The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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==Phrack Inc.== Volume Four, Issue Forty, File 2 of 14 [-=:< Phrack Loopback >:=-] By Dispater & Mind Mage 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. In this issue: Retirement of a Hacker : Jester Sluggo Truth Is Out Of Style : Dispater Tim Foley Virus : Guido Sanchez The Hacker Files (from DC Comics) : Newsbytes Sneakers (from Universal Pictures) : Press Release Pirates v. AT&T: Posters : Legacy Irreverent and Captain Picard Telco Trashing Yields Big Rewards : Anonymous Anonymous Mail On IBM VM Systems? : Apollo WWIV Link Hack : Mr. Bigg The Day Bell System Died : Anonymous The 1992 Consumer Electronics Show : Sarlo _______________________________________________________________________________ x x x | | | +------------+ | Retirement | | of a | | Hacker | +---+------------+---+ | by Jester Sluggo | +-+--------------------+-+ | Released: July 9, 1992 | +------------------------+ I would like to begin by saying "Hello" to all readers of this file, but unfortunately it will be my last time. I've been a member of the "hacker underground" for over a decade and am one of the few extremely lucky hackers who has successfully hacked a great number of computer systems, phone systems, and other technologies, yet has never been caught. I wish to take this last opportunity to reflect on my experiences, and express many personal views, because although there are feelings of sadness, it is my pleasure to announce my formal retirement from this "underground" community. My decision to retire has been a carefully planned path which began several years ago. During the early 1980's, the innocence of hacking and exploring computer systems for my quest of knowledge was a great thrill. Every system was like an unexplored door which lead to unlimited opportunities; various computer systems, operating systems, languages, networks, software, and data. But it was in the later part of the 1980's when I began to realize that I had to focus my interests, knowledge and experience towards a legitimate career. It's nearly impossible to earn a living solely within the resources of the hacker underground, and the idea of abusing technology for monetary gain is against the (unwritten) code of hacker ethics. Also at this time, the innocence of exploring various systems was being replaced by the realities of ruining my entire future at such a young age if I was caught and convicted by the United States' legal system. The media and law-enforcement agencies have almost always been biased against hackers, and these are two powerful entities that influence society. Hackers have always been presented in a negative context, whereas their discoveries, efforts, creativeness, and hard work have been ignored except among fellow hackers. In a way, it's similar to how the U.S. government and corporations support research and development: A group of researchers discover, explore, refine, or exploit a certain technology over a period of many years, yet their efforts go unnoticed unless their research results in a product acceptable to society. The researcher's results are shared, respected, and challenged among the scientific community and journals long before they ever result in a product (if they ever result in a product). In the same way that researchers and scientists relentlessly pursue their interests, I pursued answers to my curiosities and interests. It is the groups that want to control the society (the legal system, and police) which have labeled "hackers" as notorious people. Hackers can use technology to access a variety of information which was previously accessible only to these groups, and these controllers are afraid of losing their advantages and control. Currently in US, the FBI is afraid of losing their ability to easily tap fiber optics so they're proposing to make it mandatory for central offices to make it easier for them. If people knew how common illegal wiretaps occur, they'd be upset at the abuse of power. Police are making illegal search and seizures, and district attorneys are filing outrageous affidavits to protect their control of power and access to information. It was in the middle to late 1980's when the legal system and law enforcement agencies increased efforts to severely penalize hackers, when the risk of getting caught began to outweigh the excitement of discovering. It is unbelievably difficult to carry the burden of a "serious" criminal record throughout one's life when you're 20 years old (or for that matter 16 years old), as well as the eternal monetary debt which comes with these consequences. In the 1970's, the founders of Apple computer were caught selling Blue Boxes while they were in college and got off with a minimal fine. With todays laws, the potential jail time, monetary damages, and lawyer fees, the system would have wasted and banned the brilliance of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Apple Computer (and microcomputers) might not have been born (IBM would have loved that). Technology has changed faster than the legal system and society can adapt, so for now, unapproved exploring of these technologies has been declared a serious offense. Society trusts the legal systems' judgement, but even in 1992 law- makers are just barely beginning to understand technology: "Is software patentable (do not confuse with copyrightable), and to what degree?", "What privacy and freedom of speech should we have with electronic mail and communications?" Don't let unqualified law makers make decisions about technology-related issues that will affect you, without them knowing what you have to say. So it was in the late 1980's when I began preparing for my retirement. I outlined a set of goals and a plan to achieve them. Unfortunately this plan required several years to fulfill, but I knew it was the right time of my life to begin this ambitious plan. The goals I wanted to achieve were: 1) Pass the knowledge I've gained onto others. 2) Keep the "hacker" movement active. 3) Prepare myself to be legitimately successful so that I can help to influence society's views about technology as a member of the society. Due to the increasing danger of getting caught, and to become successful, I was forced to hide from the mainstream hacker community and make my actions and efforts unknown. The first two goals were closely related and took slightly longer to complete than my original plan. However, they were a much greater financial sacrifice than I ever imagined. The third goal will probably require the rest of my lifetime, but it's a challenge I accept. To complete goals 1 and 2, I've spent the last 5 years preparing a "tomb" of information and knowledge used within the hacker community. Not all of the information is complete, but neither is the seed that grows to become a tree. Anyone with a telephone can guess ("hack" according to the media and law enforcement) 4-digit passwords to telephone calling cards or PBX out-dial lines, but I wanted "real" hackers. I talked and met with 100's of hackers world-wide to find the right individuals who can responsibly learn and append to this "tomb" -- people who have the desire, respect, effort and ability to encourage new generations of hackers. This group has been selected and trained, and I feel they are some of the best prospects. Their international mixing should give them an almost unlimited number of opportunities, and some protection. I wish them the best of all luck in their endless journey of learning and knowledge. To become legitimately successful meant getting a respectable job. Obviously, with my interests, I knew it would have to be in the high technology industries. Unfortunately, getting a job interview or a job offer with these companies is difficult because the Human Resources departments always shun the hiring of hackers. This is ironic, because many of the engineers and programmers within these companies are made of ex-hackers, or people who share a similar intense interest in technology. Also, since some of best experiences of a hacker are discovered non-legitimately they can't be presented on a resume. My first step towards completing this goal was instinctive; to keep my excitement and enjoyment focused intensely on technology. This may sound strange, but many hackers know friends who "burn out" on hacking or working in the high-tech companies, and I didn't want to 'burn out' at 20 years of age, so I had to slow down my hacking activity. The next step was getting a college education, which I've completed. College is not the answer to everything... in fact it's not the answer to anything, however, college is an experience I wish everyone could experience -- it's a unique experience. A college degree will not guarantee a job, but it might get you past the Human Resources department. If you have the chance to attend college, don't miss this chance. I realize employers prefer experienced workers over inexperienced "fresh" college graduates, but if you have a focused interest on a certain technology, then you will find a way to keep updating yourself while suffering through college. And like me, you will find the college degree combined with the results of your focused efforts will open the best job opportunities to you. Be focused and patient... it worked for me! I am currently working on the inside of a technology-related company, enjoying the work I do for a living. In fact, sometimes I think to myself, "Wow, I get paid for doing this!?" It's a thrill to be doing what I do, yet I must work hard, and continue working hard to achieve the highest position I am able to reach to make the most of my abilities. In doing this, I hope someday to give something back to the non-hacking society which may show them that hackers are constructive to society, thus, changing their negative view which has labeled hackers synonymous to "criminals." I would like to see mature, legitimately- successful hackers, form an interest group to help cultivate the energy of the younger hackers. Although I am retiring from the community, I can never retire the curiosity and intense interest I have about technology. Instead, I now focus these aspects legitimately into my daily work and will continue to do so. I've immensely enjoyed my involvement in the hacking community and will always treasure it. I also hope to eventually persuade people to accept hackers and to not persecute them. This last goal is the most ambitious goal, but I feel it's the most important goal, because those groups that control society are wasting a group of young and talented individuals who could be inventors of future technologies. Now, I will formally say "goodbye" to my friends in the hacking community... but not for the last time. Persevere, Jester Sluggo _______________________________________________________________________________ "Truth Is Out Of Style" An Investigative Report Into Computer Security Corruption by Dispater It seems that these days the anti-virus industry/community has brainwashed the public into thinking that any use of a modem will put you in contact with an unfathomable array of dangers. It sounds like something your mom said, when she didn't want you to stay out after dark doesn't it? As it turns out the anti-virus community has all the moral fiber of television evangelists. As they preach on about the horrors of accessing information (without purchasing one of their products), they are engaging in the activity that they claim should be made a federal offense, in Congress. That is the "distribution of computer viruses. Not only have they been involved in this type of activity since they industry began, but now there is a self proclaimed "elite" [smirk] group of so-called professionals within the industry that wish to keep a monopoly on the virus trade, by ruining the reputation and lives of independent researchers. So in a way, we now have a "virus cartel" within the computer security industry. The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses is a printed text that has been around for a few years, but is finally making waves with people who think Prodigy and CompuServe are the best networks ever invented. Anyway, this book contains printed out versions of viruses. Gee, viruses are SO difficult for people to get their hands on aren't they? Well, one of the information dinosaurs got his name in print for condemning such immorality. "Professional virus fighters such as Alan Solomon at S&S International are madder than angry hornets over the publication. They are encouraging anti-black book campaigns that include PICKETING THE AUTHOR'S HOUSE, boycotting shops that sell the book, petitioning Congress, and even bringing in lawyers." -- ComputerWorld, June 29, 1992, page 4 (emphasis added) Well isn't it interesting to note that while Mr. Solomon is encouraging personal and economic harassment of Mr. Ludwig, his close friend and business associate, Sarah Gordon is doing the dirty work for him. The Con ~~~~~~~ The National Computer Security Association's 1st Annual Conference on Viruses took place in Washington, D.C. this past June. Alan Solomon and Sarah Gordon were there in full force. Gordon has often been referred to as being Solomon's sidekick and nowhere did she live up to this distinctive title more than at this conference. At the conference, Gordon purchased not one, but two copies of Ludwig's book and then immediately ran to the conference organizer to make a dramatic scene over how immoral it was for Mr. Ludwig to be selling such a thing. As it turns out this is not the first time Sarah Gordon has engaged in such hypocritical behavior. Another interesting thing to note at the conference is the fact that one evening, Knight Lightning and a couple of others noticed some people sitting around a room and walked in out of curiosity to what was going on. As it turned out what was going on was a "midnight meeting" of sorts. KL and friends were asked to leave because "it was not appropriate that <they> be here." Why wasn't it appropriate? It's because what these people were doing was discussing the ways they were going to "take down bulletin boards" and damage people's career's who distribute viruses. Sometime after this conference, I learned about their plan to use "the media to ruin these sysops. For example, to use influence with the media to call attention to this type of activity." These people even went so far as to compile a list of BBSes that they wish to "take down." The Hit List ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Phrack received anonymous mail containing the BBS "hit list" that the self- proclaimed "elite" group of modem vigilantes put together to target first. Upon our receipt of this list, Phrack staff members contacted the sysops of these boards and as a result, many of the numbers have since been changed. +1-206-481-2728 The Festering Pit of Vile Excretions [This phone number belongs to a construction company called Custom Building Co.] +1-213-274-1333 West Coast Technologies (Tymnet 311021300023) +1-213-274-2222 DII +1-213-PRI-VATE\ )BBS-A-Holic +1-ITS-PRI-VATE/ +1-301-PRI-VATE\ )Digital Underground +1-301-913-5915/ +1-301-948-7761 Cornerstone III [ ] +1-305-669-1347 The Penthouse +1-516-466-4620\ )Hamburger Heaven: this was down for +1-517-PRI-VATE/ software problems, was titled Sentinel's Gate +1-602-491-0703 The Final Frontier +1-708-541-1069 Pirate's Guild +1-717-367-3501 Night Eyes +1-818-831-3189 Pirate's Cove +1-901-756-4756 Silicon Central +1-916-729-2112 The Welfare Department [This is an insurance companies phone number] +1-213-274-1333 West Coast Technologies (Tymnet 311021300023) +1-213-274-aaaa DII +1-313-LIM-ITED Canterbury Woods +1-409-372-5511 The Crowbar Hotel +1-514-PRI-VATE\ )The Sacred Reich +1-514-975-9362/ +1-516-328-0847 The Grave of the Lost +1-516-541-6324 Realm of Heroes +1-708-459-7267 Hell Pit +1-713-464-9013 South of Heaven +1-818-831-3189 Pirate's Cove +1-819-PRI-VATE Brain Damage It is unclear as to whom is directly responsible for the organization of this group or who is responsible for creating and distributing the list, however there were representatives from CERT, ISPNews, and several other well known individuals who are self-proclaimed security experts as well as a slew of nobodies who wish to make a name for themselves. The Hell Pit BBS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Hell Pit is a BBS system in Chicago and operated by a sysop named Kato. Kato has a legitimate curiosity (as if a curiosity needs to be validated) about the inner-workings of viruses. I shall let him relate his experience: "I have been running The Hell Pit BBS for the past 3 years. It's gone through many phases in that time, but the most recent has been my affection for computer viruses. I became interested in viruses about one and a half years ago and I set up a virus file base on my system. At first I had a mere 5 or 6 viruses that I had collected from a system in the area. My collection has grown to about 700 IBM computer viruses." "It seems to be their objective to shut down my bulletin board system and therefore eliminate my virus database. Considering these anti-virus personnel claim to be interested in aspects of computer security, I find their tactics highly questionable. There was recently a NCSA anti-virus conference. I learned from sources that one of the people attending the conference [Sarah Gordon] had committed certain acts on my BBS. This person claimed to have called up, uploaded 3 fake viruses, gained access to my virus database and then downloaded several viruses. This is their proof that I do not adequately control virus access on my system. The anti-virus personnel do not allow me to defend myself." "Anti-virus personnel themselves have committed the same mistakes as I did, probably much more often. There is no set of rules that determines what makes someone an anti-virus authority. Certain people that seem to fit the mold are allowed to exchange viruses with anti-virus personnel. What are the criteria for these people? Is there any? It has been my experience that if you get involved with the right circles, you are considered an anti- virus authority. However, there are many places in the anti-virus community for viruses to leak out. For one thing, you can never be certain who you are dealing with. Just because someone is smart and claims to hold an anti- virus attitude is no guarantee that that person isn't an "in the closet" virus writer. "At anti-virus conferences such as the NCSA anti-virus conference, guests were exchanging viruses like they were baseball cards. That isn't what I would consider controlling access." "They do help a lot of people with computer troubles. However, to criticize me for not properly controlling access to my collection of viruses is being hypocritical." "If anyone would like to call my system to check things out, feel free. I have a lot more to offer than just computer viruses. I have a good number of text files and some pretty active message bases. The Hell Pit BBS - (708)459-7267" - Kato Conclusions ~~~~~~~~~~~ It seems there is a move afoot in the anti-virus community to rid the world of bulletin board systems that disseminate viruses openly and freely. The anti- virus professionals believe that they must "defend the world" from this type of activity. Even though during a recent conference in Washington, D.C., it was disclosed that an anti-virus researcher recently uploaded three (3) viruses onto a virus BBS (Hell Pit). Why was this done? To "expose the fact that the sysop was not as careful as he claims to be." The person that did this was then able to download viruses which was against the policy the sysop claimed was in place (of course this statement is based upon the integrity of the anti- virus community and their integrity is obviously suspect). So, the anti-virus community set-up this sysop and made an example of him in a national conference without allowing him the opportunity to defend himself. In fact, the sysop may still be totally unaware that this event has even occurred, until now that is. These anti-virus researchers were openly exchanging copies of viruses for "research purposes only." It seems okay for them to disseminate viruses in the name of research because of their self-proclaimed importance in the anti-virus community, but others that threaten their elite (NOT!) status are subject to be framed and have examples made of them. Do As I Say, Not As I Do ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This type of activity raises a very interesting question. Who gives private sector computer security employees or consultants carte blanche to conduct this type of activity? Especially when they have the gall to turn around and label hackers as criminals for doing the exact same thing. The answer is not who, but what; money and ego. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of this whole situation is that the true battle being fought here is not over viruses and bulletin board systems, but instead the free dissemination of information. For a group of individuals so immersed in this world, there is a profound ignorance of the concepts of First Amendment rights. Phrack Magazine is ready to stand tall and vigorously keep a close watch and defend against any incursion of these rights. We've been around a long time, we know where the bodies are buried, our legion of followers and readers have their eyes and ears open all across the country. Those of you in the security industry be warned because every time you slip up, we will be there to expose you. Dispater _______________________________________________________________________________ Tim Foley Virus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Guido Sanchez Right after I moved from 512 to 708, I had the misfortune to realize that Steve Jackson Games, a company whose games I readily buy and play, had a BBS up in my home town called the Illuminati BBS. This was my misfortune as I could have called it locally in Texas, but now instead had to spend my phone bill on it from Illinois. A good year after the Secret Service assault of Steve Jackson Games, after most of the "evidence" was returned with nifty little green stickers on it, a text file was put up on the BBS called FOLEY.TXT, a simple copy of the lawsuit that Steve Jackson Games had filed against the government, also known as JACKSUIT.TXT, distributed by the EFF I believe. [Editor's Note: We have been unable to confirm that EFF ever released a file called JACKSUIT.TXT, however details of the EFF's participation in the Steve Jackson Games lawsuit can be found in EFFector Online 1.04.] It was called FOLEY.TXT obviously because of Timothy Foley, a big-shot government guy [actually an agent for the U.S. Secret Service] who is one of the defendants in the case. I downloaded the file, and zipped it into a file called, surprisingly enough, FOLEY.ZIP. Within the next week, I was gleefully spreading information as usual, and uploaded the FOLEY.ZIP file along with a batch of viral files to a local BBS with a beginning virus base. The theory here is to spread viruses about, accessible to all so that wonderful little Anti-Viral programmers cannot succeed. Unfortunately, the FOLEY.ZIP file was put into the viral file base, and before I could warn the sysop to move it into the appropriate file base, about 8 lame warezwolves had downloaded it and by the end of the week it was widely spread around the 708 NPA. The moral of this story? None really, it's just an amusing vignette of what can happen when people become involved in the intense bartering of information that takes place via modem, and can get ridiculed if they're not sure of their commodity. That's all this huge business is, everyone is a courier. Whether they're pirated files, adult files, sound files, viruses, or text files; 90% of the time they're just downloaded from one 1.2 gig board and uploaded to the next one for more credits to download more files, etc. It's a great big cycle, just like life. So, to risk sounding cliche, my rally to all is this: "Slow down! Sit back and pick the roses, eat them, digest them, and eventually <hopefully> excrete them!" Mr. Warhol, my fifteen minutes are up. The soapbox is now free. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Hacker Files June 22, 1992 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen (Newsbytes) NEW YORK -- DC Comics has announced the introduction of a new twelve-issue series, "The Hacker Files." DC spokesperson Martha Thomases said that the first issue will ship on June 23rd. The series, created by science fiction author Lewis Shiner, deals with the adventures of "super-hacker" Jack Marshall who, prior to the events chronicled in the series, unjustly lost his job at Digitronix and now operates as a free- lance consultant. The first story line, covering the first four issues of the series, deals with Marshall's attempt to uncover those responsible for jamming ARPANET (Network of Advanced Research Projects Agency) and causing NORAD's Space Surveillance Center inside Cheyenne Mountain, Wyoming to malfunction, bringing the United States to the brink of nuclear war. In the course of his investigation, Marshall, AKA "Hacker," is assisted by a number of members of the hacker community -- "Master Blaster," "Sue Denim," and "Spider" (Master Blaster, whose real name is Mikey is a student at New York City's Bronx High School of Science). Fiction comes close to reality when it appears that the person responsible for the virus that caused the damage is Roger P. Sylvester, a student at Columbia University and the son of a high ranking official at the National Security Agency (NSA); on November 2, 1988 Robert T. Morris, Jr., a Cornell student and son of NSA's chief computer scientist, caused the crippling of the Internet through his release of the "Internet Worm." Shiner told Newsbytes, "The similarity of the characters was, of course done intentionally -- you might even note the somewhat subtle connection of the names: 'Sylvester The Cat' and 'Morris The Cat.' I did it partially to show those somewhat knowledgeable about computers that the plot was not made out of whole cloth but was the result of a good deal of research." Shiner continued, "When reading comics, I look for information density and I tried to make the Hacker Files rich in that regard. I'm hoping to attract some computer-literate young people to comics -- comics were one of the earliest forms of expression to make great use of computers and I hope, with the Hacker Files, to involve more computer types in the medium." Shiner also told Newsbytes that his experience as a programmer with a small Dallas software firm provided him with an ongoing interest in computer and communications technology. He added, "The firm was sold to EDS (Electronic Data Services), Ross Perot's firm, and, with long hair and jeans, I didn't fit into the EDS mold so I left and concentrated on writing." _______________________________________________________________________________ "Sneakers" by Universal Pictures June 24, 1992 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taken from PR Newswire Follow A Team of High-Tech Security Experts Into The Complex World of Computer Crime "I was trying to break into Protovision. I wanted to get the programs for their new games." -- David Lightman (Matthew Broderick, "WarGames"). "The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy or money. It's run by little ones and zeros. Little bits of data. It's all just electrons." -- Cosmo (Ben Kingsley, "Sneakers"). In 1984, screenwriters Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker received an Academy Award nomination for their script which followed the adventures of a young high school hacker (Matthew Broderick) whose computer made contact with the mainframe computers at North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). A critical and box office success, "WarGames" was the first major motion picture to explore the emerging worlds of computer games, hacking, crashing and data piracy. It soon found a legion of fans who had also discovered the vast frontiers available through their personal computer. Eight years later, Parkes and Lasker along with writer-director Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of Dreams") have collaborated on "Sneakers," a Universal Pictures release which follows a team of high-tech security experts into the complex world of computer crime. The caper film, directed by Robinson, stars Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, David Strathairn, James Earl Jones, and Mary McDonnell. Parkes and Lasker first heard the term "sneakers" at a computer convention in 1981 as a nickname for IBM's kid programmers. Months later, they met the editor of a small computer magazine who had a very different definition of the word. "Sneakers," their source explained, is a term that is synonymous with "black hatters" and "tiger teams," or individuals who are hired to break into places in order to test the security of the installation. Teaming up with Robinson, the trio wrote the basic outline of a story about a team of sneakers whose questionable pasts had brought them together. Robinson then embarked on some extensive research, but what had begun as basic fact- finding about computer outlaws soon evolved into clandestine meetings with underground hackers, FBI men, cryptologists, wire tappers, professional penetrators and an endless stream of cyberpunks who were the pioneers in system break-ins. The "Sneakers" research led to meetings with numerous characters, ranging from the notorious Captain Crunch (John Draper) to renowned mathematician Leonard Adelman, called the father of public-key encryption. Using computer encryption as a plot device, the writers were able to concoct an intricate "what if" story which explored the possibility of a "black box" that could potentially crack the code of any electronic information in the world. "'Sneakers' has to do with a new age... the information age," said Redford. "It's quite possible that a war in the future will be a war of information. Whoever has it, wins." Coming to theaters this September. _______________________________________________________________________________ Pirates v. AT&T: Posters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special thanks to Legacy Irreverent and Captain Picard On May 24 1992, two lone pirates, Legacy (of CyberPunk System) and Captain Picard (of Holodeck) had finally had enough of AT&T. Together, they traveled to the AT&T Maintenance Facility (just west of Goddard, Kansas) and claimed the property in the name of pirates and hackers everywhere. They hoisted the Jolly Roger skull and crossbones high on the AT&T flagpole, where it stayed for two days until it was taken down by security. This event was photographed and videotaped by EGATOBAS Productions, to preserve this landmark in history. And now you can witness the event. For a limited time they are offering full color posters and t-shirts of the Jolly Roger Pirate flag flying high over AT&T, with the AT&T logo in plain view, with the caption; "WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CONQUERED." Prices: 11" x 17" Full Color poster........................... $ 7.00 US 20" x 30" Full Color poster $20.00 US T-shirts $20.00 US If you are interested in purchasing, simply send check or money order for the amount, plus $1.00 US for postage and handling to: CyberPunk System P.O. Box 771027 Wichita, KS 67277-1072 Be sure to specify size on T-shirt. A GIF of this is also available from CyberPunk System, 1:291/19, 23:316/0, 72:708/316, 69:2316/0. FREQ magicname PIRATE _______________________________________________________________________________ Telco Trashing Yields Big Rewards July 20, 1992 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Anonymous A few days ago, I was faced with a decision about what to do that fine evening: Try and make amends with my girlfriend or go dumpster diving down at the Bell Central Office. Well I guess I am a true lamer since I opted for the telco, but my choice did not go unrewarded as I found a nice little treasure. The building is a old 1940's brick place with almost no security whatsoever, not even a guard on Sunday nights. So, it was no problem to jump the barbed wire fence that surrounded the truck lot where the dumpster was located. After rooting around through the dumpster for something worth my while, I came across a medium sized box that apparently had been used by one of the employees for moving since written on the were the words "pots and pans, kitchen." Naturally intrigued by this strange box in a telco dumpster, I opened it and found quite a surprise! There, staring up at me, was a binder with a label stuck on it that read "Phrack 23." Inside I found the entire collection of Phrack 1-39, Informatik 1-4, and LOD/H Technical Journals 1 and 2 (apparently they were too cheap to print out the rest). They were poorly printed on a laser printer (or well printed on a ink jet), but they were much better than the cheesy job I had done printing out mine. :-) Apparently someone at the telco is a phreaker that infiltrated the ranks of South Central Bell or they have been reading up on the latest and greatest in the phreaker/hacker community. Perhaps not as valuable as a list of COSMOS passwords or dialups, but still it was quite a find. _______________________________________________________________________________ Anonymous Mail On IBM VM Systems? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: Tue, 28 Apr 92 14:54:58 EST From: Apollo Subject: Anonymous Mail To: Phrack Staff Dear Phrack Staff, I was reading a past Phrack issue and noticed that you can send anonymous mail from a UNIX system. I know that there is a way to send it from a VM system. However, the people at my node don't want anonymous mail sent, so they do not tell us how it's done. Can someone PLEASE tell me how I can send anonymous mail via a VM system? -- Apollo -- From: Mind Mage Subject: Anonymous Mail To: Apollo I assume that you know you can telnet to any VM system on the Internet and send anonymous mail using port 25 and a commands that are very similar to that of the UNIX SMTP. If you want to send it from your particular system, you can try telneting to port 25 of your own machine and doing it from there. Mind Mage _______________________________________________________________________________ WWIV Link Hack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Mr. Bigg (Rebel-*-Jedi) Not that many people care but here is a nice little trick I happened to come across and feel like sharing. Hack for WWIV Systems Using Multi-Net v1.0 Mod Usually used for LinkNet Main Login: @-!NETWORK!-@ Link Login: 1 (or whoever is sysop) //edit config.dat find system password in file abort editing //dos enter system password Viola, access to Dos :) Lamely enough there is no password. Check for users when using this mod. _______________________________________________________________________________ The Day Bell System Died ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sung to the tune of American Pie (with apologies to Don McLean) Long, long, time ago, I can still remember, When the local calls were "free". And I knew if I paid my bill, And never wished them any ill, That the phone company would let me be... But Uncle Sam said he knew better, Split 'em up, for all and ever! We'll foster competition: It's good capital-ism! I can't remember if I cried, When my phone bill first tripled in size. But something touched me deep inside, The day... Bell System... died. And we were singing... Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? Is your office Step by Step, Or have you gotten some Crossbar yet? Everybody used to ask... Oh, is TSPS coming soon? IDDD will be a boon! And, I hope to get a Touch-Tone phone, real soon... The color phones are really neat, And direct dialing can't be beat! My area code is "low": The prestige way to go! Oh, they just raised phone booths to a dime! Well, I suppose it's about time. I remember how the payphones chimed, The day... Bell System... died. And we were singing... Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? Back then we were all at one rate, Phone installs didn't cause debate, About who'd put which wire where... Installers came right out to you, No "phone stores" with their ballyhoo, And 411 was free, seemed very fair! But FCC wanted it seems, To let others skim long-distance creams, No matter 'bout the locals, They're mostly all just yokels! And so one day it came to pass, That the great Bell System did collapse, In rubble now, we all do mass, The day... Bell System... died. So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? I drove on out to Murray Hill, To see Bell Labs, some time to kill, But the sign there said the Labs were gone. I went back to my old CO, Where I'd had my phone lines, years ago, But it was empty, dark, and ever so forlorn... No relays pulsed, No data crooned, No MF tones did play their tunes, There wasn't a word spoken, All carrier paths were broken... And so that's how it all occurred, Microwave horns just nests for birds, Everything became so absurd, The day... Bell System... died. So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? Ma Bell why did you have to die? We were singing: Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die? We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI, "Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry. Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die? _______________________________________________________________________________ The 1992 Consumer Electronics Show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Sarlo The Consumer Electronic Show is the annual event held in Chicago, Illinois, that gives a sneak peek at the electronic products to come to market, as well as products that are currently on the market. The show is usually closed to the public. This year however, for a MEASLY $10 fee, the common shmoe can waltz his ignorant ass right up to the door, get a green stamp on his hand, and walk up to several displays, oohing and ahhhing, and gape like landed fish at the wonderous booths set up by various participating companies such as AT&T, most major bell companies, IBM, Prodigy, dozens of cellular manufacturers, Nintendo, Sega, and more software producers than I really have the patience to list. I take a taxi to the McCormick center, a convention haven, and enter through the underground entrance. I walk down the nondescript hallway, noting that for a center that is supposed to be housing the latest in the future technology, nothing was that awe-inspiring. Expecting a lame show with shoddy video graphics, I purchased my ticket, got my hand stamped and entered the doors. Into an enormous room, filling my senses with an array of Lights and Sound. You could almost smell the silicon as I made my way down the aisle displaying the giant Phillips Digital Compact Cassettes screen. Not being a huge fan of stereo equipment, I head over to the Sharp Electronics Display. It was a turn in the right direction, as it brought me face to face with one of the clearest and, per the name, sharpest video displays I have seen in my life. Their LCD big-screen televisions, displaying a aquarium scene. Even close up, distortion of the images were at a minimum. Along the north wall, a smaller, gutted version of the LCD display was shown, giving electronics buffs a firsthand look at the inner workings of the viewscreens. Turning a corner, I came face to face with their dual-projection wallscreen television. Instead of ghost images and a fuzzy, indistinct picture, I found that it may have very well be the highest quality video projection system I have ever come in contact with. Cellular Mania ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The highlight of the Cellular Phone section was the Motorola Cordless/Cellular display area with a large sign showing the spokesperson for Motorola, the eye- catching slogan above him: "Cordless Phone Eavesdroppers Are Everywhere." Immediately catching my interest, I wandered over to check out the smaller print: "But with my Motorola Secure Clear (tm) Cordless Phone, my private conversations stay private." Secure Clear, as the literature explains it, is an exclusive technology that assures you that no eavesdroppers will be able to use another cordless phone, scanner or baby monitor to listen to your cordless conversations. As most of us know, security codes and multi-channels don't always prevent eavesdropping. With the latest technology these days, security codes, one of 65,000 possible codes that are randomly assigned every time you set the handset into the base, keeps someone from using your phone base as an outgoing phoneline. Using the Auto Channel Scan (ACS), the Secure Clear Cordless Phones automatically skip any channels that register noise or interference. Three guesses what Sarlo is getting himself for Christmas. For more information on this or any other Motorola product, call their Consumer Products Division at (800)331-6456. On other notes, Technophone had a wide variety of cellular accessories, including a Desk stand, spare batteries, an in-car charger, a new life of antennae, QuickCharge AC chargers, and a hands-free unit for safe operation in a car. Omni Cellular had one of their Model "A" V833k Portable Hand-Helds open for a demonstration, giving a static-free conversation with one of the salesmen. Many of the features of this phone were: o 90 Minutes of Talk Time o 10 hours of Stand-by Time. o and a sturdy design built right here in the USA. Other features included Auto-Power Shutoff, Electronic Lock, 50 number memory, and signal strength indicator. East Building Hipster Hi-Jinx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Growing bored, I headed over to the map. Searching it, I found, almost literally, my green light. On their illuminated map display, the green section of the map beamed out to me. "Computers" Hauling ass to the door, stopping for a quick inspection of my bags by the security guard, I strolled over to the east building (purchasing a way-keen CES-92 T-Shirt along the way), I burst into the building with a renewed vigor. Right smack-dab in the front of the entrance there is the awful stench of men in business suits and cheap computer services. Right away, I knew I had found the Prodigy display. With free trials and the salesmen prodding the consumers to subscribe to their system, I decided to take a look. "Where else can you get such a great service, allowing you access to such a wide variety of things such as an online message service, up-to-date news, an online encyclopedia, and thousands of interesting users, people just like yourselves?" The Online-Conman peddled his wares to the unsuspecting consumers, not only misinforming them as to think that Prodigy is a useful service at all, but to actually have the gall to shove a PS/1 in their faces and tell them it's a quality computer. "Umm... what about any Public Access Unix Site with an Internet or Usenet feed," I asked. The clod then got on his high-horse and addressed me. "Perhaps. But most Public Unix's, or bulletin boards, for that matter don't have high-quality graphics to accompany the information." The man had definitely done his homework. But apparently IBM and Sears soaped the man's brains out thoroughly enough to the point where he actually bought the bull that they were forcing down peoples throats. "Yea," I said. "But most public access sites don't waste a quarter of your screen space with worthless advertisements. I wasn't aware that pretty pictures made the news or messages any more informative, either. But I might also point out that they don't charge you a extra amount of money for every message over the 30th one, read your mail or censor your public posts, or, many times, even charge you a fee at all, other than possibly an optional subscription fee, around $50 a YEAR at most, nor do they have small datafiles that collects information from the fat table from the subscribers." As I was speaking, the salesman was trying to interrupt me, finally succeeding at this point. "Well, I can see you have a lot of questions," the salesman evades rather well. "So I'm sure this gentleman over here will be glad to answer any of your questions, while I can take this lady's question...Yes?" I was approached by another salesman who asked me what questions I needed answered. I said none, seeing as I didn't have much interest in his system anyhow, and that I was just seeing how good the Prodigy salespeople worked under pressure. He said he would be glad to answer any questions I had, but if I were only there to harass people, to please take it elsewhere. Then it was off to the various other setups. Magazines were on display and free for the taking here, including Mobile Office, Various Nintendo/Game System magazines, and Audio Equipment. Walking down one of the back isles, I heard a bit of conversation that caught my ears. Star Trek Straight To Your Home ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Computer. Recognize Picard, Jean-Luc. Kitchen Lights ON, Turn ON the VCR and hit RECORD. Close the Curtains, and turn on the Extasy Channel. Prepare to record "Chicks with Dicks." - Jean Luc Picard Stardate 1992.4, 2:45 A.M. Such a Scenario is something you would think you could find only on Star Trek, right? Wrong. With the Mastervoice, the "Ultimate in Home Automation", the mastervoice is much like your own personal butler, telling the correct time, activating and operating any device in your household, and even with it's own alarm system. All of this, at the command of your voice. Mastervoice can be designed to be used by up to four people, can be trained in any language. It distinguishes who is speaking, obeys the commands, but also speaks back to you -- in a HUMAN sounding voice. Male or Female. You can add or delete voices from it's recognition systems, you can also create new response words as well. Featuring control over lights, stereo, TV, coffee maker, heating and cooling systems. It also has a Household Noise Override that allows you to have stupid children racing around your home in an obnoxious manner without disturbing the unit. Plus, it is also a speakerphone/telephone with stored numbers. At the sound of your voice, it will dial or answer incoming calls and allow you to carry on a conversation without ever having to touch the system. It also interfaces with your PC for memory storage or control operations. Built in infrared sensor and intrusion detection systems are another highlight of this demonstration. As it recognizes up to four voices, you can assign a password for each voice, being anything from "I am home" to "Supercalafragilisticexpialidoshes". If all fails, it can call the police for you. Nutty as all hell. Mastervoice operates thru carrier current modules. This model, as one of the top of the line voice-recognition home-use systems, it is up there in the $4,000 plus range, but seeing all the stuff it does, it's well worth the price. Skipping the Game Module Section (Nintendo/Sega/TurboGraphix/etc) entirely, I ran into an interesting palmtop known as the Psion Series 3, and their new interlink software. Windows Compatable, the palmtop not only has communication software for a link between your PC and Palmtop, but also will support standard Hayes and Hayes compatible modems. Sporting a qwerty style keyboard and a romcard port, 128k and a 40 column screen, the Series 3 may be limited, but provides an acceptable amount of access to other online services. Though for now, a Windows based software package is only available, at the time of this writing, there will be DOS and UNIX compatible packages available to the public in 5 to 6 months. _______________________________________________________________________________