The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998 / hackers_encyclopedia.iso / zines / phrack2 / phrack39.002 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 2003-06-11 | 24.0 KB | 511 lines

==Phrack Inc.== Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Nine, File 2 of 13 [-=:< Phrack Loopback >:=-] By Phrack Staff Phrack Loopback is a forum for you, the reader, to ask questions, air problems, and talk about what ever topic you would like to discuss. This is also the place Phrack Staff will make suggestions to you by reviewing various items of note; magazines, software, catalogs, hardware, etc. _______________________________________________________________________________ A Review of Steve Jackson Games' HACKER DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD By Deluge They had to get around to it eventually. While I was scanning the game section at the not-so-well-stocked game and comic store where I shop on occasion, I saw something that caught my eye: A game called "Hacker" by Steve Jackson Games. What you see on the cover gives you a clue that this game is a bit more than the typical trash we see about hackers. Here we have a guy with a leather jacket with a dinosaur pin, John Lennon shades, a Metallica shirt, and a really spiffy spiked hairdo. This guy has an expression with a most wicked grin, and his face is bathed in the green glow of a monitor. Various decorations in the room include a model rocket, a skateboard, a pizza box, and a couple of Jolt Cola cans. Behind him, hanging on his wall, are a couple of posters, one which says, "Legion of Doom Internet World Tour," and another which says, "Free the Atlanta Three." On his bookshelf, we see a copy of Neuromancer, Illuminati BBS, and The Phoenix-- (I assume "Project" follows, and don't ask me why this guy has BBSes in his bookshelf). Finally, there's a note tacked to the LOD poster that says "PHRACK SummerCon CyberView, St. Louis" which appears to be an invitation of some kind. This struck me as quite interesting. Twenty bucks interesting, as it turns out, and I think it was twenty well spent. Now don't tell me Steve Jackson Games has no significance for you (sigh). Ok, here is how Steve tells it (in the intro to the game): ----- "In 1990, Steve Jackson Games was raided by the U.S. Secret Service during a 'hacker hunt' that went disastrously out of control. We lost several computers, modems, and other equipment. Worse, we lost the manuscripts to several uncompleted games, most notably _GURPS Cyberpunk_, which a Secret Service agent the next day called 'a handbook for computer crime.' The company had to lay off half its staff, and narrowly avoided bankruptcy. "Eventually we got most of our property back (though some of it was damaged or destroyed). The Secret Service admitted that we'd never been a target of their investigation. We have a lawsuit pending against the officials and agencies responsible. "But since the day of the raid, gamers have been asking us, 'When are you going to make a game about it?' Okay. We give up. Here it is. Have fun." ----- Weeeell...everybody naturally wants to look as good as they can, right? For the real lowdown on the whole situation, a scan through some old CUDs would be in order, where you could find a copy of the warrant which authorized this raid. I can tell you that Loyd Blankenship is the author of SJG's _GURPS Cyberpunk_, so draw your own conclusions. Hacker is played with cards. This does NOT, in my view, make it a card game, though it is advertised that way. It's pretty similar to Illuminati, requiring a lot of diplomacy, but it has a totally different flavor. The goal here is to become the mondo superhacker king of the net by getting access on twelve systems. You build the net as you go along, upgrading your system, hacking systems, and looking for ways to screw your fellow hackers so they can't be king of the net before you can get around to it. While the hacking aspect is necessarily resolved by a dice roll, the other aspects of this game ring true. They distinguish between regular and root access on systems, have specific OSes, specific net types, NetHubs, secret indials, back doors, and, of course, the feds, which range from local police to combined raids from the FBI and other government authorities. This is a good game all on its own. It's fun, it has a fair amount of strategy, lots of dirty dealing, and a touch of luck to spice things up. And if things get too hairy and blood is about to flow, they inevitably cool down when someone uses a special card. Quite a few of these are funny as hell. Some examples: Trashing: Somebody threw away an old backup disk. Bad idea. You can leave them e-mail about it...from their own account. Get A Life: A new computer game ate your brain. 100 hours later, you beat it, and you're ready to get back to hacking, but you get only one hack this turn. There is another one of these about meeting a member of the opposite sex and briefly entertaining the notion that there is more to life than hacking. Original Manuals: The official system manuals explain many possible security holes. This is good. Some system administrators ignore them. This is bad. They usually get away with it because most people don't have the manuals. This is good. But YOU have a set of manuals. This is very interesting. Social Engineering: "This is Joe Jones. My password didn't work. Can you reset it to JOE for me?" There is another one of these that says something about being the phone company checking the modem line, what's your root password please. And my favorite, a card designed to be played to save yourself from a raid: Dummy Equipment: The investigators took your TV and your old Banana II, but they overlooked the real stuff! No evidence, no bust -- and you keep your system. As you can see, this game goes pretty far toward catching the flavor of the real scene, though some of it is necessarily stereotypical. Well, enough praise. Here are a couple of gripes. The game is LONG. A really nasty group of players can keep this going for hours. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but be forewarned. A few modifications to shorten it up are offered, but the short game is a little like masturbating. Just not as good as the real thing. There was too much work to get the game ready to play. I've gotten used to some amount of setting up SJGs, and believe me, I would not have bought more unless they were good, and they always are, but the setup has not usually been such a pain. HACKER has a lot of pieces, and a lot of them come on a single page, requiring you to hack them out with scissors and hope you don't do something retarded like cut the wrong thing off. Once I got done with this, everything was cool, but this was a real pain. So, overall, what do I think? Four stars. If you play games, or if you're just massively hip to anything about hacking, get this game. You're gonna need at least three players, preferably four or five (up to six can play), so if you only know one person, don't bother unless you have some hope of getting someone else to game with you. And when Dr. Death or the K-Rad Kodez Kid calls you up and wonders where you've been lately, just tell him you're busy dodging feds, covering your tracks, and hacking for root in every system you find in your quest to call yourself king of the net, and if he doesn't support you...well, you know what to do with posers who refuse to believe you're God, don't you? Muahahahahahahaahaha! _______________________________________________________________________________ CPSR Listserv DDDDDDDDDDDDD Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) has set up a list server to (1) archive CPSR-related materials and make them available on request, and (2) disseminate relatively official, short, CPSR-related announcements (e.g., press releases, conference announcements, and project updates). It is accessible via Internet and Bitnet e-mail. Mail traffic will be light; the list is set up so that only the CPSR Board and staff can post to it. Because it is self-subscribing, it easily makes material available to a wide audience. We encourage you to subscribe to the list server and publicize it widely, to anyone interested in CPSR's areas of work. To subscribe, send mail to: listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu (Internet) OR listserv@gwuvm (Bitnet) Your message needs to contain only one line: subscribe cpsr <your first name> <your last name> You will get a message that confirms your subscription. The message also explains how to use the list server to request archived materials (including an index of everything in CPSR's archive), and how to request more information about the list server. Please continue to send any CPSR queries to cpsr@csli.stanford.edu. If you have a problem with the list server, please contact the administrator, Paul Hyland (phyland@gwuvm.gwu.edu or phyland@gwuvm). We hope you enjoy this new service. _______________________________________________________________________________ TRW Allows Inspection DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD According to USA Today, as of April 30, you can get a free copy of your TRW credit report once a year by writing to: TRW Consumer Assistance P.O. Box 2350 Chatsworth, CA 91313-2350 Include all of the following in your letter: - Full name including middle initial and generation such as Jr, Sr, III etc. - Current address and ZIP code. - All previous addresses and ZIPs for past five years. - Social Security number. - Year of birth. - Spouse's first name. - A photocopy of a billing statement, utility bill, driver's license or other document that links your name with the address where the report should be mailed. _______________________________________________________________________________ The POWER Computer Lives! DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Do the words of the prophet Abraham Epstein ring true? (Remember him from his correspondence in Phrack 36 Loopback?) If you don't believe that The IBM/TV Power Computer and is attempting to take over the world then read the following and judge for yourself. o IBM is the worlds largest corporation. o IBM has more in assets than most small countries. o In 1991 IBM and it's arch enemy, Apple Computer, have joined forces to build the POWER computer. o The POWER computer will replace all existing Macintosh, PS/2, and RS/6000 machines. o The POWER architecture will be licenced to third-party companies in order that they may build their own POWER computers. o With both Apple Computer (QuickTime) and IBM (Ultimedia) advancing their work on Multimedia, it can only mean that the POWER computer will speak through TV. - - - - - - - - - Here are some quotes from Harley Hahn of IBM's Advanced Workstation Division: "PowerOpen is a computing architecture based on AIX and the POWER Architecture. To that we've added the PowerPC architecture [a low- end implementation if POWER ] and the Macintosh interface and applications." "Our goal is to create the major RISC computing industry standard based on the PowerPC architecture and the PowerOpen environment." "Eventually all our workstations will use POWER" - - - - - - - - - Here's a quote from Doug McLean of Apple Computer: "It is our intention to replace the 68000 in our entire line of Macintosh computers with PowerPC chips." - - - - - - - - - The PROPHECY IS COMING TRUE. We have no time to lose. Unless we act quickly the world will come to an abrupt end as the POWER COMPUTER passes wind on all of us. Abraham Epstein [Big Daddy Plastic Recycling Corporation] [Plastic Operations With Energy Resources (POWER)] _______________________________________________________________________________ Major Virus Alert DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD George Bush Virus - Doesn't do anything, but you can't get rid of it until November. Ted Kennedy Virus - Crashes your computer, but denies it ever happened. Warren Commission Virus - Won't allow you to open your files for 75 years Jerry Brown Virus - Blanks your screen and begins flashing an 800 number. David Duke Virus - Makes your screen go completely white. Congress Virus - Overdraws your disk space. Paul Tsongas Virus - Pops up on Dec. 25 and says "I'm Not Santa Claus." Pat Buchanan Virus - Shifts all output to the extreme right of the screen. Dan Quayle Virus - Forces your computer to play "PGA TOUR" from 10am to 4pm, 6 days a week Bill Clinton Virus - This virus mutates from region to region. We're not exactly sure what it does. Richard Nixon Virus - Also know as the "Tricky Dick Virus." You can wipe it out, but it always makes a comeback. H. Ross Perot Virus - Same as the Jerry Brown virus, only nicer fonts are used, and it appears to have had a lot more money put into its development. _______________________________________________________________________________ AUDIO LINKS DDDDDDDDDDD By Mr. Upsetter It all started with my Macintosh... Some time ago I had this crazy idea of connecting the output from the audio jack of my Macintosh to the phone line. Since the Macintosh has built in sound generation hardware, I could synthesize any number of useful sounds and play them over the phone. For instance, with a sound editing program like SoundEdit, it is easy to synthesize call progress tones, DTMF and MF tones, red box, green box, and other signalling tones. So I set out to do exactly this. I created a set of synthesized sounds as sound resources using SoundEdit. Then I wrote a HyperCard stack for the purpose of playing these sounds. Now all I needed was a circuit to match the audio signal from the headphone jack of my Mac to the phone line. How The Circuit Works DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I designed a simple passive circuit that does the job quite well. Here is the schematic diagram. +------+ T1 +------+ o-----| R1 |-----o------o--------(| |)-----| C1 |-----o-----o +------+ +| -| (| |) +------+ | +---+ +---+ (| |) +---+ to Mac | D | | D | 8 (| |) 500 |VR | to headphone | 1 | | 2 | ohm (| |) ohm | 1 | phone jack +---+ +---+ (| |) +---+ line -| +| (| |) | o------------------o------o--------(| |)------------------o-----o C1-.22 uF, 200V D1,D2- 1N4148 switching diode R1-620 ohm, 1/4W T1- 8 ohm to 500 ohm audio transformer, Mouser part 42TL001 VR1-300V MOV, Mouser part 570-V300LA4 VR1 is a 300V surge protector to guard against transient high voltages. Capacitor C1 couples the phone line to transformer T1, blocking the phone line's DC voltage but allowing the AC audio signal to pass. The transformer matches the impedance of the phone line to the impedance of the headphone jack. Diodes D1 and D2 provide clipping for additional ringing voltage protection (note their polarity markings in the schematic). They will clip any signal above 7 volts. Resistor R1 drops the volume of the audio signal from the Mac to a reasonable level. The end result is a circuit that isolates the Mac from dangerous phone line voltages and provides a good quality audio link to the phone line. Building and Using the Circut DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD This simple circuit is easy to build (if you're handy with electronics). I personally prefer to solder the circuit together. A length of shielded audio cable with a 1/8 inch mono plug on one end should be connected to the audio input end of the circuit. A standard RJ11 phone jack should be connected to the phone line end of the circuit. Although this circuit will protect against dangerous phone line voltages, it is best to disconnect it when not in use. You just don't want to risk anything bad happening to your brand new Quadra 900, right? Once you have an audio link between your Mac and the phone line, the applications are limitless. Use HyperCard's built-in DTMF dialing to dial for you, or build a memory dialer stack. Talk to people with Macintalk. Play your favorite Ren and Stimpy sounds for your friends. Play a ringback tone to "transfer" people to an "extension". Build and use a set of synthesized MF tones. Try to trick COCOT's with synthesized busy and reorder signals. But Wait, There Is More... DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD So you say you don't own a Macintosh? That is ok, because the circuit can be used with other devices besides your Mac. You can use it with the 8 ohm headphone output from tape recorders, radios, scanners, etc. You could also probably use it with any other computer as long as you had the proper audio D/A hardware and software to create sounds. All parts are available from Mouser Electronics. Call 800-346-6873 for a free catalog. _______________________________________________________________________________ Thank You Disk Jockey! DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Date: May 22, 1992 From: Sarlo To: Phrack Subject: The Disk Jockey I was searching through some Phracks (issues 30-38), just checking them out and noticed something. It's small and insignificant, I guess, but important to me all the same. I noticed in Disk Jockey's Prophile (Phrack 34, File 3) that he "Never got any thanks for keeping his mouth shut."..I dunno how to get ahold of him or anything, but if you drop a line to him sometime, tell him I said "thanks." -Sarlo _______________________________________________________________________________ An Upset Reader Responds To Knight Lightning and Phrack DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Date: Mon, 20 Apr 92 16:57 GMT From: "Thomas J. Klotzbach" <0003751365@mcimail.com> To: Knight Lightning <kl@stormking.com> Subject: In response to your comments of Phrack Vol 4, Issue 37, File 2 of 14 Hi, I have a lot of respect for Phrack and all the work they are doing to promote an understanding of the Computer Underground. But your comments in the latest issue of Phrack are what I would like to comment on. You say: "In short -- I speak on behalf of the modem community in general, 'FUCK OFF GEEK!' Crawl back under the rock from whence you came and go straight to hell!" First, you don't speak for me and about five other people at this college. I have maintained throughout that the ONLY way to further the efforts of the Computer Underground is to destroy them with logic - not with creton-like comments. Yes, you are entitled to your say - but why not take this Dale Drew person and destroy him with logic? The minute that you descend to the level Dale Drew operates from makes you look just as ridiculous as him. In my opinion, you came off very poorly in the exchange with Dale Drew. Thomas J. Klotzbach MCI Mail: 375-1365 Genesee Community College Internet: 3751365@mcimail.com Batavia, NY 14020 Work: (716) 343-0055 x358 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dear Mr. Klotzbach, >From all of us at Phrack, this is our reply to your recent email... ******************************************************************************* Cyber-Redneck & Shitkickin' Jim's GUIDE TO MANLY HACKING A Lod/GoD Presentation Legion of d0oDeZ / Gardeners of Doom! "You can have my encryption algorithm, when you pry it from my cold dead fingers!" ******************************************************************************* NOW BOYS... first of all, you gotta git yerself a pickup truck. Shitkickin' Jim's got one. And you gotta get a bedliner, a toolbox, a gunrack, and a CB. For decoration, you have to get a confederate flag Hank Williams Jr. license plate, or a Harley Davidson license plate, at your option. You also gotta get an NRA sticker for the back, and the Bassmaster fishing sticker (you know, the one that's has a fish on it). The most mandatory requirement are two antennaes for your CB which are mounted on each of the side view mirrors. Now that you have your pickup truck/hackermobile, you gotta rip out the dashboard and mount a Data General processing unit in the front seat, cuz that's a manly-sounding computer name, not some pussy sounding 'puter. You also have to get an Anchorman direct-connect modem, cuz that's the only thing left that your battery will be able to power. Not only do you have to have a pickup truck, but you gotta have rollbars, with foglights, armed with KC light covers so that you can see at night while you're trashing. THE MANLY WAY FOR A NIGHT OF HACKING NOTE: Before you begin any journey in the hackmobile, you must get a six pack of Budweiser, and a carton of Marlboro reds. It's mandatory. Call up your buddy who owns his own trash business. If you are a real man, ALL of your friends will work in this business. Get him to take the company truck out (the deluxe model -- the Hercules trash truck, the one with the forklift on the front). HOW REAL MEN GO TRASHING Drive down to your local Bell office or garage, and empty all of the dumpsters into the trashtruck, by way of the convenient forklift. This method has brought both me and Shitkickin' Jim much luck in the way of volume trashing. Now that you have all of your trash, go back and dump it in your backyard. If you are a real man, no one will notice. Dump it between the two broke down Chevette's, the ones that all the dogs will sleep under, next to the two barrels of wire. Go through the trash and find out who the geek is that is the switchman at the central office. This shouldn't be hard. It's the little squiggly letters at the bottom of the page. Next, drive to his house. Pull your truck into his front yard. Threaten him with the following useful phrase: "HAY FAY-GUT! WUT IS THE PASSWORD TO THE LOCAL COSMOS DIALUP?" "IFFIN YOU DON'T TELL ME, I'M GONNA RUN OVER YOUR PIECE OF SHIT RICE-BURNING COMMUNIST JAPANESE CAR WITH MY 4 BY 4 PICKUP TRUCK, GAWDDAMIT!" Then spit a big, brown, long tobaccoe-juice glob onto his shirt, aiming for the Bell logo. Should he withhold any information at this point, git out of yer truck and walk over to him. Grab him by his pencil neck, and throw him on the ground. Place your cowboy boot over his forehead, and tell him your going to hogtie his ass to the front of your 4 by 4 and smash him into some concrete posts. At this point, he will give in, especially noticing the numerous guns in the gunrack. WHAT TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE COVERTLY OBTAINED Don't even think about using a computer. Make him log on to his terminal at home, and make him do whatever you like. Read a copy of JUGGS magazine, or High Society, or Hustler, while at the same time exhibiting your mighty hacker power. Enjoy the newfound fame and elitism that you will receive from your friends and loved ones. GOD BLESS AMERICA! ***************************************************** This file was brought to you by Cyber-Redneck a/k/a Johnny Rotten, and Shitkickin' Jim a/k/a Dispater. Iffin you don't like this here file, we will burn a cross in your yard, and might even tell the BellCo geek to cut your line off. He's still tied up in Shitkickin' Jim's basement. _______________________________________________________________________________