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- Computer underground Digest Sun Nov 21 1993 Volume 5 : Issue 88
- ISSN 1004-042X
-
- Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
- Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
- Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
- Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
- Ian Dickinson
- Copy Editor: Etaoin Shrdlu, III
-
- CONTENTS, #5.88 (Nov 21 1993)
- File 1--Michael Elansky ("Ionizer") Sentenced / Saga ends
- File 2--Electronic Bill Of Rights and Responsibilities
- File 3--Student sues to regain Internet access
- File 4--Toll Fraud on French PBXs--Phreaking
- File 5--Brendan Kehoe
- File 6--Advertise your skills!
-
- Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
- available at no cost electronically from tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu. The
- editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-0303), fax (815-753-6302)
- or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
- 60115.
-
- Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
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- the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
- On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
- on the PC-EXEC BBS at (414) 789-4210; and on: Rune Stone BBS (IIRG
- WHQ) (203) 832-8441 NUP:Conspiracy; RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020
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-
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-
- COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
- information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
- diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted for non-profit as long
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- preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts
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-
- DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
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-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1993 14:12:31 EST
- From: Sue D'Onym <sdo@anon.omous.com>
- Subject: File 1--Michael Elansky ("Ionizer") Sentenced / Saga ends
-
- ((MODERATORS' NOTE: The Elansky case has ended. Michael Elansky was
- sentenced to 28 months in prison, which--with "good time" and credit
- for time served--should make him eligible for release under
- Connecticut law in about 10 months. The charges relating to First
- Amendment issues that bothered many of us were not pursued by the
- prosecution, perhaps in part because of the incisive and accurate
- reporting by John Moran of the Hartford Courant. Moran's work
- established him as one of the rare media reporters whose knowledge of
- computers and related issues gives them considerable credibility.
- Thanks to the Connecticut readers who sent over the edited story)).
-
- SOURCE: Hartford Courant (Nov. 20, 1993)
- By: John M. Moran, Courant Staff Writer
-
- Michael Elansky's volatile mixture of computers and pyrotechnics
- backfired Friday when a Superior Court judge sentenced him to 28
- months in prison.
-
- Judge Thomas P. Miano said Elansky, a 21-year-old West Hartford
- resident, remains dangerous because he still hasn't curbed his impulse
- to dabble in explosives.
-
- "You've got to accept responsibility for what you do, it's that
- simple," Miano said.
-
- Elansky has been jailed at Hartford Correctional Center since
- August on charges of illegally maintaining bomb-making instructions on
- his computer bulletin board.
-
- At the time, he also was facing other charges, including conspiracy
- to commit burglary and two counts of violating his probation. Bail was
- set at $500,000, which Elansky could not meet.
-
- ((The article explains that Elansky pled guilty in October, agreeing
- to terms that included no more than three years in prison, and that
- prosecution and defense attorneys have spend the last few weeks
- debating the final sentence)).
-
- In recent weeks, friends and family testified that Elansky was
- interested in odd topics, but that he was not dangerous or
- destructive. Prosecution witnesses, however, painted a far different
- picture of a man they said repeatedly broke the law while
- experimenting with explosives.
-
- In reaching his decision, Miano said he was troubled by evidence
- that Elansky had lied to police, to the court, to his parents and to
- others. But Miano also was disturbed at the prospect of sending to
- prison someone who had the potential to straighten out his life.
-
- "I can candidly say... that I have agonized more over this matter
- than any other matter that I can remember," the judge said.
-
- ((The article explains that the judge decided on imprisonment
- and long probation as necessary for Elansky to "change his ways."))
-
- On both probation violations, Elansky was sentenced to 28 months in
- prison and probation for five years. Conditions of his probation
- include the following:
-
- * A ban on Elansky allowing anyone under 18 years old to use
- his computer bulletin board, which was known as "The Ware
- House."
-
- * A ban on Elansky, whose computer nickname is the
- "Ionizer," placing pyrotechnic information or another other
- harmful information on his bulletin board.
-
- * A requirement that a probation officer have complete
- freedom to search Elansky's computer system to ensure the
- requirements have not been violated.
-
- * Evaluation by a mental health counselor.
-
- * 100 hours of community service for each year on probation.
-
- Throughout the sentencing, a pale and thin Elansky stood silently
- at the defense table. His father, David Elansky, and grandmother,
- Debra Elansky, sat behind him in the courtroom.
-
- "I know you're not happy with it," Miano told Elansky after the
- sentence was pronounced. "I know you expected to walk out with your
- parents. No more."
-
- The conspiracy to commit burglary charges and the charges relating
- to bomb-making instructions on the computer bulletin board were not
- pursued.
-
- Elansky will almost certainly get credit for the 3 1/2 months he's
- already served in jail. In addition, he will be able to apply for
- parole after he has served half of the prison term.
-
- was surprised and disappointed by the sentencing. "It's not going to
- make him a better person by keeping him in jail," he said.
-
- Brown, the defense attorney, said he had asked for a lesser
- sentence, but respected the judge's treatment of the case.
-
- "It was obvious to me that the judge certainly spent a great deal
- of time on this case, which is all a defendant can really ask for," he
- said.
- ((The article concludes by summarizing the disappointment that the
- parents and defense attorney expressed)).
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 12 Nov 1993 16:34:28 U
- From: "Anne" <harwell@BANDW.PANAM.EDU>
- Subject: File 2--Electronic Bill Of Rights and Responsibilities
-
- [I'm forwarding this to CuD with the permission of Frank Connolly of
- The American University. Information on how to contact him is at the
- end of this document.
- -abh]
-
- ++++++++++++++++++
- The following document might be of interest to members of the Computer
- Underground Digest. Called the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
- for Electronic Learners, it is a model policy statement regarding the
- rights and responsibilities of individuals and institutions regarding
- computers and electronic networks in education. Although the project
- was begun as part of EDUCOM, it is now an initiative of the American
- Association of Higher Education (AAHE).
-
- Your comments and suggestions for gaining consideration and discussion
- of the Bill on campuses, in school districts and professional forums
- would be appreciated.
-
- To retrieve the text via ftp do the following:
-
- 1. FTP to ftp.american.edu
- 2. Give your id as . . . . . . anonymous
- 3. As your password use . . . your email address
- Once accepted to the system,
- 4. Change directories by entering cd au
- 5. To retrieve the file type get brrec.text
-
- =============== TEXT OF BILL FOLLOWS ===========================
-
-
- PREAMBLE
-
- In order to protect the rights and recognize the responsibilities of
- individuals and institutions, we, the members of the educational
- community, propose this Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for the
- Electronic Community of Learners. These principles are based on a
- recognition that the electronic community is a complex subsystem of
- the educational community founded on the values espoused by that
- community. As new technology modifies the system and further empowers
- individuals, new values and responsibilities will change this culture.
- As technology assumes an integral role in education and lifelong
- learning, technological empowerment of individuals and organizations
- becomes a requirement and right for students, faculty, staff, and
- institutions, bringing with it new levels of responsibility that
- individuals and institutions have to themselves and to other members
- of the educational community.
-
-
- ARTICLE I: INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
-
- The original Bill of Rights explicitly recognized that all individuals
- have certain fundamental rights as members of the national community.
- In the same way, the citizens of the electronic community of learners
- have fundamental rights that empower them.
-
- Section 1.
- A citizen's access to computing and information resources shall
- not be denied or removed without just cause.
-
- Section 2.
- The right to access includes the right to appropriate training and
- tools required to effect access.
-
- Section 3.
- All citizens shall have the right to be informed about personal
- information that is being and has been collected about them, and
- have the right to review and correct that information,. Personal
- information about a citizen shall not be used for other than the
- expressed purpose of its collection without the explicit
- permission of that citizen.
-
- Section 4.
- The constitutional concept of freedom of speech applies to
- citizens of electronic communities.
-
- Section 5.
- All citizens of the electronic community of learners have
- ownership rights over their own intellectual works.
-
-
- ARTICLE II: INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES
-
- Just as certain rights are given to each citizen of the electronic
- community of learners, each citizen is held accountable for his
- or her actions. The interplay of rights and responsibilities
- within each individual and within the community engenders
- the trust and intellectual freedom that form the heart of our
- society. This trust and freedom are grounded on each person's
- developing the skills necessary to be an active and contributing
- citizen of the electronic community. These skills include an
- awareness and knowledge about information technology and
- the uses of information and an understanding of the roles in the
- electronic community of learners.
-
- Section 1.
- It shall be each citizen's personal responsibility to actively
- pursue needed resources: to recognize when information is
- needed, and to be able to find, evaluate, and effectively use
- information.
-
- Section 2.
- It shall be each citizen's personal responsibility to recognize
- (attribute) and honor the intellectual property of others.
-
- Section 3.
- Since the electronic community of learners is based upon the
- integrity and authenticity of information, it shall be each
- citizen's personal responsibility to be aware of the potential for
- and possible effects of manipulating electronic information: to
- understand the fungible nature of electronic information; and to
- verify the integrity and authenticity, and assure the security of
- information that he or she compiles or uses.
-
- Section 4.
- Each citizen, as a member of the electronic community of
- learners, is responsible to all other citizens in that community:
- to respect and value the rights of privacy for all; to recognize and
- respect the diversity of the population and opinion in the
- community; to behave ethically; and to comply with legal
- restrictions regarding the use of information resources.
-
- Section 5.
- Each citizen, as a member of the electronic community of
- learners, is responsible to the community as a whole to
- understand what information technology resources are
- available, to recognize that the members of the community
- share them, and to refrain from acts that waste resources or
- prevent others from using them.
-
-
- ARTICLE III: RIGHTS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
-
- Educational institutions have legal standing similar to that of
- individuals. Our society depends upon educational institutions
- to educate our citizens and advance the development of
- knowledge. However, in order to survive, educational
- institutions must attract financial and human resources.
- Therefore, society must grant these institutions the rights to the
- electronic resources and information necessary to accomplish
- their goals.
-
- Section 1.
- The access of an educational institutions to computing and
- information resources shall not be denied or removed without
- just cause.
-
- Section 2.
- Educational institutions in the electronic community of learners
- have ownership rights over the intellectual works they create.
-
- Section 3.
- Each educational institution has the authority to allocate
- resources in accordance with its unique institutional mission.
-
-
- ARTICLE IV: INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
-
- Just as certain rights are assured to educational institutions in
- the electronic community of learners, so too each is held
- accountable for the appropriate exercise of those rights to foster
- the values of society and to carry out each institution's mission.
- This interplay of rights and responsibilities within the
- community fosters the creation and maintenance of an
- environment wherein trust and intellectual freedom are the
- foundation for individual and institutional growth and success.
-
- Section 1.
- The institutional members of the electronic community of
- learners have a responsibility to provide all members of their
- community with legally acquired computer resources (hardware,
- software, networks, data bases, etc.) in all instances where access
- to or use of the resources is an integral part of active
- participation in the electronic community of learners.
-
- Section 2.
- Institutions have a responsibility to develop, implement, and
- maintain security procedures to insure the integrity of
- individual and institutional files.
-
- Section 3.
- The institution shall treat electronically stored information as
- confidential. The institution shall treat all personal files as
- confidential, examining or disclosing the contents only when
- authorized by the owner of the information, approved by the
- appropriate institutional official, or required by local, state or
- federal law.
-
- Section 4.
- Institutions in the electronic community of learners shall train
- and support faculty, staff, and students to effectively use
- information technology. Training includes skills to use the
- resources, to be aware of the existence of data repositories and
- techniques for using them, and to understand the ethical and
- legal uses of the resources.
-
- August, 1993
-
- * Frank Connolly The American University *
- * FRANK@American.EDU 119 Clark Hall *
- * (202) 885-3164 Washington, D.C 20016 *
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Sun, 14 Nov 93 10:51:37 CST
- From: peterson@ZGNEWS.LONESTAR.ORG(Bob Peterson)
- Subject: File 3--Student sues to regain Internet access
-
- The August 17, 1993 (Volume 5, Issue 62) issue of CuD contained a
- brief mention of Microsoft's termination of Mr. Gregory Steshenko,
- apparently due to political statements he made in newsgroups and email.
- Today's Dallas Morning News (Nov. 14, 1993: Vol. 145, No. 45) published
- a front page article, with a jump to an interior page dedicated to the
- story, describing Gregory Steshenko's encounter with the University of
- Texas at Dallas over essentially the same issue.
-
- Below I quote from the article. I enclosed my summarizations in
- square brackets. A sidebar on the interior page describes, at a high
- level, how messages flow in the Internet. (I didn't include anything
- from that sidebar.)
-
- Free-speech suit focuses on E-mail
- Emigre at UTD lost access to network
-
- By Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
- Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News
-
- Gregory N. Steshenko is not sure freedom of expression will survive
- the digital age in the Western world.
-
- Twice in the last five months, authorities in the United States have
- pulled the plug on his comments on Ukrainian and Russian politics that
- he has posted on the Internet, a network of computer networks that
- spans the globe.
-
- In June, he was fired from Microsoft Corp. after the big supplier of
- personal computer software fielded dozens of complaints that his
- messages were offensive and even obscene.
-
- In October, he was disconnected again from the Internet by the
- University of Texas at Dallas, where he is a graduate student in
- electrical engineering.
-
- [Note: One of Microsoft's regional telephone support centers is
- located in the Dallas area, so Gregory probably didn't move after
- leaving Microsoft. -BP)
-
- The university withdrew his privileges after a barrage of complaints,
- saying his electronic messages strayed from any possible educational
- purposes. Mr. Steshenko has countered with a lawsuit that seeks $2
- million for damages to his career.
-
- [Here the article jumps to page 28A, with the headline _Student sues
- UTD over access to computer network_. -BP)
-
- [... Steshenko asserts this is a First Amendment issue. -BP]
-
- The university says the matter is more basic. Mr. Steshenko simply
- did not follow its rules, which limit use of the Internet to exchanges
- related to coursework.
-
- +++
-
- "What makes it unique is that we're talking about a brand new
- medium," said Shari Steele, counsel for the Electronic Frontier
- Foundation, a group that tries to protect the freedom of individuals
- who communicate by computer.
-
- She and other legal experts say that government-funded institutions,
- such as UTD, can't infringe First Amendment rights, even in electronic
- forums.
-
- [... Omitted text describing the school's position that they have the
- right to control how their facilities are used, the absence of relevant
- court rulings, the issue of permissible language in newsgroups, and the
- general anarchy of newsgroups.]
-
- Mr. Steshenko also retaliates against "denunciators." He has sent
- copies of what he says are personal attacks by on-line adversaries to
- the chief executive officers of their employers, such large industrial
- companies as Bell Communications Research Inc. and WilTel Inc.
-
- "I can take a lot in stride, but if someone sends a posting to the
- CEO of Bellcore (threatening) a lawsuit about me calling (him) a fool
- and it has implications with my position here at the company, then I'm
- going to get a little bit upset," said Andre Stynyk, a systems engineer
- at Bell Communications Research Inc., the research arm of regional Bell
- telephone companies.
-
- Mr. Stynyk responded by complaining to UTD. The university won't
- acknowledge the sources of the complaints it received.
-
- "Let's just say he (Mr. Steshenko) was not following the rules and we
- received complaints from the outside. After review, we determined that
- he should not have the privileges anymore," said UTD president Robert
- H. Rutford.
-
- "The rules," in this case are not those of the Internet, but those of
- UTD. Like other universities, UTD becomes part of the Internet by
- allowing outsiders into its computers and paying for the maintenance of
- its on-campus computing and communications network.
-
- When it allows students access to the Internet, the university
- requires them to sign an agreement that they only use the resources of
- the Internet for instructional, research or administrative purposes.
-
- [... The article quotes (acting executive director of the Internet
- Society) Howard Funk's assertion that the university can control how
- its facilities are used. Mr. Steshenko, in turn, asserts the
- university's interpretation of "instructional" is too narrow. -BP]
-
- In hallways, classrooms and dormitories, for instance, students are
- not limited to talking only about the classes they sign up for, notes
- Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington office of the Computer
- Professionals for Social Responsibility.
-
- "It's a little bit like taking a classroom for a club meeting after
- classes end. Maybe the university doesn't want you doing that," but it
- may be hard to say students can't.
-
- This could make the Steshenko case "a good test of free speech on
- computer networks," he and Ms. Steele said, because the university not
- only is an academic institution, but receives funding from state
- government.
-
- [... Comments about current case law extending prohibitions on laws
- abridging free expression to "government-run institutions" and how the
- Steshenko case may expand the prohibition to electronic exchanges of
- ideas. The article then describes the self-regulation of Usenet,
- Compuserve, mailing lists, et al.]
-
- The Internet Society's Mr. Funk, for instance, says Mr. Steshenko
- would have avoided trouble at Microsoft and the university if he had
- only used a personal account to access the Internet. But Mr. Steshenko
- rejects that as costly and says the primary issue is the exercise of
- First Amendment privileges at a state-run institution.
-
- Regardless, cooler commentary may be inevitable. Mr. Stynyk, the
- Bell systems engineer, believes that arguments on the Internet will
- have to take on more "politically correct" terminology, as millions of
- new, nontechnical subscribers log in to the Internet.
-
- But Houston environmental scientist Larisa Streeter, whose husband's
- employer was also contacted by Mr. Steshenko, says the Dallas site's
- discourse does not "have anything to do with political correctness at
- all. It has to do with civil discussion."
-
- She draws the analogy to allowing a member of the Ku Klux Klan to
- participate in a forum on African-American affairs.
-
- "It's fine. You can have the Klan member there listening and
- participating and having a discussion," she said. But, Ms. Streeter
- says, limits should be set if racial epithets start flying because
- nothing is added to the discussion.
-
- Ultimately, canceling access to the Internet altogether is seen by
- Mr. Steshenko as an unfair abrogation of his rights as a student.
-
- He maintains that other students using their Internet accounts can
- join "news groups" that discuss anything from events in Haiti to sex.
- If he is cut off from talking about Russia and Ukraine, he feels other
- students shouldn't be permitted to participate in forums not related to
- their coursework.
-
- While the university does have a right to provide resources only for
- particular purposes, "it really hinges on whether or not they really
- don't permit the accounts to be used for anything other than the
- studies," Ms. Steele said.
-
- W.O. Shultz, associate general counsel for the University of Texas
- system, says he does not know how the accounts are used by other
- students or whether they have formed news groups or lists of their own.
-
- If the university consistently enforces its limits on the use of the
- Internet for instructional, research and administrative purposes, then
- it is likely on safe ground, said Henry H. Perritt Jr., a Villanova
- University professor of information technology law.
-
- [... UTD investigates student use of the Internet only when they get a
- complaint, which could leave an opening for Mr. Steshenko's suit, which
- he drafted and filed himself. -BP]
-
- If the university does not know how its students are using the
- Internet, it is "going to have a very hard time saying" it is not
- granting students the right to participate in electronic forums on
- whatever subjects they please, Mr. Perritt said.
-
- "If the university's argument is that "we claim the power to control
- the use of our resources and direct the resources only for certain
- purposes," then I don't see what that has to do with the complaints.
- Then they have a duty to know what's going on," he said.
-
- [End of article, which also features a four column by 5" photo of Mr.
- Steshenko in front of an IBM PS/2. The writer, Mr. Tom
- Steinert-Threlkeld, covers technology stories for the paper. -BP]
-
- Bob Peterson Waffle BBS: peterson@ZGNews.LoneStar.Org
- P.O. Box 865132 Internet: peterson@csc.ti.com TelCo: 214 995-6080
- Plano, Tx USA 75086-5132 BBS: 214 596-3720 @ speeds to 14400 (HST & V.32bis)
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 16 Nov 93 14:48:59 EST
- From: cccf@ALTERN.COM(cccf)
- Subject: File 4--Toll Fraud on French PBXs--Phreaking
-
- Toll Fraud on French PBXs - Phreaking
-
- In France it is estimated that PBX trunk fraud (toll fraud) costs
- companies over $220 million a year. Criminal phreakers figure out how
- to access PBXs owned by businesses and then sell long-distance calling
- capacities provided by these systems to the public. In European
- markets where PSTN to PSTN connections are illegal it has not to date
- been such an issue. However, for a number of reasons this is likely to
- change.
-
- Trunk to trunk connection barring through PBXs is expected to be
- deregulated throughout Europe.
-
- The telecom industry has done more this year to prevent toll fraud
- than any other time. Yet, toll fraud losses will top more than $2
- billion again this year. If you aren't doing anything to prevent being
- hit, it's not a matter of if you'll be hit, it's when you'll be hit
- and for how much. So, here are some low-cost ways to stop toll
- fraud-or at least lessen the blow if you do get hit.
-
- Increasing numbers of international companies have private networks
- and provide DISA (Direct Inward System Access) access to employees.
- Such companies are prime victims for Phreaking. For example, a phone
- hacker can access the network in the UK, France, or Germany and break
- out in another country where it is legal to make trunk to trunk calls,
- and from that point they can call anywhere in the world.
-
- Voice Mail is taking off across Europe. This, together with DISA, is
- one of the most common ways phreakers enter a company's PBX.
-
- Raising these issues now and detailing precautionary measures will
- enable companies to take steps to reduce such frauds. The following
- looks at the current situation in France.
-
- In France a whole subculture, like a real phone underground culture,
- of these technology terrorists is springing up on city streets. Stolen
- access codes are used to run call-sell operations from phone booths or
- private phones. The perpetrators offer international calls for circa
- FF 20, which is considerably less than it could cost to dial direct.
- When calls are placed through corporate PBXs rather than carrier
- switches, the companies that own the PBXs end up footing the bill.
-
- What are the warning signs that your own communication systems are
- being victimised by toll fraud? In inbound call detail records, look
- for long holding times, an unexplained increased in use, frequent use
- of the system after normal working hours, or a system that is always
- busy. In records of outbound calls, look for calls made to unusual
- locations or international numbers, high call volumes, long duration
- of calls, frequent calls to premium rate numbers and frequently
- recurring All Trunks Busy (ATB) conditions.
-
- Toll fraud is similar to unauthorised access to mainframe computers or
- hacking. Manufacturers such as Northern Telecom have developed
- security features that minimise the risk of such theft.
-
- Telecommunication managers, however, are the only ones who are ensure
- that these features are being used to protect their systems from
- fraud.
-
- Areas of Intrusion Into Corporate Systems
-
- PBX features that are vulnerable to unauthorised access include call
- forwarding, call prompting and call processing features. But the most
- common ways phreakers enter a company's PBX is through DISA and voice
- mail systems. They often search a company's rubbish for directories
- or call detail reports that contain a companies own 05 numbers and
- codes. They have also posed as system administrators or France Telecom
- technicians and conned employees into telling them PBX authorisation
- codes. More sophisticated hackers use personal computers and modems to
- break into data bases containing customer records showing phone
- numbers and voice mail access codes, or simply dial 05 numbers with
- the help of sequential number generators and computers until they find
- one that gives access to a phone system.
-
- Once these thieves have the numbers and codes, they can call into the
- PBX and place calls out to other locations. In many cases, PBX is only
- the first point of entry for such criminals. They can also use the PBX
- to access company's data system. Call-sell operators can even hide
- their activities from law enforcement officials by using
- PBX-looping-using one PBX to place calls out through another PBX in
- another state.
-
- Holding the Line-Steps That Reduce Toll Fraud
-
- Northern Telecom's Meridian 1 systems provide a number of safety
- features to guard against unauthorised access. It is the most popular
- PBX phreaked in France. The following information highlights Meridian
- 1 features that can minimise such abuse.
-
- DISA Security
-
- The DISA feature allows users to access a company's PBX system from
- the public network by dialling a telephone number assigned to the
- feature. Once the system answers the DISA call, the caller may be
- required to enter a security code and authorisation code. After any
- required codes are entered, the caller, using push button tone
- dialling, is provided with the calling privileges, such as Class of
- Service (COS), Network Class of Service (NCOS) and Trunk Group Access
- Restrictions (TGAR), that are associated with the DISA DN or the
- authorisation code entered.
-
- To minimise the vulnerability of the Meridian 1 system to unauthorised
- access through DISA, the following safeguards are suggested:
-
- 1) Assign restricted Class of Service, TGAR and NCOS to the DISA DN;
- 2) Require users to enter a security code upon reaching the DISA DN;
- 3) In addition to a security code, require users to enter an
- authorisation code. The calling privileges provided will be those
- associated with the specific authorisation code;
- 4) Use Call Detail Recording (CDR) to identify calling activity
- associated with individual authorisation codes. As a further
- precaution, you may choose to limit printed copies of these
- records;
- 5) Change security codes frequently;
- 6) Limit access to administration of authorisation codes to a
- few, carefully selected employees.
-
- Meridian Mail Security
-
- Northern Telecom's Meridian Mail voice messaging system is also
- equipped with a number of safeguarding features. The features that
- allow system users to dial out; Through Dial, Operator Revert and
- Remote Notification (Outcalling) should be controlled to reduce the
- likelihood of unauthorised access. The following protective measures
- can be used to minimise tool fraud:
-
- Voice Security Codes
-
- Set security parameters for ThroughDial using the Voice Security
- Options prompt from the Voice Systems Administration menu. This prompt
- will list restricted access codes to control calls placed using the
- Through-Dial function of Meridian Mail. An access code is a prefix for
- a telephone number or a number that must be dialled to access outside
- lines or long-distance calling. If access cides are listed as
- restricted on the Meridian Mail system, calls cannot be placed through
- Meridian Mail to numbers beginning with the restricted codes. Up to 10
- access codes can be defined.
-
- Voice Menus
-
- With the Through-Dial function of Voice Menus, the system
- administrator can limit dialling patterns using restricted dialling
- prefixes. These access codes, which are defined as illegal, apply only
- to the Through-Dial function of each voice menu. Each Through-Dial
- menu can have its own restricted access codes. Up to 10 access codes
- can be programmed.
-
- Meridian Mail also allows system administrators to require that users
- enter an Access Password for each menu. In this way, the Through-Dial
- menu can deny unauthorised callers access to Through-Dial functions,
- while allowing authorised callers access.
-
- Additional Security Features
-
- The Secured Messaging feature can be activated system-wide and
- essentially blocks external callers from logging to Meridian Mail. In
- addition, the system administrator can establish a system-wide
- parameter that forces user to change their Meridian Mail passwords
- within a defined time period. Users can also change their passwords at
- any time when logged in to Meridian Mail.
-
- System administrator can define a minimum acceptable password length
- for Meridian Mail users. The administrators can also determine the
- maximum number of times an invalid password can be entered before a
- log-on attempt is dropped and the mailbox log-on is disabled.
-
- Some of the features that provide convenience and flexibility are also
- vulnerable to unauthorised access. However, Meridian 1 products
- provide a wide array of features that can protect your system from
- unauthorised access.
-
- In general, you can select and implement the combinaison of features
- that best meets your company's needs.
-
- General Security Measures
-
- Phone numbers and passwords used to access DISA and Meridian Mail
- should only be provided to authorised personnel. In addition, call
- detail records and other reports that contain such numbers should be
- shredded or disposed of in an appropriate manner for confidential
- material. To detect instances of trunk fraud and to minimise the
- opportunities for such activity, the system administrator should take
- the following steps frequently (the frequency is determined on a per
- site basis according to need):
-
- 1) Monitor Meridian 1 CDR output to identify sudden unexplained
- increases in trunk calls. Trunk to trunk/Tie connections should
- be included in CDR output;
- 2) Review the system data base for unauthorised changes;
- 3) Regularly change system passwords, and DISA authorisation and
- security codes;
- 4) Investigate recurring All Trunks Busy (ATB) conditions to determine the
- cause;
- 5) If modems are used, change access numbers frequently, and
- consider using dial-back modems;
- 6) Require the PBX room to be locked at all times. Require a
- sign-in log and verification of all personnel entering the PBX
- room.
-
- Two Practical Cases
-
- Bud Collar, electronic systems manager with Plexus in Neenah, Wis.,
- transferred from its payphone operations branch. As the PBX manager,
- he's blocked all outside access to his Northern Telecom Meridian 1 and
- meridian Mail. Just in case a phreaker does again access, Collar
- bought a $600, PC-based software package from Tribase Systems in
- Springfield, NJ, called Tapit. With Tapit, Collar runs daily reports
- on all overseas call attempts and completions. But the drawback to
- Tapit is that by itself it has no alarm features, so if a phreaker
- does get in, Collar won't know about it until he runs the next report.
- Tribase does offer Fraud Alert with alarms for $950, but Collar chose
- not to use it.
-
- Erica Ocker, telecom supervisor at Phico Insurance in Mechaniscsburg,
- PA, also wanted to block all of her outside ports. But she has
- maintenance technicians who need routine access, so she needed a way
- to keep her remote access ports open, without opening up her Rolm 9751
- to toll fraud. The solution is to buy LeeMah DataCom Security Corps's
- TraqNet 2001. For $2,000, Ocker got two secured modems that connect to
- her maintenance port on her PBX and to her Rolm Phone Mail port. When
- someone wants to use these features, they dial into the TraqNet and
- punch in their PIN number. TraqNet identifies the user by their PIN
- and asks them to punch in a randomly selected access code that they
- can only get from a credit card-sized random number generator, called
- an InfoCard. That access code matches the codes that are generated
- each time the TraqNet is accused. The TraqNet 2001 is a single-line
- model that supports up to 2,304 users for $950. More upscale can
- support up to 32 lines and run call detail reports, but they cost as
- much as $15,000. InfoCards each cost an additional $50.
-
- Conclusions
-
- The ultimate solution will be, as I read in a French consultancy
- review, <to program the PBX ACD agent ports as toll denied.>
-
- The more pleasant story directly linked with French phreaking was the
- night that I see on my TV screen in Paris a luxurious computer ad for
- the Dell micro-computers. At the end of the ad, a toll-free number
- will be present in green: 05-444-999. I immediately phone to this
- number... and found the well-known voice of all French Northern
- Telecom's Meridian Mail saying in English language: "For technical
- reasons, your call cannot be transferred to the appropriate person.
- Call later or leave a message after the tune." The dial of 0* give the
- open door to more than... Dell informations. My letter to this company
- already is without (free voice-) answer!
-
- --
- Jean-Bernard Condat, General Secretary
- Chaos Computer Club France [cccf]
- First European Hacking, Phreaking & Swapping Club
- Address: B.P. 8005, 69351 Lyon cedex 08, France.
- Phone: +33 1 47874083; Fax: +33 1 47874919; E-mail: cccf@altern.com
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 16 Nov 93 03:08:47 EST
- From: gronez@AOL.COM
- Subject: File 5--Brendan Kehoe
-
- Hello to everyone behind the scenes at CuD.. For anyone who didn't see
- it, I'd like to acknowledge Brendan Kehoe and his excellent appearance
- on Computer Chronicle's. Imagine my surprise as the name I have known
- for months now was finally given a voice. Great idea-- the more people
- on the Internet the better for our virtual communities. I have one
- question though. Why wasn't DELPHI, probably the most popular gateway
- to the Internet not featured on the show?
-
- I hope that you or one of you colleagues may be able to shed some
- light on this,
-
- Thank You
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1993 22:49:17 +0000
- From: 3W - Global Networking Newsletter <3W@UKARTNET.DEMON.CO.UK>
- Subject: File 6--Advertise your skills!
-
- 3W MAGAZINE OFFERS FREE ADVERTS FOR NETWORKERS
-
- 3W Global Networking Newsletter is offering free small ads for
- individuals who provide services relating to the global networks.
-
- In an attempt to widen knowledge about how to access and use the
- networks, 3W is starting a free adverts section as from Issue 3,
- Jan/Feb 1993. This section will be open to any individuals who wish to
- advertise their professional skills to potential users. This covers
- consultancy, teaching, training, info-searching, research, writing,
- development, setup, maintenance, management or any others that pertain
- directly to the new global networks.
-
- These ads will run in a section called NETWORKERS within the
- (Re)Source section of the magazine.
-
- All ads will consist of a Heading (max 4 words) and text (max 30
- words). All ads must contain an e-mail contact address, though they
- may contain other contact information. All submissions must have a
- subject line of NETWORKERS. Mail ads to
- networkers@ukartnet.demon.co.uk
-
- Please note that there is no guarantee of inclusion, due to space
- limitations. Publishers decision is final. For information about
- other advertising in 3W please mail ads@ukartnet.demon.co.uk
-
- Ivan Pope
- Editor
- ivan@ukartnet.demon.co.uk
- +----------------------------
- 3W - Global Networking Newsletter +44 (0)81 533 0818
- 13 Brett Rd Fax: +44 (0)81 533 0818
- London E8 1JP 3W@ukartnet.demon.co.uk
- UK
- ++++++++++++++++++++++++
- 3W is a bi-monthly paper-based subscription newsletter that covers the new
- global networks.
-
- ------------------------------
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Computer Underground Digest #5.88
- ************************************
-