==Phrack Inc.== Volume One, Issue Eight, Phile #6 of 9 COMPUSERVE INFO --------------- Compiled and Related by: Morgoth and Lotus ----------------- Since its rather humble beginnings in Dublin, Ohio some years ago,Compuserve, or CIS, as it will be referred to in this article, has grown tobecome the largest entertainment/public user oriented system in the country.This file is divided into two parts. The first is how to get your own CIS IDnumber, and make it last a relatively long time. This part may seem like oldhat to some of you out there. The second part is information on what to doonce you are on the system...tricks and tips to keep you out of trouble, orcause trouble. A Compuserve identification number is divided into two parts; a projectnumber and a programmer number. An example would be 70007,1460. This ID iswhat you will be known by at all times on the system. When you log on, youwill also be prompted for a password, in addition to your user ID. Thepassword is divided into two words, kept apart by a separator (-,:,.,etc). Thepassword may be any two words the user desires, including garbage, which makesgaining an ID by hacking the password almost, if not totally, impossible. The most popular, and about the only way left, of gaining an ID is by buyingwhat the system calls a snapak. These are the little goodies you see in thestore in the introductory packets. With this, you can gain access to most, butnot all of the system. The first ID, or the "intro" ID will last about a week, at which time,Compuserve automatically changes the password, and sends the new one to you viathe US Postal service. This is a key point to the ID scam. You MUST havevalid Credit Card information to be able to continue using the ID. I haveheard of intro IDs going bad in a matter of 2 or 3 days due to having non-validcredit card info. So you need to set up a location to which your secondpassword can be mailed. This second password should last about a month,depending on how much credit the CC holder has on his card. When applying credit to a Visa or Mastercard, Compuserve will submit thecharges about once a week. If you run up about $500 in connect charges, andthe credit card cannot hold it, the ID will go bad. This is the most commonway for an account to run out. Your first password has some limits. Due to hackers using snapaks,Compuserve has installed a system which prohibits IDs without the secondpassword from entering any type of game online. This ranges from theever-popular MegaWars, to YGI, all the way down to Casino. This is one reasonwhy the second password is so important. If more than one person will be using the account, which is usually the case,there are also some limits to be observed. The same ID can no longer enter theCB simulator more than once. If it is tried, the message "exceeding job limit"will occur, and you will be taken back to the prior menu. The same ID can gointo a SIG at the same time, but both people cannot enter COnference mode whileon the SIG. The best way to talk to another user who is on the same ID is togo into any forum, say CBMART, and have one of them enter COnference mode.There, the two users can use the /SEN command to relay messages between the SIGand COnference. This is kind of complicated, but it is the only way. Also,anytime the message "exceeding job limit" goes to your screen, the people atCIS put a small "red mark" by your name. If it occurs too frequently, theylook into the situation to find out if more than one person may be using thesame ID. Special IDs -- Ok, now that you are on Compuserve, what should you look outfor? As mentioned before, the user ID is divided into [projectnumber,programmer number] format. The Programmer number is of no importance,but the Project number is. Some of the ones you should be aware of whileonline are: 70000,xxxx Compuserve Security 70003,xxxx Compuserve Employee 70004,xxxx Same as above 70005,xxxx Radio Shack demo account 70006,xxxx Customer service, or "Wizard" number (see below) 70007,xxxx Complimentary account 76703,xxxx SIG SysOp, or Forum Info Provider While on CB, look out for the 70000 IDs, and especially the 70006, or"wizard" numbers. The Wizard ids have some very special functions. The mainone is called autogag, or /GAG. This allows the bearer of this ID to banishany user from the system, in a way. What it actually does is to keep the/GAGged person out of everyone's view. They will not show up on the /ust list,and anything they type will not show up on anybody else's screen. Kind of likea mute button on a television. The Chief of CIS security is Dan Pisker, and onCB he uses the handles "Dan'l", or "Ghost", with a 70000 id. Monitoring -- This is a very popular subject with the users of Compuserve,but when broken down, it is quite simple. CIS is capable of monitoringANYTHING that is said on the system. This doesn't mean that they do, however.For /TALK to be monitored in a Forum or on CB, CIS must first have a courtorder...it is supposedly as illegal as tapping a phone line. This has beendone before to catch some major hackers on the system. /SEN in a SIG is notsupposedly monitorable....the status on it is the same as on /TALK. /SCR modeon CB or on a SIG is definitely monitorable, especially if the the /SCR key istyped on open channel. Keep /SCR conversations to a minimum. As far asanything else goes, anything said on open channel is quite definitely seen bySOMEBODY in the big chair up in Ohio. It would not surprise me at all if theyhire people to go through CB Transcripts every day to look for that kind ofthing. Also, when you are in COnference mode in a SIG, always check the/STAtus of the channel. If /STA EVER returns that there are more people on thechannel you are on than the /USERS function does, then you can rest assuredthat the channel is being monitored. Nodes -- When you log on through CIS, you are going through a node. The nodetakes the form of 3 letters, designating the site of the computer through whichyou are connecting through Compuserve. An example would be "NYJ" (New YorkCity). There are some special nodes you should know about, though. Tymnet - Anybody logging on through Tymnet will be assigned one of thesenodes - QAI, QAJ, QAK, QAC, QAM, QAN, QAO, QCA, QCB, QCC, QCE, QCF, QCH. Thiscannot identify where you are calling from, just that you are logging inthrough the Tymnet network. Telenet - QBA, QBC, QBD, QBG, QBF, QEN, QEI, QEP. Also, another special node would be DB- (DBA, DBB, DBC, etc), which meansthat the user is logging on from Compuserve's Headquarters in Dublin. The way to tell what node somebody is in is by typing /UST on either CO modeon a SIG, or CB...the result is like this.... Job User Id Ch. Node Handle --- ---------- --- ---- ------1) 12 70003,1295 17 CSG Red Leather2) 133 70006,1293 1s BAF Surf's Up!3) 69 76703,1211 Tlk BOO JOE CUFFS4) 22 70000,1959 30* DBA Pig Now, you can tell something specific about each of these four people based onthe info given above. Red is in Columbus, Ohio, and is on Channel 17. She isalso a Compuserve Employee. Surf is in Bakersfield, California, and is aCustomer service personnel. He is also using /SCRamble. Joe is in Talk, is asysop on a SIG, and is in Boston, Massachusetts. This is the format for Talkon CB. Pig is on talk in a SIG, and is a security personnel from Dublin, Ohio. The format for showing if somebody is in /Talk is different on a SIG than inregular CB. Also, the /SEN command is not implemented on CB. Have fun with this...hope it helps. Distribute the file however you want,but make sure the credits stay at the bottom.(c) 1986 Morgoth/Lotus
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