TAP YIPL/TAP_and_YIPL_Collection_CD.iso/PHREAK/BOXES/BOXREVW2.TXT

Text File | 1998-04-08 | 18KB | 388 lines

                               The Fixer
                                Presents

                             Colored Boxes
                             a 1998 Review

                              File 2 of 4
                  Wiretaps, Bugs, Lineman's Handsets,
                           Legal Line Gadgets


   .---------------------------------------------------------------.
   |             Wiretaps, Bugs, and Lineman's Handsets            |
   `---------------------------------------------------------------'

                                 Beige Box
           aka Acrylic Box aka Ditto Box aka Razz Box aka Aerobox
       aka Dayglo Box aka Beagan Box aka Modu Box aka Aquamarine Box
                          aka DLOC Box aka Bud Box
                            (Lineman's Handset)

   The [Acrylic] [Beige] [Bud] [Aquamarine] [Razz] [Beagan] Box are all
   the same thing: a home-made lineman's handset, usually a one-piece
   "flip fone" unit, with the modular plug removed and replaced with a
   pair of alligator clips. The idea is that you attach the alligator
   clips to any exposed outdoor or indoor phone connection terminals you
   can find, to make calls that will be billed to whoever owns the line,
   and so on.

   The most amazing thing about the Beige Box is the number of times this
   device has been reworked in text files, written by individuals without
   the technical background to understand anything more complicated.  Very
   seldom is anything original ever added to the basic idea, but more often
   than not, text files about the Beige Box are accompanied with flashy
   banners, dramatic pretext, and self-important postscripts.

   The Ditto Box is a Beige box with a mute switch, intended for
   eavesdropping on long calls.  The author claims that the switch will
   prevent line noise caused by the box but fails to explain how to get
   rid of the inevitable noise that is created when you first clip onto
   the line... muted or not.

   The Aerobox is a Beige box used on a payphone line.  It assumes
   that you have physical access to the payphone's line itself, which is
   exceedingly rare due to armor, concealment, and shielding.

   The Beagan Box is a Beige box featuring a 1000' spool of wire.  Just
   clip one end of the spool onto the line, tie the wire around a drain
   pipe for strain relief, and reel your victim's phone line all the way
   home.  The downside, of course, is that if your tap is discovered, you
   won't know until they've followed the line all the way to your location,
   when it's too late to run.

   Generally, the lineman's handset is one of the easiest ways to phreak,
   one of the few that works everywhere universally even today, and is
   considered quite lame because no real skill is involved.  It's literally
   just theft of service, and not from the phone company but from their
   customers.  The easiest targets are homes because most houses have grey
   terminal boxes somewhere on the exterior.  The most politically correct
   targets are big corporations with the kind of physical security that
   would make Beige Boxing unacceptably risky.

   If I were to Beige Box, I wouldn't hack up a perfectly good phone to do
   it.  Instead, I would buy a short phone extension cord (5 feet or less)
   and cut off the plug end, replacing it with the alligator clips.  Then I
   would plug a regular phone into that, which could later be used in the
   normal way.  Weigh the cost of a $2.95 phone cord extension against the
   cost of a $35 phone.  This is the idea behind the [Modu Box], aka the
   [Dayglo Box].

   On the other hand, if for whatever reason I -were- compelled to slice
   & dice a phone for such use, I'd go the whole nine yards and install:
   a capacitive contact de-bouncer to minimize contact click; a mute
   switch (not button); a hook switch (again, not button) and a ringer
   OFF switch (not just hi/lo).  Better yet, a ring light only.  Beige
   Boxing does have to be done with some stealth and all these features
   are mentioned individually as "the best mod yet" but really only
   contribute to a better device.

   A special note about the "Acrylic Box": that textfile describes the
   construction of a Beige Box but also claims to get you 3-Way Calling,
   Call Forwarding, etc.  Well, it will - if your victim happens to
   subscribe to these services.  So will your victim's own phone.  This is
   just typical of the egregious lameness that went on in textfile writing
   back in the 1980s.

   Plausibility: 100 Percent real.
   Obsolescence: Old but still useful most places.  Some locations have
                 better security than others.  Secure digital telephony
                 will kill the beige box as we know it, but its widespread
                 deployment is years away.
   Skill:        A no-brainer.  Clip & talk.
   Risks:        Varies depending on location - you ARE prowling, after all.




                          Infinity Transmitter
             (Turns a phone into a bug on ancient switches)

   The fabled Infinity Transmitter used the same principle as the Black
   Box - that the Phone Company connected the audio from your phone to
   the called party's phone even before ringing began.  The caller would
   send a tone down the line, the Infinity Transmitter would "hear" the
   tone and pick up the line before the phone could ring.  It would turn
   on the handset microphone, and *foom* instant room bug.  You could
   listen to whatever was going on in the room for as long as you
   wanted, from as far away as you wanted, hence the name "Infinity
   Transmitter."

   The Infinity Transmitter's coverage in text files *smacks* of Urban
   Legend, although a name - Manny Mittleman - is sometimes mentioned,
   giving it credibility.  It was certainly possible to build such a
   device, as it took advantage of a well known property of the phone
   systems of its time.  However, to construct something that did what
   it did and to miniaturize it so that it could fit inside a standard
   phone with the technology of the 1960s and early 1970s would have
   been a highly advanced project, and that is probably why all the text
   files you read which mention it never actually have any plans.

   If you are determined to see a circuit diagram for an Infinity
   Transmitter, "The Big Brother Game" by Scott French has a couple of
   circuits - you should be able to get this from Loompanics, Paladin
   Press, etc.

   Since the Infinity Transmitter depends on older phone systems where
   the audio is connected before ringing, it is pretty much completely
   obsolete today.

   Plausibility: Real but again, more legend exists on this device than
                 actual case history.
   Obsolescence: Obsolete, like the Black Box, for the same reason.  You
                 may find that you can still use a black box or infinity
                 transmitter in calls from Chinga los Gatos, Ecuador to
                 Manboyopolos, Greece and the like, but that's it.
   Skill:        Very Esoteric.  Not for the beginner.  Requires
                 installation in the target's phone.
   Risks:        Minimal once successfully installed.  In any place
                 where it works, your victim will not exactly be able to
                 *69 you.




                    Lunch Box or NIN Box or Fish Box
                    (Covert Transmitter, a.k.a. Bug)

   The Lunch Box is a small AM Broadcast-band transmitter.  It can be
   used in any way you want.  It's really only a loosely related concept
   to this series, since bugging predates phreaking by a long time.
   Numerous versions of the Lunch Box exist; the ones in text files
   generally assume that the "box" is to be wired into a phone and use
   its own microphone as the audio source.

   A decade ago I proposed the "Fish Box" which was an FM version used
   in conjunction with a tone decoder and placed on payphones in areas
   where business people would be likely to use calling cards,
   extenders, and so on.

   The usefulness of the Lunch Box to a phone phreak, aside from as a
   Fish Box, is limited, however private investigators, stalkers,
   paparazzi, and other spook types should find all kinds of neato ways
   to use it.

   Installing a Lunch Box would require committing B&E or posing as a
   telco technician, coming to "inspect the phone wiring."

   The NIN (Nine Inch Nails) box is a reverse Lunch Box, intended to
   sieze control of a school P.A. system.  It involves connecting a
   radio receiver to the P.A. and using a Lunch Box or other transmitter
   to make "unscheduled" announcements or play music, like (for example)
   Nine Inch Nails.  The NiN Box text (part of the Beneath the Remains
   series) fails to explain how you are to key the microphone (kind of a
   biggy to miss) and is technically vague, to be kind.

   Plausibility: The Lunch Box itself is 100% real, but used more in
                 Hollywood than real life. Note that I never actually
                 built the Fish Box (it was only a proposal), and I am
                 damn sure the NIN box is nothing more than a teenaged
                 loser's fantasy.
   Obsolescence: Pointless against anyone with a bug sweeper, otherwise
                 radio bugs will probably never be obsolete.
   Skill:        A well constructed bug is a work of art and best left to
                 professionals.  Deploying the bug is at least as tricky as
                 building it.
   Risks:        100% illegal unless you happen to be working under a court
                 order.  As hackers we value our own privacy but this
                 device strips its target of his.  Think about that.




                                  Mega Box
              (Reroute someone else's line to your spare pair)

   This isn't really a box at all, but simple instructions on how to
   connect your spare pair (the yellow and black wires, if you have only
   one phone line) to a pair that is in service somewhere else, or to
   bridge it to a line across town, etc.  In theory you could string your
   spare pair down several miles of cable if you were meticulous and
   careful enough, but the further you do this, the greater your risk of
   detection.  And when your illegal reroute is discovered, it comes right
   back to your house, where the police and a very smug telco security
   chief will want to have a word with you.

   Although I really don't think the kids who wrote the text file ever
   tried it (I mean come on, teenage kids up a phone pole looks *mighty*
   suspicious) the idea of temporarily siezing someone else's pair is not
   without merit, and is certainly more elegant and technical than the
   crude Beige Box.

   Plausibility: Low.  I think it's possible, I don't think it's been done.
   Obsolescence: As less and less of the outside plant uses copper,
                 obsolescence increases.  When we all have fiber direct to
                 our houses, this will be obsolete.
   Skill:        Considerable skill would be needed to do an advanced Mega
                 Box job, and even a simple bridge to a neighbor's line
                 would require careful work.  This is not a simple beige
                 box!
   Risks:        You have to climb phone poles, open bridging heads, etc.
                 Once installed, the illegal bridge can be traced back to
                 your house.  This is an extremely risky method!




                                  Tan Box
                   aka Slug Box aka Rec Box aka Rock Box
                  aka Tangerine Box aka Sound Blaster Box
                              (recording tap)

   These "boxes" are very straightforward - their purpose is simply to
   provide a generic audio output from a phone line, to connect to a
   tape recorder, sound card, what have you.  Radio Shack sells these
   for under 20 bucks.

   The Rock Box is bidirectional.  You can output music from your stereo
   to the line, so that you can "clear r0dent bridges."  Uh-huh.  Unlike
   most tan box types the Rock Box has a parts count numbering greater
   than 2, but the author knows little of electronics - he describes
   resistors by their colour codes (and incorrectly) rather than their
   value, and calls capacitors "condensators."

   Of these, only the Slug Box is anything more than a direct connection
   to the microphone input of your sound card or tape recorder.  Without
   a Part 68 Interface (which can be constructed from a few cheap parts)
   the line voltages will probably fry your recording equipment.

   Plausibility: Real but why build a crappy one when you can buy a nice
                 one cheap?
   Obsolescence: Will still be useful as long as we have analog voice
                 lines.  Fully digital secure telephony will mostly kill
                 it.
   Skill:        The ability to attach a couple of wires.
   Risks:        Illegal to use for wiretapping, that's about it.




                                 Noise Box
                           (Generate line noise)

   This device supposedly generates line noise.  In fact it will decrease
   the sound quality on the line, and might make modems fall back to lower
   speeds, etc., but it does NOT generate noise.

   Plausibility: Very little.  The Noise Box file author doesn't understand
                 some pretty basic stuff.
   Obsolescence: N/A
   Skill:        Construction is simple.
   Risks:        The plans call for you to break into the green bridging
                 head down the road from your victim.  This would look VERY
                 suspicious - chances are you'd be arrested before you even
                 got the device installed.




   .---------------------------------------------------------------.
   |                       Legal Line Gadgets                      |
   `---------------------------------------------------------------'

                                Charging Box
              (Lights red if British Telecom is charging you)

   This is a British device, and I really have no idea if it works.  It
   basically lights one light (green) if your line has a DC voltage of one
   polarity, and another (red) if the polarity is reversed.  Apparently in
   the British phone system, when they begin charging for a call, they
   reverse the line bias polarity, allowing the box to indicate a free or
   charge call.

   Plausibility: Unknown to me, but the plans look more or less sound.
   Obsolescence: Unknown to me.  Any Britons want to email me?
   Skill:        Simple to build, self-explanatory to use.
   Risks:        Probably completely legal.




                                 D.U.O. Box
                            (Visual Line Tester)

  This is another incredibly lame idea.  All it is is a Radio Shack visual
  line tester with alligator clips attached, as an aid to Beige Boxing.
  With it you can tell which lines are active in a bridging head or
  demarcation can.

  Plausibility: Sure, it'll work but why do you need a text file?
  Obsolescnece: Still current.
  Skill:        Microscopic.
  Risks:        100% legal until you go beige boxing with it.




                                 Olive Box
                             (External Ringer)

   All an Olive Box does is add an external electronic ringer to your phone
   line.  It's not really a phreak box because devices are commercially
   available which do the same thing.

   Plausibility: Real.
   Obsolescence: Will last as long as AC ringing voltages.
   Skill:        A medium level construction project; any idiot can
                 install one though.
   Risks:        None; it's perfectly legal.




                                  Pink Box
                        (3-way calling; Hold Button)

   There are two different Pink Boxes.  One is just a way of tying two
   lines together to give cheap three-way calling (see "Brown Box" in this
   chapter).  The other is a hold button - nicely done, with a Hold light
   and everything.

   Both devices can be bought commercially for very little money.

   Plausibility: Real but somewhat pointless.
   Obsolescence: Still current.
   Skill:        Both require some skilled assembly.
   Risks:        Errors in construction may damage your line or otherwise
                 affect your service, but these are perfectly legal
                 devices.



                                 Purple Box
                              aka Crimson Box
                               (Hold Switch)

   The Purple Box is a hold button for your phone.  Since you can buy a
   separate hold button for about the cost of the parts in the Purple Box
   file, and since most phones these days have hold anyway, there's really
   no point in a do-it-yourself hold button, but if you must try it, the
   purple box plans should work fine.  If nothing else, it's worthwhile as
   a beginner project for someone wanting to later build more complicated
   boxes.

   Plausibility: Real but quite pointless.
   Obsolescence: Still current.
   Skill:        An uncomplicated project to build, a no-brainer to use.
   Risks:        No legal risks as the device is 100% legal, but mistakes
                 could cause damage to your line or your phone.




                               Yellow Box
                     (How to install a phone jack)

   The "Yellow Box" is just another example of the lame attempts at
   humor that went around the underground BBS and AE circuit in the
   1980s.  All the text file tells you how to do is install a wall jack,
   and it doesn't even do that very well.

   Plausibility: Oh sure, phone jacks exist.
   Obsolescence: Technically not at all.
   Skill:        Read the instructions from Radio Shack.
   Risks:        Only if you put your tongue on the wires.