410 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
410 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
cDc #360
|
|
_
|
|
| \
|
|
| \
|
|
| | \
|
|
__ | |\ \ __
|
|
_____________ _/_/ | | \ \ _/_/ _____________
|
|
| ___________ _/_/ | | \ \ _/_/ ___________ |
|
|
| | _/_/_____ | | > > _/_/_____ | |
|
|
| | /________/ | | / / /________/ | |
|
|
| | | | / / | |
|
|
| | | |/ / | |
|
|
| | | | / | |
|
|
| | | / | |
|
|
| | |_/ | |
|
|
| | | |
|
|
| | c o m m u n i c a t i o n s | |
|
|
| |________________________________________________________________| |
|
|
|____________________________________________________________________|
|
|
...presents... The Journalist's Cookbook
|
|
Version 1.0
|
|
by Reid Fleming
|
|
7/15/1998-#360
|
|
__///////\ -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc- /\\\\\\\__
|
|
\\\\\\\/ Everything You Need Since 1986 \///////
|
|
___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ ___
|
|
|___heal_the_sick___raise_the_dead___cleanse_the_lepers___cast_out_demons___|
|
|
[Editor's note: This is a living document. It will be updated from time
|
|
to time, and its version number incremented to reflect major and minor
|
|
changes.]
|
|
Eventually it happens to everybody. The producer asks you to put
|
|
together a segment on computer crime or the hacker subculture. Sounds easy
|
|
enough. You already have a couple ideas. And luckily you have that
|
|
friend-of-a-friend who knows that hacker who went to jail.
|
|
But once you start actually writing, you realize that your script is
|
|
sounding as trite as anything you've ever seen. No matter how much you
|
|
try to jazz it up, it looks like every other hacker spot you've seen.
|
|
Pretty soon you're downright desperate for ideas.
|
|
Here's a suggestion: don't agonize over what will end up being just
|
|
another derivative news piece anyway. Instead, let this document help
|
|
you produce yet another mediocre story about computer hackers.
|
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
TITLE
|
|
TOPIC
|
|
IMPENDING THREATS
|
|
STATISTICS
|
|
THE LEAD
|
|
MOVIE CLIPS
|
|
DEFINITIONS
|
|
MONEY SHOTS
|
|
ANIMATIONS
|
|
INTERVIEWS
|
|
SHOOTING YOUR SUBJECTS
|
|
Computer Hackers
|
|
Settings
|
|
Inserts
|
|
Law Enforcement Officials
|
|
Settings
|
|
Inserts
|
|
Security Experts
|
|
Settings
|
|
Inserts
|
|
The Closing
|
|
Appendix A: Statistics
|
|
Appendix B: Interview Subjects
|
|
Appendix C: Vernhackular
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
TITLE
|
|
Start by selecting the working title of your piece. In many news
|
|
organizations, the title isn't even chosen by the producer of the piece,
|
|
so it's often a waste of time to come up with something good, just to
|
|
have it retitled at the last minute. And even if you DO get to choose
|
|
your own title, it doesn't matter. Nobody remembers them.
|
|
Regardless, it's easier to avoid writer's block once you have a title.
|
|
Here are some examples to get you thinking. (Of course, if you're really
|
|
short on time, just crib one without modification.)
|
|
- The Cyberwarriors
|
|
- At Your Digital Doorstep
|
|
- The Digitally Depraved
|
|
- Hacking The Planet
|
|
- How Secure Are You Really?
|
|
- Is Your Data Safe?
|
|
- Dialing for Mayhem
|
|
TOPIC
|
|
Now choose a topic corresponding to a recent computer crime. This can be
|
|
very easy. Just check out the AntiOnline web site for recent hacker
|
|
news. The site is written for the layperson with some understanding of
|
|
vernhackular. <http://www.antionline.com/>
|
|
If AntiOnline doesn't help, then this can be hard. Check the newspapers,
|
|
magazines, chat boards... ferret out some recent computer crimes. If you
|
|
can find a fresh event falling into one of these categories, write it
|
|
down (if you don't have time for that, then just pick one that sounds good):
|
|
- Banking systems/ATM network penetration
|
|
- Cryptography
|
|
- Cyber terrorism/electronic pearl harbor
|
|
- Hacktivism
|
|
- Identity theft
|
|
- Military or Fortune 100 systems penetration
|
|
- Online privacy
|
|
- Personal data theft
|
|
- Proliferation of Increasingly Sophisticated Hacking Tools
|
|
- International Hacker Gatherings
|
|
IMPENDING THREATS
|
|
The phrase "electronic Pearl Harbor" has crept into the national
|
|
consciousness. It encompasses the commonly-cited worst case scenarios in
|
|
the computer hacking sphere. This set of impending cataclysms includes
|
|
the disruption or obliteration of any the following computer systems:
|
|
- Military sites protecting nuclear, biological, or chemical agents
|
|
- Air Traffic Control systems
|
|
- Communications satellites
|
|
- Interstate power grids
|
|
- 911 systems
|
|
- Metropolitan mass transit systems
|
|
- Hospital systems (patient record databases)
|
|
- National credit databases
|
|
- The Internet backbone itself
|
|
STATISTICS
|
|
You know the deal with statistics: no one can verify them, so don't worry
|
|
about quoting your sources. They're just guesses anyway. Well, this
|
|
wisdom is ESPECIALLY true in the case of computer crime.
|
|
So grab a useful statistic from a print story, or use one of those
|
|
provided in Appendix A. In a pinch you can just make something up. No
|
|
one will have any idea.
|
|
THE LEAD
|
|
If you don't have time to write your own, try this sure-fire intro.
|
|
"[CYBER TERRORISM]. With the recent [SHUTDOWN OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
|
|
SYSTEM], it's been on everybody's mind. We've all heard stories of
|
|
computer hackers [DISRUPTING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL COMPUTERS] and
|
|
[DISABLING 911 SYSTEMS], but just how big a problem is this? According
|
|
to statistics, [20 MILLION HACKS ARE PERPETRATED EACH YEAR]. With odds
|
|
like that, it makes you wonder: how safe are we really?"
|
|
MOVIE CLIPS
|
|
Consider the use of a movie clip to hook your audience right away. At
|
|
least some of these films are familiar to most of your audience, even the
|
|
ones who don't have computers.
|
|
Grab a suitable sequence from one of the following flicks and open your
|
|
story with it.
|
|
- Goldeneye
|
|
- Hackers
|
|
- Lawnmower Man
|
|
- The Net
|
|
- Terminator 2
|
|
- Real Genius
|
|
- Sneakers
|
|
- Speed 2
|
|
- Superman III
|
|
- Wargames
|
|
- The Armchair Hacker
|
|
- Tron
|
|
ABOUT DEFINITIONS
|
|
Explain the technical jargon to your audience as each term arises. Your
|
|
intro may require the use of one or more terms, but resist the urge to
|
|
explain everything at once. It's boring, and it won't work anyway.
|
|
Ask your interview subjects to explain any jargon they use. While
|
|
they're at it, ask them to explain the jargon used by anyone you
|
|
interviewed previously. Someone else may be better at explaining
|
|
something than the person who actually used the term.
|
|
If an explanation differs substantially from that offered in Appendix C,
|
|
use the one offered by your source. Things change so rapidly on the
|
|
Internet that words are often redefined.
|
|
MONEY SHOTS
|
|
These are the clips of hackers sharing the fruits of their labor. Your
|
|
story should have at least one of these.
|
|
- Hacked web sites (FBI, CIA, DOJ, NASA, etc.)
|
|
- Purloined data scrolling across monitor
|
|
- Screenful of cracked passwords
|
|
ANIMATIONS
|
|
If you need them, here are some tried-and-true ideas for CG elements.
|
|
- Packets served across the Internet
|
|
- Satellite hacking
|
|
- Virus infecting files
|
|
- Files being deleted
|
|
- Calls being traced
|
|
INTERVIEWS
|
|
There are just three categories of subjects worthy of on-camera
|
|
interviews: computer hackers, law enforcement officials, and security
|
|
experts.
|
|
Whenever you interview any of these subjects, you must determine their
|
|
credentials. By this we mean the following:
|
|
* number of years in their respective roles
|
|
* famous exploits
|
|
* membership in appropriate organizations
|
|
* authorship of any books or articles on the topic
|
|
* relevant jail time
|
|
* whether the subject has been featured in any previous interviews
|
|
ABOUT SHOOTING YOUR SUBJECTS
|
|
Just four simple rules, all of which you should already know.
|
|
Rule number one: always shoot the subject working at a computer. This is
|
|
absolutely crucial, never omit it.
|
|
Rule number two: conduct the interview in the subject's habitat, but away
|
|
from the computer.
|
|
Rule number three: get lots of closeups. Room decorations, computer
|
|
systems, keyboards, bookshelves, anything visually appealing. You will
|
|
need these for cutaways.
|
|
Rule number four: get full coverage on the subject. This can mean more
|
|
than closeups and reverse shots. Shoot ECUs of prominent jewelry,
|
|
t-shirt logos, badges, holsters, ID tags, whatever. More cutaway material.
|
|
computer hackers
|
|
----------------
|
|
SETTINGS
|
|
- hacker in his habitat
|
|
- anti-Microsoft propaganda (posters, bumper stickers, etc.)
|
|
- pro-UNIX propaganda
|
|
- 2600 magazine
|
|
- Phrack
|
|
- anonymous hacker in nondescript hotel room
|
|
- features obliterated
|
|
- silhouette against scary backlight
|
|
- mosaic face
|
|
- hacker conventions
|
|
- Defcon
|
|
- Hohocon
|
|
- HOPE
|
|
- Summercon
|
|
- dumpster
|
|
- bank of payphones
|
|
INSERTS
|
|
- offbeat grooming & wardrobe
|
|
- unusual hairdos
|
|
- body piercings
|
|
- tattoos
|
|
- 2600 t-shirt
|
|
- leather jacket
|
|
- equipment
|
|
- computers, plural
|
|
- keyboards
|
|
- CRTs
|
|
- misc. gadgetry
|
|
- software tools
|
|
- L0phtCrack
|
|
- Satan
|
|
- Back Orifice
|
|
- internet chat rooms
|
|
- #hack
|
|
- #cDc
|
|
law enforcement officials
|
|
-------------------------
|
|
FBI agents, Secret Service agents, local police officers, anyone from the
|
|
Department of Justice, local district attorneys, etc.
|
|
SETTINGS
|
|
- server room
|
|
- cubicle
|
|
INSERTS
|
|
- building entrance
|
|
- nametag
|
|
- badge
|
|
- gun
|
|
- bookshelves
|
|
security experts
|
|
----------------
|
|
These come in two flavors: computer security consultants, and computer
|
|
privacy advocates.
|
|
Security consultants (usually themselves former hackers or law
|
|
enforcement) are paid consultants who sell their insight into the
|
|
methodology and ideology of the typical hacker. Usually self-employed.
|
|
Computer privacy advocates are private individuals who speak out publicly
|
|
regarding threats to personal liberty in cyberspace. Favorite topics
|
|
include: export restrictions on certain cryptographic materials, the
|
|
validity of various data encryption schemes, and the potential
|
|
vulnerability of critical information systems.
|
|
SETTINGS
|
|
- server room
|
|
- telephone equipment room
|
|
- cubicle
|
|
INSERTS
|
|
- storefront / sign
|
|
- bookshelves
|
|
THE CLOSING
|
|
Nothing special here. Just a few sentences that re-emphasize the topic.
|
|
Remember that no matter the precise issue, the general message should be
|
|
to fear the relentless and unstoppable legion of computer hackers.
|
|
Perhaps you could close with an epigram. In which case, you should crack
|
|
open Bartlett's Quotations. Try one of these topics: COMPUTER, DANGER,
|
|
MENACE, PERIL, RISK, THREAT, TREACHERY, VULNERABLE.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
APPENDIX A - STATISTICS
|
|
<http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9804/06/computer.security/>
|
|
Nearly 80 percent of U.S. businesses have been victims of computer crimes.
|
|
58 percent of Fortune 1000 companies have experienced computer
|
|
break-ins. 18 percent of that group suffered more than $1 million in losses.
|
|
<http://www.defcon.org/TEXT/5/larrylange-eetimes-winn.html>
|
|
According to the FBI, 122 countries across the world currently have
|
|
online hacking capabilities.
|
|
We know that in the neighborhood of 20 million hacks a year are occurring
|
|
worldwide.
|
|
<http://www.technopolitics.com/scripts/tp06-06-97.html>
|
|
The average cyberheist nets $250,000 with a less than one
|
|
percent rate of conviction.
|
|
Only 17 percent of the major corporations and financial institutions that
|
|
have been intruded actually report it.
|
|
75 percent of the Fortune 500 companies have been successfully penetrated.
|
|
The average loss that they concede is about $100,000.
|
|
The FBI estimates that the total losses from these electronic rip offs
|
|
range from a rock bottom figure of $500 million a year up to $10 billion.
|
|
cDc Media List
|
|
_Rocky Mountain News_, August 18, 1996, "Air Force battles computer hackers",
|
|
pg 42A. Hundreds of thousands of times a year, the Cyberwarrior
|
|
[the U.S. Air Force Information Warfare Center] defends the nation's secrets
|
|
from the members of the Legion of Doom and the CULT of the DEAD COW in a
|
|
battlefield that spans the globe.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
APPENDIX B - INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
|
|
Try these organizations' web sites for up-to-date contact info.
|
|
HACKERS
|
|
- 2600 Magazine
|
|
<http://www.2600.com/>
|
|
- Chaos Computer Club
|
|
<http://www.ccc.de/>
|
|
- Cult of the Dead Cow
|
|
<http://www.cultdeadcow.com/>
|
|
- L0pht Heavy Industries
|
|
<http://www.l0pht.com/>
|
|
- New Hack City
|
|
<http://www.newhackcity.net/>
|
|
- Phrack
|
|
<http://www.phrack.com/>
|
|
- r00t
|
|
<http://www.r00t.org/>
|
|
LAW ENFORCEMENT
|
|
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
|
|
<http://www.fbi.gov/>
|
|
- Secret Service
|
|
<http://www.treas.gov/usss/>
|
|
- San Jose Police Department
|
|
<http://www.sjpd.org/>
|
|
SECURITY EXPERTS
|
|
- Cypherpunks
|
|
<ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/cypherpunks/Home.html>
|
|
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
<http://www.eff.org/>
|
|
- Bruce Schneier
|
|
<http://www.counterpane.com/>
|
|
- Tsutomu Shimomura (tsutomu@sdsc.edu)
|
|
<http://www.takedown.com/>
|
|
- Cliff Stoll (stoll@ocf.berkeley.edu)
|
|
<http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~stoll/>
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
APPENDIX C - VERNHACKULAR
|
|
These are some of the more common vocabulary items.
|
|
ATTACK: a specific tactic designed to generate some kind of malfunction,
|
|
usually to grant or deny computer access -- syn. EXPLOIT
|
|
BACK DOOR: Leaving behind a hidden or nonobvious method to regain system
|
|
access during subsequent visits
|
|
BLACK HAT: a malicious hacker who defies the Hacker Ethic -- ant. WHITE HAT
|
|
CARDING: credit card fraud, typically for mailorder goods
|
|
CRACKER: contemptuous term for hacker, or abbrev. for password cracker
|
|
DENIAL OF SERVICE: an attack designed to prevent the productive use of a
|
|
computer system, by overworking the computer beyond its operational limits
|
|
DUMPSTER DIVING: looking through the garbage for discarded equipment,
|
|
useful information, or other materials -- syn. TRASHING
|
|
EXPLOIT: see attack
|
|
HACKER: a person skilled or expertised in methods of hacking computer
|
|
systems
|
|
HACKER ETHIC: an informal code of conduct designed to preserve the
|
|
integrity of a hacked computer system and its contents, the terms of
|
|
which generally prohibit the contamination or destruction of valuable
|
|
data or other resources
|
|
HACKING: the process of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system
|
|
HACKTIVISM: a term first coined by THE CULT OF THE DEAD COW to describe one
|
|
brand of activism practiced by the HONG KONG BLONDES; a policy of hacking,
|
|
phreaking, or creating technology to achieve a political or social goal
|
|
HANDLE: a hacker's chosen alias, or nom-de-hack
|
|
MAN IN THE MIDDLE: an attack wherein a malicious agent seeks to intercept
|
|
communications between two computers and rewrite certain message contents
|
|
OWNED: a computer whose security has been entirely neutralized by a hacker
|
|
PACKET SNIFFER: a computer program designed to reveal the contents of all
|
|
network traffic within earshot of the computer, not just the data bound
|
|
for that particular system
|
|
PASSWORD CRACKER: a computer program designed to extract the passwords of
|
|
a given system's user database, usually employing a method of brute force
|
|
or dictionary comparison
|
|
PHREAK: a person skilled or expertised in methods of phone phreaking
|
|
PHREAKING: manipulating the telephone system in order to reroute phone
|
|
calls, avoid billing, or otherwise defraud the phone company
|
|
SECURITY THROUGH OBSCURITY: the tactic of protecting something by keeping
|
|
secret all its details
|
|
SNIFFER: abbrev. for packet sniffer
|
|
SOCIAL ENGINEERING: any means of convincing someone to willingly furnish
|
|
information which is unavailable to the general public, usually by posing
|
|
as someone with a legitimate need
|
|
SPOOFING: making it appear that data originating from an untrusted
|
|
computer is actually coming from a trusted one
|
|
TRASHING: see dumpster diving
|
|
TROJAN HORSE: any piece of software intentionally infected with a virus,
|
|
and purposely provided to others
|
|
VIRUS: a small computer program devised to be undetectable and duplicate
|
|
itself
|
|
WAREZ: illegally-duplicated computer software products
|
|
WHITE HAT: a mediagenic hacker who adheres to the Hacker Ethic -- ant.
|
|
BLACK HAT
|
|
.-. _ _ .-.
|
|
/ \ .-. ((___)) .-. / \
|
|
/.ooM \ / \ .-. [ x x ] .-. / \ /.ooM \
|
|
-/-------\-------/-----\-----/---\--\ /--/---\-----/-----\-------/-------\-
|
|
/lucky 13\ / \ / `-(' ')-' \ / \ /lucky 13\
|
|
\ / `-' (U) `-' \ /
|
|
`-' the original e-zine `-' _
|
|
Oooo eastside westside / ) __
|
|
/)(\ ( \ WORLDWIDE / ( / \
|
|
\__/ ) / Copyright (c) 1998 cDc communications and the author. \ ) \)(/
|
|
(_/ CULT OF THE DEAD COW is a registered trademark of oooO
|
|
cDc communications, PO Box 53011, Lubbock, TX, 79453, USA. _
|
|
oooO All rights reserved. Edited by Omega __ ( \
|
|
/ ) /)(\ / \ ) \
|
|
\ ( \__/ Save yourself! Go outside! Do something! \)(/ ( /
|
|
\_) xXx BOW to the COW xXx Oooo
|
|
http://www.cultdeadcow.com
|
|
|