Beginners Guide to Phreaking

Hello everyone out there, looking for info on how to get free fone calls, although it isn't as easy as ten years ago, it is still a necessary task. Phreaking is what I'm talking about, it is not only about free phone calls but it is about screwing Bell over. In my opinion fones should not be of cost to anyone because the world today requires so much communication; it should be a necessity to have free fone calls. So here we go, this starts at the complete beginning, oh yeah I almost forgot. Time for that handy little disclaimer...

DISCLAIMER: I take no responsibility for the use of any of the information given in this doc. This info is for informationally purposes only, hence the word info. You use this information at your own risk only.

This info has been gathered from a various amount of sources, so if you see something you wrote feel free to fill in your handle and give yourself credit before redistributing the file. Anyone that is just learning about this stuff please acknowledge the fact that there are more people out there that deserve credit for this file, this file is just a compilation of info.

Here are some Phreaking Rules:
1.
Never box over your home phone line.
2.
You should never talk about phreaking projects over your home phone line.
3.
Never use your real name when phreaking.
4.
Be careful who you tell about your phreaking projects.
5.
Never leave phreaking materials out in the open. Keep them in a safe place.
6.
Don't get caught.

Alright the first thing to know about phreaking is that there are boxes involved. You might ask what the hell a box is. A box is a device/gadget that helps all phreakers do what they do best phreak, so it is a phreaking utility. Here is a list of boxes and what they do.

Acrylic   Steal Three-Way-Calling, Call Waiting and programmable
       Call Forwarding on old 4-wire phone systems
Aqua     Drain the voltage of the FBI lock-in-trace/trap-trace
Beige    Lineman's hand set
Black    Allows the calling party to not be billed for the call
       placed
Blast    Phone microphone amplifier
Blotto    Supposedly shorts every fone out in the immediate area
Blue     Emulate a true operator by seizing a trunk with a 2600hz
       tone
Brown    Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Bud     Tap into your neighbors phone line
Chartreuse  Use the electricity from your phone line
Cheese    Connect two phones to create a diverter
Chrome    Manipulate Traffic Signals by Remote Control
Clear    A telephone pickup coil and a small amp use to make free
       calls on Fortress Phones
Color    Line activated telephone recorder
Copper    Cause crosstalk interference on an extender
Crimson   Hold button
Dark     Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone
Dayglo    Connect to your neighbors phone line
Divertor   Re-route outgoing or incoming calls to another phone
DLOC     Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Gold     Trace calls, tell if the call is being traced, and can
       change a trace
Green    Emulate the Coin Collect, Coin Return, and Ringback tones
Infinity   Remotely activated phone tap
Jack     Touch-Tone key pad
Light    In-use light
Lunch    AM transmitter
Magenta   Connect a remote phone line to another remote phone line
Mauve    Phone tap without cutting into a line
Neon     External microphone
Noise    Create line noise
Olive    External ringer
Party    Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Pearl    Tone generator
Pink     Create a party line from 2 phone lines
Purple    Telephone hold button
Rainbow   Kill a trace by putting 120v into the phone line (joke)
Razz     Tap into your neighbors phone
Red     Make free phone calls from pay phones by generating
       quarter tones
Rock     Add music to your phone line
Scarlet   Cause a neighbors phone line to have poor reception
Silver    Create the DTMF tones for A, B, C and D
Static    Keep the voltage on a phone line high
Switch    Add hold, indicator lights, conferencing, etc..
Tan     Line activated telephone recorder
Tron     Reverse the phase of power to your house, causing your
       electric meter to run slower
TV Cable   "See" sound waves on your TV
Urine    Create a capacitative disturbance between the ring and
       tip wires in another's telephone headset
Violet    Keep a payphone from hanging up
White    Portable DTMF keypad
Yellow    Add an extension phone

Box schematics may be retrieved from these FTP sites:

ftp.netcom.com (DnA)
ftp.winternet.com (H/P)

Are you surprised by how many there are, you'll probably be more surprised when you find out how many of them work, almost none. I will tell you about a couple that do work. First, I'll tell you of the Red Box and how to make it and use it.

When a coin is inserted into a payphone, the payphone emits a set of tones to ACTS (Automated Coin Toll System). Red boxes work by fooling ACTS into believing you have actually put money into the phone. The red box simply plays the ACTS tones into the telephone microphone. ACTS hears those tones, and allows you to place your call. The actual tones are:

Nickel Signal   1700+2200 0.060s on
Dime Signal    1700+2200 0.060s on, 0.060s off, twice repeating
Quarter Signal   1700+2200 33ms on, 33ms off, 5 times repeating

To make a Red Box from a Radio Shack 43-141 or 43-146 tone dialer, open the dialer and replace the crystal with a new one. The purpose of the new crystal is to cause the * button on your tone dialer to create a 1700Mhz and 2200Mhz tone instead of the original 941Mhz and 1209Mhz tones. The exact value of the replacement crystal should be 6.466806 to create a perfect
1700Mhz tone and 6.513698 to create a perfect 2200mhz tone. A crystal close to those values will create a tone that easily falls within the loose tolerances of ACTS. The most popular choice is the 6.5536Mhz crystal, because it is the eaiest to procure. The old crystal is the large shiny metal component labeled "3.579545Mhz." When you are finished replacing the crystal, program the P1 button with five *'s. That will simulate a quarter tone each time you press P1. You might ask where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystalYour best bet is a local electronics store. Radio Shack sells them, but theyare overpriced and the store must order them in. This takes approximately two weeks. In addition, many Radio Shack employees do not know that this can be done.

Or, you could order the crystal mail order. This introduces Shipping and Handling charges, which are usually much greater than the price of the crystal. It's best to get several people together to share the S&H cost. Or, buy five or six yourself and sell them later. Some of the places you can order crystals are:

Digi-Key
701 Brooks Avenue South
P.O. Box 677
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677
(80)344-4539
Part Number:X415-ND  /* Note: 6.500Mhz and only .197 x .433 x .149! */
Part Number:X018-ND

JDR Microdevices:
2233 Branham Lane
San Jose, CA 95124
(800)538-5000
Part Number: 6.5536MHZ

Tandy Express Order Marketing
401 NE 38th Street
Fort Worth, TX 76106
(800)241-8742
Part Number: 10068625

Red Boxes will work on phones that are Telco owned or display the Bell sign all over the place they do not work on COCOT's. 
Payphones do not use ACTS for local calls. To use your red box for local calls, you have to fool ACTS into getting involved in the call.

One way to do this, in some areas, is by dialing 10288-xxx-xxxx. This makes your call a long distance call, and brings ACTS into the picture.

In other areas, you can call Directory Assistance and ask for the number of the person you are trying to reach. The operator will give you the number and then you will hear a message similar to "Your call can be completed automatically for an additional 35 cents." When this happens, you can then use ACTS tones.

Most of the info on Red Boxes was taken from The PhreakFAQ just to give them credit you may want to read The PhreakFAQ. They will explain all of the vocabulary that I'm not such as What is a COCOT read another file this file is just supposed to get you started, and make you thirsty for more info. Not to make you read it know everything, and then say to yourself I know it all, 'cos noone knows it all okay what other boxes are helpful. The blue box was a good box a long time ago, now it can be detected too easy and it is not worth getting caught over especially if your new to this stuff it'll ruin your life over just a little test I wouldn't recommend the blue box. If you want something that can do box sounds download a file that makes different box tones there are plenty of names for them ie "The Box of Many Colors" etc. 

Now we will get into some fun, the Lineman's handset, or the Beige Box (same thing) is one of the best boxes, and the easiest to make, here you go:
---------
BEIGE BOX
---------
Invented by: The Exterminator and The Terminal Man
------------ 
INTRODUCTION 
------------
Have you ever wanted a lineman's handset?  Surely every phreak
has at least once considered the phun that he could have with
one. After searching unlocked phone company trucks for one for
months, we had an idea. We could build one. We did, and named
it the "Beige Box," simply because that is the color of ours. In
the following file we will give complete instructions for the
construction and use of a Beige Box.
------------ 
CONSTRUCTION 
------------
The construction is very simple. First, you must understand the
concept of the device. In a modular jack, there are four wires.
These are red, green, yellow, and black. For a single line tele-
phone, however, only two matter: the red (ring) and green (tip).
The yellow and black are not necessary for this project.  A
lineman's handset only has two clips on it: the ring and the tip.

You will need a phone (we recommend a touch-tone) with a modular plug, a modular jack, and two large alligator clips (preferably red and green, respectively). Take the modular jack and look at the bottom of its casing. There should be a grey jack with four wires (red, green, yellow, and black) leading out of it. To the end of the red wire attach a red alligator clip. To the end of
the green wire attach a green alligator clip. The yellow and
black wires can be removed, although I would only set them aside
so that you can use the modular jack in future projects. Now in-
sert your telephone's modular plug into the modular jack. That's
it.

This particular model is nice because it can be easily made, is
inexpensive, uses common parts that are readily available, is
small, is lightweight, and does not require the destruction of a
phone.

--------------
BEIGE BOX USES 
--------------

There are many uses for the Beige Box. However, before you can
use it, you must know how to attach it to its output device.
This device can be any of several Bell switching apparatus that
include terminal sets (i.e., remote switching centers, bridging
heads, cans, etc.). To open most Bell Telephone switching ap-
paratus, you must have a 7/16 inch hex driver. This piece of
equipment can be picked up at your local hardware store.  With
your 7/16 hex driver, turn the security bolt(s) approximately 1/8
of an inch counter-clockwise and open. If your output device is
locked, then you must have some knowledge of destroying and/or
picking locks. However, we have never encountered a locked out-
put device. Once you have opened your output device, you should
see a mass of wires connected to terminals. On most of your out-
put devices, the terminals should be labeled "T" (Tip -- if not
labeled, it is usually on the left) and "R" (Ring -- if not la-
beled, it is usually on the right). Remember: Ring - red -
right. The "Three R's" -- a simple way to remember which is
which.

Now you must attach the red alligator clip (ring) to the "R"
(ring) terminal.  Attach the green alligator clip (tip) to the
"T" (tip) terminal. NOTE: If instead of a dial tone you hear
nothing, re-adjust the alligator clips so that they are not
touching each other or other terminals. Also make sure that they
are firmly attached. By this time you should hear a dial tone.
Dial ANI and find out the number that you are using (you wouldn't
want to use your own).

   Here are some practical applications:

      o Eavesdropping
      o Long distance, static-free phone calls to
        phriends
      o Dialing direct to Alliance Conferencing (also
        static-free)
      o Phucking people over
      o Bothering the operator at little risk to yourself
      o Blue Boxing with a greatly reduced chance of
        getting caught
      o Anything at all that you want, since you are an
        extension on that line
-------------
Eavesdropping
-------------

To be most effective, first attach the Beige Box and then your
phone.  This eliminates static caused by connecting the box,
therefore reducing the potential suspicion of your victim.  When
eavesdropping, it is always best to be neither seen nor heard.
If you hear someone dialing out, do not panic; but rather hang
up, wait, and pick up the receiver again. The person will either
have hung up or tried to complete their call again.  If the
latter is true, then listen in, and perhaps you will find infor-
mation worthy of blackmail! If you would like to know who you
are listening to, after dialing ANI, pull a CN/A on the number.

---------------------
Dialing Long Distance
---------------------

This section is self-explanatory, but don't forget to dial a "1"
before the NPA.

---------------------------------------
Dialing Direct to Alliance Conferencing
---------------------------------------

Simply dial 0-700-456-1000 and you will get instructions from
there.  I prefer this method over PBXs, since PBXs often have
poor reception and are more difficult to come by.

--------------------
Screwing People Over
--------------------

This is a very large topic for discussion.  Just by using the
other functions described, you can create a large phone bill for
the person (they will not have to pay it, but it is a hassle for
them).  In addition, since you are an extension of the person's
line, leave your phone off hook, and they will not be able to
make or receive calls. This can be extremely nasty because no
one would suspect the cause of the problem.

----------------------
Bothering the Operator
----------------------

This is also self-explanatory and can provide hours of entertain-
ment. Simply ask or say things to her that are offensive and you
would not like traced to your line. This also corresponds with
the previous described section, Phucking People Over. After all,
guess who's line it gets traced to? He he he...

-----------
Blue Boxing
-----------

See a file on Blue Boxing for more details. This is an especial-
ly nice feature if you live in an ESS-equipped prefix, since the
calls are, once again, not traced to your line.

---------------------------------
POTENTIAL RISKS OF BEIGE BOXING
---------------------------------

Overuse of the Beige Box may cause suspicions within the Gestapo,
and result in legal problems. Therefore, I would recommend that
you:

    o Use more than one output device
    o Choose a secluded spot to do your Beige Boxing
    o Keep a low profile (i.e., do not post under your real
      name on a public BBS concerning your accomplishments)
    o In order to make sure that the enemy has not been in-
      side your output device, I recommend that you place a 
      piece of transparent tape over the opening of your 
      output device. Therefore, if it is opened in your 
      absence, the tape will be displaced and you will be 
      aware of the fact that someone has been intruding upon 
      your territory.

Thanks for reading, but read some more and expand your knowlegde universally. Here are some web sites that contain hacking, phreaking, computer, virus, carding, security, etc. material:

Site Address:

http://www.outerlimits.net/lordsome/index.html (Hacker's Layer)
http://web2.airmail.net/km/hfiles/free.htm   (Hacker's Hideout)
http://resudox.net/bio/novell.html
http://www.louisville.edu/wrbake01/hack2.html
http://www.intersurf.com/~materva/files.html
http://hightop.nrl.navy.mil/rainbow.html
http://www.rit.edu/~jmb8902/hacking.html
http://www.spatz.com/pecos/index.html
http://pages.prodigy.com/FL/dtgz94a/files2.html
http://www.2600.com                   (alt.2600)
http://att.net/dir800
http://draco.centerline.com:8080/~franl/crypto.html
http://everest.cs.ucdavis.edu/Security.html
http://ice-www.larc.nasa.gov/WWW/security.html
http://lOpht.com                        (lOpht)
http://lOpht.com/~oblivion/IIRG.html
http://underground.org
http://www.alw.nih.gov/WWW/security.html
http://www.aspentec.com/~frzmtdb/fun/hacker.html
http://www.cis.ohi-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/alt-2600-faq/faq.html
http://www.cs.tufts.ed/~mcable/cypher/alerts/alerts.∏html
http://www.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/underground/boxes.html
http://www.etext.org/Zines
http://www.inderect.com/www/johnk/
http://www.mgmua.com/hackers/index.html
http://www.paranoia.com/mthreat
http://www.paranoia.com/astrostar/fringe.html
http://www.umcc.umich.edu/~doug/virus-faq.html
http://www.wired.com

by Capt. Deathboy