Hacker 2/HACKER2.mdf/cud/cud525f.txt

Text File | 1995-01-03 | 6KB | 140 lines

Date: Tue, 30 Mar 93 22:39:29 EST
From: [e-mail](LOD Communications)
Subject: File 6--Collecting Cu Files (From "LOD")

   Thank you for requesting information about the Hack/Phreak
Underground BBS Message Base Files. The first Price Listing of
completed message base Files will be sent to you via email in early
to
mid April 1993. Until then, the following background information
should provide you with a better picture of this undertaking.

   A significant portion of now retired computer underground
participants (hackers and phone phreaks) have expressed an interest
in
seeing all of those old messages they posted on various underground
hacker bulletin boards during their respective 'careers'. This is
especially the case for those who never downloaded the messages;
sold,
gave away, or chucked their disks; and those who were visited by
law
enforcement officials who TOOK EVERYTHING including that suspicious
looking toaster 8-/. In addition to this crowd, those who have come
to
the 'scene' relatively recently are keenly interested in what their
'forefathers' talked about and what computer systems and networks
they
were into. This interest, and the growing curiosity of
corporations,
security professionals, and the general public to know what all
those
'hacker kids' were REALLY up to (starting World War III of course!)
is
the reasoning behind this undertaking.

   Basically, LOD Communications is creating a Historical Library
of
the dark portion of Cyberspace. Throughout history physical objects
have been preserved for posterity for the benefit of the next
generation of humans.  Cyberspace however, isn't very physical;
data
contained on floppy diskettes has a finite lifetime as does the
technology to retrieve that data. Most of the underground systems
operated at a time when TRS80's, VIC-20's, Commodore 64's, and
Apple //'s were state of the art. Today, it's difficult to find
anyone who has one of these machines in operating condition not to
mention the brain cells left to recall how to operate them. :(

   The aim of the project is to acquire as much information as
possible which was contained on the underground hack/phreak
bulletin
boards that were in operation during a decade long period dating
from
the beginnings (1979, 80 - MOM: Modem Over Manhattan and 8BBS) to
the
legendary OSUNY, Plovernet, Legion of Doom!, Metal Shop, etc. up
through the Phoenix Project circa 1989.  Currently messages from
over
40 different BBS's have been dug up although very few message bases
are 100% complete. Not having a complete 'set' does not diminish
their
value however.

   As happens with most projects, the effort and monetary
investment
turned out to be substantially more than originally anticipated.
Literally hundreds of man-hours have been spent copying dusty apple
][
disks, transferring them to IBM (or typing in hard copy versions
when
electronic versions were unavailable), organizing the over one
thousand individual files according to what BBS the messages were
originally posted on, and splicing the files together. Also, after
consulting with the appropriate civil liberties organizations and
actual legal counsel, a very slight editing of the messages
restricted
to long distance access codes, phone numbers, and computer
passwords
had to be made to ensure that there is nothing illegal contained
within the messages. Every effort was made to keep the messages in
their pristine condition: 40 columns, ALL CAPS, spelling errors,
inaccuracies of various kinds, and ALL.

   In order to at least break even, a dollar value has been
attached
to each set of message bases. The dollar values were determined
based
on the following conglomeration:  the number of years ago the BBS
operated, its popularity and message content, whether the BBS or
portions thereof were deemed 'Elite' (and therefore restricted
access
to but a small number of users), and the total number of messages
compiled. The prices were kept as low as possible and range from
$1.00
to $9.00 for each Copyrighted (c) 1993 by LOD Communications, H/P
BBS
message base set. Most sets include [in addition to the messages
themselves]: a historical background and description of the BBS,
any
tutorials aka "G-Philes" that were online as well as downloaded
userlists if available. Due to the economics involved in diskettes,
snail mail costs, and filling orders, a minimum order of $20.00 is
required. Corporations and Government agencies must order the
complete
set and pay a moderately higher rate. The files will be available
in
IBM (5.25 or 3.5 inch), Amiga, and Apple MacIntosh formats and
orders
are expected to arrive at the requestors' physical mail box in 2-4
weeks upon receipt of the order. Paper versions can be ordered but
cost double (many messages are of 40 column format and therefore
wastes lots of paper) and take twice the time to deliver.

   These Files will hopefully provide those who were not part of
the
underground experience to learn what it was all about instead of
relying on those often slanted (negatively) accounts found in the
press. How much did the hackers and phone phreaks who used these
bulletin boards know and how did they find it out? Did they have
the
capability to shut down phone service of Area Code proportions,
could
they ruin someone's credit, could they 'move satellites in the
heavens', could they monitor packet switching network
conversations?
The answers lay within the messages which were painstakingly
collected
and are currently being organized into Files. Your patience is
appreciated.

LOD Communications: Leaders in Engineering, Social and Otherwise

Email: [e-mail]
Voice Mail: 512-448-5098
Snail Mail: LOD Communications
            603 W. 13th
            Suite 1A-278
            Austin, Texas 78701

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