470 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
470 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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#######################################
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# #
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# #
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# ======== =\ = ====== #
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# == = \ = = #
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# == = \= ====== #
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# #
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# <Tolmes News Service> #
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# ''''''''''''''''''''' #
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# #
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# #
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# > Written by Dr. Hugo P. Tolmes < #
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# #
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# #
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#######################################
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Issue Number: 35
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Release Date: April 30, 1988
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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TITLE: Virus Wars: A Serious Warning
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FROM: PC Magazine
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DATE: February 29, 1988
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by: John C. Dvorak
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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A new computer virus is infecting microcomputers around the world.
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Where is the utility that will prevent our PCs from becoming victims in
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this epidemic?
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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A computer virus (sometimes called a Trojan horse or a worm) is a
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small and sinister piece of software code that literally infects your
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machine. It is inserted into a public-domain or bootleg program and,
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when the program is used, the virus code is alerted and rewrites itself
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into something in your system and typically (and eventually) calls a
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hard disk routine and tells the disk to erase itself. Computer
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sabotage. It's getting worse and we should all be aware of it. On the
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West Coast a battle wages where Apple Macintosh users and IBM PC users
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are loading software with viruses to "attack" their foe: a user of the
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other kind of machine.
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THE LEHIGH VIRUS
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Meanwhile, one virus has made headlines. It was released at Lehigh
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University. Here's an excerpt from a memo sent out over UseNet from
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Kenneth R. van Wyk, User Services Senior Consultant, Lehigh University
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Computing Center. It describes the virus that was set loose just
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before Thanksgiving last year and is now floating around the world.
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"Last week, some of our student consultants discovered a virus
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program that's been spreading rapidly throughout Lehigh University. It
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has the chance of spreading much farther than just our University. We
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had no idea where the virus started, but some users have told me that
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other universities have recently had similar problems.
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"The virus itself is contained in the stack space of COMMAND.COM.
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When a PC is booted from an infected disk, all a user need do to spread
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the virus is to access another disks via TYPE, COPY, DIR, etc. If the
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other disk contains COMMAND.COM, the virus code is copied to the other
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disk. Then, a counter is incremented on the parent. When this counter
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reaches a value of 4, and and every disk in the PC is erased
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thoroughly. The boote the FAT tables, etc.
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All Norton's horses couldn't put it back together again. This affects
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both floppy and hard disks. Meanwhile, the four children that were
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created go on to tell four friends, and then they tell four friends,
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and so on, and so on.
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"Detection: while the virus appears to be very well written, the
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author did leave behind a couple footprints. First, the write date of
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COMMAND.COM changes. Second, if there's a write protect tab on an
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uninfected disk, you will get a WRITE PROTECT ERROR. So, boot up from a
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suspected virus'd disk and access a write-protected disk--if an error
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comes up, then you're sure. Note that the length of COMMAND.COM Does
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not get altered.
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"I urge anyone who comes in contact with publicly accessible disks to
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periodically check their own disks. Also, exercise safe computer--
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always wear a write protect tab.
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"This is not a joke. A large percentage of our public site disks has
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been gonged by this virus in the last couple days."
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The mainstream computer magazines seldom discuss these destructive
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little gags, even though there are plenty of them. PC users must make
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themselves aware of these things. If a virus program got into a
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corporation and started eating hard disks, you can be sure that the
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next time someone brought in some software from home, it would quickly
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be confiscated. This kind of thing only encourages MIS departments to
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take total control of the microcomputer installation. Remember, that
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most talented of the hackers love to design programs like this just to
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harass the average PC user.
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We need some utilities that check the integrity of our computer
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systems. Of course, these programs would be quickly defeated by some
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maniac who would find the loophole in the algorithm, and the integrity
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checker would have to be forever updated. (Sounds like a money-maker!)
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Some say that the solution to these sick jokes is to perpetually back
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up the hard disk like a good little boy. Great. I back up my hard
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disk once a year whether it needs it or not. So what am I (and most
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users) supposed to do in between times?
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All you can do is be careful and know that someone out there is about
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to make your life miserable if you're not prudent.
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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NOTA:
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Viruses seem to be a very hot item these days as I've explained in previous
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issues of TNS. Besides the many articles on viruses that have been published
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(many of which are in previous issues of TNS or future issues) I have seen
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several news reports on the dangers of computer viruses. All of this hysteria
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has been caused by a few incidents at several universities here and Hebrew
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University. Other tensions are still around because of the Chaos Computer
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break-ins in NASA's SPAN network.
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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TOLMES NEWS SERVICE INDEX:
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--------------------------
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #1
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----------------------------
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Introduction to TNS Magazine
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #2
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----------------------------
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Introduction to Issue #2
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They Sure Can Talk in Raleigh
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Teaching Computer Ethics in the Schools
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Cash-Machine Magician
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Cheaper Electronics Makes It a Snap to Snoop
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Los Alamos Nuclear Facility Security Boost
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #3
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----------------------------
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Making Computers Snoop-Proof
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War Against Phone Hacking Heats Up
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Toll Fraud Trial Sets New Tone
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #4
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----------------------------
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Cellular Technology
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Pirate BBS
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Scanning Bust
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Rip Offs
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How the Soviets Are Bugging America
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Deadly Bugs
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The Newest Dating Game
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #5
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----------------------------
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Electronic Cryptography Report
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #6
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----------------------------
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HD Sentry: Hard Disk Protection from Trojan Horse Programs
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Check This: Ma Bell is a Generous Soul
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Sign In and then Sign On
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How To Beat Phone Assault
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Prisoner Phone Phreaks
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Suburban Kids Are Too Dumb to Steal
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #7
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----------------------------
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Federal Sting Nets 25 for Cellular Phone Fraud in NYC
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18 Are Seized in Illegal Use of Mobile Telephones
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Hello Anywhere
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #8
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----------------------------
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Keeping the Secrets Inside the Computer
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Bugging
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Urine Hot-Line
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Innovation? Just Hold the Phone
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #9
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----------------------------
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The National Guards
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The Caller That Isn't Long-Winded
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A Call to Stop Long-Distance Scam
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Online Junkies- Artificial Intelligence
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Hacking Through NASA: A Threat- Or Only an Embarassment
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #10
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-----------------------------
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The Bust of Shadow Hawk
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Tolmes News Service Issue #11
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-----------------------------
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Shadow Hawk's Bust: Continued from TNS Issue #10
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US Sprint Sues "Ring" of Hackers for $20 Million
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #12
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-----------------------------
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The Blue Box and Ma B- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #13
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-----------------------------
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Capt. Zap: Informant?
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Tolmes News Service Issue #14
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-----------------------------
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411: Life at Directory Assistance
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #15
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-----------------------------
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The Max Headroom TV Pirate
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Tolmes News Service Issue #16
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-----------------------------
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The Celling of America
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Tales That Do Not Compute
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Responses to Issue #12's Article
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Introduction: TNS QuickNotes
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Tolmes News Service Issue #17
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-----------------------------
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New Security Measures at ITT
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Capt. Zap's Defense
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #18
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-----------------------------
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2600 Magazine's Official Bulletin Boards
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Some Things about Phrack Inc.
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Syndicate Report: Will It Return?
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TNS QuickNotes
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #19
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-----------------------------
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'If You Need Help, Press 3'
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Satellite Paging
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Tolmes News Service Issue #20
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-----------------------------
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AT&T's Attempt at a Comeback
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The 1-900 Report
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #21
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-----------------------------
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AT&T and Sun Microsystems
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1-900's
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AT&T Credit Card Fraud Causes a $5,430 Bill
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Tolmes News Service Issue #22
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-----------------------------
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TNS Issue Directory
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FON Card Review
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Credit Card Fraud Arrests
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Radio ANI
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #23
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-----------------------------
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Dial-a-Porn Restrictions
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Changes at 2600
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #24
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-----------------------------
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1-900 Abuses
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Gab Lines
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Phone Aid
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tolmes News Service Issue #25
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-----------------------------
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Return of The Rebel
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Problems for Mafia Dude
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The Foreign Legion
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Return of the Private Connection
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Tolmes News Service Issue #26
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-----------------------------
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Computer Terrorism!
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Tolmes News Service Issue #27
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-----------------------------
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Changes at 2600 Magazine
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Virus Report
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Tolmes News Service Issue #28
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-----------------------------
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Viruses Threatening an Era of Computer Freedom
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The Tulsa Busts
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Tolmes News Service Issue #29
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-----------------------------
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Telecom Update
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Tolmes News Service Issue #30
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-----------------------------
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Federal Phone Snafu
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The Trojan Wars
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Tolmes News Service Issue #31
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-----------------------------
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Computer Systems Under Seige
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Tolmes News Service Issue #32
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-----------------------------
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Computer Terror
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Youths Suspected in Phone Fraud
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Tolmes News Service Issue #33
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-----------------------------
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Breaking and Entering: High Tech Style
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Tolmes News Service Issue #34
|
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-----------------------------
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Multi-State Computer Theft Ring
|
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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