such as Canada.. -some shrewd people tape up the fonts, using
duct (ape, pour in water, arvd come back [he next day when the water will have
frozen, thus expanding and cracking [he forte open.

In one case, "unauthorized coin collectors" were caught when they brought
Sb.DOQ in change to a hank and. the bank became suspicious....

At any race, the main lock is an eight level tumbler located on the rigtu side or
the coin ho*. This Lock his S90J&25 possible positions (V, since there are H
tumblers each with 5 possible positions), thus K is highly pick resistant! The lock
is held in place by 4 screws. If there is sufTkieiti clearance to the right of t he fonc,
it is conceivable lo punch out the screws with a drill

MIkcIumoui

In a few areas (rural and Canada), post-pay service exists. With this Type of
service, ihe mouthpiece is Cut off until (be caller deposits money when the called
party answer*. This also a Hows fof free calls to weather and otherd ial-it services,
where ith-nut necessa ry for you to talk. In July, Jrtflfl announced the ‘'clear' 1 ' box
which consists of a telephone coil and a small amp. It i* based on the principal
that the receiver Ls also a weal t ra non i tier and that by amplifying your signal
you can talk via Ihe transmitter thus avoiding costly telephone charge*!

. Most fortresses are found in the 9x*x area. Under former Bell Jivas. they
usually Sian ul 9k sX (right below Ihe official senes) and move downward.

Since il's [he lint andnot the fnne that determines whether Or not U depuil
must be nude. DTF and Charge- A-Call fones have been k nown ma kt great
extension?!

Finn lly. fort re** fones allow tor a new hobby insLrttfl ion pfcue collecting. All
(hat is required is & flat-head screwdriver and a pair or needle-nt^e pliers. After
all. icn rent plates are defthilely hemming a “rarity"!

FemwSectrity

While a towty fortress may seem the perfect target, hewn re! I hcCrestupo h*ivc
been known to stake out fortresses for as long ash yfeira according to the Unix*
fans i,t QixirU'rty. In avoid any problems, do not use the wflW fone£ repeated I*
for boxing, cal ling -ra-rd*. and other experiments. I he iclco krtow?; I'm'iW much
money Khtmld be i-n the coin box and when it^ not there they tend to ^ct
perturbed (read: pi*<d oft).

f'Thi* rrbtAv \wt txterpti’ti frt*tn ftfOC Agehf f/OJ V n-wr.vc J'ff Rh.iti T^h 1 -
wtutifwnirfiiitNH,, Part Vf. Neither &IOC tkv ihix ;J>tr
a*tvttli*tg ifkypif h iiii rv$ani to phtwr.* tv any ffoirr f tya 1 of htn*'- f-tirttnv
iftfiirrumktH ti'Litiiahfr ot\ Jatotii a* Vf4J3Vi5 i?.} m

1-62

ABC

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OPER

0 ,

Computer Foul-ups Hurt Social Security

Ph£^*ViifL

A House Committee ha* asserted that improper handling ot a ill 5
million computer contract had undermined the G a vernment 's ability
to serw the mill ions of American* who receive Social Security benefits.

1 he report that improprieties in the 198 1 selection caf the Paradyne
Corporation. a Florida company, to build computer terminals had
damaged ihe daily opera cions of the Social Security Administration
came from the House Government Operations Committee, after two

veara of investigation.

After Paradyne provided the terminals. Held offices of the Social
Security Administration experienced "extiaOidinary levels of equip-
ment failure* and poor performance," according w researchers.

The report cited complaint* from local Social Security offices all
itwr the country. “The public is frustrated with us and wtVe frustrated
with the system and snapping at each other" wrote the Fayetteville.
NCmanager on July 9. f932- ‘Something has to be done immediately.
The public will be after us with guns and knives shortly.”

Phones in the Sky

list month, sis airlines bejpn a pay-telephone service that allows
passenger* to call anywhere in the United States. The cost is fairly
phenomenal: £7.50 for the first three minutes and S 1 .25 for each
addit ional minute .

The system f designed by Airfone Incorporated) uses radio waves to
transmit call* to one of 57 grmind receiving stations, which then
transfer them lo regular telephone lines.

To use the ivstem, vou insert any one of seven major credit cards into
a wall-mounted console situated in ihe from of the plane. When the
tatd ha* been validated, a cord less phone will be released, and you can
return to your scfl i io dial away.

use of wiretaps- “I think there is an enormous intrusion into peopled
privacy." be said, citing recent FBI public-corrupt ion probe*. "Now
they arc reaching into the lives of ft number of innocent people because
of l be types of crimes they are going after." he said.

For each wiretap installed, an average of 1 .107 conversation* were
overheard involving 147 persons, according to the 19KJ court report. In
that year the cost of installing federal wiretaps averaged S65.000 each,
fora tola I cost of more thanSI J million. But critics claim that figure i*
too low because it doesnU calculate ibe legal work involved. All
wiretaps have to be court-ftuthoriTicd.

The rapid increase in (be number of wiretaps, which sources said
already ha* topped last yc«r T s total of 70S, probably will surpass the
1971 record (iS5) set by the Nixon administration. Use of wiretaps
dropped soon after President Jimmy farter took office, withnn alfi
lime low set in 1977. The use of electronic surveillance started totUmb
aggin in 19GL after President Ronald Reagan took oflice.

8 1 8 Here to Stay

Omi hiF^J A. 1:11 ftnurci.?.

After three yea rs of wa m ing* and n inc months of what t be telephone
companies called a "permissive dialing period," 1.5 million Los
Angeles ares residents have been split off from 3.7 million neighbor* as
the area received it* first new dialing code in nearly 40 ycara-

Ca tiers to downtown l_os Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and
the trendy bench communities ol Malibu and Santa Monica can
continue io use ihe old 213 code, But anyone calling San Fernando
Valley and the suburban San Gabriel Valley now have to dial HI8.

Alfred kness, a computer equipment salesman who was making
rounds through the downtown area, pulled out a thick hooklct full ul
el Lent*' business Cards and said, “It Mo exciting now. I never know who
I Vn going to reach on the first try - a customer or that nice mechanical
lady from the phone company. Il dinks."

Another FBI Computer Fite

llu- V>rt IhW’

An advisory panel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has
approved the testing of a computerised file (hat could allow criminal
justice agencies all over the country to exchange the names of while-
collar crime suspects and their a*sfK iates.

An FBI staff paper presented to the panel said the file. ihe Tcnnom ic
Crime Index, would permit a "more efficient a nd effective fie Id- wide
coordination of major white-collar crime investigation*, particularly
those involving financial crimes."

Civil Libert ies expert*, however, immediately challenged the project,
contending that the widespread exchange of "raw invrctiga r ire files”
would he a dangerous threat io innocent Americans. They said that
such network* should be limited to handling public information such
as a peradnk arrest record.

The information would include the name* of suspects, their
addresses. Social Security numbers, passport number*, ha nk account
numbers. alia*ev Selective Service numbers, driver's license numbers,
automobile license numbers, and information about “associate?. "

According to .lerry Berman, legislative counsel of the American
Civil Liberties Union, the project “is extraordinarily troublesome,
because it is not intended to exchange public record information such
as when someone i* arrested or when an arrest warrant ha* been
obtained for someone Who is believed to have committed a crime.
Instead, the FBI will he passing around information that will include
many unproven allegations and casual gossip, the d tssem i nat inn of
which presents a major threat to ihe privacy of all Amcriran'i . "

Berman noted that informal ion available cm the proposal did not
define what was meant hy wh iie-collar crime or “an associate, * H c sa id,
"An associate of u white-collar criminal might be a casual friend you
met at a party or. in the ta*e of a suspected bank officer, all the
members of the bank s board of governors."

Use of Wiretaps at Record Pace

The use of wiretaps hy federal law-enforcement agencie* ha* been
steadily increasing, with & record number expected this year as the FBI
becomes more involved wirfi ruireocic* investigations, according to
Justice Department source*.

American University bra professor Herman Schwartz. who monitors
the use of survciltUPCC, think* there a re not enough safeguard* in the

One We Somehow Missed

■S I l-iilI I'.ipiT m t [*1 an- ‘Si 1 * Viiii

JANUARY 27, 1984 ■ Two IS-ycar-old Stony E*nint (New York)
"rustlers” bav* been named as the outlaw* who lassoed a L. etch worth
telephone booth to their car and dragged it (wo mile* ih rough (he dust
before being arrested by stale trooper*. Both of the accused were
cha rged w i th grand la reeny . possession of hu rglur tools, and criminal ,
mtschief-

A wjmess reported -seeing two men tie up t he ouidoor boot n at about
3:35 B.m.. pull il from its moorings in. a concrete stab and drag it along
the highway. " T hey were tracked, by following the scratch murks; on the
h ighway .” a stale policeman said .

The troopers found the booth a good two miles from its point cd
origin. A security officer from the New York I clcph-ontt ompany said
the booth cost Si .385. the coin machine S4O0, the wire that led out of il
another 146, and the concrete slab it wu* pulled from wa* worth
another 1278. He said the machine, with an estimated S50 in change
siill in the coin box. w** "totaled".

"We're going lo he looking for restitution," the company repnciicn-

talive said.

In Addition...

L OmtiintlJ Sin* 1 , ’ii.inivi

Attorney Melvin Belli has filed -suit in Santa Ana. CA against

TRW I r»C-, accusing the nation* largest credit rating firm of "dangerous
and unethical” practices that e*pn*ed credit histories to computer
pirates. This i* the first of many similar Lawsuit* Belli imend* to file
nationwide.

MCI sav* it* customers now enn call Belgium. Argentina. Brazil.

East Germany. Cineece. and the United Arab Emirate*. ( E’resumahlv.
Ihe MCI trademark, i.e. LOU D cchoe*, will continue to fiourish with
this expansion.) MTI has negotiated agreements ihiil will allow the
start of direct oversea* phone service next year to England and three
oiher (as of vet unnamed! foreign nations.

New York\ chief judge has proposed having a computer help

select guu rd iana a nd conservator* i n an effort to comNu c he a ppea ranee
thal appointment* may be handed out a.* political Imor*. Under flic
system, each lime a judge needed to make an appointment, the
computer would randomly select five namc-s liom which he could
choose. The chief iudge would establish stuicwidc standard* 1<>r
placement of name* «ri the list*. Hacker*, though, would probably
b\ pans these stundard*.

1-63

Letters From All Over

n*»rl6W.

l\e hcen a subscriber tnTfWft jar some time nw.lrtd I enjoy ihc publication.
Ynu'ne doing a nice public servlet by illuminating the of«n neglected area of
Idcphonc technology and npciUliQIB.

Oneway in wliicfiWeould do an even more inteitsiii^jabii by priming a
bibliography or list of references from time to time. Whai books, articles, arid
journals provide additional inforniaikm about ihr telephone system? Fur
example. one Article covered ESS 05: there must be same article*, advert ire*
rnfcnls in trade publications, etc., that provide additional information.

I can give you a start which hopefully you end cuber waders can add to. Here
air two books:

iVwflra on Long Instance Dialing, published by AT£T around 19? I .

Telephctne Atvvx/mries Ymi Can Build, by J. Gilder, around 1975.

Many (banks. Keep up the fascinating work!!

Sincerely,

Howard A. Karlen
Randolph, MA

Dm Mi. Karten:

Voull be happy to know chat wcVe broken ground on a database for
phneaker: hacker required reading. Your IwO suggestions are the find entries. A
couple of others that we were able to come up with off (he tops of our heads:

T7u h Pft*iW Bfffi k by Jr Edgar Hyde.

Nri/cx tin fit f Affjki 'Ofk by AT&T themselves. This one is reported ly i>iss ttf
print altogether!

Add to that The Ri.v itfihe Computer State by David Bu mham. which we
reviewed here a few months hack and Pu':Ie ftitote. a fflstinaling work on
ihe NS A.

Well do our besl to expand on thin list, hut we really newl I he help of our
subscribers on this one. [f you know- of a good book Of publication, send the
name of it tn us, or call MS and tell Us about IE. An easy- way Co find material ik to
goto yoyr local library and look in ihe curd cula log under the subject: Telephone
or Computer. There’s bound to be someth ing interesl mg nearly everywhere and
iTi lot of ptop le do 1 his. well havrt|uilea list before we know il? f By Ihe way. if
you hit a card -catalog, be sure lodrop In your own card with nur address ofi it M>
dial our fame can eoniinue to spread cheaplv.)
l>e*r2Mft

[ have been silver bnxing on various directory assisbmees and have found that
pressing a erne starts s ringing fs ihis jUM a tesl funelion or is il going
■somewhere?

Thanks,

F(rt htonRer
ArUnglon, Va

Dnr Fire;

For the benefit of others, well briefly explain a silver IwiK. Ftfrv touch Lone^
phone actually bus the capacity for sixteen tones, not just twelve, A simple
modifir.ii.non inside the phone accomplishes ibis. The extra tones fa denies I row
to ihe right bf Ihe row) are labeled A-B-C-D. ThrHe t-cmes are used,

priinarily pn Aucovon,Or Pa -Beil, the military phone network which can knock
out civilian phone scrviceai any time for its own purpose*. (I.onk ai the phones
on the w-j I Is in War Gftntex . J Such a modified phone is labeled a '’silver box". Bui
1 he tones don 1 ! really do all that much good to people ngls-ide Ibe mi I Jla ry, un less
iheyVc .Viitrudiw tapped intn a military phone system. This, however, i*

impossible- Isn’t it?

What most ptimJcs use silver boxes for are zapping long distance info. You
would call KXK-555-12L2 and then hold down ike D key. The moment Ihe
information operator picks up, the D tone cuts her off and gives the caLlcr a
pulsing dial (one. Each number you bit at this point has a different effect, In
Some areas, hitiinga 6 connects you la one etui of a loop. (7 is the cl her end ,1
Anodier ruimbcr (imyw 1 eamtri tavtnl heard of anybody whocouid do
anything wilh if, though, And lultingieiK usually jets a ringing somewhere, li
almost 1 Iways sounds exuilylikc the directory assistance ring for chat area . We
have never heard of anyone picking upon such a ring, so logic tells u&tlui it’s
simply a test. If anyone knows otherwise, pkaie let us know.

Incidentally, since il now costs We lo call long distance informaiiftn, silver
boxing has experienced a slight lull.

Dfw2Hft

In reply io Ocldbfrli issue Gening Gntfto. 1 f/ndff LiW- I was in (he
reverse situation. I had turned in a close friend Iasi spring. I uv faced with a
situation of (timing him in or being an accomplice lo fraud. Being in a spoi like
dial, no one can make a decision lode that without always doubting yourself,
choosing between. being an accomplice or keeping a frieruhtiip is a pbcc I
wouldn't wish far my wont enemy. In dealing with the feds, nnc can’t lake
everyth! ngas tniih— ihey tell the guy whp^ htuned one stbryf in hopes of making
him crack) and tdl the "informer" another s(nry (in hopes of scaring them inlo
saying things they wouldnt nofmally say). The people who read lhal in tlw
October issue probably thought the person who turned this guy in was a rul.a
fink. ora fed. Whal they may not realize is the other side of the story, the part
where the L i.nfanner'geti cornered inla Idling yrfi&l be knows, ar sacrifice his
freedom fend up in jail) if hedoesn^ttell. In my case, that\ what happened. I was
curneral-and hadtotelland provide evidence in. older to keep my ass clean. The
guy I lumed in had fa u Led up the jab and wauktYr been, caught wilhoul my
(elling, though him and his friends still Ihink I'm a rat. Whal llwy may no! realize
is whal ihey would Ye done if I hey were me. Would Ihey have gone 10 jail to
protect a friendship.' Or would [he frichd you’re pratcCling do ihe same for you if
he were faced with turning you in or going 10 jaiF lie other point being (hat
since he would Ve been caughi anyway. I wouldYe been subpoenaed 10 testify
againsl him because he had involved me by using my property for the fraud. Ta
tell a friend you’re goingia commit some fraud (or whatever) i? nol acrime, bui
using lhal pefsonk property and hy lhal. making them an accomplice. is.

Signed,
The Trojan Hone

Dear Trojan: '

Thanh for writing And giving u* an even more ignored side of [he story. You
may have Opened up wmr eyes. Try kiting your '“friend** see (his letter and he
might realize that he wasn't die only rnir going ihntugh hell on a rubber raft.

. ^

ftf.tiiHtfrTth. MFiitfd ixnt obvitf the CQMSHC tetter. It is m> ttvt^erfrtr*‘. fintu i -
t.ifft? JJ.f. // iti frtc. though, tn metnhm ttf fhe C t mimumt v t it vi.\ Stfwitr
A \&tuiQiii>n (CSA )■ Thin ri n ttf^ uriHtfi/itrtWfptf iln

mutitv. 7Vr u-jW BUS. fit ftfitfltkw uipiffrlirafitin.*. tftui

^•lirk.tiiitfK. Th* 1 itiitu ptv Iff} per Fitrrutrrfinfi}, writt f to}("SA r 45Ii i5tftSi. r
Suite IX t, Waihinxnir, t?C JfMOA t jf cait JfJJrtJSNWJP.

Wt nt.w ftwnit nut ahftur wither nuftazinr— BtuH- It rmlx |2J a l ew

and iht'tr attrfn-m is 33 If) Midtani I.ah^p Rfvnt r Ca\.v Junction, OR P7,VJ.

For oft tin tw antivkimh who arv witting to write arparikifmtc in thr production a/2 AM, thefottowbtg is&ptrtklfhft of the types of things wr wouMttke
to ser f be they ortiefes or e^pphtgi or nrw data or something eke. iternemher^ we orrn community newsietter- — the community being those fhttrtce or

choose to read ar participate in 2AM,

iartichs can be tn just about m vy format end any iength the tntfy thing we at * h that they be reasonably Jcgibtr.}

fact

lectanlcat s<uJT

tfundrin

tlrtS articles

any foreign lek'o

malichHn hackii^t

divKtilures

infonunia

fiction

phone alteration*
);i>vt dacuikienfx
legislatxm
Altcmale leicnx
maljcuua ptarvaking
lefco policy
itom & wuth afnea

transcript*
decoder*
inside telco stuff
security com panic*
big brother stuff
ucht engineering
dtal-ft #\
credil card info

lists of ffs
book reviews

opinions
experiences
roots of telephony
llieralure
hank machine*

comfiiiler dbl-ups
software reviews
phone books
essays

telco employee*
switching system*
political use of comp,
able 1v

bulletin boaitk
hb* review
pictures
Span's telco
viral programs
dictionary of terms
dissident use of cramp,
strange phones

pfease do whatever you can so that WOfl wttt always be interesting, write tout or caff us at the numbers on the front trover
IF YOU HA V&\T$F\TI\ LAST MONTHS BLUE SUR VFY CARDS, DQ IT NQW*W Iff THANKS.

/ ;

2600

Alphabet i cal List ing of ICs and Car

I C Nam?

Allnet Communication Services, Inc*
ALTCOM Corporation
A1 t&rnatiue Communications Company
AmerjCall Systems of Louisville
American Network , Inc*

American Satellite Co*

American Sharecora, Inc.

American Telephone Exchange
Argo Communications Corp.

AT&T Communications
Delta Communications, Inc.

Eastern Telephone Systems, Inc.
Express Telecom, Inc*

First Phone Cbrp.

General Communication Inc.

GTE SPRINT Communications
HASP r Inc.

Hawaiian Telephone Company
Inteleplex Corporation
\\ Interstate Communications, Inc.

^ ISACOMM, Inc.

Lehigh Ualley Telcom, Inc.

Lex it el Communications

Liberty Bell Communications, Inc.

Long Distance Sauers

Long Distance Service CLDS), Inc.

MCI International 1

MCI Telecommunications Corporation

Mercury, Inc#

Microtelplnc.

NCR Telecommunication Services Inc.
^ Me twork I , I nc .

^Network Telecommunications
Petricca Communications Systems
RCI Corporation
Republic Telcom
Satelco

Satelii te Business Systems
Schneider Commun i ca t i ons
Sears Communications Company
/Sorenson Telecommunications Company
St a/ net Corporation
TelaMarket i ng Communications, Inc.
Telecom Systems, Inc*
Telecommunications Systems, Inc.

■ Tel eD i al America
Telesaver

)

pages

rier Identification Codes(CICs)-

Old

F.G. D

F.G.

2-Dlgi t

3-Digi t

3-frtg:

ACNA

CIC

CJC

ALN

■r 1

444

044

400

<„

ALT

234

<-■"

ALU

006

< —

PRH

053

< —

ASC

369

< —

AS I

322

<™

ATE

050

< —

ACC

456

< —

ATX

321

< —

DLT

233

<™

ETS

54 .

054

< —

ETI

XXX

FNE

442

< —

GCN

077

<—

GSP

777

<—

HAP

600

< —

HWT

015

< —

I PL

235

035

I Cl

OS7

. ISA

065

LLT

051

< —

LEX

666

066

Lee

776

< —

LSI

036

C —

LDS

084

<--

MCX

77?

< —

MCI

222

022

M£C

021

<— -

MIC

789

<“

NCR

009

< —

NEI

011

< —

NT I

685

< —

PEI

024

< —

RTC

211

00 3

RTT

026

< —

SAN

800

<™

SBS

883

0 90

SCH

500

< —

ALC

755

<--

STM

950

< —

SNC

999

TAM

007

< —

TSS

889

< —

TSI

852 ‘

TED

040

T3R

221

< —

1-65

‘h

'PAGE NO. 00002
04/0 5/84 '

Alphabetical Lining of ICs and Carrier Identification Codes(CICs

Old F.G. D F.G. B

2-Digit 3-Digit 3-Digit

IC Name ACNA CIC CIC CIC

ared by; Numbering/Dialing Planning Group, Bellcore - Network Planning
questions or comment* caJ 1 Bob Brillhart on 201-221-5315

BOY DO WE LOVE THESE PEOPLE * '

ThciDbiiiWnRjtri riiltkttvwirimnidiiED, *c wen Ipiritniri hy rtv umhH^ pAVriiiit hin ortsJ

Hid wjnjiuM fiend wt a mj Id f rack the Wi fried fo'rtufi this. D»ild k)d Okjw bet wm wi emwetofti- (r*ttid w wnnl »p

tlliltlOiMi) Mvltallii(UkridulUlretouWilelDhMnDirK<)OudhtlHbtttaflfhkldU(r(lhrHWd«llll,HfHtldHI«0JlM
afi^niiiinpiri e* wtintd to finniittf him Itatimr em kgUhnili- ^fttr *7 wntuntd viHot hr r™ily nai tail lauudBid kwii
mtitnlhf our utieti,

WMVhii^ta wdmMmd Iwtr ■ ^ MCI Hill had Ivfidlllili tm ^qut«rpRP«vnlklni p^Uri, whn 4brM j nAttfaq haori
hadomand.Weiwnlifd ni) (dfa It I* nuilli frun “nriti lf|lliriKf’ , Md¥hlfn uiu Iwi the v*f } mpt kttif , While we ran (tt MCI

iried lojcoafltr u*— we nennt ripping thtaiofFktill. WWk Wi knpoariMe topri h>I id proof.*! wMmcvpoiiitvto'ihr hrt dwt l*j didhtlit the
nmlmf nf Ihi mi*|f ■ m r were piut( t n(tib 4 ltal Act hivm Iktoufh AHr aifcar rlwTi ' mil, turale ^«ire ther'rt taftJifilautlh right
ihlflf*.

A* tiff fha piiaifn*. lhr*cf owit h JilHI ItHcrirt. Wei* boit j ittnliK throwll Ait k conrininc tv pile *#■!* *m. h*t IIwpc^ no4fc*Bf.*i ■■ we
m do- Ptriap a Jtw compUintv'thraU are in onitf fron otir tuny {HMKmn,

It has bwn brought to our attention that your password and username have been
published. Because unauthorized users could therefore charge usage to your
account, we are temporarily inactivating it for your protection.

Please call us at 800-424^6677 to register for a new password and username.

Any messages in your inactivated account will be available under your new
account.

Opal Mbrndtort
Svvtoaa Corporal lor
3000 M fl MW

4*300

WbafttognA, DC zoos*

202 203 42NV

Dear Customer;

S’ffipL CIC it \\k XX portion trf 9M-I0XX.

3 difii CIC i F.G. B|i id ihe XXX ponirtrttrf 9J0-IXXX.

3 digit CIC | F.G. I?) r.ifirXXX ptmiun □£ EQXNK jchjk cod* for ir%
lhal IJf-C4|liipp*id for equal iiima.

EXAMPLE: Iriltkpkk d CiJiTtrtLk rtithitble lhi 2*Jigit CIC" at 950-1-1115 . Vridcf 1 -d Lj i E
CIC -I F.G. Bj. l3ie->- are Mill mclnble at MIMD35. In arux equipped for equal -BDOrti, the
Cfllkr WVtaJH dimply dnE HS235 In he nMiiwcfod to Inlckplr!!.

During registration, you will be asked to provide a credit card number (AMEX r
VISA or Mastercard) and your S5N. These numbers will be used for credit check
purposes only.

He regret any inconvenience this may have caused, but hope you will appreciate
our concern for the protection of your MCI Mail account.

Sincerely,

David Boyd