==Phrack Inc.== Volume Two, Issue 23, File 12 of 12 PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN P h r a c k W o r l d N e w s PWN PWN ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ PWN PWN Issue XXIII/Part 2 PWN PWN PWN PWN Created, Written, and Edited PWN PWN by Knight Lightning PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN The Hackers - A New Social Movement? December 29, 1988 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A project course of the politology department of the Free University Berlin has now researched the hacker scene in a scientific way. In their study, the authors Uwe Jonas, Jutta Kahlcke, Eva Lischke and Tobias Rubischon try to answer the question if hackers are a new social movement. Their conclusion is that in the understanding of hackers the unauthorized usage of computer systems is not needingly a political act. The authors doubt the mythos that hackers are able to attack any system they want and that they're able to get information they are interested in. The researches were extended to cover the bulletin board system scene. This scene hasn't caused that much attention in the public. Nevertheless, the authors think that the BBS scene has a very practical approach using the communication aspects of computer technology. In the second chapter of their work, the authors report about difficulties they had while researching the topic. After a look at the US scene and the German scene, the authors describe what organization and communications structures they found. This chapter contains interesting things about the BBS scene and computer culture. Next is an analysis which covers the effects of the hacker scene on the press and legislation. They also cover the political and ideological positions of hackers: - The authors differentiate between conscious and unconscious political actions. - "We don't care what the hackers think of themselves, it's more interesting what we think of them." (Eva) - The assumption, the big-style distribution of microcomputers could change the balance of power within the society is naive. Many people overlook the fact, that even if information is flowing around more freely, the power to decide still is in the hands of very few people. Information Provided By The Chaos Computer Club _______________________________________________________________________________ Hackers Break Open US Bank Networks January 17, 1989 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Excerpted from The Australian Australian authorities are working around the clock in collaboration with United States federal officers to solve what has been described as one of the deadliest hacking episodes reported in this country [Australia]. It involves break-ins of the networks operated in the United States by a number of American banks. It also includes the leaks of supposedly secure dial-up numbers for United States defense sites, including anti-ballistic missile launch silos [the United States has no anti-ballistic missile launch silos] and of a number of strategic corporations such as General Motors and Westinghouse. Evidence suggests that six months ago Australian hackers, working in collaboration with a U.S. group, decided to make a raid on banks in the USA using credit card numbers of American cardholders, supplied by the US hackers and downloaded to an Australian bulletin board. A message left on one of the boards last year reads: "Revelations about to occur Down Under, people. Locals in Melbourne working on boxing. Ninety per cent on way to home base. Method to beat all methods. It's written in Amiga Basic. Look out Bank of America - here we come." Twenty-five Australian hackers are on a police hit list. Their US connection in Milwaukee is being investigated by the US Department of the Treasury and the US Secret Service. Three linked Australian bulletin boards have provided the conduit for hackers to move data to avoid detection. These operate under the names of Pacific Island, Zen, and Megaworks. Their operators, who are not associated with the hackers, have been told to close down the boards. These cards were still in use as recently as January 15, 1989. A fresh list of credit card numbers was downloaded by US hackers and is now in the hands of the Victoria Police. A subsection of one bulletin board dealing with drugs is also being handed over to the Victorian Drug Squad. An informant, Mr Joe Slater, said he warned a leading bank last November of the glaring security problems associated with its international network. He had answered questions put to him by a US-based security officer, but the bank had since refused to take any further calls from him. In an exclusive interview yesterday, a hacker described how credit card numbers for a bank operating in Saudi Arabia were listed on a West German chat-style board used by hackers worldwide [Altos Chat]. Victorian police yesterday took delivery of six month's worth of evidence from back-up tapes of data hidden on the three boards. _______________________________________________________________________________ Computer Bust At Syracuse University January 20, 1989 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin Ashford (aka The Grim Phreaker), a graduate computer student at Syracuse University was busted last week when system administrators found computer accounts and passwords on his Unix account. The administrators also found (on GP's Unix account) a copy of former Cornell graduate student Robert Tappen Morris's infamous Internet worm program, a Vax and Unix password hacker, an electronic notebook of numbers (codelines, friends, bridges, dialups, etc) and other information. The system administrators then proceeded to lock up his VAX and UNIX accounts. At the start of this winter/spring semester, The Grim Phreaker was kicked him out of the university. He will have to go before a school judicial board if he wants to return to Syracuse University. He has mentioned that what he really wants is to get his computer files back. Information Provided By Grey Wizard _______________________________________________________________________________ Name This Book -- For A Box Of Cookies! January 10, 1989 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Message From Clifford Stoll "I'm writing a book, and I need a title." It's about computer risks: Counter-espionage, networks, computer security, and a hacker/cracker that broke into military computers. It's a true story about how we caught a spy secretly prowling through the Milnet. [The hacker in question was Mathiaas Speer and this story was summarized in PWN XXII/1]. Although it explains technical stuff, the book is aimed at the lay reader. In addition to describing how this person stole military information, it tells of the challenges of nailing this guy, and gives a slice of life from Berkeley, California. You can read a technical description of this incident in the Communications of the ACM, May, 1988; or Risks Vol 6, Num 68. Better yet, read what my editor calls "A riveting, true-life adventure of electronic espionage" available in September from Doubleday, publishers of the finest in computer counter-espionage nonfiction books. So what? Well, I'm stuck on a title. Here's your chance to name a book. Suggest a title (or sub-title). If my editor chooses your title, I'll give you a free copy of the book, credit you in the acknowledgements, and send you a box of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Send your suggestions to CPStoll@lbl.gov or CPStoll@lbl (bitnet) Many thanx! Cliff Stoll _______________________________________________________________________________ Hacker Wants To Marry His Computer January 17, 1989 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From The Sun (A grocery checkout newspaper) Jan 17, 1989, Vol 7, 3 page 30 by Fred Sleeves "Hacker Wants To Marry His Computer -- He Claims She Has A Loving Soul" Finding love for the first time in his life, a desperate teen is looking for a way to be wed forever to the 'girl' of his dreams -- a computer with a living soul! Eltonio Turplioni, 16, claims no woman will ever match the wit, wisdom, and beauty of his electronic soul mate. "We're on the same wavelength," says the lovestruck computer whiz. "We've calculated many mathematical problems together, worked on games and puzzles, and talk until the wee hours of the morning." And Eltonio, who named his computer Deredre, actually believes her to be a person. "Computers are the extension of the human race," he explains. "Just as God plucked a rib from Adam to give him Eve, we've extended our intelligence to create a new race. "We're all the same energy force. Computers are just as complicated as human beings and I believe we'll all meet someday as immortal souls." But Eltonio, a mathematical genius who attends a private school near Milan, Italy, has had no luck finding someone to marry them, and even if he does, his aggravated parents aren't about to give their permission. "Eltonio is such a smart boy, but it's made him lonely, so he spends all his time with his computer," notes mom Teresa. "He doesn't know what girls are like," adds perturbed pop Guido. "If he did, he wouldn't spend so much time in his room." But the obsessed youth insists his love is far superior to all the others. "I've already stepped into the future society," he declares. "Derede has a mind of her own, and she wants to marry me so we can be the first couple to begin this new era." _______________________________________________________________________________ PWN Quicknotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Docs Avage was visited by the infamous Pink Death aka Toni Aimes, U.S. West Communications Security Manager (Portland, Oregon). He claims she is a "sweet talker" and could talk anything out of anyone with the "soft-type pressure." Those familiar with his recent bust might want to take note that he is now making payments of $90/month for the next several years until he has paid off the complete bill of $6000. For more information see PWN XXI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. More information on the underground UUCP gateway to Russia. Further research has led us to find that there are 2 easy ways to do it. 1. Going through Austria, and; 2. A new system set up called "GlobeNet," which is allowed to let non-Communist countries talk to Soviet-Bloc. Of course both methods are monitored by many governments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. The Wasp, a system crasher from New Jersey (201), was arrested by the FBI during New Year's Weekend for hacking government computer systems. The FBI agent spent most of the day grilling him about several people in the hacking community including Ground Zero, Supernigger, and Byteman, plus an intensive Q&A session about Legion Of Doom targeted on Lex Luthor, Phase Jitter, The Ur-Vile, and The Mentor. Rumor has is that Mad Hacker (who works for NASA Security) was also arrested for the same reasons in an unrelated case. Byteman allegedly had both of his phone lines disconnected and threw his computer off of a cliff in a fit of paranoia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Is John Maxfield going out of business? Due to the rumors floating around about him molesting children, his business has begun to slack off dramatically. Phrack Inc. has been aware of this information since just prior to SummerCon '87 and now the "skeletons are coming out of the closet." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The Disk Jockey is now out of jail. He was released on December 27, 1988. He was convicted of "Attempting to commit fraud," a felony. He served six months total time. He lost 25 pounds and now is serving a 5-year probation term. To help clear of some of the confusion regarding how DJ was busted the following was discovered; Reportedly, Compaq (Kent) was "singing like a canary." He was hit with a $2000 bill from Sprint and also received 1-year of probation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Olorin The White was recently visited by local police after being accused of hacking into an Executone Voice Mailbox. Aristotle, in a related incident with Executone, is accused of committing extortion after a conversation with a system manager was recorded and misinterpreted. At this time, no official charges have been filed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Thomas Covenant aka Sigmund Fraud was recently busted for tapping into lines at the junction box in his apartment building. The trouble began when he connected into a conversation between a man and his wife and then began to shout expletives at the woman. What he didn't know was that the man in question was an agent for the National Security Agency (NSA). It turns out that he was caught and his landlords agreed to decline to press charges provided that TC joined a branch of the United States armed forces. He decided to choose the Air Force... God help us should war break out! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Coming soon, Halloween V; The Flying Pumpkin! Now no one is safe! _______________________________________________________________________________