The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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####################################### # # # # # ======== =\ = ====== # # == = \ = = # # == = \ = ====== # # == = \ = = # # == = \= ====== # # # # # # <Tolmes News Service> # # ''''''''''''''''''''' # # # # # # > Written by Dr. Hugo P. Tolmes < # # # # # ####################################### Issue Number: 22 Release Date: January 25, 1988 Welcome to TNS Issue #22. The subjects of this issue will be as follows: - Reprint (from Issue #21) of the TNS Directory - Radio ANI - Credit Card Fraud Arrests - My View of the FON Card $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ What follows is a reprint of the directory from TNS Issue #21. In case you missed Issue #21, here is the directory of TNS issues: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #1 ---------------------------- Introduction to TNS Magazine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #2 ---------------------------- Introduction to Issue #2 They Sure Can Talk in Raleigh Teaching Computer Ethics in the Schools Cash-Machine Magician Cheaper Electronics Makes It a Snap to Snoop Los Alamos Nuclear Facility Security Boost - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #3 ---------------------------- Making Computers Snoop-Proof War Against Phone Hacking Heats Up Toll Fraud Trial Sets New Tone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #4 ---------------------------- Cellular Technology Pirate BBS Scanning Bust Rip Offs How the Soviets Are Bugging America Deadly Bugs The Newest Dating Game - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #5 ---------------------------- Electronic Cryptography Report - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #6 ---------------------------- HD Sentry: Hard Disk Protection from Trojan Horse Programs Check This: Ma Bell is a Generous Soul Sign In and then Sign On How To Beat Phone Assault Prisoner Phone Phreaks Suburban Kids Are Too Dumb to Steal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #7 ---------------------------- Federal Sting Nets 25 for Cellular Phone Fraud in NYC 18 Are Seized in Illegal Use of Mobile Telephones Hello Anywhere - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #8 ---------------------------- Keeping the Secrets Inside the Computer Bugging Urine Hot-Line Ihe Phone - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #9 ---------------------------- The National Guards The Caller That Isn't Long-Winded A Call to Stop Long-Distance Scam Online Junkies- Artificial Intelligence Hacking Through NASA: A Threat- Or Only an Embarassment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #10 ----------------------------- The Bust of Shadow Hawk - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #11 ----------------------------- Shadow Hawk's Bust: Continued from TNS Issue #10 US Sprint Sues "Ring" of Hackers for $20 Million - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #12 ----------------------------- The Blue Box and Ma Bell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #13 ----------------------------- Capt. Zap: Informant? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #14 ----------------------------- 411: Life at Directory Assistance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #15 ----------------------------- The Max Headroom TV Pirate - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #16 ----------------------------- The Celling of America Tales That Do Not Compute Responses to Issue #12's Article Introduction: TNS QuickNotes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #17 ----------------------------- New Security Measures at ITT Capt. Zap's Defense - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #18 ----------------------------- 2600 Magazine's Official Bulletin Boards Some Things about Phrack Inc. Syndicate Report: Will It Return? TNS QuickNotes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tolmes News Service Issue #19 ----------------------------- 'If You Need Help, Press 3' Satellite Paging - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ TITLE: Pinning The Blame FROM: Radio-Electronics DATE: January 1988 by Herb Friedman, Communications Editor Several years ago, the police of a major city, who were fed up to their blue hats by politicians who really didn't care two hoots about any of the civil servants, revolted in the only way they could short of striking: They simply broadcast nonsense on their radio network. It all started with a phantom voice asking, "Who dat?" Another voice asked, "Who dat who said who dat?" Then "I know who said who dat"; and so it went, hour after hour. Now fury like a politician ridiculed, for that's what the "Who dat?" was, and the morning papers headlined the mayor's and the police commissioner's threats to hang the whole police force if necessary. The way the mayor and the commissioner told it, the time spent by the boys in blue asking "Who dat?" allowed criminals to run wild in the streets. In fact, however, the hundreds of manhours the mayor ordered to be wasted trying to identify the voices from air-check tap recordings probably resulted in more street crime and arson than a century of "Who dats?" Today, the problem of identification would most likely not exist. Not because the policiticians are any smarter- they most certainly are not - but because trasmission identification has become so important a part of both cost accounting and legal defense that most communications systems are upgrading to automatic transmission identification. Where does "legal defense" come in? Simply because virtually any time a person dies before an ambulance or the EMS team arrives, some hotshot street lawyer will claim the response was excessively late and agitate the bereaved family to institute a lawsuit. ACCOUNTABILITY In fact, our society has become so complex that it is essential that we have the capability to provide almost a second-by-second accounting of our communications. How else do we get accountability- which in plain English means "Who can we stick with the blame?" Until recent times, the best system for communicatons accounting was the logging recorder, a special ultra-slow-speed tape recorder (so it could run unattended for up to a day) that recorded all communications traffic, as well the date and time on a special time track. If you wanted to find out what was said or who was called at a specific time, you simply ran the logging recorder at a fast speed until a digital readout indicated the desired time (and date), and then listened to the channel traffic. It's the same kind of system the police use to record emergency calls. But while the logging tape can tell you what was said and when it was said, it can't tell you who said it; particularly so since the modulation characteristics of modern transmitters are only a shade better than that of two paper cups connected by string; so it's often difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the difference between male and female, child and adult. What was needed for true accountability was automatic transmitter identification, so that when the transmit switch was pressed the first thing that goes out is the mobile's or hand-held's ID number, which is indicated on the dispatcher's console display and on a printout. The console display shows the time and the ID number; the printout can show the behicle's ID number, the date, and time the transmission started, the time the transmission ended, and even the status of the vehicle. For example, if a taxi has its flag down, if the vehicle is stopped or moving, or if the vehicle is in trouble (keyed by a switch under the driver's seat). A sample printouI (Automatic Number Identification) system of the Control Signal Corporation (1985 S. Depew St., Denver, CO 80227) is shown in Fig. 1. A really big feature with some units, such as the ANI, is automatic time-out for stuck mobileunit PTT (Push To Talk) switches, which would result in a channel being continuously jammed. If the mike's PTT switch jams closed, the dispatcher's console sounds an alarm and identifies the offending unit. After a preset time, the ANI encoder in the mobile automatically shuts off the transmitter. While that might take the transmitter out of service until the vehicle returns to the shop, at least it unjams the channel for other users. More often than not, however, the primary purpose of automatic identification is to stop horeplay and eliminate mischief, such as "dead carriers," microphone clicks, belching, foul language, and "Who dats." HOW IT'S DONE Depending on the particular communications system, the identification data can be sent via subaudible or audible tones. The disadvantages of subaudible tones are that they can't be used if the system already uses subaudible tones for CTCSS (tone squelch) or if the signal must be sent over conventional telephone lines, and every unit in the system must be able to handle subaudible tones. Audible tones, on the other hand, will pass through any kind of communications equipment. In Control Signal's ANI system, a 3-digit ID code is a 100 millisecond (1/10 second) two-frequency FSK burst after the transmitter is keyed. (The delay between keying the PTT switch and the tone burst is adjustable to accomodate the particular communicatons system.) Six half-cycles of one-half the base frequency is a space. As you can see, since the ANI system uses conventional audio tones that fall within the passband of conventional communications gear, including telephone circuits, it can easily be added to just about any mobile-base system, providing 100% accountability. Ah, yes! Just when you think Big Brother has exhausted all his wiles and guiles, he can come up with yet another. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ NOTA: The author of this article is Herb Friedman. Herb Friedman is also the writer of the article "The Blue Box and Ma Bell" which can be found in Tolmes News Service Issue #12. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ TITLE: 4 Indicted In Credit Card Scam FROM: The Chicago Sun-Times DATE: January 22, 1987 By Rosalind Rossi Four people were indicted Thursday on charges they ran up more than $45,000 in credit car bills for designer items by using a sophisticated credit card scam. The ring was stopped from purchasing 400 more items worth an additional $345,000 by Spiegel Inc., which spotted the alleged fraud and alerted police, authorities said. Lisa Howard, a spokeswoman for Cook County State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, said ring members randomly phoned people between September, 1985, and February, 1987, to obtain credit card other information. The defendants allegedly phoned Spiegel, Marshall Field's, and Saks Fifth Avenue and ordered merchandise, using the newly obtained credit card numbers. They would have the merchandise delivered to another address, Howard said. The scam was uncovered after credit card holders complained to Spiegel about mysterious purchases on their bills, Howard said. Janine Movish, supervisor of Spiegel's fraud investigations, noticed the purchases were mailed to certain addresses. Area 1 property crimes detectives then were detailed to deliver the items, Howard said. Charged were James Willis, 22, of 1512 E. Marquette Rd.; Lena Sanders, 24, of 6419 S. Cottage Grove; Antonio Freeman, 23, of 1445 E. 67th Pl., and Glenn Milton, 28, of 3837 S. Ellis. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ NOTA: Things that you can learn from this: 1) don't overabuse cards 2) use different drop sites every time 3) you can get cards easily by calling people on the phone and claiming to be a representative from the CC company (and get the expiration.. bank name..) $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ FON= Fiber Optic Network ------------------------ I keep on seeing all of these FON card commercials. Sprint is spending many millions of dollars for a massive campaign of advertising. It's attempts are to get people to replace AT&T Calling Cards with FON cards. The new cards are nice (looking) and claim to use the new fiber optic network (FON). Note: if you look at the cards in the commerical you can see the number for the access port...... I think...... Just someting I wanted to say. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$