257 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
257 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
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#######################################
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# ======== =\ = ====== #
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# <Tolmes News Service> #
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# ''''''''''''''''''''' #
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# > Written by Dr. Hugo P. Tolmes < #
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#######################################
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Issue Number: 36
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Release Date: May 2, 1988
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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TITLE: Is Your Computer Infected?
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FROM: Newsweek
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DATE: February 1, 1988
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Systems fall to silent- and contagious - killers
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Last fall nurses at an Eastern medical center noticed an alarming
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problem- patients' records were mysteriously disappearing from the
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hospital's computer system. After several weeks experts found the
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culprit: a small, maliciouls program known as a computer "virus" had been
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injected into the system where it proceeded to destory nearly 40 percent
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of the records. The person who apparently had planted it left his name
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and phone numbers (in Pakistan) with a message embedded in the software:
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"Beware of this virus, contact us for vaccination." Though they haven't
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nabbed the culprit, officials stopped the destruction, but computers at a
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nearby university remain infected.
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Computer viruses are silent killers. Usually there are no obvious
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signs of infection until the damage has already been done. Hence some are known
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as "Trojan horses," while "logic bombs" come equipped with long fuses. The
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viruses are highly contagious. They can travel unnoticed though the electronic
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networks that link machines. They can also spread every time a contaminated
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floppy disc is loaded; the virus will remain in the machine's memory (as long
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as the power is on) and will damage other discs that are inserted. As a
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result, computer with many users, such as dealer demonstration machines, are
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especially prone to trouble. "In a matter of minutes, an entire system can
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be infected," says security expert Robert Courtney.
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Like other social disease, these viruses cut across all classes. Just
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before Christmas, a virus attacked IBM's worldwide electronic-message
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network. The program sent a holiday greetings to computer users and then
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passed the same message to everyone on that person's mail-distribution list.
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In a matter of hours, the massive electronic chain letter overloaded the
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network. A different virus recently hit the University of Bethelhem, Pa.,
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destroying data on students' computer diskettes. Another, spread by floppy
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discs, has plagued some owners of Amiga computers. There are also rumors that
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IRS computers have been attacked, though officials insist those rumors
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are unfounded. "We've known about viruses for over 10 years, but we've
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just started to really see them in action," says Donn Parker, a computer-security expert at SRI International
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in Menlo Park, Calif.
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Immune System:
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Scientists worry that viruses could cripple a c
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control computers. Building up their immune systems will be costly. "It will
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require major changes in operating-system design," says computer security
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expert David R. Wilson, of Ernst & Whinney.
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In the meantime, experts are scrambling to cope with the problem.
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"We shared information with the IRS, the Department of Defense, the National
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Security Agency, the Federal Reserve Bank, the nuclear power industry...
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anyone who has enemies," says Eric Hansen, a Minneapolis computer
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scientist who wrote the Data Physician, software designed to protect against
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viruses. Many fear that the electronic vandalism will only get worse. "It's
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like mass murders or freeway shootings," says Peter Neumann, a researcher
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at SRI. "You get one and then you get a whole raft of them."
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WILLIAM D. MARBACH with
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RICHARD SANDZA in Washington and
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MICHAEL ROGERS in San Francisco
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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NOTA:
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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"The person who apparently had planted it left his name and phone
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numbers (in Pakistan) with a message embedded in the software:"
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I have to wonder what has happened to this guy. This is the same virus that
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has been mentioned in several other magazines with the same message. His
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little message helps explain what computers are infected with that same virus.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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"Just before Christmas, a virus attacked IBM's worldwide electronic
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message network. The program sent a holiday greetings to computer users and
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then passed the same message to everyone on that person's mail distribution
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list."
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This incident has been covered in previous issues of TNS and will be
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covered in future issues.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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"'We've known about viruses for over 10 years, but we've just started
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to really see them in action,' says Donn Parker, a computer-security expert
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at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif."
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Ahhhh yess... the ever-present quote from Donn Parker. An article on viruses
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or hackers just wouldn't be right without a quote from Donn.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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One last thing that I would like to note. The writer of the article is
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Richard Sandza along with others. Mr. Sandza is well known in the hacking
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community for other articles on hacking which I won't mention.
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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TNS QuickNotes
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--------------
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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I'm still trying to locate that article in the Houston Chronicle about Jack
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the Ripper's bust. Even though I can't get ahold of it... it is established
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that Jack the Ripper was busted.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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PC Pursuit is taking steps against hackers. They have established an
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anti-hacker team to stop intruders from using the system. It is unknown at the
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present time how effective it will be. Many people continue to use PC Pursuit
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illegally.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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The long-distance service known as NTS is cracking down. NTS was a service that
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accepted almost anything as a valid code and had codes that lasted for a
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long time. Many people have received bills from the service.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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The rumor that has been spreading that 950-1055 has ANI is most likely false.
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There is a new underground magazine. It is:
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Iron Feather Journal Magazine
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PO BOX 4035
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East Lansing, MI
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The magazine is said to be similar to TAP and 2600. It deals with subjects
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relating to hacking/phreaking/anarchy/carding/etc.
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It costs about $1.00 for 3-5 issues (I'm told). I know very little about this
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magazine so I suggest that people write first for information.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Golden Hawk called up Allnet claiming that he was writing a paper. He found
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out that they are losing about $400,000 a month due to hackers and general
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fraud.
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Allnet has switched to 7 digits in SOME areas. Some areas also accept both
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six and seven digits and are gradually eliminating the six digit codes.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Dragon Slayer has written an MCI Hacker that defeats MCI anti-hacker software
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through the use of multiple port selection.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Crimson Death has become an editor of Phrack Inc. and it is said that
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Shooting Shark will no longer be an editor of Phrack.
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Thunder Seven is collecting wierd numbers for a list. People with strange
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numbers might want to contact him.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Pennsylvania Magazine had a recent article all about John Maxfield. In the
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article, Maxfield insulted all hackers and called them various names. He
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claimed to know 5000 hackers.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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A file entitled "Amtrak" is going around from board to board. It is all about
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getting free train fare. The techniques stated in the file do work and people
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might be interested in reading it.
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Telenet has begun changing all high level passwords as a security measure.
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Turbo Transfe TCA's West Coast HQ.
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Techninja called up one of his favorite boards and discovered that the sysop
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had been nailed for hacking 950s. All of the sysop's equipment was taken
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and the sysop was said to be liable for up to $20,000 worth of damage. This
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is the third bbs that Techninja has been a member of and has gotten busted.
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Bad luck.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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ABC's Nightline reportedly had a show on hackers. The show was broadcast
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sometime around April 11, 1988.
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I've been unable to get any details on the show.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Saber's Edge is helping to put together a magazine entitled "Insider Trading."
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The magazine, an on-line magazine, is supposed to be very similar to Phrack.
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They are currently looking for articles.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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People are encouraged to join in on the StoryBook at Turbo Transfers to find
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out about Oryan Quest... very humerous.
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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