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=========================================================================
||
From the files of The Hack Squad: || Compiled by W.H. (Bill) Lambdin
|| Volume 3, Issue 1
The Hack Report || Report Date: January 29. 1994
for Jan/Feb, 1994 ||
||
=========================================================================
Welcome to the first 1994 issue of The Hack Report. This is a series
of reports that aim to help all users of files found on BBSs avoid
fraudulent programs, and is presented as a free public service by the
Hack Watchers and other people that report these suspect files, and
Compiled by Bill Lambdin.
I was expecting some diskettes with material from Lee, but they haven't
arrived as yet. However; the Hack Report will be monthly after this late
issue.
With my new status as Hack Central. I am going to make a few changes to
the Hack Report. I believe all of these changes are necessary, and for
the better for all that read the Hack Report. I do not expect to make any
radical changes.
1. I intend to minimize the number of files in the Hack Report
archive. Because some people read the Hack Report in conferences
and distribute this version as the Hack Report.
2. I will be using CHKFILE (written by Wolfgang Stiller) to
generate CRC Values for the Hack Report. HACK????.CRC will
contain the CRC values for the Hack Report, and newest versions
of A-V software.
3. I am considering changing the HACK????.COL to the .IDX format.
This will make it easier for me to update.
NOTE TO SYSOPS: The Hack Report may be freely posted as a bulletin on
your BBS, subject to these conditions:
1) the latest version is used,
2) it is posted in its entirety, and
3) it is not altered in any way.
NOTE TO OTHER READERS: The Hack Report (file version) may be freely
uploaded to any BBS, subject to the above conditions, and only if you do
not change the filename. You may convert the archive type as you wish,
but please leave the filename in its original HACK????.* format. The
Hack Report may also be cross-posted in other networks (with the
permission of the other network) as long as it meets the above conditions
and you give appropriate credit to the FidoNet International Shareware
and Warnings Echos (and the author <g>).
The idea is to make this information available freely. However, please
don't cut out the disclaimers and other information if you use it, or
confuse the issue by spreading the file under different names. Thanks!
DISCLAIMER: The listings of Official Versions are not a guarantee of the
files' safety or fitness for use Someone out there might just be
sick-minded enough to upload a Trojan with an "official" file name, so
>scan everything you download<!!! The author of this report will not be
responsible for any damage to any system caused by the programs listed as
Official Versions, or by anything using the name of an Official Version.
On this same note, programs and files listed in this report should not be
automatically considered dangerous. It is simply impossible for the
author of this report to receive and test copies of every listed file, so
many of the reports listed herein are based on information sent to the
author by individuals in the BBS community. For this reason, neither the
author of this report nor anyone officially associated with it shall be
held liable for any losses and/or damages resulting from a listing in
this report.
Finally, the releases listed as the latest Official Versions may not be
entirely accurate. However, they do reflect the latest version known to
the author of The Hack Report at the time of writing. That's the nature
of the beast we call shareware: authors have every right (and in this
writer's opinion, are well advised) to release a new version without
advance notice of any kind. If you see a version newer than one listed
here, please contact one of The HackWatchers or myself so that we can
keep these listings up to date.
*************************************************************************
Hacked Programs
Here are the latest known versions of some programs known to have hacked
copies floating around. Archive names are listed when known, along with
the person who reported the fraud (thanks from us all!).
Program Hack(s) Latest Official Version
======= ======= =======================
ARJ Archiver ARJ250 ARJ241A
Reported By: Tommy Vielkanowitz(1:151/2305)
ARJ239E
Reported By: The Hack Squad
ARJ239G
Reported By: The Hack Squad
ARJ240A
Reported By: Ryan Shaw (1:152/38)
ARJ300
Reported By: Mike Stowe (ITCNet, via HW Robert Hinshaw)
Blue Wave Offline BWAVE213 BWAVE212
Message Reader
Reported By: Don Becker (grendel@jaflrn.linet.org)
BNU FOSSIL Driver BNU202 BNU170
Reported By: Amauty Lambrecht (2:291/712) (not counting betas)
BNU188B
Reported By: David Nugent (3:632/348),
Author of BNU
DMS Amiga Disk DMS version 1.12 DMS version 1.11
Masher
Reported By: Ben Filips, via Jay Ruyle (1:377/31)
| F-Prot Virus Scanner FP-205B FP-210C
Reported By: HW Bill Lambdin
LhA Amiga Archiver LHA148E LHA138E (Shareware)
Reported By: Michael Arends (1:343/54) LHA v1.50r (Regist.)
LHA151
Reported By: Lawrence Chen (1:134/3002)
LHA Archiver (PC) LHA214 LHA213 (non-beta)*
Reported by: Patrick Lee (RIME address RUNNINGB)
LHA214B
ICE214
LHA215
Reported by: Kenjirou Okubo, LHA Support Rep.
(Internet address: kenjirou@mathdent.im.uec.ac.jp)
LHA300
Reported by: Mark Church (1:260/284)
MakeNL MKNL251 MKNL250
Reported by: Dan Guenthner (SAF-Net 44:900/200,
via HW Robert Hinshaw
Math Master MATHMSTR M-MST400
Reported by: James Frazee (1:343/158)
MusicPlay MPLAY31 MPLAY25B
Reported By: Lee Madajczyk (1:280/5)
PKLite PKLTE201 PKL115
Reported By: Wen-Chung Wu (1:102/342)
PKZip PKZ301 PKZ204G
Reported By: Mark Dudley (1:3612/601)
Jon Grimes (1:104/332)
| Shez SHEZ72A SHEZ92 (also
| SHEZ73 SHEZ92P patch)
Reported By: HW Bill Lambdin
Telemate TM40C TM412-1 through 4
Reported By: Philip Dynes, RIME Telemate conference,
via HW Richard Steiner
TM401
Reported By: HW Richard Steiner
TM410-1
Reported By: Bat Lang (1:382/91)
Telix Telix v3.20 TLX321-1
(Prior to Dec. 1992) TLX321-2
Telix v3.25 TLX321-3
Reported By: Brian C. Blad (1:114/107) TLX321-4
Peter Kirn (WildNet, via HW Ken Whiton)
Telix v4.00
Telix v4.15
Reported By: Barry Bryan (1:370/70)
Telix v4.25
Reported By: Daniel Zuck (2:247/30, via Chris
Lueders (2:241/5306.1)
MegaTelix
Verified By: Jeff Woods, deltaComm, Inc.
Telix Pro
Reported By: Jason Engebretson (1:114/36),
in the FidoNet TELIX echo
TheDraw TDRAW430 TDRAW461
TDRAW5
Reported by: Ian Douglas (5:7102/119)
TDRAW500
Reported by: Ian Davis, Author
TDRAW550
Reported by: Steve Klemetti (1:228/19)
TDRAW600
Reported by: Hawley Warren (1:120/297)
THEDR60
Reported by: Larry Owens (PDREVIEW echo, 1:280/17)
TDRAW601
Reported by: Jesper Tragardh (2:200/109)
TDRAW800
Reported by: James Carswell (1:153/775)
Wolfenstein-3D WOLF2-1 #1WOLF14
WOLF2-2
Reported By: Wen-Chung Wu (1:102/342)
WFSF2-IA
Reported By: Jared Huber (1:203/762)
* - See the section "Clarifications and Thanks" for details on
other valid version numbers for LHA.
=========================================================================
Hoax Alert:
| Eric Bader HW sent JAMMER.ZIP to me in .UUE for, for examination. This
| file reportedly modifies modems so that your calls can not be traced.
|
| I have ran the files on my test machine. I did not experience a trojan or
| a virus. However; just because no trojan activated, and no virus replicated
| does not mean these files are clean. I would like to examine these files in
| depth, but I am quickly running out of time.
|
| Here are the contents of the archive.
|
| PKUNZIP (R) FAST! Extract Utility Version 1.93 ALPHA 10-15-91
| Copr. 1989-1991 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. PKUNZIP/h for help
| PKUNZIP Reg. U.S. Pat. and Tm. Off.
|
| Searching ZIP: JAMMER.ZIP
|
| Length Method Size Ratio Date Time CRC-32 Attr Name
| ------ ------ ----- ----- ---- ---- -------- ---- ----
| 105 A-Norm 102 3% 10-07-93 21:04 9b549658 --w- FILE_ID.DIZ
| 4464 A-Norm 2404 47% 02-28-90 16:21 b69dd7d3 --w- JAMMER.EXE
| 1803 A-Norm 782 57% 10-07-93 21:04 72986750 --w- HIGHLAND.ER
| 3013 A-Norm 2891 5% 08-01-93 10:25 54cf3b68 --w- CRAZY.COM
| ------ ------ --- -------
| 9385 6179 35% 4
=========================================================================
The Trojan Wars
| Owen Hawkins reported this trojan in the Intelec Net Administration
| conference.
|
| ************ TROJAN ALERT ****************************
|
| Two users reported that a program named MKDEMO wiped out all of their
| files in the root directory. Program purports to be a demo of a new game.
| Subsequent viewing of the EXE with a hex editor confirms same in that
| filenames such as command.com, config.sys, etc were found as well as
| "Gotcha" messages.
|
| The following is the CRC values using PKUNZIP 2.04
|
| Searching ZIP: MKDEMO.ZIP -
|
| Length Method Size Ratio Date Time CRC-32 Attr Name
| ------ ------ ----- ----- ---- ---- -------- ---- ----
| 7264 DeflatN 4169 43% 01-15-94 16:00 6aa2408f --w- MKDEMO.EXE
| 2629981 DeflatN 1041388 61% 01-12-94 17:02 3e785170 --w- MKDEMO.DAT
| ------ ------ --- -------
| 2637245 1045557 61% 2
|
| If you are using FWKCS:
|
| Copy the two lines directly below to a file named XCSLIST.DEL
| 3E785170 28215DxMKDEMO.DAT MKDEMO.ZIP
| 6AA2408F 1C60xMKDEMO.EXE MKDEMO.ZIP
|
| then run the command: FWKCS /t20u XCSLIST.DEL
| Trojan Report - analysis by Glenn Jordan - Virex for the PC Development Team
|
| The following file was uploaded to Richard Lee's Psychotronic BBS by a
| user claiming to be "Thomas Farrington" of Pittsboro, NC.
|
| speedpc.zip 20772 11-22-93 16:13
|
| It contains these files:
|
| Length Method Size Ratio Date Time CRC-32 Attr Name
| ------ ------ ----- ----- ---- ---- -------- ---- ----
| 21032 DeflatX 20089 5% 11-22-93 11:11 d83ed878 --w- SPEEDPC.EXE
| 1261 DeflatX 467 63% 11-23-93 04:04 bc4e556c --w- README.DOC
| ------ ------ --- -------
| 22293 20556 8% 2
|
| SPEEDPC.EXE decrypts the following message:
|
| "One moment please..."
|
| Then it tries to use the bios to format (INT 13h/07h) disks 2-5 (C:-F:),
| starting at head 0, track 0, sector 0 (?), 3 passes per disk. This is
| buggy for a couple of reasons, including author's apparant unfamiliarity
| with how to use the stack.
|
| Afterwards the program decrypts and displays:
|
| "all done... - HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa-"
|
| "You dumb ass! don't you know a TROJAN when you see one?"
|
| "Guess Not!!!! I never did like you"
| "The Revenger"
| "This trojan was created with..."
| "The Trojan Horse Construction Kit, v1.00"
| "Copyright (c) 1992, Viral Inclined Programming Experts Ring."
|
|
|
| The README.DOC file contains:
|
| SpeedPC ver 2.3
| ***********************
| * by Mad Coder *
| * *
| * *
| * *
| *************************
|
| Ever feel you CPU is running a bit, too slow? That you
| aren't getting the full amount out of your PC? Well don't cause
| SpeedPC is here! This Disk optimizer/debugger will analyze your
| hard disk and Optimize it to it's full potential. It has been
| known to speed up a PC's performance by over 36%!!!!!!! It is
| shareware, and I ask for no money in return.
|
| To Install : Just Run the .EXE file and wait. It will
| look at your configuration and give you the best performance,
| that your PC can handle.
|
|
| Any questions, I can be reached on the
|
| Ant Farm BBS = 421-324-4345
|
| Give me a call.
| Mad Coder
| Brian O'Sullivan uploaded SNES2IBM.EXE to the Metaverse Anti-Virus BBS.
|
| I ran the file on my test machine, and din't see evidence of a virus or a
| trojan. After I found suspicious code in the file, I forwarded the file to
| David Chess for a second opinion, and his report is below.
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| When I ran this on a test machine, it trashed the hard disk. In the
| single subdirectory that was (temporarily) left (due to disk caching,
| I think), there was a file called "NULL" that contained the prompts
| for the FORMAT command, so it seems likely that it did at some point
| "FORMAT C: >NULL" (instead of "NUL"). Seems to be at least a Trojan,
| although I don't see any evidence of a virus...
|
| Definitely a trojan! Oddly coded, too. I can't decide if it's
| in some HLL with a bizarre compiler, or hand-coded by someone
| with a very strange mind. First thing it does is alter the
| PATH to point to only a few directories (DOS and SYSTEM on
| C: and D:, I think), and then look in the current dir and
| along the path for a FORMAT.COM or FORMAT.EXE or FORMAT.BAT.
| Oh, first it's created a T_M_P.!!! file (or some similar
| name) containing "y<enter>". Having found a FORMAT command,
| it invokes it with arguments to do a quikformat of C:.
| That's as far as I've traced it; after that it does something
| that causes about 50 "Bad command or filename" messages.
|
| DC
=========================================================================
Way To Go!
=========================================================================
| This type of activity should be encouraged, and the users need to know
| of companies that react to problems in a positive matter instead of
| trying to cover it up.
|
| If you see a company reacting in a positive manner to viruses, or other
| problems, send a message to me, and I will happy to add it to this
| section
| Leading Edge sold 500 computers infected with the Michelangelo virus in
| 1993. After they were aware of the problem, they reported this problem
| publicly and sent Anti-Virus Software to their customers to detect and
| remove the virus.
| Winfred Hu accidentaly released telemate 4.11 with two infected VESA
| drivers. These drivers were infected with the Butterfly virus. Winfred
| distributed a note about the problem to several Net Mail conferences,
| then removed the two infected files and released an updated version of
| Telemate.
| Power Up Software accidentaly sold the "So Much Share Ware Vol II" CD-ROM
| With a file infected with the Power Pump Virus. After they were aware of
| the problem, they distributed a note, and stopped producing copies of So
| Much Share Ware VOL II. Power Up Software is not responsible for this
| virus slipping through because McAfee's Scan (The scanner Power Up
| Software used) could not detect the Power Pump virus at that time.
| The company that produces the Night Owl CDs released Night Owl 10 CD
| with several infected files. After they were aware of the problem, they
| sent letters to all of their customers offering to send an update of the
| CD. Night Owl 10.1. They removed the files, and re-mastered the CD. I
| wish more companies would react positively when they encounter problems
| like this.
=========================================================================
Pirated Commercial Software
Program Archive Name(s) Reported By
======= =============== ===========
2400 A.D. (game) 2400AD Kevin Brott (Internet,
dp03%ccccs.uucp@pdxgate.cs.pdx.edu)
3-D Pool 3DPOOL Michael Gibbs (via HW Bill
Lambdin)
4DOS v4.02 (reg.) 4DOS402R HW Scott Raymond
4DOSREG
Airball (game) AIRBALL Michael Gorse (1:101/346)
Alone in the Dark ALONEDEM Mark Mistretta (1:102/1314)
(full game-not a demo)
ArcMaster (registered) AM91REG HW Scott Raymond
AM92REG
Arctic Fox (game, by AFOX from the Meier/Morlan List,
Electronic Arts) conf. by HW Emanuel Levy
and Brendt Hess (1:105/362)
ARJ Archiver ARJ239RG HW Scott Raymond
(registered) AJ241ECR
Arkanoid II: Revenge ARKNOID James Crawford (1:202/1809)
of DoH (game)
Atomix (game) ATOMIX_ HW Matt Kracht
A-Train by Maxis ATRAIN1 through Chris Blackwell of Maxis
ATRAIN6, also (zoinks@netcom.com)
A-TRAIN1 through
A-TRAIN6
BannerMania BANMANIA Harold Stein (1:107/236)
Battle Chess CHESS Ron Mahan (1:123/61)
| BTLCHESS Michael Wagoner (1:105/331)
BeetleJuice (game) BEETLE Mark Harris (1:121/99)
BETLEJUC Jason Robertson (1:250/802.2)
BJUICE Alan Hess (1:261/1000)
BJ Bill Blakely
(RIME Shareware echo)
BTLJWC the Hack Squad
(1:124/4007)
Big Bird (game?) BIGBIRD Cindy McVey, via Harold Stein
Budokan: the Martial BUDOKAN Michael Gibbs (Intelec, via
Spirit (game) HW Bill Lambdin)
Caveman Ninja CAVEMAN Dave Lartique (1:3800/22),
ver. by HW Emanuel Levy
Check-It PC CHECKIT HW Bert Bredewoud
Diagnostic Software CHKIT20 HW Bill Lambdin
Cisco Heat (game) CISCO Jason Robertson
Commander Keen Pt. 5 _1KEEN5 Scott Wunsch (1:140/23.1701)
KEEN5E Carson Hanrahan (CompuServe,
71554,2652)
{COMMO} v5.4 COMO54X Allan Bowhill (1:343/555)
CompuShow GIF Viewer CSHW860B HW Scott Raymond
Copy II PC COPYPC70 Ryan Park (1:283/420)
Cyber Chess C-CHESS Shane Paul, RIME, via HW
Richard Steiner
Darkside (game) DARKSIDE Ralph Busch (1:153/9)
Disk Copy Fast 4.0 DCF4UNT HW Scott Raymond
(registered) DCF41AR
DiskDupe Pro v4.03 DD403PRO Jan Koopmans (2:512/163)
Energizer Bunny Screen ENERGIZR Kurt Jacobson, PC Dynamics,
Saver for Windows Inc., via HW Bill Dennison
F-Prot Professional FP206SF Mikko Hypponen
(mikko.hypponen@compart.fi)
Family Feud (game) FAM-FEUD Harold Stein
FAST! Disk Cache FAST_1V4 Ryan Park (1:283/420), via
v4.03.08 HW Bill Lambdin
FaxTalk (Thought FAXTALK Lyle Taylor (1:293/644),
Communications) via Steve Fuqua
FaxPlus (Thought FAXPLUS Lyle Taylor (1:293/644),
Communications) via Steve Fuqua
FaxPower FAXPWR Carson Hanrahan (CompuServe,
71544,2652)
Freddy Pharkas, FREDDY-1 HW Bob Seaborn
Frontier Pharmacist FREDDY-2
FREDDY-3
FREDDY-4
FREDDY-5
FREDDY-6
GEcho Mail Tosser GE_1000K HW Scott Raymond
GE_100CK
GifLite 2.0 (regist.) GL2-ECR HW Scott Raymond
Gods (game) GODS Ron Woods (1:134/144)
Golden Axe (game) GOLDAXE Harold Stein
GSZ Protocol Driver GSZ0503R HW Scott Raymond
(registered) GSZ0529R
Home Lawyer HOMELAWY Kim Miller (1:103/700)
HMLAWYER Harvey Woien (1:102/752)
Hoyle's Classic Games HOYLECL1 HW Bob Seaborn
HOYLECL2
HOYLECL3
HOYLECL4
HS/Link Protocol HS121R Don Becker (Internet,
v1.21 (registered) grendel@jaflrn.linet.org)
HS121REG HW Scott Raymond
HyperWare Speedkit SPKT460R HW Scott Raymond
v4.60 (registered)
Ian Bothams Cricket IBCTDT Vince Sorensen (1:140/121)
Intelcom Modem Test TESTCOM from the Meier/Morlan List,
Utility (dist. with confirmed by Onno Tesink
Intel modems) (RIME, via HW Richard
Steiner)
INTELCOM HW Jason Robertson
Intermail Mailer IM221U HW Scott Raymond
(registered) IM22FIX
Jetsons (game) JETSONS Kevin Brott (Internet,
dp03%ccccs.uucp@pdxgate.cs.pdx.edu)
Jill of the Jungle JILL2 Harold Stein
(non-shareware files) JILL3
$JILL2 HW Bert Bredewoud
$JILL3
Killing Cloud (game) CLOUD Mike Wenthold
Kings of the Beach VBALL Jason Robertson
(game)
Landmark System SPEED330 Larry Dingethal (1:273/242)
Speed Test SPEED600 Joe Morlan (1:125/28)
Life & Death (game) L&D1 Harold Stein
L&D2
List Enhanced LIST8 Richard Dale (1:280/333)
LISTE18D HW Scott Raymond
MegaMan (game) MEGAMAN HW Emanuel Levy
Microsoft Flight FS Michael Gibbs (Intelec, via
Simulator HW Bill Lambdin)
FS50TDT1 HW Bob Seaborn
FS50TDT2
Microsoft Mouse Driver MOUSE901 Alex Morelli (CompuServe,
75050,2130)
Microsoft Ramdrive RAMDRIVE Barry Martin (Intelec, via
HW Bill Lambdin)
MS-DOS 6.0 MSDOS6-1 Harold Stein
MSDOS6-2
MSDOS6-3
Oh No, More Lemmings ONMLEMM Larry Dingethal (1:273/231)
(complete-not demo)
Over the Net OTNINC1 Tim Sitzler (1:206/2708)
(volleyball game)
PGA Tour Golf GOLF HW Bill Lambdin
PKLite (registered) PKL15REG HW Scott Raymond
PKZip v2.04c PK204REG HW Scott Raymond
(Registered)
PKZip v2.04c PKZCFG Mark Mistretta (1:102/1314)
Configuration Editor
PKZip v2.04e PK204ERG HW Scott Raymond
(Registered)
PKZip v2.04g PKZ204R HW Bill Dennison
(Registered) PKZ204GR HW Jason Robertson
Populous (game) POPULOUS Harold Stein
The Price is Right PRICE Harold Stein
(game)
Prince of Persia PRINCE Kenneth Darling (2:231/98.67)
Eric Alexander (1:3613/10)
HW Emanuel Levy
PRINCE2A Todd Crawford (1:3616/40),
PRINCE2B via HW Jeff White
PRINCE2C
PrintShop PSHOP Michael Gibbs, Intelec, via
HW Bill Lambdin
Psion Chess 3D-CHESS Matt Farrenkopf (1:105/376)
Pyro! PC DOSPYRO Jay Kendall (1:141/338), via
(Fifth Generation) HW Scott Raymond
Q387 (registered) Q387UTG Michael Toth (1:115/439.7)
QModem Pro QMPRO-1 Mark Mistretta
QMPRO-2
QuickLink II Fax v2.0.2 QLINK1 Carson Hanrahan (CompuServe,
QLINK2 71554,2652)
Rack 'Em (game) RACKEM Ruth Lee (1:106/5352)
Rawcopy PC RAWCOPY HW Chris Wise
Sequencer Plus Pro SPPRO Tom Dunavold (Intelec,
via Larry Dingethal)
Shadow Warriors (game) SHADOWG Mark Mistretta
Sharky's 3D Pool POOL Jason Robertson (1:250/801)
Shez (Registered) SHEZ84R Eric Vanebrick (2:291/712)
SHEZ85R HW Scott Raymond
SHEZ87R
SHEZ88R
SHEZ89R
SHEZ91R
SideKick 2.0 SK3 Harold Stein
SimCity (by Maxis)* SIMCITY1 Peter Kirn, WildNet Shareware
SIMCITY2 conf., via HW Ken Whiton
SIMCITY3
SIM_CITY Kevin Brott (Internet,
dp03%ccccs.uucp@pdxgate.cs.pdx.edu)
SIMCTYSW Scott Wunsch
Smartdrive Disk Cache SMARTDRV Barry Martin (Intelec, via
HW Bill Lambdin)
SMTDRV40 Michael Toth (1:115/220)
Spidey (game) SPIDEY Brian Henry (ILink,
via HW Richard Steiner)
SPIDRMAN Alan Hess (address unknown)
Squish 2.1 SQUISH Jason Robertson (1:250/802.2)
(Sundog Software) SQUISH21 Several (ver. by Joe Morlan)
Star Control Vol. 4 STARCON Carson M. Hanrahan
(CompuServe 71554,2652)
Streets on a Disk STREETS Harvey Woien
SuperZModem SZMO200 HW Jason Robertson
(registered)
Teledisk (files TDISK214 Mark Mistretta
dated after Apr. 1991)
TELE214R Staale Fagerland (Internet,
staale.fagerland@euronetis.no)
Telemate TM411REG HW Scott Raymond
TheDraw v4.61 (reg.) TDRW461R HW Scott Raymond
Vegas Casino 2 (game) VEGAS2 The Hack Squad
VOpt Disk Defragmenter VOPT30 The Hack Squad
VPic v6.0 (registered) VPIC60CR HW Scott Raymond
Wheel of Fortune WHEEL Harold Stein
Where in the USA is CARMEN Carson Hanrahan
Carmen Sandiego? CARMENUS Cindy McVey, via Harold Stein
Where in Time is CARMENT Cindy McVey, via Harold Stein
Carmen Sandiego?
WinWay Resume for WINRES Erez Carmel (CompuServe,
Windows 70523,2574)
World Class Rugby WCRFNTDT Vince Sorensen
ZipMaster (registered) ZM31REG HW Scott Raymond
* - Peter Kirn's report on SimCity indicated that Maxis has in fact
released a demo of SimCity onto ZiffNet which limits play to 5 minutes.
This is not the same file as he reported, however - the ones he found are
indeed pirate copies.
=========================================================================
?????Questionable Programs?????
This section of The Hack Report is for the "misfits" - in other words,
files that are hacks, hoaxes, Trojans, or pirated, but either do not
quite fit into one of the main sections of the report or require more
explanation than the format of the appropriate section allows. The extra
material presented here is usually included for a good reason, so please
take the time to read at least the new entries quite carefully. Also, if
you have any input on any of the listed files, do not hesitate to send it
in to your Hack Squad.
Quite a few folks questioned a release of Vern Buerg's LIST calling
itself v7.8a. This one actually came down one of the file distribution
networks, if memory serves. However, in response to these inquiries,
your Hack Squad called up The Motherboard BBS, Mr. Buerg's home system.
On that system was posted the following bulletin:
================================
=== July 15: LIST78A.ZIP is bogus ===============================
================================
A beta test version of LIST 7.8a was uploaded to other systems by
mistake. It is not an official version, and it has bugs, e.g. the
mouse doesn't work.
A new version will be released next week. Those waiting for
registered copies will be sent their's first, then it will be posted
on VOR and CIS. The manual was dramatically updated and is now 54
pages with full color cover. We'll have some on the shelves at the
store next week.
So, this definitely qualifies as a "misfit" - it isn't a hack, hoax, or
Trojan - it's an accident.
Robert Jung's ARJ archiver has had a new release in non-beta form. The
legitimate file can be identified by an ARJ-SECURED envelope. However,
making equally big news (unfortunately) were several sightings of pirated
versions of the registered v2.41 file. These were most often seen as a
ZIP file (?) with the following internal files:
Length Method Size Ratio Date Time CRC-32 Name
------ ------ ----- ----- ---- ---- -------- ----
1436 DeflatX 614 58% 06-09-93 16:05 23af995c README
223594 DeflatX 222850 1% 06-04-93 09:19 fe351d41 ARJ241.EXE
127882 Stored 127882 0% 06-04-93 09:27 54fdf489 ARJUTIL.ARJ
55301 DeflatX 54641 2% 06-04-93 09:18 6d4e75fe UNARJ241.EXE
244816 Stored 244816 0% 06-10-93 09:23 0abdb4be ARJHLP24.ARJ
------ ------ --- -------
653029 650803 1% 5
The giveaway here is the ARJUTIL.ARJ file - this contains programs that
are only available to registered users.
This causes a problem as far as listing this in the .col/.idx files is
concerned: the person who distributed the pirated version used the same
filename as the real thing. The only way you're going to be able to tell
the pirated version from the legitimate one will be to look inside your
copy of the archive. If you see either the ARJUTIL.ARJ file inside, or
the files ARJR.EXE or DEARJ.EXE, then you have the pirated copy. Please
delete it. (Note - version 2.41 has been superseded - please see the
Hacked Files section of this report for the latest version as of this
writing.)
Dotti Rosier (1:114/107) found a message on a local BBS system that might
be worth reading. The text read as follows:
WARNING: Nobody download PHACS1.EXE and NETWORK1.EXE..They have
the Yankee Doodle virus that is only detectable by SCANV99....
please clean these two exe files IMMEDIATELY and in case you
have run them already, there might b some other files that are
infected. CLEAN99 will clean them just fine. Sorry for the
inconvenience but I recently found out that my HD was infected
and therefore, every file that I compile is infected. Thank you
for your patience.
I can only assume that these were self extracting archives - no
descriptions of the files were available.
Steve Winter (1:153/7070) reported on a file called SUB1_V21. This
claimed to be a program called SUB, a directory list utility. Steve
checked out the file prior to running the install program and found no
anomalies. However, once installed, he says he began to get conflicting
directory reads, disk full errors, and problems booting. Somehow, his
boot record had been damaged.
According to his testing, the file passes scans with F-Prot v2.08a and
does not alert McAfee's VShield v104. He says the archive contains two
files - INSTALL.EXE and SUB.SPZ, which contains the executable. INSTALL
creates a subdirectory and extracts files from the SUB.SPZ file.
Steve says he is attempting to get another copy for testing. Until that
time, I can't say for sure if he was the victim of a system glitch, buggy
software, or a true Trojan. If anyone out there has this file, please
contact your local HackWatcher or myself so that we can arrange for
testing.
Mark Harris (1:121/26.1) found a pair of archives called DEATH_1 and
DEATH_2 on a local system. The files were described as a new Apogee game
called Deathbringer. The archives contained no documentation, and all
program files were dated 1990 or 1991. When run, the game displayed the
name "Deathbringer," but gave no company or copyright information. Scans
by McAfee's ViruScan and Frisk's F-Prot proved negative.
Mark has provided additional information that adds to the suspicion that
this is a pirated file. The program begins with the following screen:
Empire, in association with ODE and The Mystery Machine,
presents
-=*=- DEATHBRINGER -=*=-
Select Vidoe Mode:
1) VGA 16 color
2) EGA 16 color
3) Tandy 4 color
4) CGA 4 color
5) Tandy 16 color
Roland, Adlib and Tandy music supported
(Playing now, if found, M to toggle on/off)
J to select Joystick, K for keyboard
= to speed up, - to slow down game (fast PCs)
THOSE WHO LABOURED:
John Wood...................Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Design
Kevin Ayre.....................................IBM PC, Design
Colin Swinbourne.....................................Graphics
Richard Yapp...................................Levels, Design
Sound Images............................................Music
Deathbringer, Karn and all Deathbringer Characters and the
distinctive likenesses thereof are Trademarks of Abaddon Duke of
Hell Group Inc.
Mark goes on to say:
There was no documentation in the archive (which I will
continue to hold on to, in case you need it for any reason)
giving any playing instructions, no shareware notice or
registration request, nothing whatsoever to indicate the origin
of this program except for the above. That's what prompted me
to write in the first place; it looks to me (especially
considering the quality of the graphics,) like this is a
commercial program with as much of the copyright and
identifying screens hacked out of it as possible.
As an Apogee Tech Support Specialist, I can personally verify that this
is not a product of Apogee. Mark's opinion is that this is a hack of a
commercial game: I tend to agree. Jim Wells (1:2613/261) forwarded the
file contents, along with some other information still being looked into:
he feels that this is a "hacked" version of the official release, whether
shareware or commercial. Rick McBride (1:363/178) says it is indeed
commercial, as he saw it on a CD-ROM about a year ago. However, he does
not remember the publisher's name (possibly Psygnosis, he says) - only
that it is an arcade-style D&D game.
This is still being researched. In the meantime, I would appreciate any
information that a user of the possible commercial version could forward
- please help your Hack Squad verify this one.
Chuck Cypert (1:124/2113) reported in the FidoNet VIRUS_INFO echo that
the SysOp of the CompUSA BBS in Carrollton, TX had a problem with a file
called UNIXHAC. The SysOp reports that this file formatted his hard
drive. No further details were available, as the SysOp had already
deleted the file. If someone has a copy of this, again, please contact
one of The HackWatchers or myself.
Harvey Woien (1:102/752) forwarded a report from a user of The
Motherboard (Vern Buerg's BBS), Ted R. Marcus, about a version of the
Microsoft Mouse Driver claiming to be version 9.0. It also appears that
this file came down a file distribution network under the filename
MSMAUS90, possibly originating in Germany. Your Hack Squad has found a
copy of the same archive Ted reported on, and confirms some of his
observations on the file (MOUSE900), quoted here:
1. Microsoft Diagnostics and InfoPlus report this "9.00" driver as
version 8.00. The latest "official" version of which I am aware is
8.20a.
2. The "new" driver is significantly smaller than version 8.20a.
3. The "new" driver supports the undocumented /U switch (which loads
much of the driver into the HMA). Version 8.0 and 8.1 supported this
feature, but Microsoft removed it from version 8.2 (shipped with DOS
6.0). The support for the /U switch suggests that the driver is, in
fact, version 8.0.
4. Examining the MOUSE.COM driver file reveals one instance where the
version number (repeated in the initialization message for each
language the driver supports) is "9.40". That indicates either
uncharacteristic sloppiness on the part of Microsoft -- or, more
likely, sloppiness on the part of a hacker.
More information on MOUSE900 comes from Jeffery Bradley (1:3635/35). He
informed the folks here at Hack Central Station that there is indeed a
legitimate v9.0 of the Microsoft Mouse Driver. However, after talking
with Microsoft, he did confirm that this should not be distributed via
BBS systems: it is commercial only, as previously reported.
Yet another file that doesn't fit into any of the report categories: a
report from Wen-Chung Wu (1:102/342) concerns the archive PKLT120R, which
claims to be version 1.20 of PKLite. This is actually PKLite
Professional v1.12, a commercial product, which has been hacked to show
version 1.20 instead of 1.12. To make matters worse, the PKLITE.EXE file
was compressed "by PKLITE itself more than three times and once by
LZEXE." So, what we have here is a hack of a pirated commercial file -
jeez, this job gets confusing at times. ;-)
Here's an update on the report from Bud Webster (1:264/165.7) on the
Apogee game being distributed under the filename BLOCK5.ZIP. As reported
by Matthew Waldron (RIME Shareware Conf., via HW Richard Steiner) and Dan
Stratton (via HW Ken Whiton), this program was part of an Apogee disk
called the "Super Game Pack," and that it is a game called "Block Five."
Joe Siegler (1:124/9006), the online support representative for Apogee
Software Productions, confirms this, and states that the majority of the
games on this disk, including this one, have been officially
discontinued. The official company stand is that this game should not be
distributed via BBS systems, as it is no longer supported in any way by
Apogee Software Productions. Thanks to everyone who helped on this one.
HW Bill Lambdin says he found a file in the Knoxville, Tennessee area
called BIBLEPR (no description available) that appears a bit suspicious.
The file contents are:
Length Time CRC-32 Attr Name
------ ---- -------- ---- ----
34176 11:26 d267f5de --w- BIBLEPR.COM
158493 00:04 4298ac2d --w- DATAPR-0.DAT
158493 00:04 d87adf4b --w- DATAPR-1.DAT
158493 00:08 1213c6b3 --w- DATAPR-2.DAT
159764 00:08 38d7cc06 --w- DATAPR-3.DAT
1572 24:05 3a60c80e --w- BIBLEPR.DOC
------ -------
670991 6
When BIBLEPR.COM executes, Bill says it displays the following message:
Greets from DOA!
Don't say I didn't warn you! You are also busted!
Expect a visit from the SPA!
Omni, I will avenge you!
Bill's disassembly shows the file contains two INT 26 calls, which are
DOS Absolute Disk Write instructions. He said that if it contains a
virus, he was unable to get it to replicate. A copy of the archive has
been sent to Glenn Jordan at Datawatch Software for testing.
Here's an interesting point, brought to my attention by HW Richard
Steiner and John Weiss of the RIME Shareware Conference. In previous
issues, I have listed two files, QM60IST1 and QM60IST2 (reported by
Francois Thunus, 2:270/25), as pirated copies of QModem v6.0. However,
Richard and John quite correctly point out that there was no release of
QModem v6.0 - the program changed to QModem Pro after v5.
This file, or a variant, has also been spotted by Jerry Van Laer of
2:292/805.7, under the name QM60D1-2 and QM60D2-2. In this case, an
internal "brag" screen stated the program was QmodemPro 1.0.
From what Francois reported, I believe that what he saw was indeed Qmodem
Pro, now a commercial-only program. However, it was "released" under the
above filenames. So, is it a Hack? Pirated File? Or what? Doesn't
matter - it shouldn't be distributed. Thanks, Richard and John, for
making me fully engage my brain for a change. <grin>
HW Bill Dennison captured a message from Marshall Dudley (Data World BBS,
(615)966-3574) in the ILink VIRUS FILE conference about the archive
ASCDEMO. Marshall says that McAfee's ViruScan doesn't detect any
infection until after you run it and it has infected other files. No
further information was supplied, other than the internal filenames
(ASCDEMO.DOC and ASCDEMO.EXE). I need further data on this before I can
list it in the Trojan Wars section, so please advise if you have any.
HW Emanuel Levy says the file IM, reported by Michael Santos in the
Intelec Net Chat conference and listed in the 1992 Full Archive edition
of The Hack Report. Michael's report was a "hearsay" report from one of
his friends, and stated that the IM screen saver file caused a viral
infection.
Emanuel says the file is an "outer space screen saver," currently under
the filename IM17. Scott Wunsch (1:140/23.1701) says the program name is
"Inner Mission," and he currently has version 1.6. In both cases, the
files were clean.
So, it looks like either Michael's friend's system became infected from a
different source than the IM file, or that an isolated incident of an
infected IM is involved. No way to tell at this writing.
Long time readers of this report will remember a question concerning the
status of a screen saver called TUNNEL. Ove Lorentzon (2:203/403.6) and
Bill Roark (RIME address BOREALIS, Shareware conference, via HW Richard
Steiner) both stated that the program was an internal IBM test program
and was not intended for outside distribution.
Your Hack Squad has received word from the author of the program, Dan
Butterfield (Internet, danielb@vnet.ibm.com), that as far as he is aware,
the program has never been released to the general public. According to
Dan, "it is still owned by IBM, and as such has been given the IBM
security classification 'IBM Internal Use Only' which means what it says:
the program is not for distribution to non-IBM employees."
Dan also says that several other "Internal Use Only" programs have been
"leaked" to the outside world, which implies that these files should not
be posted for download. One such program was originally called Dazzle
(NOT to be confused with the other popular DAZZLE screensaver), but has
entered BBS distribution under the filename O-MY-GOD (also seen as OMG,
per Michael Burkhart (RIME address CENTER, via HW Richard Steiner).
However, note that the O-MY-GOD/OMG file was hacked, according to Dan, so
that all of the "Internal Use Only" references were removed.
Another is a program that is usually included inside other archives: the
program name is PLAYANI. Dan says this has been distributed "along with
various animations," and also falls under the same Internal
classification.
A prime example of this is an archive called BALLS (not what you think).
This is an animation of multiple chrome spheres rotating around each
other above a red and white checkerboard platform. In this case, both
the player (PLAYANI) _and_ the animation are the property of IBM and are
not intended for BBS distribution.
Again, to quote Dan, "None of these programs are for external
distribution; all are owned by IBM and are only for use inside IBM by IBM
employees." Thanks to Dan for all of his help.
Donn Bly has cleared up the question on the status of the Sydex program
TeleDisk, first raised by Mark Draconis (1:120/324) and Kelvin Lawson.
Donn was kind enough to mail a copy of a letter sent to him by Sydex
explaining that Teledisk is no longer shareware. Here is an excerpt from
the letter:
"Effective April 1991, TeleDisk is no longer a shareware
product. After long consideration, we decided to
discontinue our offering of the shareware edition of
TeleDisk, and license it only as a commercial product.
"Commercial licenses of TeleDisk are available from Sydex at
$150 a copy. All shareware distributors and BBS sysops who
take time to check their sources are requested to remove
TeleDisk from shareware distribution."
The letter is signed by Miriam St. Clair for Sydex. To summarize, Sydex
is no longer accepting shareware registrations for TeleDisk, and asks
that it be not be made available for download from BBS systems.
Thanks to Donn for his help in this matter.
HW Ken Whiton forwards messages from Harold Stein, Gary Rambo, and Gwen
Barnes of Mustang Software, Inc., about a "patch" program aimed at
OffLine Xpress (OLX) v1.0. The patch is supposed to allow OLX to
read and reply to Blue Wave packets, along with a lot of other seemingly
unbelievable feats. Gwen Barnes did not seem to know of the patch, but
published the following advice in the WildNet SLMROLX conference to
anyone considering trying it:
1. Make a complete backup of your system.
2. Make sure you've got all the latest SCAN stuff from McAfee
3. Try it, keeping in mind that it more than likely does nothing
at all, or is a trojan that will hose your system.
4. Get ready to re-format and restore from backups if this is in
fact the case.
No filename was given for this patch. If anyone runs across a copy of
it, please contact one of The HackWatchers or myself so that we can
forward a copy to MSI for testing.
HW Bill Lambdin reports that someone has taken all of McAfee Associates'
antiviral programs and combined them into one gigantic (over 700k)
archive. He did not say whether the files had been tampered with, but he
did send a copy to McAfee for them to dissect. The file was posted under
the filename MCAFEE99. I would not suggest downloading this file: as a
matter of fact, this reporter prefers to call McAfee's BBS directly when
a new version of any of their utilities comes out. I highly recommend
this method, since it insures that you will receive an official copy.
HW Matt Kracht forwarded a message from Stu Turk in the DR_DEBUG
echo about possible Trojans going around as PKZIP 2.21 and/or 2.22. Stu
also says that there is a warning about these in circulation. If you
have a copy of this warning, please send a copy to Hack Central Station
(1:124/4007).
=========================================================================
Information, Please
This the section of The Hack Report, where your Hack Squad asks for
_your_ help. Several reports come in every week, and there aren't enough
hours in the day (or fingers for the keyboards) to verify them all. Only
with help from all of you can The Hack Report stay on top of all of the
weirdness going on out there in BBSLand. So, if you have any leads on
any of the files shown below, please send it in: operators are standing
by.
Chuck Hammock (1:392/20) reported in the FidoNet DIRTY_DOZEN echo that
one of his users uploaded a file called PASTUT24. The user warned Chuck
that this file was infected with the Kamikazee virus. I was unable to
get further information on this, so Chuck, if you are reading this (or if
anyone else can confirm this), please send me some NetMail on your
results.
Russell Wagner reported a problem with a copy of VMIX222. This shareware
multitasker is currently at v2.87. Russell claims to have found a
possible isolated incident of a Trojan version of the program. He wound
up scrambling the FAT on his C: drive when he ran the program, and was
able to reproduce the damage in subsequent tests. He only ran the
program on one system, however, so it is not clear as to whether he has
found a true Trojan claiming to be the real VMiX, a corrupted copy of the
file, or whether he has some sort of hardware incompatibility. If anyone
else has run into a problem with v2.22 of this program, please advise.
Robert Rothenburg (Internet robert.rothenburg@asb.com) received a file
called JAMMER that he says is very suspicious. The archive had a file
with the name JAMMER.EXE and a description that said something to the
effect of, "run this first and your calls won't be traced."
He looked through the executable and found the name "Nmodem Jammer 2.8",
along with "some other claims about adjusting the modem configuration"
and "some nasty insults to a couple of people." Virus scanners showed
nothing, so he looked at the interrupts. He says it "looks like it
installs a TSR of sorts and does some disk writes." He concludes that
the file possibly "instals a virus or just damages certain files, though
i suspect it will go after the comm program, as a message says when it
ends to 'run your communications program now!'".
I am attempting to get a copy of this from Robert for further testing -
please be on the lookout for a copy, and notify your local HackWatcher or
myself if you see it.
Jim Tinlin (1:206/2604) brought into question a file called CRAPS, which
looks like a shareware Craps game for Windows. However, a line inside
the internal README.TXT file reads as follows:
"As a licensed owner, please do not distribute this copy to others"
To further confuse matters, the game displays an opening screen that
states it is indeed shareware and should be distributed. The file
contents are as follows:
CRAPS EXE 264007 05-13-93 9:05aC
CRAPS HLP 40043 04-12-93 7:16aC
README TXT 5322 04-12-93 7:02aR
5 file(s) 309372 bytes
This is another one that makes us scratch our heads here at Hack Central
Station. Any information would be appreciated.
HW Bob Seaborn forwarded a message from Kevin Haverstock (via Tom Scott,
1:140/47) about a file called TCM_V511. This was described as "The
Configuration Manager," a system configuration utility. Kevin's report
said that once you finish running the setup, your computer reboots and
you get a prompt that "scrolls your screen and locks up your system." He
was unable to access his hard drive after booting from a system disk - a
reformat was required.
I am familiar with a legitimate shareware program called The
Configuration Manager, but not under version number 5.11, nor under the
above filename. I can't be sure if Kevin's problems were the result of a
hardware error, user error, or an isolated incident of a tampered
archive. If anyone has any information on what could have caused this,
please enlighten me.
Harold Stein (1:107/236) found a file called STETRIS, claiming to be a
Super Tetris game. He says that there was a shareware version of this
that was released about a year ago, but has since been renamed due to a
conflict with a commercial game of the same name. He is not sure whether
or not he found the old shareware file or a pirated copy of the
commercial file. The archive (in .zip format, presumably using v2.04g)
was 55,318 bytes long, and the archive date had been "touched" by the BBS
it was uploaded to, forcing it to March 23, 1993 (Editorial: this renders
filedates rather useless, IMHO. -lj)
Based on further information from Jeff Hancock (1:3600/7), it seems now
that Harold may have either an older shareware version, an incomplete
archive, or a different program altogether. Jeff's copy of the shareware
version was only 47480 bytes (compressed with ARJ). He has seen the
commercial game, and says it is "MUCH larger". With this information, I
consider the matter closed. Thanks to Jeff for his help.
Peter Hempel (1:229/15) posted a message in the FidoNet Echo VIRUS about
the file BREAKIT!, which was described as follows:
BREAKIT!.ZIP 6714 03-29-93 (CRS) A Gw-Basic Code And Cipher Program
Allowing You To Enter Ascii Characters, To
Save Them, And To Encode And Decode.
Peter claims that this program erased his root directory, but says he was
able to recover everything by booting from a write-protected system disk
and using the Norton Utilities UNERASE command. The archive contents are
as follows:
Name Original Method Packed CR% Date Time CRC
============ ======== ======== ======== === ======== ======== ========
BREAKIT!.BAS 4453 Implode 2604 58 1-24-93 11:25:24 42CA0CE4
CODEFILE.FIL 1240 Implode 550 44 3-28-92 10:52:44 B6ADEB20
PRINTME.BAT 31 Stored 31 100 1-24-93 11:54:12 965CF8AE
VIEW.COM 958 Implode 876 91 3-19-92 19:11:46 47C5E5EF
README.BAT 30 Stored 30 100 1-24-93 11:52:32 95294A43
BRK.BAT 40 Stored 40 100 1-24-93 11:53:32 FC9F3B2E
BREAKIT!.DOC 2679 Implode 1440 54 1-24-93 11:56:06 EC302AFA
============ ======== ======== ======== === ======== ======== ========
7 9431 ZIP 5571 59 1-24-93 11:56:06
He did not say which file did the damage. I do not know if this is a
Trojan or an infected file - in either case, it may well be an isolated
incident. Test results would be greatly appreciated.
Lowell Shatraw (1:315/6) states that there may be two pirated commercial
fax programs floating around under the filenames FAX and PC_FAX. The
archives he reported on were in ARJ format and were 447,693 and 101,089
bytes long, respectively. The file dates were Dec. 4, 1992, and May 26,
1992 - no way to tell if the BBS "touched" the filedates. Lowell is also
not sure which commercial products these may be. If you happen to run
across one or both of these, please look inside them - if they are
commercial, please let me know (after you delete your copies, of course!
<g>).
A message from Tony Lim (1:120/314, forwarded by Jack Cross, 1:3805/13)
states that he had a user upload a file called TAG-NFO, which turned out
to be a Trojan. No details about the Trojan were given, so any
confirmation of this would be appreciated.
HW Bill Lambdin forwards a message from Mario Giordani in the ILink Virus
Conference about two files. The archives, called PHOTON and NUKE, are
possibly droppers, containing a file called NUKE.COM which "will trash
your HD."
Pat Finnerty (1:3627/107) sent a reply to the last report of this,
stating that he has a copy of a PC Magazine utility called NUKE.COM,
which is used to remove subdirectories which contain "nested subs,
hidden, read-only (you name it)." He says that the command NUKE C:\ will
effectively delete everything on a hard drive, with no chance of repair.
This is merely the way the program is designed.
I do not know if this is what happened in Mario's case, or if Mario
actually found a copy (read: isolated incident) which was infected. Bill
has asked Mario for further information, and I would like to echo his
call for help. If you know of this, please lend a hand.
Ned Allison (1:203/1102) forwarded a report into the FidoNet DIRTY_DOZEN
echo from a user of The Mailbox BBS in Cleveland (216/671-7534) named
Rich Bongiovanni. Rich reports that there is a file floating around
called DEMON WARS (archive name DMNWAR52) that is "infected with a
virus." If true, this may be an isolated incident. I would appreciate
confirmation on this.
Greg Walters (1:270/612) reports a possible isolated incident of a
problem with #1KEEN7. When he ran the installation, he began seeing on
his monitor "what looked like an X-rated GIF." The file apparently
scanned clean. Any information on similar sightings would be
appreciated.
A report from Todd Clayton (1:259/210) concerns a program called
ROBO.EXE, which he says claims to apparently "make RoboBoard run 300%
faster." He says he has heard that the program fools around with your
File Allocation Table. I have not heard any other reports of this, so I
would appreciate some confirmation from someone else who has seen similar
reports.
Kelvin Lawson (2:258/71) posted a message in the SHAREWRE echo about a
possible hack of FEBBS called F192HACK. I have not seen this file, nor
has the author of FEBBS, Patrik Sjoberg (2:205/208). He forwards the
file sizes in the archive, reported here:
Name Length Mod Date Time CRC
============ ======== ========= ======== ========
FEBBS.EXE 220841 09 Mar 92 21:17:00 96D2E08D
014734.TXT 1403 26 Aug 92 01:59:18 3B9F717F
============ ======== ========= ======== ========
*total 2 222244 26 Aug 92 01:59:24
Kelvin says the .TXT file is just an advert for a BBS, so it is "not
relevant!". As I said, the author of FEBBS has never seen this file, so
I've asked Kelvin to forward a copy of it to him.
Andrew Owens (3:690/333.11) forwarded a report of a "Maximus BBS
Optimiser," going under the filenames MAX-XD and MAXXD20. Scott Dudley,
the author of Maximus, says he did not write any programs that have these
names, but he does not know whether they are or are not legitimate third
party utilities. I have requested further information from Andrew on
this topic, and would appreciate anyone else's information, if they have
any.
Yet another short warning comes from David Bell (1:280/315), posted in
the FidoNet SHAREWRE echo, about a file called PCPLSTD2. All he says is
that it is a Trojan, and that he got his information from another
"billboard" and is merely passing it on. Again, please help if you know
what is going on here.
A message in the FidoNet ASIAN_LINK echo from Choon Hwee (1:3603/263)
grabbed my attention the moment I saw it: in capital letters, it said,
"DO NOT RUN this file called MODTEXT.EXE, cause it is a TROJAN!!!". He
goes on to say that two BBSs have been destroyed by the file. However,
that's about all that was reported. I really need more to go on before I
can classify this as a Trojan and not just a false alarm (i.e., archive
name, what it does, etc.). Please advise.
Greg Mills (1:16/390) posted a question to Robert Jung in the ARJ Support
Echo (FidoNet) about a version of ARJ called 2.33. It was unclear as to
whether or not Mr. Mills had seen the file. Mr. Jung has stated that
this is not a legitimate release number. It is possible that the
references Greg saw about 2.33 were typos, but you never know. Please
help your Hack Squad out on this one - if you see it, report it.
=========================================================================
The Meier/Morlan List
Here is the current status of the files contained in the Meier/Morlan
List. This is the last month for requests for information on this part
of The Hack Report, as I have placed a deadline of September 30th on the
files in this list. They've been reported for quite some while now, and
the verifications have slowed to a trickle. If the files listed below
can't be verified in time for the October issue, I will need to write
them off as false alarms.
=== Previous comments on the files in the list: ===
Shane Paul of Softdisk Publishing (RIME, via HW Richard Steiner),
comments on the SLORDAX game:
"If the SLORDAX game if by Gamer's Edge and copyrighted by Softdisk
then it is a pirated copy."
I can't be sure that this is the case, so the file stays on the list
until someone can verify this.
Lee Madajczyk (1:280/5) surmises that HARRIER could be Harrier Combat
Simulator by Mindscape, Inc. He says that he hasn't seen anything from
them in quite a while, and doesn't know if the company is still in
business.
Here are the remaining unresolved reports from HW Emanuel Levy:
"387DX - sounds like a Math Co-Processor emulator - might be legit
"Barkeep sounds like it may be a version of Tapper. If you send beer mugs
down the screen to patrons and then have to pick up the returning mugs
and they leave tips, then it is Tapper. Or it may be an OLD game
published in Compute Mag. If it is the one from Compute only those who
have the Compute issue with the game in it are allowed to have a copy.
"Harrier is either Harrier Jiump Jet or Space Harrier from Sega wich came
out for the Commodore 64 in 89 so I would assume it came out for IBM
around then too.
"Gremlins- There was an Gremlins Text Adventure and a Video Came for the
computer. The video game was put out by Atari
Thanks, Emanuel.
For those who have missed it before, here is what is left of the list of
files forwarded by Joe Morlan (1:125/28), as compiled by Wes Meier, SysOp
of the WCBBS (1-510-937-0156) and author of the AUNTIE BBS system. Joe
says Wes keeps a bulletin of all rejected files uploaded to him and the
reasons they were rejected. Joe also says he cannot confirm or deny the
status of any of the files on the list.
There are some that I am not familiar with or cannot confirm. These are
listed below, along with the description from Wes Meier's list.
Due to the unconfirmed nature of the files below, the filenames are not
included in the HACK????.COL and HACK????.IDX files that are a part of
the archive of The Hack Report. I would appreciate any help that
anyone can offer in verifying the status of these files. Until I receive
verification on them, I will not count them as either hacks or pirated
files. Remember - innocent until proven guilty.
My thanks go to Joe and Wes for their help.
Filename Reason for Rejection
======== =============================================
BARKEEP Too old, no docs and copyrighted with no copy
permission.
HARRIER Copyrighted. No permission to copy granted.
SLORGAME Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to copy
granted.
NOVELL Copyrighted material with no permission to
BBS distribute
DRUMS I have no idea if these are legit or not. No
docs.
GREMLINS No documantation or permission to copy given.
CLOUDKM A hacked commercial program.
MENACE Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to copy
granted.
SNOOPY Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to
copy granted.
SLORDAX Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to
copy granted.
ESCAPE Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to
copy granted.
BANNER Copyrighted. No docs. No permission to
copy granted.
387DX Copyrighted. No docs or permission to
copy granted.
WINDRV Copyrighted. No permission to copy granted.
=========================================================================
Help!!!
Would the person who sent the copy of Vegas Casino 2 (filename VEGAS2) to
The Hack Squad for testing/verification please re-identify themselves via
NetMail? Somehow, your message went to the great Bit Bucket in the sky.
Thanks in advance!
=========================================================================
Clarifications and Thanks
Folks, the LHA mystery has finally been resolved, thanks to Scott Fell
(1:124/6119), Steve Quarrella (1:124/9005), and Kenjirou Okubo, the
support person for LHA. Your Hack Squad finally received the Internet
address for Kenjirou Okubo (kenjirou@mathdent.im.uec.ac.jp), and managed
to verify Scott Fell's own contact, relayed via Steve.
If you recall, Onno Tesink (2:283/318) found a file called LHA255B. This
claims to be version 2.55b of the LHA archiver, with a file date in the
executable of 12/08/92. Onno's report was the one that started the
search.
Kenjirou knew of this version and verified its legitimacy. He also
provided some other very helpful information, which is best relayed by
quoting his message to me:
"For DOS, currently lha256a1 is under testing in a closed
circle for networking environment. After LHA213, dos5 appeared
in Japan and Yoshi started his series LHA25x series. The two
versions you mentioned seem to fall under this series. The
latest version which might be distributed by me is LHA254 for
people who wants to test -lh6- algorithm."
He went on to provide the following information on how to verify your
copy of LHA:
"Any version ending with LHA25xb is a beta test version, and
LHA25xa is for a limited circulation. To test whether these
files are legitimate release either from Yoshi or me, please
use -t option to check two dimensional CRC self-validation
check. We believe our test will check the validation with
10E-38 % of error probability."
From my own testing, here is the best way to run the verification:
1. Extract LHA.EXE from the suspect archive and place it in an
empty subdirectory that is not on your path. (example:
c:\foo\lha.exe).
2. Change directories to the one which contains a known good copy
of LHA.EXE.
3. Execute the command LHA t drive:\path\LHA.EXE. Using the above
example, your command line would look like this:
C:\LHADIR>LHA t C:\FOO\LHA.EXE
This will execute the known good copy of lha, which will test the suspect
copy and report whether or not the file "appears" to be the original or
not. Even though the older LHA is doing the testing, it will be able to
verify the newer copy.
Please note that Scott Fell's information was that the author does not
want these copies distributed. However, it seems that the folks working
on LHA are aware that some betas have "escaped" into circulation. In
other words, use any betas _entirely_ at your own risk.
Scott and Steve have my undying gratitude for helping to lay this to
rest, most notably by locating Kenjirou's Internet address and following
through on it. Thanks from all of us!
*************************************************************************
Conclusion
If you see one of the listed files on a board near you, it would be a
very friendly gesture to let the SysOp know. Remember, in the case of
pirated files, they can get in just as much trouble as the fiend who
uploads pirated files, so help them out if you can.
***HACK SQUAD POLICY***
The intent of this report is to help SysOps and Users to identify
fraudulent files. To this extent, I give credit to the reporter of a
confirmed hack. On this same note, I do _not_ intend to "go after" any
BBS SysOps who have these programs posted for d/l. The Shareware World
operates best when everyone works together, so it would be
counter-productive to "rat" on anyone who has such a file on their board.
Like I said, my intent is to help, not harm. SysOps are strongly
encouraged to read this report and remove all files listed as "confirmed"
from their boards. I can not and will not take any "enforcement action"
on this, but you never know who else may be calling your board. Pirated
commercial software posted for d/l can get you into _deeply_ serious
trouble with certain authorities.
Updates of programs listed in this report need verification. It is
unfortunate that anyone who downloads a file must be paranoid about its
legitimacy. Call me a crusader, but I'd really like to see the day that
this is no longer true. Until then, if you _know_ of a new official
version of a program listed here, please help me verify it.
On the same token, hacks need to be verified, too. I won't be held
responsible for falsely accusing the real thing of being a fraud. So,
innocent until proven guilty, but unofficial until verified.
Upcoming official releases will not be included or announced in this
report. It is this Moderator's personal opinion that the hype
surrounding a pending release leads to hacks and Trojans, which is
exactly the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish here.
If you know of any other programs that are hacks, bogus, jokes, hoaxes,
etc., please let me know. Thanks for helping to keep shareware clean!
Bill Lambdin
Moderator: Intelec (PC-Security/Share Ware) Compulink (PC-Security)
Wild Net (Virus) WME Net (PC-Security)
Internet: Hreport@aol.com
vfreak@aol.com