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Here is some interesting news that appeared in the August 15, 1991
edition of the 'HOUSTON CHRONICLE'. It involved the now defunct
hacking group the 'Legion of Doom', who as you recall was busted in the
'Operation SunDevil' raids last Summer.
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EX-HACKERS' TACTICS ATTRACTING CRITICISM
Houston computer-security experts up to their old tricks, executive says
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Joe Abernathy
Houston Chronicle
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A new computer-security consulting firm run by members of a once
notorious nationwide hackers' group is facing heat for what a technology
executive sees as a return to the ways of the computer underground.
Comsec Data Security, a Houston-based firm recently incorporated by
reformed members of the defunct Legion of Doom, counters that the attack is
an attempt by competitors to discredit the company.
Scott Chasin, a Comsec principal, acknowledged that he and his
colleagues surveyed competing firms by posing as prospective customers.
But he emphatically denied that the activity included unauthorized
access to comuter systems.
"It was not a Legion of Doom operation, it was not some big
clandestine thing," Chasin said. "It's called shopping for yoour
competitors, that's what it's called, competitive shopping, and thats what
we did. But some of these consultants that have been in the industry, some
of the dinosuars, got upset."
To survey the pricing and services offered by its competition,
Comsec called security consulting firms around the nation, representing
itself as an unrelated company with a hacker problem.
They said they were from Landmark Graphics, a real Houston
technology company with a real hacker problem - one it didn't know about at
the time. They gave out information regarding Landmark's computer system
that the company says wasn't publicly available.
Chasin said the computer system they described was generic and was
drawn from their knowledge of such systems but not from any unauthorized
information about Landmark.
But Landmark chief financial officer Hardie Morgan questioned the
ethics of the Comsec survey, regardless of whether it included hacking.
"My thoughts are that in effect they haven't changed their way of
doing business," he said.
Morgan said Comsec representatives asked security firms to send
information, and left a phone number and address. "Most of those firms
followed u pand got a constant busy signal," he said. The address was the
home of a Comsec principal.
But the phone number belonged to Southwestern Bell.
"That is a number that is utilized by Southwestern Bell for testing
various and sundry equipment," said Bill Ray, general security manager for
the phone company. "It's what's called a permanent busy. How they came
about having that number, I have no idea. I doubt that they hacked it."
The Comsec members said they didn't know to whom the phone number
belonged, only that it always gave a busy signal.
Morgan said the company has performed a full security evaluation.
"We did find some weaknesses in out security, particularly as it
related to our connection to the Internet," a nationwide network that is a
favorite haunt of computer enthusiast, Morgan said. "We found that people
were using an unsecured line we had as jumping-off point into the
Internet."
Chasin contends competing firms are engineering publicity about the
Landmark incident.
"We think it's a plot to get us out of the business," he said.
The matter ws brought to the Chronicle's attention by a third
party.
Chasin said the Comsec members now regret their "comparison
shopping" but defend it as standard business practice.
Ray and Morgan took issue with that.
"Their position is that this is standard operating procedure, and I
can tell you that is not true," Morgan said. "Their concern is that this
is wrecking their business. I said they should have thought about that
before."
August 15, 1991.
*** DANSE MACABRE *** (713) 324-2139 *** DANSE MACABRE ***
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