Hacker 2/HACKER2.mdf/phreak/blue2.box

Text File | 1995-01-03 | 15KB | 903 lines

THE MARK TABAS ENCOUNTER SERIES

PRESENTS...



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

      BETTER HOMES AND BLUE BOXING

                PART II

          PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



(IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE READER HAS READ

AND UNDERSTOOD PART I OF THIS SERIES).



  THE ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF BLUE BOXING

IN THE BEGINNING WAS MERELY TO RECEIVE

TOLL SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE. THOUGH

THIS CAN STILL BE DONE, BLUE BOXING HAS

ESSENTIALLY OUTLIVED ITS USEFULNESS IN

THIS AREA. MODERN DAY "EXTENDERS" AND

LONG DISTANCE SERVICES PROVIDE A SAFER

AND EASIER WAY TO MAKE FREE FONE CALLS.

HOWEVER, YOU CAN DO THINGS WITH A BLUE

BOX THAT JUST CAN'T BE DONE WITH ANY-

THING ELSE. FOR ORDINARY TOLL-FRAUD, A

BLUE BOX IS IMPRACTICAL FOR THE

FOLLOWING REASONS:



  1. CLUMSY EQUIPMENT REQUIRED (BLUE

     BOX OR EQUIVALENT)

  2. MOST BOXED CALLS MUST BE MADE

     THROUGH AN EXTENDER. NOT FOR

     SAFETY REASONS, BUT FOR REASONS

     I'LL EXPLAIN LATER.

  3. CONNECTIONS ARE OFTEN SACRIFICED

     BECAUSE CONSIDERABLE DISTANCES

     MUST BE DIALED TO CROSS A

     SEIZABLE TRUNK, IN ADDITION TO

     AWKWARD ROUTING.





ARE USUALLY MADE THROUGH AN EXTENDER.

THIS IS FOR BILLING REASONS. IF YOU

RECALL FROM PART I, 2600HZ IS USED AS A

"SUPERVISORY" SIGNAL. THAT IS, IT

SIGNALS THE STATUS OF A TRUNK--

"ON-HOOK" OR "OFF-HOOK." WHEN YOU

SEIZE A TRUNK (BY BRIEFLY SENDING

2600HZ), YOUR END (THE CALLING END)

GOES ON HOOK FOR THE DURATION OF THE

2600HZ AND THEN GOES OFF-HOOK ONCE

AGAIN WHEN THE 2600HZ IS TERMINATED.

THE CALLED END RECOGNIZES THAT A CALL

IS ON THE WAY AND ATTACHES A REGISTER,

WHICH INTERPRETS THE DIGITS WHICH ARE

TO BE SENT. NOW, UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN

THOUGH YOUR END HAS COME OFF-HOOK

(NO 2600HZ PRESENT), THE OTHER END IS

STILL ON-HOOK. YOU MAY WONDER THEN,

WHY, IF THE OTHER END (THE CALLED END)

IS STILL ON-HOOK, THERE IS NO 2600HZ

COMING THE OTHER WAY ON THE TRUNK,

WHEN THERE SHOULD BE. THIS IS CORRECT.

2600HZ *IS* PRESENT ON THE TRUNK WHEN

YOU SEIZE IT AND AFTERWARDS, BUT YOU

CANNOT HEAR IT BECAUSE OF A BAND

ELIMINATION FILTER (BEF) AT YOUR

CENTRAL OFFICE.

  BACK TO THE PROBLEM. REMEMBER THAT

WHEN YOU SEIZE A TRUNK, 2600HZ IS

INDEED COMING THE OTHER WAY ON THE

TRUNK BECAUSE THE CALLED END IS STILL

ON-HOOK, BUT YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HEAR

IT BECAUSE OF A FILTER. HOWEVER, THE

BELL EQUIPMENT KNOWS IT'S THERE (THEY

CAN "HEAR" IT). THE PRESENCE OF THE

2600HZ IS TELLING THE BILLING EQUIP-

MENT THAT YOUR CALL HAS NOT YET BEEN

COMPLETED (I.E., THE CALLED END IS

STILL ON-HOOK). WHEN FINALLY YOU DO



2600HZ FROM THE CALLED END TERMINATES.

THIS TELLS THE BILLING EQUIPMENT THAT

SOMEONE PICKED UP THE FONE AT THE

CALLED END AND YOU SHOULD BEGIN TO BE

BILLED. SO YOU DO START TO GET BILLED,

BUT FOR THE CALL TO THE TRUNK, NOT THE

BOXED CALL. YOUR BILLING EQUIPMENT

THINKS THAT YOU'VE CONNECTED WITH THE

NUMBER YOU USED TO SEIZE THE TRUNK.



ILLUSTRATION:



  1. YOU CALL 1+806-258-2222

     (DIRECTLY)

  2. STATUS OF TRUNKS:



<----------------------------------->

(YOU)                    806-258-2222

NO 2600HZ-------> <------------2600HZ



  WHEN YOU SEIZE A TRUNK (BEFORE THE

NUMBER YOU CALLED ANSWERS) THERE IS

NO AFFECT ON YOUR BILLING EQUIPMENT.

IT SIMPLY THINKS THAT YOU'RE STILL

WAITING FOR THE CALL TO COMPLETE

(THE CALLED END IS STILL ON-HOOK; IT

IS RINGING, BUSY, GOING TO RECORDING

OR INTERCEPT OPERATOR).

  NOW, LET'S SAY THAT YOU'VE SEZIED

A TRUNK (806-258-2222) AND FOR EXAMPLE,

KP+314+949+1705+ST. THE CALL IS ROUTED

FROM THE TANDEM YOU SEIZED TO:

314-949-1705.



ILLUSTRATION:



<------------------>O<--------------->

(YOU)              806         314-949

                 TANDEM





  NOTE THAT THE ENTIRE PATH TOWARDS

THE RIGHT (THE CALLED END) HAS NO

2600HZ PRESENT AND IS THEREFORE "OFF-

HOOK." THE ENTIRE PATH TOWARDS THE LEFT

(THE CALLING END) DOES HAVE 2600HZ

PRESENT ON IT, INDICATING THAT THE

CALLED END HAS NOT PICKED UP (OR COME

"OFF-HOOK"). WHEN 314-949-1705 ANSWERS,

"ANSWER SUPERVISION" IS GIVEN AND THE

2600HZ TOWARDS THE LEFT (THE CALLING

END) TERMINATES. THIS TELLS YOUR

BILLING EQUIPMENT, WHICH THINKS THAT

YOU'RE STILL WAITING TO BE CONNECTED

WITH 806-258-2222, THAT YOU'VE

FINALLY CONNECTED. BILLING THEN BEGINS

TO 806-258-2222. NOT EXACTLY AN

AUSPICIOUS BEGINNING FOR AN ASPIRING

YOUNG PHONE PHREAK.

  TO AVOID THIS, SEVERAL ACTIONS MAY

BE TAKEN. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED,

ONE MAY AVOID BEING CHARGED FOR THE

NUMBER CALLED TO SEIZE A TRUNK BY

USING AN EXTENDER (IN WHICH CASE THE

EXTENDER WILL GET BILLED). IN SOME

AREAS, BOXING MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED

USING AN 800 NUMBER, GENERALLY IN THE

FORMAT OF 800-858-XXXX (MANY AMARILLO

NUMBERS) OR 800-NN2-XXXX (SPECIAL

INTRA-STATE CLASS IN-WATS NUMBERS).

HOWEVER, BOXING OFF OF 800 NUMBERS IS

IMPOSSIBLE IN MANY AREAS. IN MY AREA,

DENVER, I AM SERVED BY #1A ESS AND IT

IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO BOX OFF OF

ANY 800 NUMBER.

  YEARS AGO, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF BLUE

BOXING (BEFORE MY TIME), PHREAKS OFTEN

USED DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE TO BOX OFF

OF BECAUSE THEY WERE "FREE" LONG



COMPETETIVE LONG DISTANCE COMPANIES,

DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE SURCHARGES ARE

NOW $0.50 IN MANY AREAS. IT IS

ADDITIONALLY ADVISED THAT DIRECTORY

ASSISTANCE NUMBERS NOT BE USED TO BOX

FROM BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  AVERAGE DA CALLS LAST UNDER 2

MINUTES. WHEN YOU BOX A CALL, CHANCES

ARE THAT IT WILL LAST CONSIDERABLY

LONGER. THUS, THE BELL BILLING EQUIP-

MENT WILL MAKE A NOTE OF CALLS TO

DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE THAT LAST A LONG

TIME. A CALL TO A DIRECTORY ASSISTANT

LASTING FOR 4 HOURS AND 17 MINUTES

MAY APPEAR SOMEWHAT SUSPICIOUS.

  ALTHOUGH THE DATE, TIME, AND LENGTH

OF A DA CALL DO NOT APPEAR ON THE BILL,

IT IS RECORDED ON AMA TAPE AND WILL

TRIP A TROUBLE REPORT IF IT WERE TO

LAST TOO LONG. THIS IS HOW MOST

PHREAKS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE OLD

DAYS. ALSO, SOMETIMES TOO MANY CALLS

LASTING TOO LONG TO ONE 800 NUMBER

MAY RAISE A FEW EYEBROWS AT THE LOCAL

SECURITY OFFICE.

  ASSUMING YOU CAN COMPLETE A BLUE BOX

CALL, THE FOLLOWING ARE LISTED ROUTINGS

FOR VARIOUS BELL INTERNAL OPERATORS.

THESE ARE IN THE FORMAT OF KP+NPA+

SPECIAL ROUTING+1X1+ST, WHICH I WILL

EXPLAIN LATER. THE 1X1 IS THE ACTUAL

OPERATOR ROUTING, AND NPA AND NPA+

SPECIAL ROUTING ARE USED FOR OUT-OF-

AREA CODE CALLS AND OUT-OF-AREA CODE

CALLS REQUIRING SPECIAL ROUTING,

RESPECTIVELY.



KP+101+ST ...... TOLL TEST BOARD

KP+121+ST ...... INWARD OP



KP+141+ST ...... WAS RATE & ROUTE. NOW

          ONLY WORKS IN 312, 815, 717,

          AND A FEW OTHERS. IT HAS

          BEEN REPLACED WITH A UNIVER-

          SAL RATE & ROUTE NUMBER,

          800+141+1212.

KP+151+ST ...... OVERSEAS COMPLETION

          OPERATOR (INBOUND). WORKS

          ONLY IN CERTAIN NPAS, SUCH AS

          303.

KP+181+ST ...... IN SOME AREAS, TOLL

          STATION FOR SMALL TOWNS



  THUS, IF YOU SEIZE A TRUNK IN 806 NPA

AND WANTED AN INWARD (IN 806), THEN YOU

WOULD DIAL KP+121+ST. IF YOU WANTED A

312 INWARD AND WERE DIALING ON AN 806

TRUNK, AN AREA CODE WOULD BE REQUIRED.

THUS, YOU WOULD DIAL KP+312+121+ST.

FINALLY, SOME PLACES IN THE NETWORK

REQUIRE SPECIAL ROUTING, IN ADDITION TO

AN AREA CODE. AN EXAMPLE IS FRANKLIN

PARK, ILL. IT REQUIRES A SPECIAL

ROUTING OF 032. FOR THIS, YOU WOULD

DIAL KP+312+032+121+ST FOR A FRANKLIN

PARK INWARD OPERATOR.

  SPECIAL ROUTINGS ARE IN THE FORMAT

OF 0XX. THEY ARE USED PRIMARILY FOR

LOAD BALANCE, SO THAT TRAFFIC FLOW

MAY BE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED. ABOUT HALF

OF THE EXCHANGES IN THE NETWORK

REQUIRE SPECIAL ROUTING. NOTE THAT

SPECIAL ROUTINGS ARE NEVER EVER EVER

USED TO DIAL NORMAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS,

ONLY OPERATORS.



  OPERATOR FUNCTIONS:



TOLL TEST BOARD- GENERALLY A CORDBOARD



THEY ARE NOT USED BY OPERATORS, ONLY

SWITCHMEN.



INWARD- ASSISTS THE NORMAL TSPS (0+)

OPERATOR IN COMPLETING CALLS OUT OF

THE TSPS'S AREA. ALSO, INWARDS PERFORM

EMERGENCY INERRUPTS WHEN THE NUMBER TO

BE INTERRUPTED IS OUT OF THE AREA CODE

OF THE ORIGINAL (TSPS) OPERATOR. FOR

EXAMPLE, A 303 OPERATOR HAS A CUSTOMER

THAT NEEDS AN EMERGENCY INTERRUPT ON

215-647-6969. THE 303 OPERATOR GETS

THE ROUTING FOR THE INWARD THAT COVERS

215-647, SINCE SHE CANNOT DO THE

INTERRUPT HERSELF. THE ROUTING IS

FOUND TO BE ONLY 215+ (NO SPECIAL

ROUTING REQUIRED). SO, THE 303 OPERATOR

KEYS KP+215+121+ST. AN INWARD ANSWERS

AND THE 303 SAYS TO HER, "INWARD, THIS

IS DENVER. I NEED AN EMERGENCY

INTERRUPT ON 215-647-6969. MY

CUSTOMER'S NAME IS MARK TABAS." THE

INWARD WILL THEN DO THE INTERRUPT (OFF

THE LINE, OF COURSE). IF THE NUMBER TO

BE INTERRUPTED HAD REQUIRED SPECIAL

ROUTING, SUCH AS, SAY, 312-456-1234

(SPEC ROUTING 032), THEN THE 303

OPERATOR WOULD DIAL KP+312+032+121+ST

FOR THE INWARD TO DO THAT INTERRUPT.



DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE- THESE ARE THE

NORMAL NPA+555+1212 OPERATORS THAT

ASSIST CUSTOMERS WITH OBTAINING

TELEFONE DIRECTORY LISTINGS. NOT MUCH

TOLL-FRAUD POTENTIAL HERE, EXCEPT

MAYBE $0.50.



RATE AND ROUTE- THESE OPERATORS ARE

REACHED BY DIALING KP+800+141+1212+ST.



WITH RATES AND ROUTINGS (THUS THE

NAME). THE ONLY USES I TYPICALLY HAVE

FOR THEM ARE THE FOLLOWING:



1. ROUTING INFORMATION. IN THE ABOVE

EXAMPLE, WHEN THE 303 OPERATOR NEEDED

TO DIAL AN INWARD THAT SERVED 215-647,

SHE NEEDED TO KNOW IF ANY SPECIAL

ROUTING WAS REQUIRED AND, IF SO, WHAT

IT WAS. ASSUMING SHE WOULD USE RATE

AND ROUTE, SHE WOULD DIAL THEM AND SAY

NICELY, "OPERATOR'S ROUTE, PLEASE, FOR

215-647." RATE & ROUTE WOULD RESPOND

WITH "215 PLUS." THIS MEANS THAT THE

OPERATOR WOULD DIAL KP+215+121+ST TO

REACH THE INWARD THAT SERVES 215-647.

IF THERE WERE SPECIAL ROUTING REQUIRED,

SUCH AS IN 312-456, RATE & ROUTE WOULD

RESPOND WITH "312 PLUS 032 PLUS." IN

THAT CASE, THE OPERATOR WOULD DIAL

KP+312+032+ST FOR THE INWARD THAT

SERVES 312-456.

  IT IS GOOD PRACTICE TO ASK FOR

"OPERATOR'S ROUTE" SPECIFICALLY, AS

THERE ARE ALSO "NUMBERS ROUTE" AND

"DIRECTORY ROUTES." IF YOU DO NOT

SPECIFICALLY ASK FOR OPERATOR'S ROUTE,

RATE & ROUTE WILL GENERALLY ASSUME

THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT ANYWAY.

  "NUMBERS" ROUTE REFERS TO OVERSEAS

CALLS. EXAMPLE, YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO

REACH A NUMBER IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

(AND YOU ALREADY HAVE THE NUMBER). YOU

WOULD CALL ROUTING AND SAY "NUMBERS

ROUTE, PLEASE, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND."

THE OPERATOR WOULD RESPOND WITH:

"MARK 41+22. 011+041+ST (PLUS) 041+22"

THE "MARK 41+22" HAS TO DO WITH

BILLING, SO DISREGARD IT. THE 011+041



BE DISCUSSED IN PART III) AND THE 041+

22+ IS THE ROUTING FOR GENEVA FROM THE

OVERSEAS SENDER.

  "DIRECTORY" ROUTINGS ARE FOR DIRECT-

ORY ASSISTANCE OVERSEAS. EXAMPLE:

YOU WANT A DA IN ROME, ITALY. YOU WOULD

CALL RATE & ROUTE AND SAY, "DIRECTORY

ROUTING PLEASE, FOR ROME, ITALY." THEY

WOULD RESPOND WITH "011+039+ST (PLUS)

039+1108 START." AS IN THE PREVIOUS

EXAMPLE, THE 011+039 IS ACCESS TO THE

OVERSEAS GATEWAY. THE 039+1108 IS A

DIRECTORY ASSISTANT IN ROME.



2. NAMEPLACE INFORMATION. RATE & ROUTE

WILL GIVE YOU THE LOCATION OF AN NPA+

EXCHANGE. EXAMPLE: "NAMEPLACE PLEASE,

FOR 215-648." THE OPERATOR WOULD

RESPOND WITH "PAOLI, PENNSYLVANIA."

THIS ISN'T ESPECIALLY USEFUL, SINCE YOU

CAN GET THE SAME INFORMATION (LEGALLY)

BY DIALING 0, BUT USING RATE & ROUTE IS

OFTEN MUCH FASTER AND IT AVOIDS HAVING

TO HANG UP WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY ON A

TRUNK.



*NOTE ON RATE & ROUTE: AS A BLUE BOXER,

ALWAYS ASK FOR "IOTC" ROUTINGS. (E.G.,

"IOTC OPERATOR'S ROUTE", "IOTC NUMBERS

ROUTE", ETC.) THIS TELLS THEM THAT YOU

WANT CORDBOARD-TYPE ROUTINGS, NOT TSPS,

BECAUSE A BLUE BOXER IS ACTUALLY JUST A

CORDBOARD POSITION (THAT BELL DOESN'T

KNOW ABOUT).



OVERSEAS COMPLETION OPERATOR (INBOUND)-

THESE OPERATORS (KP+151+ST) ASSIST IN

THE COMPLETION OF CALLS COMING IN TO

THE UNITED STATES FROM OVERSEAS. THERE



NPAS IN THE COUNTRY (NAMELY 303). TO

USE ONE, YOU WOULD SEIZE A TRUNK AND

DIAL KP+303+151+ST. THEN YOU WOULD

TELL THE OPERATOR, FOR EXAMPLE, "THIS

IS BANGLADESH CALLING. I NEED U.S.

NUMBER 215-561-0562 PLEASE." [IN A

BROKEN INDIAN ACCENT]. SHE WOULD

CONNECT YOU, AND THE BILL WOULD BE

SENT TO BANGLADESH (WHERE I'VE BEEN

BILLING MY KP+151+ST CALLS FOR TWO

YEARS).



OTHER INTERNAL BELL OPERATORS.



KP+11501+ST ...... UNIVERSAL OPERATOR

KP+11511+ST ...... CONFERENCE OP

KP+11521+ST ...... MOBILE OP

KP+11531+ST ...... MARINE OP

KP+11541+ST ...... LONG DISTANCE

                   TERMINAL

KP+11551+ST ...... TIME & CHARGES OP

KP+11561+ST ...... HOTEL/MOTEL OP

KP+11571+ST ...... OVERSEAS (OUTBOUND)

                   OP



  THESE 115X1 OPERATORS ARE IDENTICAL

IN ROUTING TO THE 1X1 OPERATORS LISTED

PREVIOUSLY, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. IF

SPECIAL ROUTING IS REQUIRED (0XX),

THEN THE TRAILING 1 IS LEFT OFF.



EXAMPLES:



A 312 UNIVERSAL OP ... KP+312+11501+ST

A FRANKLIN PARK (312-456) UNIVERSAL

OP (SPECIAL ROUTING 032 REQUIRED)....

................... KP+312+032+1150+ST

[THE TRAILING 1 OF 11501 IS LEFT OFF].







UNIVERSAL- USED FOR COLLECT/CALLBACK

CALLS TO COIN STATIONS.



CONFERENCE- THIS IS A CORDBOARD

CONFERENCE OPERATOR WHO WILL SET UP A

CONFERENCE FOR A CUSTOMER ON A MANUAL

OPERATION BASIS.



MOBILE- ASSISTS IN COMPLETION OF CALLS

TO MOBILE (IMTS) TYPE TELEFONES



MARINE- ASSISTS IN COMPLETION OF CALLS

TO OCEAN GOING VESSELS.



LONG DISTANCE TERMINAL- NOW OBSOLETE.

WAS USED FOR COMPLETION OF LONG

DISTANCE CALLS.



TIME & CHARGES- WILL GIVE EXACT COSTS

OF CALLS. USED TO TIME CALLS AND

INFORM CUSTOMER OF EXACTLY HOW MUCH

IT COST.



HOTEL/MOTEL- HANDLES CALLS TO/FROM

HOTELS AND MOTELS.



OVERSEAS COMPLETION (OUTBOUND)- ASSISTS

IN COMPLETION OF CALLS TO OVERSEAS

POINTS. ONLY WORKS IN SOME, IF ANY

NPAS, BECAUSE OVERSEAS ASSISTANCE HAS

BEEN CENTRAIZED TO IOCC (COVERED IN

PART III).



  NOTE THAT ALL KP+1X1+ST AND

KP+115X1+ST OPERATORS AUTOMATICALLY

ASSUME THAT YOU ARE A TSPS OR CORDBOARD

OPERATOR ASSISTING A CUSTOMER WITH A

CALL. DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO JEOPARDIZE



DON'T CALL THESE OPERATORS! FIND OUT

WHAT TO DO FIRST.



  THIS CONCLUDES PART II. THERE IS

ONE FINAL PART IN WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN

OVERSEAS DIALING, IOCC (INTERNATIONAL

OVERSEAS COMPLETION CENTRE), RQS

(RATE/QUOTE SYSTEM), AND SOME BASIC

SCANNING.




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