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Taken from: Chicago Sun-Times
July 18, 1985
HACKER 'THIEVES'
Teens' computer cheating probed
SOUTH PLAINFIELD,N.J.- Several teenage
computer buffs called around the world
for free, used other people's credit
cards and forced the Pentagon and a
telephone company to check for security
breaches, authorities said yesterday.
They said they were plowing through
information the youths stored and
checking whether any of the 630 people
nationwide whose names have been found
were involved in illegal behavior.
In the meantime, the seven have been
charged with juvenille delinquency in a
conspiracy to gain access to computers
without proper authorization. Their
equipment was confiscated, but they
were allowed to stay in the custody of
their parents.
The case was cracked by Patrolman
Michael Grennier, a computer buff who
spent 150 hours at his keyboard with
South Plainfield Detective George Green
to track down the youthful hackers.
Green described them as inquisitive
teens from normal, everyday families.
Of the 630 people whose names were
found, he said, "90 percent probably
didn't do anything illegal."
"Most of the parents do not know
that their son is actually doing this;
they are intimidated by the system
and they're just letting their son go
on with whatever he's doing," Grennier
said."I suggest that parents get more
involved with their sons' computers."
Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor
Frank Graves said flatly of the seven
hackers: "They're just a bunch of
little kids who have computers-and
they're thieves."
Green said the youths were exchanging
information on a computer bulletin
board that contained information on
false credit card numbers, instructions
for making a letter bomb and directions
for making devices that trick the
telephone company into charging calls
to other parties.
Grennier said the youths somehow
gained access to AT&T manuals that he
described as corporate secrets. The
information allowed them to make free
overseas calls using a satellite, he
said.
Green said there is evidence the
youths got into the computer system of
a credit rating company and a medical
library that should have been limited
to subscribers.
Green said two youths have admitted
the telephone and credit card charges.
He said police know the two received a
car speaker stereo system, a radar
detector and magazine subscriptions and
they suspect that thousands of dollars
worth of goods and services were
obtained free.
Prosecutors said yesterday the youths
had access to the private numbers of
Defense Department officials,including
top generals, and Prosector Allan
Rockoff said their activities included
"changing the position of satellites."
But Graves said later Rockoff was
referring to the fact that when phone
calls are relayed by satellites, parts
must move to make the transmission.
"There is absolutely no way computer
hackers can interrupt or move
satellites,"said Neal Norman,district
manager of corporate security for AT&T
Communications.
The Pentagon also said there was no
penetration of its computers.
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