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==Phrack Inc.==
Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Seven, File 1 of 14
Issue XXXVII Index
___________________
P H R A C K 3 7
March 1, 1992
___________________
~Promoting The Free Exchange Of Information In The New World Disorder~
WELCOME TO PHRACK VOLUME FOUR!
"I'm too sexy for my Phrack... Imagine that!"
Looking back at Volume III, we observe some historic dates relating to Phrack:
02/24/89 - Phrack 24 released.
01/18/90 - Knight Lightning raided by the U.S. Secret Service because he was
editor of Phrack.
01/23/90 - Phiber Optik and Acid Phreak raided by U.S. Secret Service.
02/06/90 - Knight Lightning and The Prophet indicted in Federal District Court
in Chicago, Illinois. The Prophet, The Leftist, and The Ur-Vile
indicted in Federal District Court in Atlanta, Georgia.
02/15/90 - Knight Lightning enters plea of NOT GUILTY.
03/01/90 - Erik Bloodaxe, The Mentor, and Steve Jackson Games raided by U.S.
Secret Service.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Phrack is BACK! Welcome to the first issue of Phrack Volume Four! This issue
we feature "Exploring Info-America" by The Omega and White Knight. Other
articles of note include TWO articles by Count Zero, Black Kat's latest
installment on his VAX/VMS series, and information on VOS by Dr. No-Good!
Also, starting this issue, we introduce Pirate's Cove by Rambone. Its a new
regular column about the pirate community. Finally, a very special thanks goes
out the the newest member of the Phrack Staff, Spirit Walker for the help with
assembling this issue.
There is a little surprise in Phrack Loopback. Our old pal THE DICTATOR has
been corresponding with Knight Lightning and myself over the nets. Yes, you
heard right! Dale Drew, who played a key role in busting people during
OPERATION SUN-DEVIL and spying on our friends at SummerCon '88 is back and
believe it or not... he wants Phrack! And speaking of Operation Sun-Devil,
the federal government convicted their first defendant -- details in Phrack
World News (Part 2).
Phrack World News (Part 3) contains everything you need to know about how
the Regional Bell Operating Companies feel about our private hobby bulletin
boards and next issue we will have information about what YOU can do about it!
Also, next issue watch for preliminary details for SummerCon '92!!! Will
ESP be there again?
Before the rumor mill starts churning again, I will clarify what is happening
with Phrack management. Crimson Death has decided to retire from Phrack and
start working on his new UNIX based BBS, CyberWaste! If you are interested in
keeping in touch with Crimson Death, you may do so by writing:
cdeath@GNU.AI.MIT.EDU for the time being. However, keep an eye out for the
CyberWaste hostname; @DEMONSEED.COM!
Well that's it for now. If you are going to the Second Conference on
Computers, Freedom, & Privacy (a/k/a CFP-2) in Washington, D.C. (March 18-20,
1992), Knight Lightning and I will see you there!
Sincerely,
Dispater
phracksub@stormking.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO PHRACK MAGAZINE
The distribution of Phrack is now being performed by the software called
Listserv. All individuals on the Phrack Mailing List prior to your receipt of
this letter have been deleted from the list.
If you would like to re-subscribe to Phrack Inc. please follow these
instructions:
1. Send a piece of electronic mail to "LISTSERV@STORMKING.COM". The mail
must be sent from the account where you wish Phrack to be delivered.
2. Leave the "Subject:" field of that letter empty.
3. The first line of your mail message should read:
SUBSCRIBE PHRACK <your name here>
4. DO NOT leave your address in the name field!
(This field is for PHRACK STAFF use only, so please use a full name)
Once you receive the confirmation message, you will then be added to the Phrack
Mailing List. If you do not receive this message within 48 hours, send another
message. If you STILL do not receive a message, please contact
"SERVER@STORMKING.COM".
You will receive future mailings from "PHRACK@STORMKING.COM".
If there are any problems with this procedure, please contact
"SERVER@STORMKING.COM" with a detailed message.
You should get a conformation message sent back to you on your subscription.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Phrack FTP Sites -- Here is the short list of some reliable sites. A more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ extensive list will appear next issue.
Washington University in St. Louis WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU
128.252.135.4
Location: /doc/policy/pub/cud/Phrack
Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF.ORG
192.88.144.3
Location: /pub/cud/Phrack
University of Chicago CHSUN1.SPC.UCHICAGO.EDU
128.135.46.7
Location: /pub/cud/phrack
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Table Of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Introduction by Dispater 08K
2. Phrack Loopback by Phrack Staff 15K
3. Pirate's Cove by Rambone 08K
4. Exploring Information-America by The Omega & White Knight 51K
5. Beating The Radar Rap Part 1 of 2 by Dispater 44K
6 Card-O-Rama: Magnetic Stripe Technology and Beyond by Count Zero 44K
7. Users Guide to VAX/VMS Part 2 of 3 by Black Kat 25K
8. Basic Commands for the VOS System by Dr. No-Good 10K
9. The CompuServe Case by Electronic Frontier Foundation 06K
10. PWN Special Report VI on WeenieFest '92 by Count Zero 14K
11. PWN/Part 1 by Dispater and Spirit Walker 31K
12. PWN/Part 2 by Dispater and Spirit Walker 30K
13. PWN/Part 3 by Dispater and Spirit Walker 29K
14. PWN/Part 4 by Dispater and Spirit Walker 31K
Total = 346K
One last thing... Ninja Master, this one's for you!
"But you see you are not anybody. You are nobody.
And you chose to be so of your own free will.
Legally -- officially -- you simply don't exist!"
From "The Shockwave Rider"
[-=:< Phrack Loopback >:=-]
By Phrack Staff
Phrack Loopback is a forum for you, the reader, to ask questions, air
problems, and talk about what ever topic you would like to discuss. This is
also the place Phrack Staff will make suggestions to you by reviewing various
items of note; magazines, software, catalogs, hardware, etc.
______________________________________________________________________________
Review of 2600 Magazine Autumn 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PO Box 752 Individual Subscription Rates:
Middle Island, NY 11953 US : 4 issues (1 year) $21.00
InterNet: 2600@well.sf.ca.us OS : 4 issues (1 year) $30.00
Phone: 516-751-2600 Corporate / Business Rates:
Fax: 516-751-2608 : 4 issues (1 year) $50.00
By Dispater
2600 Magazine has been published since 1984 by Emmanuel Goldstein. "The
Hacker Quarterly" runs just shy of 50 pages and is printed with nice glossy
covers to make a 5.5"x8.25" magazine. In 2600 you will find the usual articles
about hacking and phreaking, as well as a few surprises. 2600 often covers
topics that do not necessarily pertain to hacking or phreaking, but are quite
useful. There is also a "letters to the editor" section and even a place for
people to buy/sell goodies.
This particular issue contains an article on Simplex locks and how easy it
is to open them. Included are pictures of opened Federal Express mail boxes
that use Simplex locks. The next most interesting thing I found was an
article on those strange little lines on business letters. "Postal Hacking"
will not necessarily tell you how to mail letters for free, but will tell you
how you can speed up the process of delivery for free. Then there was the the
"Protecting Your Social Security Number" article that was recently printed in
Phrack Inc Issue 35.
There was also an article about the video tape of the Dutch hackers
breaking into the military systems. 2600 even offers to sell the videotape
that was partially played on the evil Geraldo Show [dick]. There was also a
good article written about psychology in the hacker world. The somewhat
Freudian analysis of the female security agent fearing "mounting" (of her hard
drive), "penetration" (of her system), "infection" (from viri), and "has a
headache" (due to hackers) was insiteful as well as very funny. Moving on to
the other parts of 2600, you can find scattered tidbits of misc information
(ie: lists of COCOTs, NUAs, ANIs, small useful programs, and interesting
business/government forms they get from readers, etc)
Finally, this is the part that everyone complains about, the price. But,
2600 has a great deal for those poor college hacker out there. If you submit
something to 2600 Magazine that is printed, you get a free subscription. That
sounds fair to me! Maybe we should try the same thing with Phrack?
All in all 2600 Magazine is a GREAT publication and is highly recommended.
_______________________________________________________________________________
What's On Your Mind?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: Some People Never Get The Hint ::
Recently Phrack Inc. received a subscription request from an individual
who played a key role in Operation Sun-Devil. You may know him from bulletin
boards where he often used names like "The Dictator" or "Blind Faith." We know
him as Dale Drew. Who would imagine that he would dare to ask us for a
subscription? I personally couldn't believe it.
Just in case you forgot or have been living in a hole for the past two
years, Dale Drew was a paid United States Service informant who secretly
enabled government agents to videotape SummerCon '88 in St. Louis, Missouri.
The following is an example of a Dale Drew/The Dictator/Blind Faith
posting on a bulletin board. He claims to be a cosysop on Lutzifer as well as
some other nonsense.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ZDDDDD Packet Switching Networks/PSNs DDDD September 27, 1991 at 8:52 pm DDDDD?
3 Left by Blind Faith (Level 40)Title: Telenet (No Replies)3
3 > <-702-> CoSys on Lutz (Tymnet) <To: Anyone3
@DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDY
Couple of Things:
Anyone, besides myself, have any experience with Tymnets and/or Telenet
debuggers? (Xray, TDT2, Isis, etc)... TDT2 on Telenet is great, cus on the
private nets they've got a hard-coded password...always gets you in. They used
to have it on the public net too, but about two years ago they fixed it.
(maybe nbot all of it, but I cant find any that still do)
sprint is a tymnet nui that goes to telenet
telenet is changing there host format. they are adding an extra digit (too
many hosts, i guess). so be on the look out for that. Im not sure when, but
the customer service rep, was VERY helpful..
--BF
"What, me worry?"
[Message menu] Command (?/Help):
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Dale Drew is currently working for Tymnet security. For more information
about the activities of Dale Drew, it is highly recommended that you read
Computer Underground Digest (CUD) Issue 3.02.
Since I knew that Knight Lightning would enjoy (smirk) hearing from his
old pal, I forwarded the mail appropriately to Knight Lightning's email
address.
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From: ddrew@btnagns.Tymnet.COM (Dale Drew)
To: phrack@stormking.com
I would like to have my name added to the Phrack Mailing List. In the past, I
have been getting the Phracks from the University of Chicago, but it would be
more convenient to have the Phracks mailed to me.
Also, I was terribly disappointed to see that Phrack had decided to lower its
standards of information by releasing the contents of Phrack issue #36.
Dale Drew
Sr. Information Security Specialist
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From: Knight Lightning
To: Dale Drew
Dale (DicKtator/Blind Faith) -- I have to admit that you have balls to send a
letter to my friends at Phrack and requesting a subscription.
You are a paid informant for the Secret Service. You set people up to get
busted. You take people's trust and turn on them. You are a liar and a fraud.
You know, Dale, I never imagined such things until a couple of weeks before I
went to trial and I had the opportunity to watch those video tapes of
SummerCon '88. You and your fascist Secret Service law enforcement friends
definitely put one over on us (even if there isn't anything illegal taking
place on those tapes... Great way to spend the taxpayers' money).
So when you wrote to Phrack the other day, did you really think they would not
know who you were? Did you expect a warm welcome?
During the time that I was editor of Phrack, I had a policy of inviting law
enforcement and security people on to the Phrack mailing list. I don't run
Phrack anymore, but my recommendation to the current editors is very simple.
They should not send Phrack to you... not because you are with law
enforcement... because you are the LOWEST FORM OF LIFE and deserve nothing
except our strong dislike.
In short -- I speak on behalf of the modem community in general,
"FUCK OFF GEEK!" Crawl back under the rock from whence you came and go
straight to hell!
Knight Lightning
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From: Dale Drew
To: Knight Lightning
Craig,
Apparently you are not as mature as I was led to believe. Not being on the
Phrack mailing list is not a concern to me, it was merely a convenience.
Phrack, as I am sure you are aware of, is available all over the net and I will
just continue to receive my copies from there.
I had no idea that you and the newly founded editors of Phrack have decided to
become so childish. But I suppose things will never change, and that I am sad
to see.
--Dale
_______________________________________________________________________________
:: Best Evidence ::
From: John Higdon
To: Dispater
> Dispater writes:
>
> I think the joke issue of Phrack (36) will contain a top 10 list of stupid
> things the SS likes to take.
I am consulting with the defense for an up coming trial and had the opportunity
to examine the "evidence" seized in the defendant's home. Notable items: model
rocket launcher, local area street maps, about a dozen 2500-style telephones, a
typewriter, pre-recorded audio cassettes. An interesting item was left behind:
a TSPS console.
One wonders what (if anything) goes through the minds of the officers executing
the warrant.
John
_______________________________________________________________________________
:: Fed Proof Your BBS, NOT! ::
I'm sure many of you have seen text files on making your BBS more secure.
One such file floating around is by Babbs Boy of Midnight Society. One of the
members of our Phrack Staff showed this document to EFF's Mike Godwin, who is
an attorney. He had the following comments:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From: Mike Godwin
To: Phrack Inc.
(In regards to some of the files about how to "fed-proof" your bbs:)
> Let's start with the log on screen: If FEDZ want anything from your board,
> they are required to provide 100% accurate information.
This is false. Ask the legislators who've been convicted in "sting"
operations. In fact, so far as I can tell in a brief run-through of this
document, absolute no part of the so-called "legal" advice is true.
Law enforcement agents who misrepresent their identities (e.g., "undercover
agents") produce admissible evidence all the time.
--Mike
_______________________________________________________________________________
:: Diet Phrack is Good For You ::
From: Gordon Meyer
To: Dispater
Subject: Phrack #36
Thanks for sending over Diet Phrack! It looks like some of the old energy has
finally been renewed. I especially liked the introduction, there is intensity,
pride, and humor sprinkled thru out. Reminds me a lot of some of the "old"
PHRACK issues. Neat!
Later,
Gordon R. Meyer
_______________________________________________________________________________
:: Anonymous Mail ::
From: Creeping Death
> Hi guys. I was wondering if you could tell me how to send anonymous
> mail. I heard that you could but no one here at my university seems to have
> a clue. Please help me out
>
There are many ways to do this. One way is to use the method described
below. However, keep in mind there are other ways of doing this.
Dispater
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Anonymous Mail via SMTP Using A Simple Shell Script
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: The Artful Dodger
This file is for those people who like/want to send anonymous mail via the
net but don't like the hassle of raw SMTP commands. So, I wrote a simple shell
script to take care of this. This program is quite simple but I will give a
brief explanation anyway.
There are two ways to run this program. Just type the name you save it as
or the name you save it as plus the person you want to mail. Either way you
will eventually get to the From: prompt. If you just hit return at this prompt
it will assign your userid@your hostname. Otherwise you can type whatever you
feel like.
Next you will get the prompt asking you which host you wish to use for
SMTP. If you are using the host you are on, just hit return as this is the
default. Otherwise enter any host that allows telnet to port 25. Then you get
to pick which editor you wish to use for mailing. It defaults to vi but you
can use whatever you like. Basically, that is all there is interactively.
After you enter this information, the program creates a file called tmpamail1.
To this file it appends four lines of data. The first line is 'helo amail' as
some host's SMTP port will not accept commands until one introduces themself to
the host. The next line is 'mail from: ' and who the mail is from or who it is
supposedly from. The third line contains 'rcpt to: ' and who the mail is going
to. And the last line is simply the word 'data'.
Now, these commands could all be entered manually but why bother when you
have a program to do it for you. Ok, now the program invokes your editor and
creates a file called tmpamail2. After you are done making the message and you
exit the editor, it asks you if you want to send this message. I believe that
is pretty much self explanatory. Then the program appends a '.' and a 'quit'
to tmpamail2. Then it appends tmpamail2 to tmpamail1 so you have one file
containing all the necessary header info to send a message via SMTP and quit
>from SMTP. Then the program sends all this to port 25 of the host that was
specified. And if all goes well, the person should have some mail waiting for
them. And one last thing. The program deletes both tmpamail files after it is
finished. Well, I hope you all enjoy this little script as it makes sending
anonymous mail a little easier.
The Artful Dodger
===============================================================================
#! /bin/csh -fB
### This is a simple shell script for easy use of anonymous mail. To run the
### program just save it and delete everything up until the #! /bin/csh -fB
### line. Then just type the name you save it as or the name and whoever
### you will be mailing. e.g. amail bill@some.university.edu or just amail.
###
### The Artful Dodger
if ($1 != "") then
set mto=$1
else
echo 'To: '
set mto=$<
endif
echo -n 'From: '
set mfrom=$<
echo -n 'Use which host for smtp (return for '`hostname`') ? '
set usehost=$<
echo -n 'Use which editor (return for vi)? '
set editor=$<
if($editor =="") then
set editor=vi
endif
if ($mfrom == "") then
set mfrom=`whoami`'@'`hostname`
endif
echo 'helo amail' >> tmpamail1
echo 'mail from: '$mfrom >> tmpamail1
echo 'rcpt to: '$mto >> tmpamail1
echo 'data' >> tmpamail1
$editor tmpamail2
clear
echo -n 'Are you sure you want to send this? '
set yorn=$<
if($yorn == 'y') then
echo . >> tmpamail2
echo quit >> tmpamail2
cat tmpamail2 >> tmpamail1
telnet $usehost 25 < tmpamail1 > /dev/null
echo 'Mail has been sent to: '$mto
echo ' From: '$mfrom
endif
rm tmpamail1 tmpamail2
Pirates' Cove
Issue One
A New Regular Column Appearing In Phrack Magazine
By Rambone
1) Introduction
Well first off, I'd like to introduce myself. I go by the handle Rambone,
and I run a board in the Midwest area. I'm sure a column like this is a shock
to a lot of reader's, but after talking to Dispater, many readers, and people
in the hacking and pirate world, we came to this conclusion: Piracy and *Warez
Dudez* have come a long way in the last five years, and are a definite part of
the underground. Whether you read the magazine for information about hacking,
phreaking, or even those great PWN stories, I think this column will be a
welcome part of Phrack Magazine.
2) Virii
Some poor unsuspecting fool downloads a program, unzips it, and instead of
checking it for a virus, starts the program up. After deciding it's a lame
game, he deletes it and turns off his computer, going to sleep without a worry
in the world. The next day he wakes up and tries to turn on his computer, but
it tells him, "Bad or missing COMMAND.COM" or something of that nature.
This is just an example of what's happened to countless people in the
pirate world, not expecting what is soon to be hours of frustrating
reconstruction of his hard drive. Even though virii have been a common problem
for many years, it hasn't been until recently that they have made an impact in
the Pirate world.
Whether it's bickering between groups, or even a lonely individual who has
absolutely nothing better to do than beat his meat and put out a trainer with a
fucking virus in it, it is wrong. The people responsible for it that play a
roll in the distribution of the software are, in my opinion, the biggest
culprits; they know what they are about to do, and have no conscience in
sending it out. Just the mere fact that the only way they think they can get
back at another group is by distributing a program with a virus or a Trojan is
moronic.
I'm not preaching the fact that groups should or should not bicker. That
is always going to happen. What I an saying is that there is a responsibility
by the groups to be cool and stop the distribution of programs with virii or
Trojan's. On the flip side of the coin, most sysops do not intentionally send
out these infected programs. They are sent up to the BBS, and by the time they
are caught, it's too late, and they are already all over the country.
My main concern is for the user. If all one group was doing was giving
another group problems, then there wouldn't be one. But to irresponsibly
release a program containing a virus has to be one of the lowest retaliatory
responses that can be done in the pirate world, and needs to be stopped to
bring piracy back to a higher level it once had before the rash of bombs began.
*Note to user*
Most virii are in the form of trainers and cracks, so be wary of every one
you have or get. The best way to check is with PKUNZIP -T and McAffee's Virus
Scanner; I've found it to be the most reliable. If anyone is having trouble
with being able to temporarily open a .ZIP, .ARJ, etc., I have a sharp .BAT
file to do this and will type it up in a future issue. DO NOT use a program
without at least scanning the directory you unzipped it to, even though
scanning the zip is much safer.
3) Nets
Some issues here will be the discussion of up and coming nets, as well as
established ones. Let me first explain what a net is: a net is a group of
messages sent out over the networks via modem. They are then received by a BBS
and sent to the appropriate message subs for the sysop and users to read. One
up and coming net in particular that would be appealing to a wide variety of
sysops is called "CyberCrime." This net is looking for boards that are Fido
compatible, i.e.: LSD, Telegard, WildCat, Tag, Remote Access, Omega, QBBS,
Paragon, Infinity, Revelation, Cypher, etc. This net is heavy into P/H/C/A as
well as pirate discussions. They are also hooked into TSAN general discussions
and are working on sysop's connections with other nets. If you are interested
in joining this net, apply at Infinite DarkNess, (305)LOOK4-IT, log on as
Cybercrime and password=Death, and follow the instructions. Fill out the
CyberCrime node application. MidNight Sorrow will call your BBS (must be a
full-time system), login, and upload CYBER.ARJ, the CyberCrime official
start-up kit. After that, you're in.
4) BBSes
Because of NSHB/USA/TGR busts, I have decided to hold off on any reviews
of BBS's. Hopefully the paranoia over these busts will subside, and we can
pick this area back up.
5) News Update
Well, as we all know by now, The NotSoHumble Babe and The Grim Reaper,
sysop of The Void, got busted for carding. This has been written up and talked
about in every magazine out, so all I'm going to say is that it's brought a lot
of paranoia to the pirate community, and some good boards have gone down as a
result. Since I have not spoken to Amy or Mike about this I will not go into
specifics. Amy (NSHB) was a member of USA (United Software Association) and
Mike (TGR) ran a BBS called The Void, and was an INC Distro Site. But until I
hear back from a certain person at USA, I'm not going to talk about some 3rd
party gossip, so this will be continued in the next issue.
6) New Warez
Game of the Month:
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Graphics [CGA/EGA/VGA]
Sound [ADL/SNB/PCSPK]
Controls [Mouse/JS/KYB]
Cracked by [EMC/USA/Razor?]
Supplied by [?]
Cracked by [Separate Crack]
Protection [Dox Check]
Three cracking groups claimed to put this out first. Since I saw it
released by EMC first for a few hours, this is who I'll go with. This is one
of those games that, whether you are a Trekkie fan or not, you'll love. The
opening screen depicts the Enterprise screaming across your screen, and the
music from the original soundtrack blares through your speakers (if you use a
soundcard). You then are thrust into a mock battle with another ship, and your
adventure begins. You are then directed by Star Fleet to go on your first
mission, where you will try and save a planet. The graphics are excellent, and
remind me a lot of the new Sierra-type games, with the backgrounds painted in.
This game has an adventure theme as well as several space combat scenarios, and
a mouse is recommended to be able to get around as quickly as you can in combat
scenes. The puzzles involved are very hard, and there is both a walk-through
and cheat out on your local BBSes. So if you cannot get through some of the
puzzles, there is help out there; you just have to find it.
*Note*
Well that's it for now. I had to take out 60% of this article because
many people are laying low for a couple of months, so look for more in-depth
coverage in the future including interviews, BBS reviews, profiles, and
cracking tips.
:===:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:===:
:== ==:
:== Exploring Information-America ==:
:== :=============================: ==:
:== by ==:
:== The Omega White Knight ==:
:== Restricted Data Transmissions (RDT) Cult of the Dead Cow (-cDc-) ==:
:== ==:
:== ==:
:== "Truth Is Cheap, But Information Costs!" ==:
:== ==:
:== ------------------------ ==:
:== ==:
:== "Textfiles: We're in it for the girlies and the money." ==:
:== ==:
:== Monkey-Boyz! 1/24/92 ==:
:===:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:===:
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Information Era has only recently come of age; powerful database
technology has become more affordable to implement (witness MCI's ability to
maintain a database of the people you most frequently call for participation in
its Friends & Family program), and parallel to it, information gathering has
become more extensive and more scrutinizing. After weapons manufacturing, and
drug running, "information gathering" is probably one of the most profitable
enterprises in America.
Over the past two decades, credit bureaus, telephone companies and direct
marketers have collectively amassed complete consumer profiles on over 150
million Americans. But for the most part, this information has been used only
to predict consumers' future buying habits, or worse: to influence them. For
billing and marketing purposes, up-to-date address and telephone information,
as well as information about your household has been incidentally maintained.
But, until recently, none of this information was COMMERCIALLY available
IN A SINGLE DATABASE, specifically with law enforcement, private-investigators,
bounty-hunters and lawyers in mind. To our knowledge, Information America is
the first accessible service to make use of previously collected data for the
expressed purpose of providing the up-to-date whereabouts, personal profiles
and information regarding legal entanglements (i.e., bankruptcy filings,
lawsuits, etc.) of as many Americans as possible.
Information America
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
"Whether you are conducting a background check, looking for a witness,
skip tracing, or gathering information for court, [Info America] gives
you a quick, easy method for gathering information on individuals across
the country... at the touch of a key."
Information America (IA) provides a single service whose databases cross-
index the Postal Service's National Change of Address file (NCOA), major
publisher and direct marketing companies' client information, birth records,
driver's license records, phone books, voter registrations, various
governmental records, and more. IA boasts that over 111 million names, 80
million households and 61 million telephone numbers are maintained (as
reasonably up-to-date as possible) on-line.
Together with IA's access to additional databases, such as Dun &
Bradstreet, Secretary of State records and records from up to 49 government
agencies, you can:
* Locate a missing defendant or witness and obtain a neighbor listing for
further investigation.
* Locate corporate officers, share-holders, or missing heirs.
* Locate individuals for collection purposes.
* Locate a fugitive parent who's kidnapped his child from the other parent
during a custody battle.
* Identify the corporate affiliations of an individual.
* Examine bankruptcy, lawsuit, liens and judgement records on individuals
and businesses.
* Examine Securities and Exchange Commission filings and business news
compiled from major newswires.
* Gather information about a company's officers, ownership, financial
status and parent/subsidiary relationships.
* Determine if a foreign corporation has a resident agent for local
service of process (i.e., for serving a lawsuit).
Logging onto IA
~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~
Access to Information America is provided through your local Tymnet dialup
(7-E-1); use a terminal identifier of 'a', and type "infoam" at the "please log
in:" prompt. IA will prompt you with the familiar VAX 'USERNAME' and
'PASSWORD' prompts. Usernames of the form "BIDAxxxx" (where x is a digit) are
recognizable to the VAX as IA accounts and cause it to execute the script that
provides the interactive database environment once the correct password is
supplied. Accounts which bypass the interactive environment and provide you
with the normal VAX shell-access must exist, but neither White Knight nor I
have explored that avenue.
In any event, once you log on, you are greeted with something similar to:
----------------------------[ Title Screen ]----------------------------
Welcome to VAX/VMS version V5.4-2 on node ALAMO
Last interactive login on Thursday, 17-SEP-1991 12:47
COMPUTER EQUIPMENT SELECTION MENU
What type of computer equipment or software are you using?
1. PERSONAL COMPUTER (or 100% IBM compatible)
2. PERSONAL COMPUTER with WESTMATE SOFTWARE
3. WESTLAW TERMINAL
4. OTHER EQUIPMENT
5. NETWORK SYSTEM (TTY)
99. EXIT OFF SYSTEM
Please call Information America's Client Support at 1-(800) 235-4008
if you would like assistance.
Please specify number: 1
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *
* W E L C O M E T O T H E *
* *
* I N F O R M A T I O N A M E R I C A N E T W O R K *
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For details select menu option 75 on the beginning IA Menu
* Information America Expands California Lawsuits!
* Global Real Property Asset Locator Now Online!
* Cover All the Bases...Using the NEW, IMPROVED CORPORATE GLOBAL Service!
Enter your name (last name first): public, john
----------------------------[ Title Screen ]----------------------------
In most cases, IA's clients use IBMs or compatibles to connect. However,
option 1 (PERSONAL COMPUTER (or 100% IBM compatible)) works well enough for
anyone who can emulate VT-100.
The "Enter your name (last name first)" prompt is purely for your own
internal billing purposes so that you, as a legitimate account holder, can
track account use by separate members of your corporation. Hypothetically
speaking, if someone were interested in accessing the system without a valid
account of their own, the most likely way to alleviate suspicion would be to
use the name of someone who actually works at the account holder's organization
-- the account holder himself, for instance.
At some point, IA will prompt you to enter a Client Billing Code. Again,
this information is purely for the account holder's own internal billing
purposes. IA is an expensive service; on top of the $95 per month fee, there
are hourly connect charges, per-item charges and several hidden costs. If only
for that reason alone, IA's clients tend to be very anal about cross-checking
their itemized bills. If possible, provide a Client Billing Code which is
consistent with the account holder's organization's billing code scheme.
Information America: Main Menu
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
There are 19 main search-options available through IA, which fall into
three categories:
- Corporate, UCC, & Related Records
- Nationwide Services
- County & Court Records
------------------------------[ Main Menu ]-----------------------------
INFORMATION AMERICA NETWORK 1
I N F O R M A T I O N A M E R I C A B E G I N N I N G M E N U
(Copyright 1991, Information America, Inc.)
CORPORATE, UCC, & RELATED RECORDS
1. Corporate Global (CGL)
2. Corporate & Limited Partnership Records (COR)
3. State & County UCCs, Liens & Judgments (ULJ)
4. State UCC & Lien Filings (UCC)
5. Sleuth (SL) 6. Litigation Prep (LP)
NATIONWIDE SERVICES COUNTY & COURT RECORDS
7. People Finder (PF) 15. County Records (COU)
8. Executive Affiliation (EA) 16. Bankruptcy Records (BNK)
9. Business Finder (BF) 17. Lawsuits (LS)
10. Business News (BN) 18. Real Property Asset Locator (RP)
11. SEC Filings (SEC) 19. Real Prop, Liens & Judgments (RLJ)
12. Duns Business Records Plus (DB)
13. Name Availability/Reservation (NAR) 75. Help Line (HL)
14. Document Ordering eXpress (DOX) 99. Exit the System (OFF)
Enter the menu number or abbreviation of your choice:
------------------------------[ Main Menu ]-----------------------------
Of the three categories, options under NATIONWIDE SERVICES are the most
interesting. Information America is easy to use, completely menu-driven and
features extensive on-line Help. That having been said, White Knight and I
will cover only a few of IA's features and leave exploration of the more
obscure ones to the reader.
PEOPLE FINDER
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
The power of People Finder lies not only in its ability to tap various
large store-houses of data, but in its flexibility of search criteria. (NOTE:
People Finder is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to midnight, Eastern
Standard time. Holidays are excluded.)
People Finder is made up of four services: SKIP TRACER, TELEPHONE TRACKER,
PERSON LOCATOR, and PEOPLE FINDER MULTITRACK.
Depending on the information available, a People Finder profile may
include current address, telephone number, residence type, length of residence,
gender, date of birth, up to four household members and their dates of birth
and a neighbor listing.
SKIP TRACER traces a person's moves or verifies the current address when all
you have is an old address. You will enter the person's name, street number,
street name, and either the Zip Code or city/state. If your subject is in IA's
files, a profile will display that includes the address he moved to (or current
address), phone number, length of residence, and more. You may also request a
list of 10 of the person's neighbors. A profile on the current resident at
your subject's old address and up to 10 neighbors there may also be available.
This gives you several contacts to help you find your subject.
TELEPHONE TRACKER tracks down the owner of a telephone number. You must enter
the phone number and either the area code or the city/state. If a match is
found, you may look at a profile of that individual/residence and a listing of
up to 10 neighbors.
PERSON LOCATOR helps you locate a person when specific address information is
unavailable. Enter the person's name and indicate whether you wish to conduct
a search by city, state(s), zip or nationwide* PERSON LOCATOR will compile a
list of names (up to 300 names for nationwide and up to 100 names for
individual state searches) that match the information entered. When you find
the right name, you may request a profile and neighbor listing for that
individual.
PEOPLE FINDER MULTITRACK helps you locate multiple people during one search.
Search results are available the following business day. For each of your
subjects, enter the name and indicate the geographic area you wish to search --
nationwide*, multi state, state, city or zip. You may enter up to 25 names per
search. Sign off the system and let Information America do the work for you.
The following business day, log on to Information America and access the People
Finder Menu by entering PF at the Information America Beginning Menu. From the
People Finder Menu, you may view the results of People Finder MultiTrack by
entering RR (Review People Finder MultiTrack).
REVIEW PEOPLE FINDER MULTITRACK allows you to review the status of each of the
searches you requested. You may choose to view the results of each completed
search at this time. Search results will be stored for seven days from the day
you requested the search. You may review the search results at any time during
the seven-day time period through the Review People Finder MultiTrack option.
Search results include a summary listing of names that match the information
entered (up to 300 names for nationwide and up to 100 names for individual
state searches). From the summary, you may select individual profiles and
neighbor listings.
* Nationwide search is not available for specific common surnames. For a list
of these surnames, enter #92 View Common Names (VC), from the People Finder
Menu.
-------------------------[ People Finder Menu ]-------------------------
INFORMATION AMERICA NETWORK
P E O P L E F I N D E R
(Copyright 1991, Information America, Inc.)
Client Billing Code: 123456
1. Person Locator (PL) (Search by name & location)
2. Skip Tracer (ST) (Search by name & last known address)
3. Telephone Tracker (TT) (Search by telephone number)
4. People Finder MultiTrack (PX) (Multiple searches by name & location
with results available next business day)
5. Review People Finder MultiTrack Results (RR)
70. Revise Client Billing Code (BC)
75. Help Screen (?)
92. View Common Names (VC)
95. Description of Service (DES)
99. Go to Beginning Menu (BEG)
OFF Exit off the System (OFF)
-------------------------[ People Finder Menu ]-------------------------
If People Finder locates your subject, a profile containing the following
information can be displayed:
Name Usually first and last name of head of household.
Address Street or route, city, state, and ZIP.
* The following fields will display only if the information is available. *
Phone Number Current phone number, if listed in the phone book.
Approx. Birth Date Birth date of the individual listed in the Name field.
(May be an approximation.)
Gender (FEMALE, MALE, UNKNOWN) Refers to person in Name field.
Length of Residence Number of consecutive years this person has appeared at
this address.
Residence Type Number of last names found at this address. (Useful in
identifying multi-family residences.) Can be single,
double, triple, quad, 5-9 units, 10-19 units, 20-49
units, 50-100 units, 100+ units.
Additional Household Names and approximate birth dates of up to 4
Members individuals residing at this address and having the
same last name as person listed in Name field.
(Usually taken from birth records.)
People Finder: A Sample Search
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
------------------------[ People Finder Search ]------------------------
Last Name: public First Name: jane
Enter City or ZIP code.
City: ANYTOWN ZIP Code: 90210
Searching...
INFORMATION AMERICA NETWORK--PEOPLE FINDER
Name Searched: PUBLIC JANE
PERSON LOCATOR
Last Name Summary
No. First Name Street City/State ZIP Phone No.
--- ------------ ---------------------- ---------------- ----- ------------
1 JANE 27 AVENIDA AVE ANYTOWN CA 90210 213-727-8023
* 2 JOHN 69 CALLE DE LOS PUTOS ANYTOWN CA 90211 213-000-0000
* PUBLIC JANE has been found as an additional household member.
Searching...
INFORMATION AMERICA NETWORK--PEOPLE FINDER - Detail
Name Searched: PUBLIC JANE
PERSON LOCATOR
Resident Profile
Name: JANE PUBLIC
Address: 27 AVENIDA AVE
ANYTOWN, CA 90210
Approximate Date of Birth: 10/66
Gender: FEMALE
Length of Residence: 3 YEARS
Residence Type: SINGLE
**** Additional Household Names ****
Name Approximate Date of Birth
MICHAEL 04/68
Searching...
INFORMATION AMERICA NETWORK--PEOPLE FINDER - Detail
Name Searched: PUBLIC JANE
PERSON LOCATOR
Neighbor Listing
Resident: JANE PUBLIC
Address: 27 AVENIDA AVE
ANYTOWN, CA 90210
Residence
Name Phone# Address Length(yrs)/Type
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WILLIAM PRESTON (818) 727-8125 12 BOGUS AVE 12 SINGLE
THEODORE LOGAN (818) 725-8643 17 BOGUS AVE 04 DOUBLE
KRIS APPLEGATE (818) 685-2112 19 BOGUS AVE 03 TRIPLE
MARTIN MCFLY (818) 727-0353 26 BOGUS AVE 23 SINGLE
STAN CISNEROS (818) 727-4973 30 BOGUS AVE 16 SINGLE
LUCY BYRNE (818) 727-8765 33 BOGUS AVE 10 SINGLE
JONATHAN DEPP (818) 725-2012 35 BOGUS AVE 06 SINGLE
------------------------[ People Finder Search ]------------------------
Notes on People Finder
~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
IA is only as accurate as public records reflect. People who move
frequently or move from apartment to apartment (students, for instance) are
either not likely to be found in IA, or the information IA provides is likely
to be out-dated. In one search we performed, IA concluded that our subject had
lived at his residence for 3 years when, in fact, the subject had been living
there for over 15 years.
Unlisted telephone numbers are frequently available through IA if, for
example, your subject's unlisted number has appeared in a City Directory.
Curiously, information seems to be disappearing from IA, in some cases. A year
ago, White Knight and I looked up a celebrity's address and telephone number,
both of which IA correctly found. When we performed the same search recently,
IA failed to find the celebrity in its records. Searches on other individuals
which once listed their unlisted telephone numbers now yield "000-0000". We
have no explanation for why this seems to have happened.
Overview of IA's other options
~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
SLEUTH
======
By creating a list of affiliated names -- "clues" -- Sleuth helps you
uncover relationships between businesses and individuals. Enter a name and
check official records from up to 49 government agencies.
CONTENTS: Over 100 searches* combined in one... from these services:
State UCC/lien filings in: CA,CO,IL,IA,MD,MA,MO,NE,NC,PA,SC,TX
Corp/LP records in above states, PLUS: AZ,CT,DE,GA,IN,MI,NV,OK,OR,UT,WI
Sales and Use Tax information in: CA, TX
County Assumed/Fictitious Names from: Los Angeles, San Francisco (CA)
Dallas, Harris (TX)
County UCC filings from: Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett (GA)
Dallas, Harris (TX)
LITIGATION PREP
========== ====
CONTENTS: State Corporate & Limited Partnership Information from:
Arizona*, California, Colorado, Connecticut*, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois*, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North
Carolina*, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin (* indicates Limited
Partnership information is not available from these states).
Searches include the following, where available:
Business Names, Owner Names, Prior Names, Assumed Names,
Fictitious Owner Names, Trade Names, DBA Names, and Merged
Out/Consolidated Names
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Litigation Prep allows you to simultaneously search state
corporate and limited partnership information and county-filed fictitious
business and assumed names, to assist you in obtaining the details you need to
begin preparing a lawsuit.
HOW THIS SERVICE WILL HELP YOU: Litigation Prep is designed to help litigation
professionals when gathering information to file a lawsuit. This service
provides the researcher with valuable pieces of information, such as business
name, agent name and address, principal address, type and status. Good
Standing/Existence Status is also available in the following states:
AZ, CT, DE, GA, IL, IN, IA, MA, MI, MO, NE, NC, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, UT, WA,
and WI.
CONTENTS/SOURCES: Below, you will find the informational contents searched
in each state. Inactive records are included for informational purposes.
Unless otherwise specified, files are updated weekly.
HOURS: Litigation Prep is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to
12:00 AM Eastern Time. The FLORIDA component of the service is only available
>from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
CORPORATE GLOBAL, CORPORATE & LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS
========= ====== ========= = ======= ============
CONTENTS: State Corporate & Limited Partnership Records from:
AZ*, CA, CO, CT*, DE, FL, GA, IL*, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE,
NV, NC*, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, UT, WA, and WI
(* indicates Limited Partnership Records are not available
from these states).
States included in the Officer/Partner Name search:
CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, MA, MI, MO, NV, OR, PA, TX, and UT.
State Corporate and Limited Partnership Records are available in many key
states. A complete listing of states and the information provided by state is
available on the following screens. Records are accessible one state at a
time or all at once (CORPORATE GLOBAL). When you conduct a CORPORATE GLOBAL
name search, an Index screen will list in which states matches have been found.
You can either review all matches, or select specific states to view.
From the CORPORATE GLOBAL menu, you have the following search capabilities:
Business Name - Includes all entities available in the online state
corporate & limited partnership files.
Officer/Partner Name - Information varies by state, but may include officers,
directors, incorporators and partners.
Note: Individual states offer additional options such as a search by
Corporate ID (Charter) Number or Registered Agent Name.
SOURCE & UPDATE INFORMATION:
State Corporate & Limited Partnership files are obtained from the official
state agency. Records searched vary from state to state. For the exact types
searched by state, see the following screens. Inactive records are included
for informational purposes. Files are updated weekly unless noted in each
specific state description.
In California and Texas, there is a unique search option called BUSINESS
LOCATOR.
In California, this option searches the Board of Equalization (BOE),
Licensing and Taxation Information which is the official governing source of
California Sales and Use Tax permit holders. This information is available
only from the California menu and is not included in the Global service. The
file is updated monthly.
In Texas, this option searches the Sales & Use Tax Taxpayer Information
file, which is comprised of the official record of the Office of the
Comptroller of Public Accounts. As in California, this information is
available only from the Texas menu and is not included in the Global service.
The file is updated by Information America weekly.
STATE & COUNTY UCCs
===== = ====== ====
CONTENTS: State UCC and lien filings from:
California*, Colorado*, Florida, Illinois, Iowa*,
Maryland, Massachusetts*, Missouri, Nebraska*,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas*.
(* indicates Lien filings available from these states)
County UCC, lien, and judgment filings from:
California: Los Angeles and San Francisco counties
Georgia: Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties
Texas: Dallas Metroplex and Harris county
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: State & County UCCs, Liens and Judgments allows you to
search state UCC and lien filings, plus county UCC, lien and judgment filings.
HOW THIS SERVICE WILL HELP YOU: State & County UCCs, Liens and Judgments may
be used by anyone who is looking for information on outstanding UCCs, liens or
judgments on an individual or business, as well as assets or financial
obligations. For example, litigators, real estate specialists, and merger and
acquisition specialists may use this service to assist them in the following
ways:
Litigators:
** Obtain financial information on prospective clients
** Help determine the outstanding obligations of the opposing party which
could impact the client's ability to seize assets
** Help determine the financial relationships between the opposing party
and other entities
** Help determine if the debts and obligations of the opposing party are a
possible motive for filing suit
Real Estate Specialists:
** Conduct a cursory look at the beginning of the transaction to help
determine the existence of filings which could cloud title
** Help determine if the seller has outstanding tax liens filed against
him/her
** Help determine whether any personal property involved with the
transaction has a prior security interest
Merger and Acquisition Specialists:
** Help determine financial standing of a firm or a principal of the firm
and identify outstanding obligations
** Help determine the financial relationships the firm or principal has
with other entities
** Determine personal property owned by the firm or principal that is being
used to secure loans
** Conduct a final check before closing to help confirm that no new matters
have been filed which could adversely affect the transaction
SEARCH RESULTS: Searches by Name will retrieve matches of the name searched in
the following:
From the state UCC and lien files - debtor names
From the county UCC, lien and judgment files -
California: grantors
Georgia: grantors, taxpayers, debtors, and defendants
Texas: all parties (in Dallas Metroplex); grantors and grantees
(from Abstracts of Judgment only), and debtors (in Harris
County)
PLEASE NOTE: Searches of debtors in Florida will retrieve only active filings.
The option to view Florida's inactive files is offered, at no additional
charge, when you select either E (=Exit) or N (=New Search) from the summary
screen or last page of a detail report.
HOURS: State & County UCCs, Liens and Judgments is available Monday through
Friday, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM EST. The FLORIDA component of the service is
only available from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
STATE UCC & LIEN FILINGS
===== === = ==== =======
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: STATE UCC & LIEN FILINGS allows you to simultaneously
search UCC and lien filings in all of the states that Information America has
on-line or you may search filings in a specific state.
Our UCC service includes documents filed under the Uniform Commercial Code in
the following states:
California Colorado Florida
Illinois Iowa Maryland
Massachusetts Missouri Nebraska
North Carolina Pennsylvania South Carolina
Texas
Additionally, the following liens are included:
California: Federal and state tax liens, attachment liens
and judgment liens.
Colorado: Federal tax liens and judgment liens.
Iowa: Federal tax liens, Verified liens
and Thresherman's liens.
Massachusetts: State tax liens and child support liens.
Nebraska: Agricultural input liens, consumer liens, and
statutory liens.
Texas: Federal tax liens, utility security instruments,
and farm filings.
SOURCE: Data is obtained directly from the official state sources: The
Secretary of State in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas; the Department
of State in both Florida and Pennsylvania; and the Maryland Department of
Assessments and Taxation.
SEARCH RESULTS: Unless indicated otherwise, a debtor name search will reveal
listings of active and inactive debtors that match the name being searched. A
secured party/assignee search will result in a list of matching active and
inactive secured parties and assignees. Instrument numbers can be searched
only in an individual state.
In FLORIDA, a debtor or secured party search will reveal only active
filings. The option to search Florida's inactive files is offered, at no
additional charge, at the end of a detail report for an active Florida UCC.
In MASSACHUSETTS, a secured party search will locate secured parties
and, if the UCC has been assigned, assignors; it will not locate assignees
since they are not included in the database.
HOURS: STATE UCC & LIEN FILINGS is available Monday through Friday, from
8:00 AM to 12:00 AM EST. The FLORIDA component of the service is only available
>from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
COUNTY COURT RECORDS
====== ===== =======
Information America provides online access to local court records from
four states.
California - Records are available from Los Angeles, Orange and San
Francisco counties. Real Property Asset Locator is available for the entire
state.
Georgia - The Atlanta metro area is online. It includes Cobb, DeKalb,
Fulton, and Gwinnett counties.
Pennsylvania - Records are available for Philadelphia county.
Texas - Records are available for the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, which
includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties. Records are also
available for Harris County (Houston).
Records vary from county to county, but may include Abstracts of Judgment,
Assumed Names, Civil Suits, County UCCs, General Execution Dockets, Limited
Partnerships, Lis Pendens, Probate and Domestic Suits, Real Property Filings,
Tax Liens and Trade Name Index. The Court Record menus specify the records
available in each county.
LAWSUITS
========
LAWSUITS EFFECTIVE DATE INFORMATION
File Source Begin Through
------------------------- --------------------- --------- --------
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles County County Clerk 01-01-80 12-31-91
Civil (Superior)
Domestic (Superior)
Probate (Superior)
Criminal (Superior) 01-01-80 12-31-91
Orange County County Clerk 01-01-85 12-13-91
Civil (Superior)
Family Law (Superior)
San Mateo County County Clerk 01-01-84 11-09-91
Civil (Superior)
CALIFORNIA
Santa Clara County County Clerk 01-01-85 12-04-91
Civil (Superior &
Municipal)
Probate (Superior)
Criminal (Superior)
Family Law (Superior)
Contra Costa County County Clerk 01-02-80 11-30-91
Civil (Superior)
Probate (Superior)
Family Law (Superior)
Wills 01-02-90 11-30-91
San Diego County County Clerk 06-18-74 01-16-92
Civil (Superior)
GEORGIA
Cobb Civil (Superior) County Clerk 1982 01-17-92
DeKalb Civil (Superior) County Clerk 1981 01-15-92
Fulton Civil (Superior) County Clerk 1980 12-26-91
Gwinnett Civil (Sup/State) County Clerk 1990 01-18-92
ILLINOIS
Cook Civil Law Division Clerk of Circuit Court 01-01-75 12-16-91
All Districts (Circuit)
Cook Civil Municipal Clerk of Circuit Court 01-01-85 12-16-91
Division 1st District-
Chicago- (Circuit)
NEW JERSEY*
Civil Law Division Clerk of Superior Court 01-01-88 SEE BELOW
Atlantic 12-09-91 Bergen 11-19-91 Burlington 12-03-91
Camden 11-20-91 Cape May 12-05-91 Cumberland 10-18-91
Essex 12-04-91 Gloucester 12-09-91 Hudson 12-06-91
Hunterdon 12-10-91 Mercer 10-17-91 Middlesex 12-06-91
Monmouth 11-08-91 Morris 12-05-91 Ocean 12-04-91
Passaic 12-04-91 Salem 12-09-91 Somerset 11-22-91
Sussex 11-25-91 Union 12-02-91 Warren 12-02-91
*New Jersey Superior Court Civil Lawsuit information is collected for
Information America. Extreme care is exercised in gathering this information.
However, it is not the official legal reporting organ of the New Jersey
Superior Court. Information pertaining to civil action arising from
automobile accident claims, forfeiture, condemnation and name change
litigation is not collected and is not contained in this file.
NEW YORK
New York (Supreme) & Office of Court *** 01-13-92
Suffolk County (County) Administration
*** The beginning dates for New York County's Supreme Civil Court and Suffolk
County Civil Court cases vary from county to county and are listed below.
The "Current Through" date represents the date the Office of Court
Administration last compiled the information for Information America.
Bronx 11-1985 Nassau 02-1978 Queens 12-1985
Dutchess 08-1985 New York 11-1985 Rockland 09-1985
Erie 11-1985 Orange 08-1985 Suffolk 03-1983
Kings 11-1985 Putnam 08-1985 Westchester 01-1981
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Civil Office of Prothonotary 01-1982 01-11-92
(Common Pleas)
TEXAS
Dallas Civil (District) County District Court 01-01-70 01-10-92
REAL PROPERTY ASSET LOCATOR
==== ======== ===== =======
Real Property Asset Locator integrates information from several sources to
help users identify and estimate the value of real assets or identify the owner
of a particular piece of property.
The information, which is collected for Information America, is comprised
of the tax assessor's official roll in each county. Additional information is
obtained from private source databases to enhance tax roll information.
Real Property Asset Locator provides four ways to search.
1. Asset Locator -- Discover the property owned by an individual or business
by entering the name. You may conduct a global, statewide, metro area,
county or city (where taxes are assessed at municipal level) search.
2. Ownership Locator -- Discover the identity of the property owner by
entering the address of the property in question.
3. Property of Comparable Value -- Estimate value of real property based on
sales of similar real property in the given geographic area.
4. Assessor's Parcel Number -- Discover the identity of the property owner by
entering the Assessor's Parcel Number of the property in question.
Real Property Asset Locator is available in Arizona, California,
Washington DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and
Virginia.
REAL PROPERTY ASSET TRANSFERS
==== ======== ===== =========
Real Property Asset Transfers integrates information from several sources
to help you identify recent real property ownership transfers.
Use Real Property Asset Transfers to help confirm that your party still
owns a particular piece of property or has recently acquired new property.
Real Property Asset Transfers provides two ways to search.
1. Asset Transfers--Discover the property acquired or sold by an individual or
business by entering the name. You may conduct a statewide, metro area or
county search.
2. Ownership Transfers--Discover the identity of the seller and buyer of a
particular piece of real property by entering the address of the property
in question.
Real Property Asset Transfers information, which is collected for
Information America, is derived from deed transfers maintained by county
recorders' offices in each county. However, it is not the official legal
reporting organ of the county recorders' offices.
Real Property Asset Transfers is available in select counties in Arizona,
California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
EXECUTIVE AFFILIATION
========= ===========
CONTENTS: Over 30 million executives nationwide. One search will display
companies nationwide where an individual is listed as an executive.
Two types of reports may be available: the Executive Profile and the
Executive Brief.
The Executive Profile is derived from information gathered by
American Business Information, Inc (ABI). ABI compiles business
listings from the yellow pages of 5,000 telephone directories.
Telephone calls to every business are then conducted to collect
the executive name and title.
The Executive Brief is derived from Corporate and Limited
Partnership Records filed in the following states: AZ,CA,CO,CT,FL,
GA,IL,IN,IA,MD,MA,MI,MO,NE,NV,NC,OK,OR,PA,SC,TX,UT,WA,WI.
NOTE: Delaware Records are not included.
Executive Affiliation is invaluable when you need to know the business
affiliations of an adverse party. When you enter an executive's name, reports
on over 30 million executives nationwide are searched. You will receive a
Summary Screen with a concise listing of where your selected individual is
listed as an executive. The detail report for each affiliation will be either
an Executive Brief or an Executive Profile.
The Executive Profile is derived from yellow page listings of 5,000
telephone directories nationwide. The listings are individually verified to
collect the name of the top executive at that location and their title. The
information report may include this information in addition to the business
address, telephone number, SIC code, and type of business. The titles for
which an Executive Profile may be available include: President, Vice President,
Chairman of the Board, Owner, Executive Director, Manager, Administrator,
Principal, Publisher, Pastor, and Rabbi.
The Executive Brief is derived from Corporate and Limited Partnership
Records filed in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, MD,
MA, MI, MO, NE, NC, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, TX, UT, WA, & WI.
(NOTE: Delaware Records are not included. Florida Records are available
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.) The second line in the
detail heading will list from which state Corporate/LP Record the information
is obtained. The information report may include executive name, title,
address, business name and address, as well as other executives' names,
titles, and addresses associated with that business. Executive Briefs may be
available for Officers, Partners, Agents, and Incorporators.
USE EXECUTIVE AFFILIATION TO:
* Learn about an adverse party's business affiliations as part of
background checking.
* Verify names and addresses for pleadings and depositions.
* Uncover an executive's involvement in different businesses throughout
the country to determine possible transfer of assets, or other companies
to be named in a suit.
* Obtain background information on an executive as a crucial part of
performing due diligence.
* Explore possible conflicts of interest by looking for an executive's
involvement with other companies.
* Check on the business affiliations of a prospective client.
BUSINESS FINDER
======== ======
SOURCE: American Business Information, Inc.
CONTENTS: Over 14 million U.S. and 1.7 million Canadian business
listings compiled from the yellow pages of nearly 5,000
telephone directories. Contains over 9.5 million separate
companies and 2 million professionals.
UPDATES: ABI continuously revises the information in the file, and
updates the data from available telephone directories
within six months after publication of the directory.
Information America receives quarterly updates from ABI.
BUSINESS NEWS
======== ====
SOURCE: Comtex Scientific Corporation
CONTENTS: News stories from major national and international
newswires, such as UPI, Kyodo, and TASS, press
releases, and other various sources.
Stories are available from November 1989.
UPDATES: Twice Daily
Business News allows you to gather articles from major national and
international newswires either by name, ticker symbol, industry or topic.
Business News industry categories include:
1. Advertising (AD) 19. Electronics (EL) 37. Photography (PO)
2. Aerospace (AE) 20. Entertainment (EN) 38. Plastics (PL)
3. Agriculture (AG) 21. Environmental Srv (ES) 39. Prec Metals (PM)
4. Autos (AU) 22. Financial Srv (FS) 40. Publishing (PB)
5. Aviation (AV) 23. Food (FD) 41. Railroads (RR)
6. Banking (BK) 24. Forestry Prod (FP) 42. Real Estate (RE)
7. Beverages (BV) 25. Freight (FR) 43. Restaurant (RT)
8. Biotechnology (BI) 26. Health Care (HC) 44. Retail (RL)
9. Broadcasting (BR) 27. Industrial Prod (IP) 45. Rubber (RB)
10. Bldg Materials (BM) 28. Insurance (IN) 46. Ship Building (SB)
11. Business Srv (BS) 29. Machinery (MA) 47. Telecommun (TL)
12. Chemicals (CH) 30. Metals (ME) 48. Textiles (TX)
13. Computers (CM) 31. Mining (MI) 49. Tobacco (TB)
14. Construction (CN) 32. Nuclear Energy (NE) 50. Toys (TY)
15. Consumer Prod (CP) 33. Office Equipment (OE) 51. Travel Srv (TR)
16. Defense Contrt (DC) 34. Personal Care (PC) 52. Trucks (TK)
17. Education Srv (ED) 35. Petroleum Prod (PT) 53. Utilities (UT)
18. Electronic Publ (EP) 36. Pharmaceuticals (PH)
BANKRUPTCY RECORDS
========== =======
SOURCE: The Bankruptcy Records are compiled for Information America
from the official records at the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts.
These records contain all publicly available cases filed in
the following states: California, Georgia - Northern District
(Atlanta and Gainesville only), New Jersey, Pennsylvania -
Eastern District, and Texas.
CONTENTS: Bankruptcy records for both individuals and businesses are
available. The records include debtor names, case number,
location and date of filing, chapter number and more.
UPDATED: Weekly (California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas)
Bi-weekly (New Jersey)
You may select bankruptcy records by debtor name, social security/FEIN
number or by case number.
SEC FILINGS
=== =======
SOURCE: SEC Online, Inc.
CONTENTS: Full text documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission by public companies traded on the New York and
American Stock Exchanges as well as selected National Market
System companies from NASDAQ. The documents available
online - 10-Ks, 10-Qs, Annual Reports, Proxy Statements, and
foreign company 20-Fs - contain all footnotes and selected
exhibits. A Company Profile is also included that
summarizes basic corporate information.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Information current from 07-01-1987.
UPDATES: Information America receives updates weekly from SEC Online.
Searches may be performed by company name or ticker symbol.
Notes on Information America
~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
We mentioned that usernames beginning with "BIDA" are recognizable to the
IA system as IA accounts (as opposed to shell accounts). More than likely,
other usernames are also valid as IA accounts.
As with most systems, IA passwords are often easy to guess. Initial
passwords, which are assigned when an account is first created, are usually
composed of the account holder's first name, or first name plus a middle or
last initial. In some cases, the password is made up of the digits in the
username plus the first name of the account holder. In other cases, the
password is two random letters plus a two-digit number (ex: PG13). If users
are ever encouraged to change their password from its initial value, they
rarely seem to do so.
You've probably noticed that IA has specific operating times (Eastern
Standard Time). Most of IA's functions are inoperable during weekends and
holidays and outside those specific operating hours. Occasionally on weekends,
IA itself is down. Or more interestingly -- particularly on weekends -- the IA
interactive environment will malfunction, dropping you into the VAX shell.
IA's clients are mostly lawyers and paralegals working at legal firms, but
the FBI is also a major IA client. Television programs in the 60s and 70s
which depicted an FBI "Big Brother" computer system scared the public enough so
that it and the Congress have continually resisted efforts by the FBI to
implement such a system. In the mid 80s, for example, Congress voted against
the implementation of an FBI computer system which would allow them to monitor
telephone calls. Information America is the perfect solution for the FBI's
bureaucratic quandary.
IA has existed for at least two and a half years, but has remained
relatively unknown to the Telecom community until last year when MoD began
using IA's People Finder to locate and terrorize people. IA's low profile
isn't surprising; public backlash against Lotus' "MarketPlace" CD ROM --
which contained marketing information on only a few million people at most --
forced Lotus to abandon its project altogether after having invested tens of
thousands of dollars in advertising alone, just as it was about to release
MarketPlace. What Lotus was doing wasn't unusual; large direct marketing
firms, like National Demographics & Lifestyles (NDL) have been somewhat
covertly marketing consumer names and information on CD ROM for years (with
information such as how many telephones you have; the approximate ages of your
household's members; the gender of the household head; the number and type of
cars your household has; what the mortgage value on your house is; estimated
incomes for the heads of the household, etc...). The difference was that
Lotus was offering their CD ROM commercially so that anybody could, as the
public claimed, have the power of "Big Brother" at their fingertips. If the
public knew about Information America, knew that anyone could tap its eye-spy
capabilities, the outrage would be tremendous.
To market its database services, IA seems to have adopted a grass-roots
kind of approach. IA employs liaisons in major metropolitan cities whose
job it is to research and contact prospective clients -- lawyers, for example.
We are unaware of any advertising in specialized journals.
We take for granted the existence of government-run databases which
contain even more detailed information on Americans than IA possesses. Even
so, those databases are considerably smaller, and what's more, they're
well-regulated: the agencies that run them accountable by Law. The potential
for abuse by a system like Information America -- devoid of any checks and
balances -- is spectacular. MoD has already demonstrated this to a small
extent. The same technology advances which were supposed to make at-home
shopping a convenience and tailor marketing to your needs have now made
surveilling you cost-effective, accurate and as easy as touching a key.
One of the least reported items to come to light out of the Iran/Contra
proceedings was that, as head of the Federal Emergency Management
Administration (FEMA) -- the organization which coordinates relief efforts
across the United States during natural disasters -- Oliver North had drawn up
FEMA contingency plans of a different sort: in the event of war in Central
America, the Constitution was to be suspended and FEMA was to round up aliens
(particularly Hispanics) and US Citizens considered "subversive," and
interrogate them in Manzanar-like camps. Databases like Information America
would no doubt have been employed in locating the whereabouts of these people.
The importance of Information America isn't what it can do for you;
rather, what can be done with it to you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
White Knight and I can be reached at WKnight@ATDT.ORG and Omega@ATDT.ORG,
respectively. Additionally, we may be reached on Demon Roach Underground or
Pure Nihilism. We welcome any questions or comments you may have -- especially
any new information you may be able to add. Please do not contact us asking
for accounts or passwords.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_____ BEATING THE RADAR RAP _____
/ / \ / / \
( 5/5 ) Part 1 of 2 : "Your Day in Court" ( 5/5 )
\_/___/ \_/___/
by Dispater
______________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Introduction | Welcome to the first of two parts in a series designed to
|______________| inform you about some of the aspects (both legal and
technical) concerning traffic radar. The second part will
appear in Phrack 38. I recommend you read both parts before attempting to
apply the information you learn from this file.
Any hacker will tell you to ALWAYS find out as much as you possibly can about
any endeavor and weigh the risks before you act. For most of us driving is
something that we must do in order to have a career, get to school, and enjoy
ourselves. Therefore it is essential to know the rules of the road and to know
what will happen to you when you make a mistake. For the majority of us, this
mistake means being given a speeding ticket or some type of moving violation.
This file will explain how to handle the situation should you ever need to go
to court over a speeding ticket. I intend to provide you with a basic
background so that the odds are a little more even.
One of the nasty things about traffic court is that for some reason, the burden
of proof has flip-flopped from the state having to prove you are guilty (the
way it is supposed to be) to the defendant having to prove that he/she is
innocent.
First of all you are not alone in your quest to seek justice. Most judges
are not evil and hateful. If you come into court, neatly dressed (not fancy,
just look like a "semi-normal" person.), well informed of the issue, courteous,
and acting a little humbled by the experience, the judge may lean a little more
to your side. If you go to court, you will see a number of idiots who will
stand up in front of the judge and argue or say "I wasn't doin' nothin'. I was
just bein' harassed. I'm right and this pig was wrong. Nyah!" Obviously, the
judge will not take kindly to this type of behavior. Would you?
In order to be informed, I HIGHLY recommend that you get in touch with the:
National Motorists Association Membership: $20 student
6678 Pertzborn Rd. per year $35 everyone else
Dane, WI 53529
Phone : 1-800-882-2785
The NMA provides a great deal of resources to those of use who drive. They
provide (with membership) a legal resource kit for a rental fee of around
$20.00 a month. This kit consists of 2 video tapes, 2 books, and a HUGE stack
of information. Much of the "HUGE stack of information" consists of precedent
cases in which the defense won, ALL radar gun manuals, lots of related news
articles, error analysis information on vascar and other useful tidbits of
information. It is excellent and I urge anyone who drives to get involved.
The NMA, among other things, is the nice name for the "anti-55 people." They
claim that it is up to the local governments and states to come up with their
own speed limits. It's not Washington's job to tell the rest of us how to
live!
The last thing I want to mention is that this is NOT a comprehensive file.
Reading this will NOT make you a lawyer. If you can afford a lawyer, hire one.
It is intended for people like me who can't afford a lawyer but who have some
intelligence and guile in their personal make up. There's more than one way to
skin a cat (cop) and you should NOT take this as a word for word way to proceed
if you get nabbed for speeding. I intend for this to be the basis for building
a good foundation for a case and to give you some ideas on how you might want
to proceed. Do not go into the court room half-cocked. A good lawyer always
knows the outcome of a case before he steps into the court room.
______________________________________________________________________________
| |
| You Get Busted! | So the red lights are blinking behind you and your radar
|_________________| detector is going wild because you weren't paying
attention because you were too busy messing with the radio
and jamming to MC 900' Jesus so loudly that it shakes the widows of the car
next to you. The first thing you want to do is pull over immediately! Don't
try to be an bad ass and out run them. In most cases the cop's car can go
faster than yours and besides, he has a radio. After you pull over, just hand
him what ever he asks for and play in his desire to be "in control".
Always say, "Yes sir" and "No sir" They LOVE that. Be as NICE as you can.
Act "humbled". I know this may sound difficult but just TRY. ALL and I mean
ALL people that become law enforcement officials have taken that job because
they have some personality disorder that they NEED to feel in control of others
and a NEED for others to respect them. This is a weakness in their
personality, in my opinion. Anyway, If he just had a good round of golf that
day, he may only write you a warning. If he still insists on writing you a
ticket, he will at least know that you will not be a threat to him. ALL
police officers, especially in large urban areas, will always approach your car
as though you are going to shoot them. Make the officer thinks you are nice
person (for the moment) and that your just weren't paying attention and you
made a mistake. Again, as soon as you prove to him you are not a threat, he
will relax and things will go much easier for you. I ALWAYS do this and the
officer is actually NICE back to me most of the time. Even though his first
impression is "long haired kid in a hot rod car wearing a Metallica shirt," the
encounter usually ends with a "Have a nice day." or a "Just make sure you be
careful now. ok?"
NOTE: If you are pulled over by a bull-dyke female cop, you are totally
fucked. Social engineering is totally useless. ALL and I mean ALL bitch cops
are just looking to prove something. They have a bad attitude because the "old
boy" network back at the station doesn't like them and they think that most
males will look on them as less of an authority figure merely because they are
female, if they do not compensate (overcompensate) for the fact that they are
women. They think that they will be challenged more often than not by you. I
have yet to ever meet a NICE female cop. Lets face it, if they were NICE they
would probably be an attorney or something. If you are women police officer
reading this and you are not like what I have just described in the above
paragraph then just ignore it and tell your cohorts to adjust the attitude!
Continuing on...As you are sitting there with everyone slowing down to take a
look at you, make note of EVERYTHING! Write down the following:
1) Location (intersections, curves, condition of the road)
2) Weather (rain, fog, snow : all hinder traffic radar)
3) Traffic and all types of vehicles present (large trucks?)
4) Time (rush hour?)
5) Buildings present (airport? radio station? bank? microwave towers?
power lines? hospital? telephone office?)
6) Officer's attitude (if he's angry this will play in your favor later)
7) Etc (anything else I failed to list here)
_____________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Your Ticket and Pre-Trial Experiences | So. Now in your possession you have
|_______________________________________| a little gift from whomever had a
bad day at work. The first thing
you will want to do is make sure that all the information on the ticket is
correct. If it is not, make sure that you take note of this and be sure to
mention it as soon as your trial begins! You might be able to get off on a
technicality. Another thing to check for is to make sure that the officer
didn't write any little messages to the judge on the back of the ticket. If he
wrote "radar detector." or some other irrelevant evidence, make sure you point
out to the judge that that the speeding ticket is inadmissible as evidence in
court due to the fact that it contains information that does not pertain to the
case. The idea behind this is that most people that are caught speeding have
radar detectors. Therefore, the cop will try to play on this fact in an
indirect way. Even though this evidence is irrelevant, he will attempt to
submit it. If the judge is cool, you'll get off on a technicality. Other ways
to get off on technicalities is to make sure that EVERY tidbit of information
is CORRECT. Incorrect information is a great way to get off. This is a
"procedural error" and might get the case dismissed. Continuing on....
Ok, so the ticket says you have to appear in court December 21st at 4:00. All
this means is that if you wish to pay the ticket you must do so by this time
and date. This does not usually mean you will actually go to court on this
date. What you do next is go to the clerk's office and hand the lady behind
the counter the ticket and say that you wish to contest it. They will set up
a date (usually much later in the year sometimes a YEAR LATER if things are
really backed up) and give you a piece of paper that you must bring to court
with you. I highly suggest to everyone to ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS contest a
ticket. Hell, you have to pay court fees whether you show up or not so you
might as well go, right? The point is to make them work for your money!
One good plan of action is to go to court a few weeks ahead of time and observe
how proceedings work in your local court room. Just tell the bailiff that you
are a criminal justice major and want to see how traffic court works and
observe what REALLY goes on instead of reading it in a text book. If you are
really clever, you might just want to ask one of the cops if you can go out and
watch how police officers bust people speeding. Use the oldest, most classic
social engineering maneuver ever invented, "It's for a paper for class." Let
them think you are interested in becoming a cop. I don't care what they do or
who they are, if someone comes up to them and appears to take interest in their
profession, they will always be flattered. Always flatter the hell out of
anyone you want to engineer!
The first thing you want to do before actually going to court yourself, is
to not go to court. About a week before the trial or less, call the clerk's
office and ask for a "continuance." Tell them that your boss told you that
you have to go out of town the day of the trial and they will schedule you
a new trail date. This is important because most police officers are less
willing to show up. Thus if he's not there to prosecute you, you get off!
_____________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Here come de Judge! Here come de Judge! | Ok, so you're now sitting there
|__________________________________________| in the presence of the other poor
idiots that are in a similar
predicament as you are. As you are sitting there sweating your ass off (being
this is your first time in court, hopefully) Make sure you make note of other
people's cases. What do the officers say when someone mentions traffic radar?
See above above paragraph about testing the water a little. I have obtained a
ton of information on how departments REALLY operate when they know I'm not
there to pressure them. Use the lame statements the officers make against
other officers and the rest of the department, when it's your turn. One time,
before it was my turn I watched this one cop say, "The radar units are
calibrated by the manufacturer and sent to us." Needless to say, I won that
case!
Now the bailiff calls out, STATE OF TEXAS v. MR. OFFENDER! By this time you
should know the routine. As soon as the judge opens things up to you ask
him/her if you can examine the witness. They will say, "yes." Here is where
you begin to make your case.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS : "What?!?!?!" This is what the cop has going on inside
his head right now. You are no longer the innocent fool you appeared to be in
your car? He immediately raises his guard and you must lower it my placing a
few questions to him and wearing him down. This part of the questioning is
done to see if he can remember the exact circumstances under which he pulled
you over and to get him used to you taking control of the interrogation.
A. What type of radar were you using on the date the citation was issued?
- Make sure he gives you the model name and number. Answers like "traffic
radar or Doppler radar" should not be permitted.
B. Please relate the facts concerning the citation as you remember them.
- Make note if anything differs from what you remember to be true.
C. Was your audio doppler engaged at the time the citation was issued?
- If he says he doesn't know what that is, he hasn't been trained! The hand
held units. (Speedgun series don't have audio doppler!) This is a good
question to trip him up on! If he says he had it engaged, merely whip out
the manual and ask him if to point out where the heck it is. OR you can
ask to subpoena the unit to court and ask him to find it!
D. What speed was your audio alarm set for?
- If he says he doesn't know what that is, he hasn't been trained!
E. Was your automatic speed lock engaged?
- If yes, you have already started to build your case that they made an
error. If not then keep going.
F. Were you stationary or moving at the time your radar unit's alarm went off?
- Who cares unless you want to go off and provide some kind of "cosine-error"
evidence later.
G. Was I coming toward you or away from you?
- Again, this doesn't matter
H. Did you see me prior to the time your radar's audio alarm went off?
- This is important, you are in effect asking him if he took a traffic
history before he set up camp behind the bushes waiting to pop people.
I. Could you estimate my speed?
Irrelevant
J. What was the apparent speed?
Irrelevant
K. How many seconds did it take you to react between the time you first saw
my vehicle and the time your audio alarm sounded?
- This doesn't matter, unless it was a case of you coming around a curve or
over a hill and old Smokey is there waiting to bust the first thing that
makes his little machine go beep. He must have tracked you long enough to
get a good reading. This should be about 5-8 seconds to take into account
spurious readings. If he didn't wait that long he is ignoring his
training.
L. Using this paper could you make a map of the area?
- Most of the time to police officer will be unable to remember details of
the surroundings since he hands out many tickets a day. This is a good
place to establish doubt.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ESTABLISH THE OFFICER'S LEVEL OF QUALIFICATIONS: This is done in an attempt to
make the police officer appear as unqualified as possible. Make the officer
appear to have as little training as possible and be as unfamiliar with the
radar unit as possible. The bigger a fool you can make the cop out to be the
more points you'll score with the judge.
A. How long have you been a police officer?
Irrelevant unless he's just come straight from the academy
B. How long have you been operating radar?
Irrelevant unless it's a year or less.
C. Have you received formal training on the operation of radar?
- If NO then you've hit pay-dirt.
D. Under what circumstances did you receive this training?
Irrelevant unless he says, "in the locker room." In this case he may be
on your side.
E. How many hours of classroom training did you receive?
- This is an important answer. If he says four or less, he's probably not
qualified. Make note.
F. How long ago did you receive this training?
Irrelevant unless the answer is five or six years ago. He may be out of
practice and probably wasn't trained on the model he used to bust you.
G. Who taught the class?
- If it was his sergeant, you have a case of the blind leading the blind. If
it was the radar manufacturer you have a potentially biased source since
the manufacturer will do anything to sell it's merchandise! If he was SENT
to the manufacturer's school he's better than most.
H. Since initial training, have you had any brush-up courses?
- If he says yes, he's full of more shit than you are. Ask who taught them
and when they were.
I. Do you believe yourself to be a competent radar operator?
- Sure he does
J. Do you hold a certification?
- In some states he MUST be trained at the manufacturer's school. If he says
his sergeant certified him. You may be able to walk out of court right
there. It's a case of the blind leading the blind.
K. Did you receive your initial training with the model (the one he popped you
with)?
- If his formal training was with another unit, you've hit pay-dirt again!
L. How many one-on-one sessions of field training did he receive?
- Answers like, "I rode with another officer while he wrote tickets." are not
good. Keep pressing him on this issue. Most likely he did not have this
type of training unless it was done by a factory representative and then
there were three other officers in the car at the time.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ESTABLISH THE LEVEL OF TRUST THE OFFICER PLACES IN HIS RADAR: These questions
are used in an attempt to make it appear as though the police officer himself
questions the reliability of traffic radar. This is where things get fun and
he could even purger himself if he's not careful. In which case you win again!
A. Do you believe the (radar unit he popped you with) to be a good unit?
- Of course he does. If he doesn't he may be on your side.
B. Have you ever encountered problems with the (model) radar?
- If he says yes, make sure he tells you details, and not simply, "It quit
working one day."
C. Are you permanently assigned to one specific radar unit?
- They will always switch around. He will most likely say that he uses the
same brand name but different models.
D. Do you believe there to be differences between brands of radar units or
models? Will one have idiosyncrasies that others may not have?
- He will most likely say that they all work alike. If he says he has
differences make sure he tells you exactly what they are and how he noticed
them.
E. Do you believe that the (model radar) ever gives spurious or false readings?
- If he says "no." Make sure you have documented evidence of this. (see
above information on the NSA) This is a real good way to make him look
like an idiot. Make sure that you repeat the question and emphasis the
word "NEVER." After he says no again, hand the document to the judge and
say something to the effect that, "I have written evidence right here that
was written by an independent engineering firm that proves that (model
radar) does have the capability to give false readings. Now, in a court
of law you are not permitted to defend yourself while examining the
witness, however, since you are not an attorney. The judge may permit you
do submit your testimony.
If the officer says "yes" he has seen false readings, ask him what
percentage of the time it does give spurious readings. In the case
STATE OF WISCONSIN vs HANSEN, in which HANSEN prevailed. It was proven
that radar can give false readings up to 20% of the time.
F. Do you believe you can always tell the radar unit is giving a spurious
reading?
- He will always say he can. If he says, "no" then you've already
established reasonable doubt. When he says "yes," then proceed with the
next two questions and then come back to this one again.
G. Is there is a special number that appears on the screen that indicates a
false reading.
- Not!
H. Does the unit give some visual indication that the reading is suspected to
be false?
- Not! (Believe it or not! The very first case I went to defend myself,
the idiot cop said that there was an "indicator light that noted when
there is radar disturbance in the area." HAHAHAHA!!! What a joke.
I asked him to point it out to me and of course he couldn't. Therefore
he just lied under oath. He fucked himself hard! Needless to say the
judge wasn't too pleased, to see a police officer lying either! ;-)
I. How then can you tell that the reading you are getting is spurious?
- He will answer that there is no target or that the car is obviously not
speeding.
J. You said that there isn't some special speed or number that appears on the
screen. All 86 mph speed readings are not spurious for example?
- Of course not.
K. So the spurious reading could be either 20mph or 70mph?
- Of course. If he says not, he is out of his league and attempting to
evade answers.
L. The radar could give a speed of 20mph or 70mph, but you could see clearly,
for example, that the car was going only 30mph?
- He should agree with that.
M. What if a car was going 55mph and you got a reading of 70mph? Is this
possible?
- He should agree with that.
N. Assuming a car was approaching you at 55mph. You could recognize that?
- He'll probably say he could. If he does, keep going. If he says he could
not then you've already established doubt.
O. If a car was approaching at 55mph and you get a reading of 56mph. Could
you tell that it was a spurious reading?
- Of course not. At this point keep the pressure on by rapidly asking the
question over and over again and increasing the false reading by one mph
until he gives. If you've led the cop into this trap you are doing great!
He is totally fucked if he answers either "yes" or "no." This is because
you are establishing more doubt each time he says "no" and if he does say
"yes" too soon he will appear to have some super-human quality!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
USE OF AUDIO DOPPLER, AUDIO ALARM, AND AUTOMATIC SPEED LOCK: All radar units
include features designed to make the officer's job easier. The AUDIO DOPPLER
can be turned down or off, as is usually done, therefore it contributes nothing
to reliability. The AUDIO ALARM is a warning tone that tells the officer the
radar unit has "got one", and it is built into all radar units. The officer
must dial in a speed above which he wants the alarm to sound. The only way
to disengage the alarm is to dial the speed to 99 mph or 199 mph on some
models. The AUTOMATIC SPEED LOCK is the worst thing ever put in a radar unit.
It automatically locks up a speed reading when one comes above the preset
level. If the reading is spurious, the officer never knows it. Your goal here
is to establish his normal operating habits. Later, you'll find out how he was
using radar on the day he busted you.
A. Does your radar unit have an audio Doppler? That is a continuous audio
single tone which converts the radar unit's Doppler shift into an audible
signal?
- He will say his unit does, unless it's a Speedgun, in which case it
does not. If it was a Speedgun jump to question "M".
B. Does the audio doppler have a volume control?
- Yes it does.
C. Do you ever use your audio doppler?
- If he says "yes" continue. If he says no skip to question `M`.
D. About what percent of the time will you listen to the audio doppler?
- note percent
E. When you operate your radar unit with audio doppler on do you operate it
at full volume?
Heh, yea right!
F. At what volume do you operate it?
- The question can only be helpful if he says he operates it at a low volume.
Try to ask him a few similar questions that will make him answer "low
volume." IE: "I know that that tone get's awfully annoying doesn't it?"
G. Do you ever turn it off?
- Sure he does.
H. Why do you turn it off?
- Because it is irritating as hell!
I. Does the use of audio doppler ever interfere with your use of the police
radio or your conversations with other officers?
- He should say it does.
J. So you operate with the audio doppler off about ___ percent of the time?
- Fill in the number that he gave you earlier.
K. Of the rest of the time, how often do you operate it with the volume on
soft.
- (Note the percentage)
L. Do you consider the audio doppler an important tool to prevent operator
error?
- Only important if he says "no".
M. Is your radar unit equipped with a dial that lets you select a speed above
which an audio tone will sound if a violation speed is picked up?
- Yes, all radar units have this feature.
N. We'll call that feature the AUDIO ALARM. Do you commonly use that feature?
- He has to.
O. What percentage of the time do you use this?
- If he answers anything less than 100%, ask him how he disengages it. He
would have to disassemble the whole radar unit.
P. If the speed limit on a highway is 55, what speed do you normally dial in
as your pre-set violator speed?
- Note speed. The answer isn't critical.
Q. Do you find that feature to be a useful one for you?
- He'll probably say it's sometimes useful.
R. If a violation speed causes the alarm to sound, you need only reach over to
lock in that speed, is that correct?
- That's how it works.
S. Does your radar unit also have a button or switch which permits the radar
unit to automatically lock up the violation speed?
- Yes, it does.
T. Do you ever use that automatic speed lock function?
- If he says "no", repeat the question with an emphasis on the "ever" and
look skeptical. If he still says no, skip to the next question section.
U. About what percent of the time do you use the automatic speed lock?
- Note percent.
V. Do you find that automatic speed lock convenient?
- Sure he does. That way he can read a magazine or take a nap while the radar
unit does the for him!
W. Do you use the automatic speed lock for any other reason?
- Note reasons, if any.
X. Was the use of the automatic speed lock included in your training?
- Answer isn't important.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ESTABLISHING WHETHER THE OFFICER USES A VISUAL BACK UP: When cops go to court,
they have a "model testimony" used to establish their reasoning for giving out
a ticket. One part of this testimony usually centers on the radar unit used
only as a backup to their visual perception that you, the defendant, were
traveling at a "high rate of speed" or at "X mph." Put in it simplest form,
this is total hogwash. A trained officer can make a visual identification of
speed at a distance of perhaps 500 feet. The radar can theoretically make that
same speed determination at 5000 feet. The radar's alarm will sound many
seconds before the policeman can make a visual speed determination. As it is,
the cop will observation of a car will verify what the radar has already told
him. THIS IS WRONG! The law states that "radar readings can ONLY be used as
corroborative evidence." If the cop sees that the car is traveling slower than
what the radar says, he will merely assume that the driver saw him and slowed
down. The following questions are used to establish whether or not the cop did
use visual back up, and trap him onto making a statement which can later be
used against him!
A. I'm going to start this question by defining a term I call a "traffic
history". A traffic history is the continuous observation of traffic by a
police officer. If an officer takes a traffic history, it means he is
CONTINUALLY WATCHING TRAFFIC; looking for speeders, drunken drivers, or any
other offenders. Do you understand what I mean by a traffic history?
- If the officer doesn't understand, keep explaining until he does.
B. With regard to speeding tickets, an officer who says he normally takes a
traffic history can say that he observes traffic patterns for a period of
several seconds -- usually three to five seconds -- before he sees what he
believes to be a speeding incident. That is, three to five seconds before
his radar unit sounds its alarm. He then continues to observe traffic fora
period of several seconds while he determines that a citation should be
issued. Do you understand that definition of a traffic history as it
applies to speeding tickets?
- The officer should understand.
C. Using that definition, have you EVER taken a traffic history prior to
issuing a speeding citation?
- He will probably answer that he has. If he says no, see answer E.
D. About what percent of the time can you say you have taken a traffic history
when you issue a speeding ticket?
- Note percent. It will probably be very high.
E. Do you believe it is important to take a traffic history in speeding cases?
- He'll probably say "yes." If he says no, you have a strong argument in
court, namely that he had no visual backup; that he was relying solely on
his radar unit. His "yes" answer, in conjunction with the fact that he
didn't take one in your case, can be used against him in court.
F. At about what distance can you make a determination that a car is doing a
certain number of miles per hour?
- Most policemen answer about 500. If he hedges or says it depends, set up a
specific situation, for example, he is in the median strip of a level,
straight, uncrowded highway. At what distance can he make a visual
determination of the speed of an approaching car? If he says he still
can't say, throw the 500 feet figure at him and see if he agrees. Shorten
and lengthen the figure to get an estimate he can live with.
G. When you take this traffic history and make a visual assumption about speed,
you do so BEFORE your radar unit has sounded its audio alarm?
- THIS IS A TRICK QUESTION. If he says "yes", he's in trouble because his
radar unit's range is doubtlessly longer than his visual acuity.
If he says "no", then he hasn't really taken a traffic history.
If he says "yes", ask questions H and I.
If he says "no", ask questions J, K, L, M, N, and O, P, Q, R.
H. Approximately what is the range of your radar unit?
- He'll probably say he doesn't know. Throw figures between 3,000 and 5,000
feet at him and see if he agrees with any of them. If he still doesn't
know, ask if he'd be surprised to find out that his radar unit had a range
of at least 3,000 feet. If he says yes to that question, you have just
nailed him on a vital technical question.
I. But you still stick to your statement that the radar unit does not sound an
alarm prior to your being able to recognize the true velocity of a car?
- Regardless of his answer, you've made your point.
J. Then you don't really take a traffic history.
- The neatest answer is "no", which he probably won't say. Instead, he'll
say that sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. For the "sometimes it
doesn't" answers, go back to questions H and I. For the "sometimes it
does" answer, continue.
K. If the radar unit sounds an alarm before you've had a chance to ascertain
that a car is speeding, how can you say you've taken a traffic history?
- He'll probably say it alerts him to look for a speeder.
L. Do you look down to see how fast the radar unit says a car is going?
- He'll probably he looks. If he says he doesn't look, tell him, "but you
know a car is definitely going at least X mph over the speed limit?" To
that, he has to answer yes.
M. Does the knowledge that the radar unit has already "got one" influence your
judgement in making a visual determination of a car's speed? That is, will
you be more likely to agree that a car is going a certain number of miles
per hour after the radar has already said that it was going that speed?
- He should agree. If he doesn't, ask him why he doesn't just run his alarm
setting up to 99 mph to make certain it never influences his judgement?
His answer won't matter.
N. Would you be more inclined to believe that a car in the left lane of a four-
lane highway was a speeder if you heard your audio alarm go off?
- If he's honest, he'll say yes. If he isn't, he'll say, "if it was passing
another vehicle". Counter with "what if there wasn't a reference vehicle
present, but the car was still in the left lane? If he still says "no",
ask him again why he doesn't just run his alarm counter up to 99 mph.
O. If there was a car going slower than the speed limit in the right lane, and
a car driving at the speed limit in the left lane apparently passing it, and
your radar unit either malfunctioned or misread the target, might you
mistakenly conclude that the car in the left lane was speeding and issue the
driver a citation?
- If he's honest, he'll answer "yes", building your case for operator error.
If he says "no", he could tell the car in the left lane wasn't speeding,
you're back to question F.
P. If your radar unit said it had picked up a car going, say, 70 mph, and when
you were able to make out its speed, it was clearly going the speed limit,
would you be inclined to believe the motorist had seen you and quickly
slowed down?
- The honest officer will say yes.
Q. Would you still issue the citation based on the radar reading?
- Again, he should say "yes".
R. Why do you set your alarm counter for a certain number of miles per hour
over the speed limit?
- His answer may be that he was trained to do so (unusable), or that he needs
it for special circumstances (worth following up). Any excuse will be
lame.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ESTABLISHING THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BEAM WIDTH AND RANGE: Under
HONEYCUTT, a police officer does not need to know the inner workings of his
radar unit in order to have his testimony accepted by the court. The mistake
is made by many persons challenging radar-backed speeding citations is to try
and demonstrate to the court that they know more about radar than the cop that
issued them a ticket.
It really doesn't matter how much you know about radar. All the court wants to
know is how much the officer knows. Few judges have ever questioned the
qualifications of the citing officer. Your job as a defendant is to make the
judge do just exactly that! You will have to plant a seed of doubt in his/her
mind by showing that in several key areas, the officer doesn't know fundamental
aspects of radar.
A. With respect to everyday operation of your radar unit, do you know what its
approximate range is?
- Depending on the model, the answer can range from 3,000 to 7,000 feet.
Refer to second article in this series that will appear in the next
exciting issue of Phrack!
B. At a distance of 1000 feet how wide is the radar beam?
C. About how far from the radar antenna will the beam be when it is width of
one lane of traffic, or about 11 feet?
D. With what degree of certainty can you point your radar's antenna at, say,
the left lane of oncoming traffic and at a distance of, say, 500 feet
be focusing on just that lane of traffic?
- The answer is zero. Anything else and he is wrong.
E. In the stationary mode, you can lock the speed of traffic in either
direction, that is, you can flip the antenna to record traffic going away
from you or traffic coming toward you. Is that correct?
- Yes it is.
F. Can your radar differentiate between traffic direction? For example, if
you're setting along a expressway, and you have your radar unit pointed
toward you oncoming traffic, will your radar unit pick up only oncoming
traffic, or might it also pick up traffic on the other side of the median
strip moving away from you?
- It will pick up traffic in either direction. Any other statement (e.g.
"sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't" is ignorance.)
G. In moving mode, can your radar pick up traffic both coming toward you and
traffic moving away from you?
- The Speedgun 8 is the ONLY radar that can do this. It can only clock cars
coming toward it. No other radar unit can do this!
H. [In the next two questions you will have to draw a picture. Draw a vertical
roadway with a car (#) going up toward the top and the cops car
| . | oriented perpendicular to the road (<:=). Next draw a line that is
| . | perpendicular to the roadway (<---). This is the radar beam. You
| . | should have a slightly larger drawing :) that looks similar to
<-------<:= the one to the left. Hold this up so that the judge and the cop
| . | can see it and ask the following question.]
| .^|
| .#|
In this diagram, the radar is held at right angles to the roadway. A north
bound car driving at 55mph enters into the radar beam. Will the radar unit
pick up the car?
- It cannot. There is NO doppler shift because there is no closing speed
between the vehicle and the radar unit. If he answers correctly, skip to
question "J".
I. [Again you need to draw a picture similar to the one above, but this time
add a car going in the opposite direction, in the other lane of course!
It should look something like the picture below. Now present this to the
cop and the judges and ask the following: (Refer to this as
|#. | fig. `2`)]
|~ |
| . |
<-------<:=
| . |
| .^|
| .#|
In this diagram, two cars are approaching from opposite directions, with the
radar unit sill pointed at right angles on the highway. The north bound car
(right) is going 55mph. The southbound car (left) is going 65mph. Which
car will the radar unit pick up and how will you be able to distinguish
between the two?
- If he even thinks about answering this question he is an idiot. Neither
car will register. (see question `H`)
J. What kind of things will stop the beam? Will underbrush stop the beam or
can you get a reading through tall grass, weeds, and bushes?
- Radar will go through these things.
K. Are there circumstances under which you can obtain the speed of a vehicle
you cannot see? For example, can you obtain the speed of a vehicle around
a corner or over a hill?
- Not in this world.
L. Will your radar beam bounce off a metal surface such as a sign, a car,
a ,metal building, or a steal or concrete overpass?
- Sure will.
M. What happens to the beam when it bounces off a metal object? Could it pick
up the speed of a car at an angle to the direction you have the radar
pointed?
- Yes it will.
N. Could a high power utility transmission line interfere with the radar unit?
- Yup.
O. Could airport radar or military radar interfere with the radar?
- Sure can.
P. Have you ever noticed interference from things like neon signs or street
lights?
- Such things do produce interference
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FINAL QUESTIONS: By now you have either made a enemy of the officer (most
likely outcome) or started him thinking about the incident (if he is a good
police officer). The officer, of course, doesn't know what answers he got
right and what ones he got wrong. Watch for variations between answers, or
especially, any weakening in his determination that yours was the car which
registered on the radar unit.
Questions `N`-`Q` taken together represent critical procedural questions. It
is important to differentiate between an internal calibration check (pushing a
button) and an external check (holding a tuning fork to the antenna).
A. Officer (such and such), let's go back over your recollection of the
incident one last time. Can you relate the facts concerning the citation
as you remember them?
B. Was your audio Doppler engaged at the time of the incident? How loud or
soft was it?
C. What speed was your audio alarm set for? Had you moved it up or down
during your shift?
D. Was your automatic speed lock engaged?
E. Were you using a manual on-off switch?
F. Were you in a stationary or moving mode at the time?
G. Was the defendant coming or going away from you?
H. Did you see other vehicles either in front of or behind the defendant?
Were they varied in size? Were they varied in direction of travel?
I. Was there traffic moving in the same direction as you? (if moving)
J. Did you see the defendant prior to the time your audio alarm sounded?
K. Were you able to obtain an approximate speed reading based on your
visual identification? What was your point of reference?
L. How many seconds elapsed between the time you first observed the defendant
and the time your audio alarm sounded?
M. Were there any power lines in the area? Cars or homes with CB antennas?
Buildings with two-way radio antennas? Had you been talking on your radio?
N. Regarding calibration of the radar unit, using the INTERNAL calibration
function, at what times before and after the citation did you check the
radar?
O. Using an "external tuning fork", at what times before and after the citation
did you check your radar?
P. In your estimation, what is the difference between the internal and external
calibration function?
Q. Do you consider one of the calibration checks to be a more accurate
indicator of accuracy? Which one?
______________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Closing Arguments | If you have done well you will have established a great
|____________________| deal of doubt in the judges mind as to the capability
of the officer in question to operate a radar unit.
You have have set him/her thinking about the "big picture." That is, "Just how
accurate is traffic radars?" This is what you want to achieve but it must be
done in subtle way.
You aren't out of the hole yet! Now that you have established doubt in the
judge's mind you MUST provide testimony that will TIE all the testimony the
officer gave in with YOURS. This is where you have to do the thinking on your
own. It should be very obvious how to do this. Your job is to break down
the testimony. You are looking for 1) Procedural errors, 2) Lack of knowledge
on the part of the officer, 3) Possible radars errors. If you can get him
on two of the three, you are set!
Procedural errors include things like the previously mentioned incorrect
citation. Other procedural errors that are easy to play on is this. The
officer must use an external tuning that is certified as to it's accuracy in
testing the radar unit immediately before he gives a citation. Two court cases
that are examples of this are WISCONSIN v. HANSEN and MINNESOTA v. GERDES.
Simply put, if you are in need of throwing around some weight in court, just
cite these two cases. They are great!
Ignorance on the part of the officer is pretty obvious. If he messes up the
questions, he is ignorant. They are all pretty simple, I think. If a cop does
things like, uses his automatic speed lock or doesn't use his audio doppler, he
is blatantly ignoring his training. Most of the time they will bring a copy of
their training manual to court. Just point it out to them!
There are too many potential radar errors to mention here. You must try to
locate them in the vicinity of where you encounter your ticket. Anything that
transmits on uncommon frequencies is great to note. (e.g. burglar alarms,
garage doors, CB's, Ham Radio, rain, fog, police radio, hospitals, etc, etc.)
In closing, I hope you found this information useful and look forward to the
second part in my series, "Beating the Radar Rap: The Technical Side." This
will be a file where I go into picking apart the actual flaws that specific
radar guns have.
Card-O-Rama: Magnetic Stripe Technology and Beyond
or
"A Day in the Life of a Flux Reversal"
Written by
oooOO Count Zero OOooo
Restricted Data Transmissions
November 22, 1992
Look in your wallet. Chances are you own at least 3 cards that have magnetic
stripes on the back. ATM cards, credit cards, calling cards, frequent flyer
cards, ID cards, passcards,...cards, cards, cards! And chances are you have NO
idea what information is on those stripes or how they are encoded. This
detailed document will enlighten you and hopefully spark your interest in this
fascinating field. None of this info is "illegal"...but MANY organizations
(the government, credit card companies, security firms, etc.) would rather keep
you in the dark. Also, many people will IMMEDIATELY assume that you are a
CRIMINAL if you merely "mention" that you are "interested in how magnetic
stripe cards work." Watch yourself, ok? Just remember that there is nothing
wrong with wanting to know how things work, although in our present society,
you may be labelled a "deviant" (or worse, <gasp> a "hacker")!
Anyway, I will explain in detail how magstripes are encoded and give several
examples of the data found on some common cards. I will also cover the
technical theory behind magnetic encoding, and discuss magnetic encoding
alternatives to magstripes (Wiegand, barium ferrite). Non-magnetic card
technology (bar code, infrared, etc.) will be described. Finally, there will
be an end discussion on security systems and the ramifications of emergent
"smartcard" and biometric technologies.
*DISCLAIMER*
Use this info to EXPLORE, not to EXPLOIT. This text is presented for
informational purposes only, and I cannot be held responsible for anything you
do or any consequences thereof. I do not condone fraud, larceny, or any other
criminal activities.
*A WARNING*
Lately, I've noticed a few "books" and "magazines" for sale that were FILLED
with FILES on a variety of computer topics. These file were originally
released into the Net with the intention of distributing them for FREE.
HOWEVER, these files are now being PACKAGED and sold FOR PROFIT. This really
pisses me off. I am writing this to be SHARED for FREE, and I ask no payment.
Feel free to reprint this in hardcopy format and sell it if you must, but NO
PROFITS must be made. Not a fucking DIME! If ANYONE reprints this file and
tries to sell it FOR A PROFIT, I will hunt you down and make your life
miserable. How? Use your imagination. The reality will be worse.
** MAGSTRIPE FIELDS, HEADS, ENCODING/READING **
Now, I'll get down to business!
First, I am going to explain the basics behind fields, heads, encoding and
reading. Try and absorb the THEORY behind encoding/reading. This will help
you greatly if you ever decide to build your own encoder/reader from scratch
(more on that later). FERROMAGNETIC materials are substances that retain
magnetism after an external magnetizing field is removed. This principle is
the basis of ALL magnetic recording and playback. Magnetic POLES always occur
in pairs within magnetized material, and MAGNETIC FLUX lines emerge from the
NORTH pole and terminate at the SOUTH. The elemental parts of MAGSTRIPES are
ferromagnetic particles about 20 millionths of an inch long, each of which acts
like a tiny bar magnet. These particles are rigidly held together by a resin
binder. The magnetic particles are made by companies which make coloring
pigments for the paint industry, and are usually called pigments. When making
the magstripe media, the elemental magnetic particles are aligned with their
North-South axes parallel to the magnetic stripe by means of an external
magnetic fields while the binder hardens.
These particles are actually permanent bar magnets with TWO STABLE POLARITIES.
If a magnetic particle is placed in a strong external magnetic field of the
opposite polarity, it will FLIP its own polarity (North becomes South, South
becomes North). The external magnetic field strength required to produce this
flip is called the COERCIVE FORCE, or COERCIVITY of the particle. Magnetic
pigments are available in a variety of coercivities (more on that later on).
An unencoded magstripe is actually a series of North-South magnetic domains
(see Figure 1). The adjacent N-S fluxes merge, and the entire stripe acts as a
single bar magnet with North and South poles at its ends.
Figure 1: N-S.N-S.N-S.N-S.N-S.N-S.N-S.N-S <-particles in stripe
---------
represented as-> N-----------------------------S
However, if a S-S interface is created somewhere on the stripe, the fluxes will
REPEL, and we get a concentration of flux lines around the S-S interface (same
with N-N interface). ENCODING consists of creating S-S and N-N interfaces, and
READING consists of (you guessed it) detecting 'em. The S-S and N-N interfaces
are called FLUX REVERSALS.
||| ||| <-flux lines
Figure 2: N------------N-N-S-S-----------------S
--------- flux lines -> ||| |||
The external magnetic field used to flip the polarities is produced by a
SOLENOID, which can REVERSE its polarity by reversing the direction of CURRENT.
An ENCODING head solenoid looks like a bar magnet bent into the shape of a ring
so that the North/South poles are very close and face each other across a tiny
gap. The field of the solenoid is concentrated across this gap, and when
elemental magnetic particles of the magstripe are exposed to this field, they
polarize to the OPPOSITE (unlike poles attract). Movement of the stripe past
the solenoid gap during which the polarity of the solenoid is REVERSED will
produce a SINGLE flux reversal (see Figure 3). To erase a magstripe, the
encoding head is held at a CONSTANT polarity and the ENTIRE stripe is moved
past it. No flux reversals, no data.
| | <----wires leading to solenoid
| | (wrapped around ring)
/-|-|-\
/ \
Figure 3: | | <----solenoid (has JUST changed polarity)
--------- \ /
\ N S / <---gap in ring.. NS polarity across gap
N----------------------SS-N-------------------------S
^^
<<<<<-direction of stripe movement
S-S flux reversal created at trailing edge of solenoid!
So, we now know that flux reversals are only created the INSTANT the solenoid
CHANGES its POLARITY. If the solenoid in Figure 3 were to remain at its
current polarity, no further flux reversals would be created as the magstripe
moves from right to left. But, if we were to change the solenoid gap polarity
>from NS to *SN*, then (you guessed it) a *N-N* flux reversal would instantly be
created. Just remember, for each and every reversal in solenoid polarity, a
single flux reversal is created (commit it to memory). An encoded magstripe is
therefore just a series of flux reversals (NN followed by SS followed by NN).
DATA! DATA! DATA! That's what you want! How the hell are flux reversals read
and interpreted as data? Another solenoid called a READ HEAD is used to detect
these flux reversals. The read head operates on the principle of
ELECTROMAGNETIC RECIPROCITY: current passing thru a solenoid produces a
magnetic field at the gap, therefore, the presence of a magnetic field at the
gap of a solenoid coil will *produce a current in the coil*! The strongest
magnetic fields on a magstripe are at the points of flux reversals. These are
detected as voltage peaks by the reader, with +/- voltages corresponding to
NN/SS flux reversals (remember, flux reversals come in 2 flavors).
See Figure 4.
magstripe---> -------NN--------SS--------NN---------SS------
Figure 4: voltage-----> .......+.........-.........+...........-.....
---------
---------- -------------
peak readout--> | | | |
--------| |----------| |----
The "peak readout" square waveform is critical. Notice that the voltage peak
remains the same until a new flux reversal is encountered.
Now, how can we encode DATA? The most common technique used is known as
Aiken Biphase, or "two-frequency coherent-phase encoding" (sounds impressive,
eh?). First, digest the diagrams in Figure 5.
Figure 5: ---------- ---------- ----------
--------- | | | | | | <- peak
a) | |--------| |--------| | readouts
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -
| | | | | | | | | | |
b) | |----| |----| |----| |----| |----|
* 1 * 1 * 1 * 1 * 1 *
----- ---------- ----- ----- -
| | | | | | | | |
c) | |----| |--------| |----| |----|
* 1 * 0 * 0 * 1 * 1 *
There you have it. Data is encoded in "bit cells," the frequency of which is
the frequency of '0' signals. '1' signals are exactly TWICE the frequency of
'0' signals. Therefore, while the actual frequency of the data passing the
read head will vary due to swipe speed, data density, etc, the '1' frequency
will ALWAYS be TWICE the '0' frequency. Figure 5C shows exactly how '1' and
'0' data exists side by side.
We're getting closer to read DATA! Now, we're all familiar with binary and how
numbers and letters can be represented in binary fashion very easily. There
are obviously an *infinite* number of possible standards, but thankfully the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards
Organization (ISO) have chosen 2 standards. The first is
** ANSI/ISO BCD Data format **
This is a 5-bit Binary Coded Decimal format. It uses a 16-character set, which
uses 4 of the 5 available bits. The 5th bit is an ODD parity bit, which means
there must be an odd number of 1's in the 5-bit character..the parity bit will
"force" the total to be odd. Also, the Least Significant Bits are read FIRST
on the strip. See Figure 6.
The sum of the 1's in each case is odd, thanks to the parity bit. If the read
system adds up the 5 bits and gets an EVEN number, it flags the read as ERROR,
and you got to scan the card again (I *know* a lot of you out there *already*
understand parity, but I got to cover all the bases...not everyone sleeps with
their modem and can recite the entire AT command set at will, you know). See
Figure 6 for details of ANSI/ISO BCD.
Figure 6: ANSI/ISO BCD Data Format
---------
* Remember that b1 (bit #1) is the LSB (least significant bit)!
* The LSB is read FIRST!
* Hexadecimal conversions of the Data Bits are given in parenthesis (xH).
--Data Bits-- Parity
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 Character Function
0 0 0 0 1 0 (0H) Data
1 0 0 0 0 1 (1H) "
0 1 0 0 0 2 (2H) "
1 1 0 0 1 3 (3H) "
0 0 1 0 0 4 (4H) "
1 0 1 0 1 5 (5H) "
0 1 1 0 1 6 (6H) "
1 1 1 0 0 7 (7H) "
0 0 0 1 0 8 (8H) "
1 0 0 1 1 9 (9H) "
0 1 0 1 1 : (AH) Control
1 1 0 1 0 ; (BH) Start Sentinel
0 0 1 1 1 < (CH) Control
1 0 1 1 0 = (DH) Field Separator
0 1 1 1 0 > (EH) Control
1 1 1 1 1 ? (FH) End Sentinel
***** 16 Character 5-bit Set *****
10 Numeric Data Characters
3 Framing/Field Characters
3 Control Characters
The magstripe begins with a string of Zero bit-cells to permit the self-
clocking feature of biphase to "sync" and begin decoding. A "Start Sentinel"
character then tells the reformatting process where to start grouping the
decoded bitstream into groups of 5 bits each. At the end of the data, an "End
Sentinel" is encountered, which is followed by an "Longitudinal Redundancy
Check (LRC) character. The LRC is a parity check for the sums of all b1, b2,
b3, and b4 data bits of all preceding characters. The LRC character will catch
the remote error that could occur if an individual character had two
compensating errors in its bit pattern (which would fool the 5th-bit parity
check).
The START SENTINEL, END SENTINEL, and LRC are collectively called "Framing
Characters", and are discarded at the end of the reformatting process.
** ANSI/ISO ALPHA Data Format **
Alphanumeric data can also be encoded on magstripes. The second ANSI/ISO data
format is ALPHA (alphanumeric) and involves a 7-bit character set with 64
characters. As before, an odd parity bit is added to the required 6 data bits
for each of the 64 characters. See Figure 7.
Figure 7:
--------- ANSI/ISO ALPHA Data Format
* Remember that b1 (bit #1) is the LSB (least significant bit)!
* The LSB is read FIRST!
* Hexadecimal conversions of the Data Bits are given in parenthesis (xH).
------Data Bits------- Parity
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 Character Function
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 space (0H) Special
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 ! (1H) "
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 " (2H) "
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 # (3H) "
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 $ (4H) "
1 0 1 0 0 0 1 % (5H) Start Sentinel
0 1 1 0 0 0 1 & (6H) Special
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 ' (7H) "
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ( (8H) "
1 0 0 1 0 0 1 ) (9H) "
0 1 0 1 0 0 1 * (AH) "
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 + (BH) "
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 , (CH) "
1 0 1 1 0 0 0 - (DH) "
0 1 1 1 0 0 0 . (EH) "
1 1 1 1 0 0 1 / (FH) "
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 (10H) Data (numeric)
1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 (11H) "
0 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 (12H) "
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 (13H) "
0 0 1 0 1 0 1 4 (14H) "
1 0 1 0 1 0 0 5 (15H) "
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 6 (16H) "
1 1 1 0 1 0 1 7 (17H) "
0 0 0 1 1 0 1 8 (18H) "
1 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 (19H) "
0 1 0 1 1 0 0 : (1AH) Special
1 1 0 1 1 0 1 ; (1BH) "
0 0 1 1 1 0 0 < (1CH) "
1 0 1 1 1 0 1 = (1DH) "
0 1 1 1 1 0 1 > (1EH) "
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 ? (1FH) End Sentinel
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 @ (20H) Special
1 0 0 0 0 1 1 A (21H) Data (alpha)
0 1 0 0 0 1 1 B (22H) "
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 C (23H) "
0 0 1 0 0 1 1 D (24H) "
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 E (25H) "
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 F (26H) "
1 1 1 0 0 1 1 G (27H) "
0 0 0 1 0 1 1 H (28H) "
1 0 0 1 0 1 0 I (29H) "
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 J (2AH) "
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 K (2BH) "
0 0 1 1 0 1 0 L (2CH) "
1 0 1 1 0 1 1 M (2DH) "
0 1 1 1 0 1 1 N (2EH) "
1 1 1 1 0 1 0 O (2FH) "
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 P (30H) "
1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Q (31H) "
0 1 0 0 1 1 0 R (32H) "
1 1 0 0 1 1 1 S (33H) "
0 0 1 0 1 1 0 T (34H) "
1 0 1 0 1 1 1 U (35H) "
0 1 1 0 1 1 1 V (36H) "
1 1 1 0 1 1 0 W (37H) "
0 0 0 1 1 1 0 X (38H) "
1 0 0 1 1 1 1 Y (39H) "
0 1 0 1 1 1 1 Z (3AH) "
1 1 0 1 1 1 0 [ (3BH) Special
0 0 1 1 1 1 1 \ (3DH) Special
1 0 1 1 1 1 0 ] (3EH) Special
0 1 1 1 1 1 0 ^ (3FH) Field Separator
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 _ (40H) Special
***** 64 Character 7-bit Set *****
* 43 Alphanumeric Data Characters
* 3 Framing/Field Characters
* 18 Control/Special Characters
The two ANSI/ISO formats, ALPHA and BCD, allow a great variety of data to be
stored on magstripes. Most cards with magstripes use these formats, but
occasionally some do not. More about those later on.
** Tracks and Encoding Protocols **
Now we know how the data is stored. But WHERE is the data stored on the
magstripe? ANSI/ISO standards define *3* Tracks, each of which is used for
different purposes. These Tracks are defined only by their location on the
magstripe, since the magstripe as a whole is magnetically homogeneous. See
Figure 8.
Figure 8:
--------- <edge of card>
_________________________________________________________________
| ^ ^ ^
|------------------| 0.223"--|---------|-------------------------
| | | 0.353" | ^
|..................|.........|.........| 0.493" |
| Track #1 0.110" | | |
|............................|.........|... <MAGSTRIPE>
| | | |
|............................|.........|... |
| Track #2 0.110" | |
|......................................|... |
| | |
|......................................|... |
| Track #3 0.110" |
|.......................................... |
| |
|------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| <body of card>
|
You can see the exact distances of each track from the edge of the card, as
well as the uniform width and spacing. Place a magstripe card in front of you
with the magstripe visible at the bottom of the card. Data is encoded from
left to right (just like reading a book). See Figure 9.
Figure 9:
--------- ANSI/ISO Track 1,2,3 Standards
Track Name Density Format Characters Function
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 IATA 210 bpi ALPHA 79 Read Name & Account
2 ABA 75 bpi BCD 40 Read Account
3 THRIFT 210 bpi BCD 107 Read Account &
*Encode* Transaction
*** Track 1 Layout: ***
| SS | FC | PAN | Name | FS | Additional Data | ES | LRC |
SS=Start Sentinel "%"
FC=Format Code
PAN=Primary Acct. # (19 digits max)
FS=Field Separator "^"
Name=26 alphanumeric characters max.
Additional Data=Expiration Date, offset, encrypted PIN, etc.
ES=End Sentinel "?"
LRC=Longitudinal Redundancy Check
*** Track 2 Layout: ***
| SS | PAN | FS | Additional Data | ES | LRC |
SS=Start Sentinel ";"
PAN=Primary Acct. # (19 digits max)
FS=Field Separator "="
Additional Data=Expiration Date, offset, encrypted PIN, etc.
ES=End Sentinel "?"
LRC=Longitudinal Redundancy Check
*** Track 3 Layout: ** Similar to tracks 1 and 2. Almost never used.
Many different data standards used.
Track 2, "American Banking Association," (ABA) is most commonly used. This
is the track that is read by ATMs and credit card checkers. The ABA designed
the specifications of this track and all world banks must abide by it. It
contains the cardholder's account, encrypted PIN, plus other discretionary
data.
Track 1, named after the "International Air Transport Association," contains
the cardholder's name as well as account and other discretionary data. This
track is sometimes used by the airlines when securing reservations with a
credit card; your name just "pops up" on their machine when they swipe your
card!
Since Track 1 can store MUCH more information, credit card companies are trying
to urge retailers to buy card readers that read Track 1. The *problem* is that
most card readers read either Track 1 or Track 2, but NOT BOTH! And the
installed base of readers currently is biased towards Track 2. VISA USA is at
the front of this 'exodus' to Track 1, to the point where they are offering
Track 1 readers at reduced prices thru participating banks. A spokesperson for
VISA commented:
"We think that Track 1 represents more flexibility and the potential
to deliver more information, and we intend to build new services
around the increased information."
What new services? We can only wait and see.
Track 3 is unique. It was intended to have data read and WRITTEN on it.
Cardholders would have account information UPDATED right on the magstripe.
Unfortunately, Track 3 is pretty much an orphaned standard. Its *original*
design was to control off-line ATM transactions, but since ATMs are now on-line
ALL THE TIME, it's pretty much useless. Plus the fact that retailers and banks
would have to install NEW card readers to read that track, and that costs $$.
Encoding protocol specifies that each track must begin and end with a length
of all Zero bits, called CLOCKING BITS. These are used to synch the self-
clocking feature of biphase decoding. See Figure 10.
Figure 10: end sentinel
start sentinel | longitudinal redundancy check
| | |
000000000000000 SS.................ES LRC 0000000000000000
leading data, data, data trailing
clocking bits clocking bits
(length varies) (length varies)
THAT'S IT!!! There you have the ANSI/ISO STANDARDS! Completely explained.
Now, the bad news. NOT EVERY CARD USES IT! Credit cards and ATM cards will
follow these standards. BUT, there are many other types of cards out there.
Security passes, copy machine cards, ID badges, and EACH of them may use a
PROPRIETARY density/format/track-location system. ANSI/ISO is REQUIRED for
financial transaction cards used in the international interbank network. All
other cards can play their own game.
The good news. MOST other cards follow the standards, because it's EASY to
follow a standard instead of WORKING to make your OWN! Most magstripe cards
other than credit cards and ATM cards will use the same Track specifications,
and use either BCD or ALPHA formats.
** A Bit About Magstripe Equipment **
"Wow, now I know how to interpret all that data on magstripes! But.waitasec,
what kind of equipment do I need to read the stripes? Where can I buy a
reader? I don't see any in Radio Shack!!"
Sorry, but magstripe equipment is hard to come by. For obvious reasons, card
readers are not made commonly available to consumers. How to build one is the
topic for another file (this file is already too long).
Your best bets are to try and scope out Electronics Surplus Stores and flea
markets. Do not even bother trying to buy one directly from a manufacturer,
since they will immediately assume you have "criminal motives." And as for
getting your hands on a magstripe ENCODER...well, good luck! Those rare
beauties are worth their weight in gold. Keep your eyes open and look around,
and MAYBE you'll get lucky! A bit of social engineering can go a LONG way.
There are different kinds of magstripe readers/encoders. The most common ones
are "swipe" machines: the type you have to physically slide the card thru.
Others are "insertion" machines: like ATM machines they 'eat' your card, then
regurgitate it after the transaction. Costs are in the thousands of dollars,
but like I said, flea markets and surplus stores will often have GREAT deals
on these things. Another problem is documentation for these machines. If you
call the manufacturer and simply ask for 'em, they will probably deny you the
literature. "Hey son, what are you doing with our model XYZ swipe reader?
That belongs in the hands of a "qualified" merchant or retailer, not some punk
kid trying to "find out how things work!" Again, some social engineering may
be required. Tell 'em you're setting up a new business. Tell 'em you're
working on a science project. Tell 'em anything that works!
2600 Magazine recently had a good article on how to build a machine that copies
magstripe cards. Not much info on the actual data formats and encoding
schemes, but the device described is a start. With some modifications, I bet
you could route the output to a dumb terminal (or thru a null modem cable) in
order to READ the data. Worth checking out the schematics.
As for making your own cards, just paste a length of VCR, reel-to-reel, or
audio cassette tape to a cut-out posterboard or plastic card. Works just as
good as the real thing, and useful to experiment with if you have no expired or
'dead' ATM or calling cards lying around (SAVE them, don't TOSS them!).
** Examples of Data on Magstripes **
The real fun in experimenting with magstripe technology is READING cards to
find out WHAT THE HELL is ON them! Haven't you wondered? The following cards
are the result of my own 'research'. Data such as specific account numbers and
names has been changed to protect the innocent. None the cards used to make
this list were stolen or acquired illegally.
Notice that I make careful note of "common data." This is data that I noticed
was the same for all cards of a particular type. This is highlighted below the
data with asterisks (*). Where I found varying data, I indicate it with "x"'s.
In those cases, NUMBER of CHARACTERS was consistent (the number of "x"'s equals
the number of characters...one to one relationship).
I still don't know what some of the data fields are for, but hopefully I will
be following this file with a sequel after I collect more data. It ISN'T easy
to find lots of cards to examine. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to
help! "Hey, can I, ahh, like BORROW your MCI calling card tonight? I'm
working on an, ahh, EXPERIMENT. Please?" Just...be honest! Also, do some
trashing. People will often BEND expired cards in half, then throw them out.
Simply bend them back into their normal shape, and they'll usually work (I've
done it!). They may be expired, but they're not ERASED!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=Mastercard=- Number on front of card -> 1111 2222 3333 4444
Expiration date -> 12/99
Track 2 (BCD,75 bpi)-> ;1111222233334444=99121010000000000000?
***
Track 1 (ALPHA,210 bpi)-> %B1111222233334444^PUBLIC/JOHN?
*
Note that the "101" was common to all MC cards checked, as well as the "B".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=VISA=- Number on front of card -> 1111 2222 3333 4444
Expiration date -> 12/99
Track 2 (BCD,75 bpi)-> ;1111222233334444=9912101xxxxxxxxxxxxx?
***
Track 1 (ALPHA,210 bpi)-> %B1111222233334444^PUBLIC/JOHN^9912101xxxxxxxxxxxxx?
*
Note that the "101" was common to all VISA cards checked, as well as the "B".
Also, the "xxx" indicates numeric data that varied from card to card, with no
apparent pattern. I believe this is the encrypted pin for use when cardholders
get 'cash advances' from ATMs. In every case, tho, I found *13* digits of the
stuff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=Discover=- Number on front of card -> 1111 2222 3333 4444
Expiration date -> 12/99
Track 2 (BCD,75 bpi)-> ;1111222233334444=991210100000?
********
Track 1 (ALPHA,210 bpi)-> %B1111222233334444^PUBLIC/JOHN___^991210100000?
********
Note, the "10100000" and "B" were common to most DISCOVER cards checked. I
found a few that had "10110000" instead. Don't know the significance. Note
the underscores after the name JOHN. I found consistently that the name data
field had *26* characters. Whatever was left of the field after the name was
"padded" with SPACES. So...for all of you with names longer than 25 (exclude
the "/") characters, PREPARE to be TRUNCATED! ;)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=US Sprint FON=- Number on front of card -> 111 222 3333 4444
Track 2 (BCD,75 bpi)-> ;xxxxxx11122233339==xxx4444xxxxxxxxxx=?
*
Track 1 (ALPHA,210 bpi)-> %B^ /^^xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?
*
Strange. None of the cards I check had names in the Track 1 fields. Track 1
looks unused, yet it was always formatted with field separators. The "xxx"
stuff varied from card to card, and I didn't see a pattern. I know it isn't
a PIN, so it must be account data.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=Fleet Bank=- Number on front of card -> 111111 222 3333333
Expiration date -> 12/99
Track 2 (BCD,75 bpi)-> ;1111112223333333=9912120100000000xxxx?
****
Track 1 (ALPHA,210 bpi) ->
%B1111112223333333^PUBLIC/JOHN___^9912120100000000000000xxxx000000?
* ****
Note that the "xxx" data varied. This is the encrypted PIN offset. Always 4
digits (hmmm...). The "1201" was always the same. In fact, I tried many ATM
cards from DIFFERENT BANKS...and they all had "1201".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Can't leave *this* one out ;)
-=Radio Shack=- Number on front of card -> 1111 222 333333
NO EXPIRATION data on card
Track 2 (BCD,75 dpi)-> ;1111222333333=9912101?
*******
Note that the "9912101" was the SAME for EVERY Radio Shack card I saw. Looks
like when they don't have 'real' data to put in the expiration date field, they
have to stick SOMETHING in there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's all I'm going to put out right now. As you can see, the major
types of cards (ATMs, CC) all follow the same rules more or less. I checked
out a number of security passcards and timeclock entry cards..and they ALL had
random stuff written to Track 2. Track 2 is by FAR the MOST utilized track on
the card. And the format is pretty much always ANSI/ISO BCD. I *did* run into
some hotel room access cards that, when scanned, were GARBLED. They most
likely used a character set other than ASCII (if they were audio tones, my
reader would have put out NOTHING...as opposed to GARBLED data). As you can
see, one could write a BOOK listing different types of card data. I intended
only to give you some examples. My research has been limited, but I tried to
make logical conclusions based on the data I received.
** Cards of All Flavors **
People wanted to store A LOT of data on plastic cards. And they wanted that
data to be 'invisible' to cardholders. Here are the different card
technologies that were invented and are available today.
HOLLERITH - With this system, holes are punched in a plastic or paper card and
read optically. One of the earliest technologies, it is now seen
as an encoded room key in hotels. The technology is not secure,
but cards are cheap to make.
BAR CODE - The use of bar codes is limited. They are cheap, but there is
virtually no security and the bar code strip can be easily damaged.
INFRARED - Not in widespread use, cards are factory encoded by creating a
"shadow pattern" within the card. The card is passed thru a swipe
or insertion reader that uses an infrared scanner. Infrared card
pricing is moderate to expensive, and encoding is pretty secure.
Infrared scanners are optical and therefore vulnerable to
contamination.
PROXIMITY - Hands-free operation is the primary selling point of this card.
Although several different circuit designs are used, all proximity
cards permit the transmission of a code simply by bringing the card
near the reader (6-12"). These cards are quite thick, up to
0.15" (the ABA standard is 0.030"!).
WIEGAND - Named after its inventor, this technology uses a series of small
diameter wires that, when subjected to a changing magnetic field,
induce a discrete voltage output in a sensing coil. Two rows of
wires are embedded in a coded strip. When the wires move past
the read head, a series of pulses is read and interpreted as binary
code. This technology produces cards that are VERY hard to copy
or alter, and cards are moderately expensive to make. Readers
based on this tech are epoxy filled, making them immune to weather
conditions, and neither card nor readers are affected by external
magnetic fields (don't worry about leaving these cards on top of
the television set...you can't hurt them!). Here's an example of
the layout of the wires in a Wiegand strip:
||| || || | ||| | || || | || || | | ||
| | | | | | |||| || |||| ||
The wires are NOT visible from the outside of the card, but if
your card is white, place it in front of a VERY bright light source
and peer inside. Notice that the spacings between the wires is
uniform.
BARIUM FERRITE - The oldest magnetic encoding technology (been around for 40
yrs!) it uses small bits of magnetized barium ferrite that are
placed inside a plastic card. The polarity and location of
the "spots" determines the coding. These cards have a short
life cycle, and are used EXTENSIVELY in parking lots (high
turnover rate, minimal security). Barium Ferrite cards are
ONLY used with INSERTION readers.
There you have the most commonly used cards. Magstripes are common because
they are CHEAP and relatively secure.
** Magstripe Coercivity **
Magstripes themselves come in different flavors. The COERCIVITY of the
magnetic media must be specified. The coercivity is the magnetic field
strength required to demagnetize an encoded stripe, and therefore determines
the encode head field strength required to encode the stripe. A range of media
coercivities are available ranging from 300 Oersteds to 4,000 Oe. That boils
down to HIGH-ENERGY magstripes (4,000 Oe) and LOW-ENERGY magstripes (300 Oe).
REMEMBER: since all magstripes have the same magnetic remanence regardless of
their coercivity, readers CANNOT tell the difference between HIGH and LOW
energy stripes. Both are read the same by the same machines.
LOW-ENERGY media is most common. It is used on all financial cards, but its
disadvantage is that it is subject to accidental demagnetization from contact
with common magnets (refrigerator, TV magnetic fields, etc.). But these cards
are kept safe in wallets and purses most of the time.
HIGH-ENERGY media is used for ID Badges and access control cards, which are
commonly used in 'hostile' environments (worn on uniform, used in stockrooms).
Normal magnets will not affect these cards, and low-energy encoders cannot
write to them.
** Not All that Fluxes is Digital **
Not all magstripe cards operate on a digital encoding method. SOME cards
encode AUDIO TONES, as opposed to digital data. These cards are usually
used with old, outdated, industrial-strength equipment where security is not an
issue and not a great deal of data need be encoded on the card. Some subway
passes are like this. They require only expiration data on the magstripe, and
a short series of varying frequencies and durations are enough. Frequencies
will vary with the speed of swiping, but RELATIVE frequencies will remain the
same (for instance, tone 1 is twice the freq. of tone 2, and .5 the freq of
tone 3, regardless of the original frequencies!). Grab an oscilloscope to
visualize the tones, and listen to them on your stereo. I haven't experimented
with these types of cards at all.
** Security and Smartcards **
Many security systems utilize magstripe cards, in the form of passcards and ID
cards. It's interesting, but I found in a NUMBER of cases that there was a
serious FLAW in the security of the system. In these cases, there was a code
number PRINTED on the card. When scanned, I found this number encoded on the
magstripe. Problem was, the CODE NUMBER was ALL I found on the magstripe!
Meaning, by just looking at the face of the card, I immediately knew exactly
what was encoded on it. Ooops! Makes it pretty damn easy to just glance at
Joe's card during lunch, then go home and pop out my OWN copy of Joe's access
card! Fortunately, I found this flaw only in 'smaller' companies (sometimes
even universities). Bigger companies seem to know better, and DON'T print
ALL of the magstripe data right on card in big, easily legible numbers. At
least the big companies *I* checked. ;)
Other security blunders include passcard magstripes encoded ONLY with the
owner's social security number (yeah, real difficult to find out a person's
SS#...GREAT idea), and having passcards with only 3 or 4 digit codes.
Smartcard technology involves the use of chips embedded in plastic cards, with
pinouts that temporarily contact the card reader equipment. Obviously, a GREAT
deal of data could be stored in this way, and unauthorized duplication would be
very difficulty. Interestingly enough, not much effort is being put into
smartcards by the major credit card companies. They feel that the tech is too
expensive, and that still more data can be squeezed onto magstripe cards in the
future (especially Track 1). I find this somewhat analogous to the use of
metallic oxide disk media. Sure, it's not the greatest (compared to erasable-
writable optical disks), but it's CHEAP..and we just keep improving it.
Magstripes will be around for a long time to come. The media will be refined,
and data density increased. But for conventional applications, the vast
storage capabilities of smartcards are just not needed.
** Biometrics: Throw yer cards away! **
I'd like to end with a mention of biometrics: the technology based on reading
the physical attributes of an individual thru retina scanning, signature
verification, voice verification, and other means. This was once limited to
government use and to supersensitive installations. However, biometrics will
soon acquire a larger market share in access control sales because much of its
development stage has passed and costs will be within reach of more buyers.
Eventually, we can expect biometrics to replace pretty much ALL cards..because
all those plastic cards in your wallet are there JUST to help COMPANIES
*identify* YOU. And with biometrics, they'll know you without having to read
cards.
I'm not paranoid, nor do I subscribe to any grand "corporate conspiracy," but I
find it a bit unsettling that our physical attributes will most likely someday
be sitting in the cool, vast electronic databases of the CORPORATE world.
Accessible by anyone willing to pay. Imagine CBI and TRW databases with your
retina image, fingerprint, and voice pattern online for instant, convenient
retrieval. Today, a person can CHOOSE NOT to own a credit card or a bank
card...we can cut up our plastic ID cards! Without a card, a card reader is
useless and cannot identify you.
Paying in cash makes you invisible! However, with biometrics, all a machine
has to do is watch... listen...and record. With government/corporate America
pushing all the buttons. "Are you paying in cash?..Thank you...Please look
into the camera. Oh, I see your name is Mr. Smith...uh, oh...my computer tells
me you haven't paid your gas bill...afraid I'm going to have to keep this money
and credit your gas account with it....do you have any more cash?...or would
you rather I garnish your paycheck?" heh heh
** Closing Notes (FINALLY!!!!) **
Whew...this was one MOTHER of a file. I hope it was interesting, and I hope
you distribute it to all you friends. This file was a production of
"Restricted Data Transmissions"...a group of techies based in the Boston area
that feel that "Information is Power"...and we intend to release a number of
highly technical yet entertaining files in the coming year....LOOK FOR THEM!!
Tomorrow I'm on my way to Xmascon '91... we made some slick buttons
commemorating the event...if you ever see one of them (green wreath.XMASCON
1991 printed on it).hang on to it!... it's a collector's item.. (hahahah)
Boy, I'm sleepy...
Remember.... "Truth is cheap, but information costs!"
But -=RDT is gonna change all that... ;) set the info FREE!
Peace.
..oooOO Count Zero OOooo..
Usual greets to Magic Man, Brian Oblivion, Omega, White Knight, and anyone
else I ever bummed a cigarette off.
(1/18/92 addition: Greets to everyone I met at Xmascon..including but not
excluding Crimson Death, Dispater, Sterling, Mack Hammer, Erik Bloodaxe,
Holistic Hacker, Pain Hertz, Swamp Ratte, G.A.Ellsworth, Phaedrus, Moebius,
Lord MacDuff, Judge Dredd, and of course hats off to *Drunkfux* for organizing
and taking responsibility for the whole damn thing. Hope to see all of you
at SummerCon '92! Look for Cyber-striper GIFs at a BBS near you..heh heh)
Comments, criticisms, and discussions about this file are welcome. I can be
reached at:
count0@world.std.com
count0@spica.bu.edu
count0@atdt.org
Magic Man and I are the sysops of the BBS "ATDT"...located somewhere in
Massachusetts. Great message bases, technical discussions...data made
flesh...electronic underground.....our own Internet address (atdt.org)...
field trips to the tunnels under MIT in Cambridge.....give it a call..
mail me for more info.. ;)
<:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:>\|/<:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:>
<:=--=:> <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> >>>>>=-* Users Guide to VAX/VMS *-=<<<<< <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> Part II of III <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> Part C: Using the Utilities <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> Part D: Advanced Guide to VAX/VMS <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> By Black Kat <:=--=:>
<:=--=:> <:=--=:>
<:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:>/|\<:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:><:=--=:>
Index
~~~~~
Part C contains information on the following topics:
o Help Utility o Phone Utility
o Backup Utility o Library Utility
o Mail Utility o Sort Utility
Part D contains information on the following topics:
o Subprocesses o DECnet
o Attaching to a Process o Proxy Access
o Interrupting a Process o Task-to-Task Communication
o Batch Processing o Remote Printing
o Controlling Batch Jobs o VAXclusters
<:=- Part C : Using the Utilities -=:>
Help Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The VAX/VMS Help Utility is almost like having a DCL dictionary online. It
includes an explanation of each DCL command and can optionally explain valid
command parameters. Help also provides information about other VAX/VMS
utilities and system services.
There are two modes available for the help utility. If you know the DCL
command, utility or system service you want more information about, use direct
mode. If you don't know the command, use query mode. Query mode can also be
used to see which other commands and other subjects are referenced by the help
utility.
To use query mode, just type HELP <enter> at the DCL command level. Help will
display an alphabetical listing of all DCL commands and other topics for which
information is available and you will be prompted with: "Topic?"
You can exit Help by pressing <enter> or <Ctrl-C> or <Ctrl-Z> or get
information by typing in the command or subject name followed by <enter>. When
you request information on a command, Help will display details including how
the command is invoked, what it does and the default values. Most topics will
have subtopics available which will be listed alphabetically followed by the
prompt: "COMMAND-NAME Subtopic?"
You can select subtopic help or press <enter> to return to the "Topic?" prompt.
If you want to see all the information available on a command, type in "HELP
command_name ..." or "HELP command_name *".
To use direct mode, enter HELP topic_name <enter>. This will bypass the
listing of available topic. Additionally, you can enter a valid DCL command
with or without qualifiers in this mode. For example, to get information on
the DCL SET command /TERMINAL qualifier, you could enter $ HELP SET TERMINAL.
The help utility will provide information on the SET/TERMINAL command and
prompt you for another subtopic since information on other qualifiers is
available.
For more information and details on the help utility, you can use:
$ HELP HINTS or $ HELP HELP/INSTRUCTIONS.
Backup Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The backup utility is usually used by system managers to back up system disks,
insuring a recent copy of data should the system disks become unreliable.
Generally, the system disks are backed up to magnetic tape or removable disk
packs, which are then removed and stored in a save location offline. Users may
use the backup utility on files in their own accounts to make copies for safe
keeping, transferring to another system, or for offline storage.
To use the backup utility, you have to decide what you want to back up, and how
you want it done. You have the following options:
Selective : Files are backed up according to a specified criteria.
Qualifiers (e.g. /DATE) and file specifications (e.g. *.TXT)
are used for specifying these criteria.
File by File: Individual files or entire file directories are backed up.
Directories are created when copying, unlike the copy command.
Incremental : Saves file created since the most recent backup. Usually
performed by system operators.
Physical : An exact duplicate of a volume is saved. All file structures
are ignored and the copy is a bit-by-bit duplicate.
Image : A functionally equivalent copy of the original volume is
created. Typically done on bootable volumes and system disks.
To back up files to a subdirectory: $ BACKUP F1.TXT,F2.TXT,*.DAT [BY.JUNK]
To copy a directory tree: $ BACKUP [dir...]file_spec [dir...]file_spec
To copy disk volumes: $ MOUNT/FOREIGN DJA1:
$ BACKUP/IMAGE DUA2: DUA1:
To copy to tape: $ INITIALIXE MUA0: TAPE (the first time its used)
$ MOUNT/FOREIGH MUA0:
MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, TAPE mounted on __MUA0:
$ BACKUP [.DRV]MV_DYDRV.MAR MUA0:[]MV_DYDRV.MAR
A save set is a single file containing multiple files that have been backed up.
To make a save set:
$ MOUNT/FOREIGN MUA0:
MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, TAPE mounted on __MUA0:
$ BACKUP DUB1:[BY.JUNK]*.*;* MUA0:08JUN.BAK/SAVE_SET
A single file can be retrieved from a save set by using the /SELECT qualifier.
For example, to restore the file LOGIN.COM from the previously backed up save
set:
$ MOUNT/FOREIGH MUA0:
MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, TAPE mounted on __MUA0:
$ BACKUP
__From: MUA0:08:JUN.BAK/SAVE_SET/SELECT=[BY.JUNK]LOGIN.COM
__To: *.*
Listing a save set: $ MOUNT/FOREIGN MUA0:
MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, TAPE mounted on __MUA0:
$ BACKUP/LIST MUA0:08JUN.BAK/SAVE_SET
Selective backups: $ BACKUP *.*/SINCE=12-APR-1988 MUA0:08JUN.BAK/SAVE_SET
$ BACKUP
__From: *.*/SINCE=12-APR-1988/EXCLUDE=[*.TMP,*.LOG]
__To: MUA0:08JUN.BAK/SAVE_SET
The following is a list of some other qualifiers you'll find useful.
Qualifier Function
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/LOG Writes log message to terminal as each backup file is written.
/VERIFY Verifies the copy or save set with the original after copy.
/CONFIRM Display each filename and ask for confirmation before copy.
/DELETE Deletes source file after destination file written.
Mail Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you receive new mail, a message will be sent to your terminal unless the
/NOBROATCAST qualifier has been specified with the SET TERMINAL command. Mail
is an interactive utility that understands many commands in a format identical
to DCL commands. The utility is invoked by typing "$ MAIL" at the DCL command
level. Mail has a built in help feature which works the same way as the
VAX/VMS Help Utility. Mail may be sent interactively or directly.
Interactive implies the use of the mail utility in conversational mode by
invoking mail at the DCL command level. After invoking the mail utility, use
the SEND command, and mail will prompt you for the name of the user(s) you want
to send the mail to, your name, the subject, and the message text which you
will terminate with <Ctrl-Z>. When you press <Ctrl-Z> the message is sent and
you are returned to the mail prompt where you can type EXIT to quit.
To send mail in direct mode from the DCL command line, use the following
format: $ MAIL file_spec user /SUBJECT="character string" where "file_spec"
is a valid VAX/VMS file specification containing the body of your mail message
and "user" is the name of a user on your local system or remote node. The
/SUBJECT qualifier is optional.
To send mail to multiple users (like a mailing list) create a file with a list
of the account names of every user you want to receive the message. Then enter
@FILENAME at the "To:" prompt and each user listed in the distribution list
will receive a copy of your mail. A distribution list may also contain another
distribution list by preceeding the second name with an at sign (@). Comments
are included by using an exclamation point (!). The following is a sample
distribution list:
! VAX.DIS
!
! Staff
JONES
OPER
BYNON
!
! Accounting personnel
@ACTLIST
To read your mail, just type MAIL <enter> and you will be told how many
messages you have waiting. Read is the default command, so you can just
press <enter> to start reading them. To reply to a message, use the REPLY or
ANSWER commands and the mail utility will fill out the header information
automatically. You can store your mail in folders for later reference. The
system has three default folders (MAIL, NEWMAIL, and WASTEBASKET).
MAIL is the default mail folder and always exists. It is used to store mail
messages after you've read them unless you file these messages in other folders
you've created.
The NEWMAIL folder stores mail messages before you read them, like a mailbox.
They're automatically moved to the MAIL folder after you've read them unless
you specify a different destination folder with the MOVE command.
The WASTEBASKET folder is a temporary folder used to store messages that have
been deleted. These messages remain in the WASTEBASKET folder until you exit
the mail utility, at which time they're thrown out permanently.
To create new folders, select a message and enter the MOVE command. If you
attempt to move a message to a nonexistent folder, you'll be asked if you want
to create a new folder. For example:
MAIL> 11
MAIL> MOVE MEMOS
Folder MEMOS does not exist. Create it (Y/N, default is N)? Y
MAIL-NEWFOLDER, folder MEMOS created MAIL>
The SELECT command allows you to move from one folder to another. For example,
if you type SELECT JUNK at the "MAIL>" prompt, you will be moved to the JUNK
folder, and mail will respond with the number of messages contained in the new
folder.
The DELETE command accepts a message number as a parameter or deletes the
current message if a message number is not supplied. To delete a folder, just
delete all the messages in that folder with the DELETE qualifier /ALL.
To log a mail message to a file, use the EXTRACT qualifier. If the /NOHEADER
qualifier is used, the header information will not be included. For example:
EXTRACT/NOHEADER MEMO.TXT will save the currently selected message to a file
named MEMO.TXT.
For more information on the mail utility, use mail's HELP command.
Phone Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The VAX/VMS Phone Utility allows you to talk to other users on your system. It
simulates a real telephone with such features as call holding, conference calls
and telephone directories. The Phone utility only works with VT100, VT200 or
compatible terminals.
To call someone with the phone utility, enter "$ PHONE username" where username
is the person you want to talk to. Your screen will split horizontally in half
and indicate that the phone utility is ringing the other person. Your half of
the conversation will be displayed on the top of the screen and the other
person's will appear on the lower half.
The phone utility may also be used interactively by entering "$ PHONE", and you
will now be given the phone prompt (%). You can enter commands directly now
(e.g. "% DIRECTORY"). The phone utility has an online help facility just like
the mail utility.
Library Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes its easier to maintain a single file instead of a group of related
files. The VAX/VMS Library Utility lets you create and maintain a specially
formatted file called a library in which you can store groups of single files
called modules. Predefined libraries include text, help, object, sharable
image and macro. Many VAX/VMS utilities such as HELP and LINK are capable of
processing library files. Unless you're a programmer or system manager,
you'll probably only use text and help libraries.
To create a library use the LIBRARY command's /type qualifier and the /CREATE
qualifier. The /type qualifiers are: /TEXT, /SHARE, /HELP, /OBJECT, /MACRO.
For example to create a text library named BOOK.TLB:
$ LIBRARY/TEXT/CREATE BOOK.
You may optionally specify a list of files to be included in a library when it
is created. For example:
$ LIBRARY/TEXT/CREATE BOOK TOC,C1,C2,INDEX
To list the names of modules in a library, use the /LIST qualifier:
$ LIBRARY/TEXT/LIST BOOK
Directory of TEXT library BOOK.TLB;1 on 12-JUN-1989 14:12:07
TOC
C1
C2
INDEX
You can also display a history of updates made to the library by using the
/HISTORY qualifier with the /LIST qualifier.
To add modules to an existing library, use the /INSERT qualifier:
$ LIBRARY/TEXT/INSERT BOOK CH3
To update a module in a library, do the following:
o Extract the module to be updated with the /EXTRACT qualifier.
o Make the necessary changes.
o Write over the old module with the /REPLACE qualifier.
For example: $ LIBRARY/TEXT/EXTRACT BOOK CH2
$ EDIT CHAP2.TXT
.
. (edit the file)
.
$ LIBRARY/TEXT/REPLACE BOOK CH2
Sort Utility
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The VAX/VMS Sort Utility will reorganize records within a file. The simplest
form of the sort command will organize records in ascending alphabetical order.
For example, to sort BOOK.TXT, you could issue the command:
$ SORT BOOK.TXT SORTED.TXT
The Sort utility sorts on the first character of the field in each record in
the input file. If there is more than one field or column in a record, the
entire record is ordered, not just the first field.
Here's an example of sorting in descending order numerically with multiple
fields. The sample data file JUNK.TXT contains two fields of data. The first
field contains a name, and the second field, starting in column 9 contains the
two-digit number we're sorting by:
PAT 47
PAT 47
JIM 09
TOM 23
RICH 43
GARY 02
KURT 13
KEVIN 27
Sort the file: $ SORT/KEY=(POSITION=9,SIZE=2,DESCENDING) JUNK.TXT SORTED.TXT
The sorted file (SORTED.TXT) will now look like this:
PAT 47
RICH 43
KEVIN 27
TOM 23
KURT 13
JIM 09
GARY 02
<:=- Part D : Advanced Guide to VAX/VMS -=:>
Subprocesses
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A major benefit of the VAX/VMS operating system is its support of multi-
processing. This is not restricted to multiple users logged into different
terminals however. VAX/VMS users may create multiple processes known as
subprocesses from within their main processes.
The DCL SPAWN command is used to create a subprocess. The SPAWN command will
create a subprocess with the attributes (default directory, privileges, memory,
etc.) of its parent process unless otherwise specified. For example:
$ SPAWN
% DCL-S-SPAWNED, process BYNON_1 spawned
% DCL-S-ATTACHED, terminal now attached to process BYNON_1
In this case, the parent process is put into hibernation, the subprocess is
given control of the keyboard, and we are left at the DCL prompt. You can now
enter any DCL commands, utilities, or other programs. To return to the parent
process, just $ LOGOUT of the subprocess:
$ LOGOUT
Process BYNON_1 logged out at 12-JUL-1981 13:04:17.10
$ DCL-S-RETURNED, control returned to process BYNON
The SPAWN qualifier /NOLOG can be used to suppress the informational messages
generated when a subprocess is created or logged out. DCL Commands, procedures
and VAX/VMS images (utilities and programs) may be executed directly with SPAWN
by entering the correct syntax for the command or procedure after the SPAWN
command. For example: $ SPAWN/NOLOG MAIL
If you have a task that can execute without user intervention (e.g. a program
compiler), you can spawn a task to run as a background process to your current
process. For example: $ SPAWN/NOWAIT FORTRAN VAXBBS
The SPAWN qualifier /NOWAIT spawns the task to run concurrently (parallel) to
the parent process. Both processes will share the terminal and any messages
>from the background task will be displayed at the terminal. To avoid possible
conflicts, use the /OUTPUT qualifier:
$ SPAWN/NOWAIT/OUTPUT=COMPILE.LOG FORTRAN.VAXBBS
When the job in the subprocess is complete it will terminate and be removed
>from the system.
ATTACHing to a Process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can use the DCL ATTACH command to connect your keyboard to any process or
subprocess you've created. To exit from BYNON_1 back to BYNON with the ATTACH
command, enter "$ ATTACH BYNON" and the subprocess hibernates while you are
returned to the parent process.
Interrupting a Process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can interrupt a process at anytime to create a subprocess by pressing
<Ctrl-Y> and then using the SPAWN command. When you're done working with the
subprocess and have returned to the interrupted process, type CONTINUE to start
processing again where you left off. Some VAX/VMS utilities, such as MAIL,
support SPAWN intrinsically, so you can spawn a process within these utilities
by entering the SPAWN command without pressing <Ctrl-Y> first.
Batch Processing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The SUBMIT command was briefly discussed in Part II: Programming the VAX. A
batch job is one or more DCL command procedures that execute from a detached
process with your privileges and quotas. The controller of the process is the
batch queue which accepts jobs via the SUBMIT command. Batch jobs execute
without user interaction, permitting you to use your terminal for interactive
work while the system executes the batch job (command procedure). Batch jobs
are used to execute tasks that take a long time to run, use many system
resources, or need to be scheduled to execute at a specific time.
The SUBMIT command will enter a command procedure to the default batch queue
(SYS$BATCH) if a specific queue is not provided. A command procedure submitted
for batch execution is given a job name which defaults to the command procedure
name unless otherwise specified. The entry number given to the job is used to
control it (delete, rename, etc.)
Controlling Batch Jobs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can specify a name for a batch job with the /NAME qualifier:
$ SUBMIT BACKUP /NAME=DAILY_BACK
You may also execute more than one command procedure by separating the
procedure names with a comma:
$ SUMBIT SORT_DATA,REPORT /NAME=WEEKLY_REPORT
To schedule a batch job to execute after a specific time:
$ SUMBIT CLEANUP /AFTER=11:40
Job CLEANUP (queue SYS$BATCH, entry 39) holding until 1-JUN-1989 11:40
To hold a job in the queue to be released later:
$ SUMBIT REMINDER /HOLD
Job REMINDER (queue SYS$BATCH, entry 12) holding
$
$ SET QUEUE/ENTRY=32/RELEASE SYS$BATCH
To submit a job to a different queue: $ SUBMIT TESTJOB /QUEUE=SLOW
To lower the priority (e.g. if it's CPU intensive):
$ SUBMIT CRUNCH /PRIORITY=2
To pass parameters: $ SUBMIT COMPILE / PARAMETERS=(WINDOWS,MISC,DISP_IO)
To disable the automatic printing of the batch job's log (file instead):
$ SUBMIT GOJOB /NOPRINT /LOG_FILE=DUA2:[BYNON]
This will create a file DUA2:[BYNON]GOJOB.LOG. If the /NOPRINT qualifier is
not specified, the log file will be printed and deleted. To print and keep the
log file, use the /KEEP qualifier with the /LOG_FILE qualifier.
After you submit a procedure to a batch queue, you can monitor its status and
job characteristics by using the SHOW QUEUE command. This will display the
name, entry number and status of all the jobs you have in queue. The /ALL
qualifier will display all jobs you have enough privilege to see, and the /FULL
qualifier provides more information about jobs, such as operating
characteristics and submission time.
You can use the SET QUEUE/ENTRY command to modify a job's priority
(/PRIORITY), name (/NAME), or status (/RELEASE or /AFTER). For example:
$ SET QUEUE /ENTRY=217 /PRIORITY=2 SYS$BATCH
Use the DELETE /ENTRY command to delete jobs: $ DELETE /ENTRY=18 SYS$BATCH
Using DECnet
~~~~~~~~~~~~
DECnet uses the standard VAX/VMS file specifications for remote file access.
In addition to a node specification, you may also include access control
information (username and password) in quotes. For example:
BURG"JONES MYPW"::DUA2:JUNK.TXT
| | | | |
| | | | +---- Filename.Extension
| | | |
| | | +---------- Device name
| | |
| | +------------------ Password
| |
| +----------------------- Username
|
+----------------------------- Node name
Unless a specific DECnet account exists on the host node, or proxy exists, you
must supply access control information to execute a command on a remote system.
(e.g. $ TYPE BURG""JONES MYPW"::DUA2:JUNK.TXT)
Proxy Access
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because including access control information in a command string is a security
risk, Digital provides proxy access, which works by keeping a database of users
and hosts who may gain access to the system via DECnet. The format of the
database is: SYSTEM::REMOTE_USERNAME LOCAL_USERNAME.
Task-to-Task Communication
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a feature of DECnet which allows programs on one system to communicate
with programs on another (e.g. the DCL TYPE command) To execute a procedure on
a remote system, use the TYPE command with the TASK=xxx parameter. For
example:
$ TYPE VAX1::"TASK=SHOW_USERS"
To show the users on a remote system you would write a command procedure
something like this:
$! Show_Users.Com
$!
$ IF FMODE() .EQS. "NETWORK" THEN GOTO NETWORK
$ SHOW USERS
$ EXIT
$ NETWORK:
$ DEFINE/USER_MODE SYS$OUTPUT SYS$NET
$ SHOW USERS
$ EXIT
Since SYS$OUTPUT is redirected to SYS$NET, the output is redirected to your
terminal over DECnet. Task-to-Task communication can be simple (like
Show_Users) or complicated (like programs passing data back and forth).
Remote Printing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If your DECnet network contains a LAN such as Ethernet, you'll probably have to
share printers with other nodes on the network. The easiest way to print a
file is to copy it directly to the print device. This works fine as long as
the device is spooled and set up with world write privileges. For example: $
COPY JUNK.TXT BURG::LCA0: will copy the file JUNK.TXT to the device LCA0: on
node BURG.
Another way to print is to use the DCL PRINT/REMOTE command. However, the file
must be located on the remote system to use this, which is inconvenient if the
file you're printing is on the local system. You can still do it though:
$ COPY JUNK.TXT BURG::[BYNON]
$ PRINT /REMOTE BURG::[BYNON]JUNK.TXT
Job JUNK (queue SYS$PRINT, entry 512) started on LCA0
$ DELETE BURG::[BYNON]JUNK.TXT
VAXclusters
~~~~~~~~~~~
The main purpose of a VAXcluster is high processor ability, shared resources,
and a single security and management area. There are two basic type of
VAXclusters, heterogeneous and homogeneous, but a mix of the two is possible.
The main difference between these types is how they share resources,
specifically the VAX/VMS OS environment.
The VAX/VMS OS environment is identical on each cluster in a homogeneous
VAXcluster. This is done by using a common system disk for all the nodes.
User accounts, system files, queues and storage devices are shared, and all of
the computers behave the same way.
In a heterogeneous VAXcluster, the environment on each system is different.
Each VAX has its own system disk, user accounts and system files. Queues and
storage devices may or may not be shared. Users can work in different
operating environments, depending on the system they're using.
Usually a VAXcluster is accessed by an Ethernet-based terminal server. Using
a terminal server, a user can establish a session with any VAXcluster member,
and the connection is identical to that of a directly connected terminal.
However, terminal sessions can support multiple simultaneous sessions to
different nodes. In the unlikely event that a VAXcluster is set up with
directly connected terminals and you need to access a different system, you
can DECnet via the SET HOST facility. All VAXcluster systems support DECnet
within the cluster.
VAXcluster members (nodes) often share processing resources through the use
of print and batch queues known as cluster-wide queues, which are used the
same as a normal queue. The only extra information you need is the queue
name. A list of all the queues in a cluster can be called up with the DCL
SHOW QUEUE command. If you submit a job to a cluster-wide queue, you must
insure that the node on which it resides has access to the file you want to
print or the command procedure you want processed.
Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Seven, File 8 of 14
##############################
#*# Basic Commands #*#
#*# for the VOS #*#
#*# System #*#
##############################
Written by Dr. No-Good
[Echo]
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, well this is a simple text file that explains the basic commands
used by a VOS system. VOS stands for Virtual Operating System and it is mainly
used by businesses but other groups have used it too.
If you have any questions, you can reach me at this fine system:
Legion (202)337=2844
or if you have any questions you can e-mail the me at:
Internet: ukelele!kclahan@UUNET.UU.NET
Special Thanks to: Nat X, Beta Raider, Tomellicus and the
anonymous site of my humble work.
$Note$
All material in this t-file is for informational purposes only. Any
abuse of this information is probably against the law and the authors of this
text file are not responsible for the reader's actions.
(*****************************************************************************)
Ok, well VOS systems can be found in various systems around the world
and on many of the nets such as TELENET. You can recognize a VOS system at its
prompt. Which looks like this:
Prompt-> (Name of System)
System ???, VOS Release v.(version), Module ???
(Or it just says something about a Release ver# and Module#)
After getting the log-on message you come to the hard part, getting a
valid user/password combination. To log-in, you type:
Login <name> <password> <CRT>
or
Login <CRT>
'User_name:' <name>
'Password?' <password>
(by the way, <CRT> means enter and it comes after something you have to type
and words in '' mean that the computer is displaying that)
When you get a valid name and password, it will say:
<name> logged in on <module#> at <year>-<month>-<day> at <time> ETA.
(then it runs start_up.cm)
(*****************************************************************************)
Commands
~~~~~~~~
HELP = To get an on-line help directory.
LIST or LS = To list contents of the directory.
-dirs = the subdirectories.
-dirs <dir> = To confirm a directory exists.
CHANGE_CURRENT_DIR or CCD = To change directory.
DISPLAY <file> = To view the contents of a file.
-match <string> = To find a string in the file.
SEND_MESSAGE <name> <msg> = To make a message appear on the receiver's
screen. It must be 80 chars. or less.
CALL_THRU = To connect your login terminal to a remote
host as a login terminal or as a slave.
SET_TERMINAL_PARAMETERS = To define the operating features of your
terminal such as scrolling, length, etc.
LOCATE_FILES <file names> = To find the location of file(s) in the system.
WHO = To list the current users of the system.
LIST_MODULES = To show which modules are running.
DISPLAY_DIR_STATUS = It gives information about when last saved,
when it was created, who created, and when
it was last used or modified.
DISPLAY_CURRENT_DIR = It shows you which directory you are in.
DISPLAY_ACCESS_LIST = To show you the access control lists(ACL) for
a set of files or directories.
DISPLAY_DEFAULT_ACCESS = To display the default access control list for
a set of directories you specify.
GIVE_ACCESS = To give a user/group access to a file or
directory.
GIVE_DEFAULT_ACCESS = To add entries to the default ACL or a
directory or set of directories.
PROPAGATE_ACCESS = To copy a directory(DIR)'s access to all the
directories in the subhierarchy.
REMOVE_ACCESS = To remove entries from the ACL of a file or
directory, or a set of such objects.
REMOVE_DEFAULT_ACCESS = To remove entries from the default ACL of a
directory or a set of directories.
EDIT = To edit or create a file.
(We haven't been able to figure it out yet)
BIND = To make an .OBJ file a .PM which can be run.
ANY_NAME.PM = .PM stands for program module and it is like a
.COM or .EXE executable file.
BATCH = To run a batch of .PM commands.
UPDATE_BATCH_REQUESTS = To update the batch queue.
CANCEL_BATCH_REQUESTS = To totally cancel all programs in the batch
queue.
LIST_BATCH_REQUESTS = To list the programs in the batch queue.
RESERVE_DEVICE = To reserve a device for the batch queue.
(Used by administrators when they manage
batch processing at a site)
CANCEL_DEVICE_RESERVATION = To cancel the device reservation.
MOVE_DEVICE_RESERVATION = To move the device reservation to another
path.
DISPLAY_BATCH_STATUS = To display the status of the batch process.
COMPARE_FILE = To compare two files against each other.
COPY_FILE = To copy a file to another file or directory.
LOCATE_FILE = To locate the directory the file is in.
RENAME = To change the name of a file.
MOVE_FILE = To move a file to another directory.
DELETE_FILE = To delete a file.
SET_EXPIRATION_DATE = To set a date on the file so it won't allow
anybody to erase it before that date.
CREATE_FILE = To create and name a new file.
CREATE_INDEX = To create a new index for a file.
CREATE_DELETED_RECORD_INDEX = To create a list of reusable locations in a
file.
CREATE_RECORD_INDEX = To create an index used to map records into
a file and re-use space made available by
deletions.
(Once created, it is updated forever.)
DELETE_INDEX = To delete a set of indexes to a file.
DISPLAY_FILE_STATUS = To display information about a set of files
that you specify.
DUMP_FILE = To dump the contents of a file in HEX and
ASCII onto the screen for debugging.
DUMP_RECORDS = To dump one or more records in a fixed,
sequential, relative, or stream file.
ENFORCE_REGION_LOCKING = To turn mandatory region locking on/off for
one or more stream files.
SET_FILE_ALLOCATION = To set the number of additional disk blocks
that the operating system allocates for a
file each time the file needs more disk
space.
SET_IMPLICIT_LOCKING = To turn implicit locking on/off for a file or
files. When it is on, the system overrides
an attempt to open the file with a
different locking specification.
(*****************************************************************************)
$Note$
If you need any more help with the commands please try their on-line
help program by typing HELP when you are logged in or HELP <Command> and please
excuse the format of the command listings but if you would like a better
listing look for the COMPLETE informational guide to VOS systems by Dr.
No-Good.
(***************************************************************************)
Security
~~~~~~~~
The basic security for VOS uses ACL or ACCESS_CONTROL_LISTS. These are
lists that the creator of a directory or file make by using the GIVE_ACCESS
command. There are four kinds of security you can have. They are as follows:
For file security:
NULL -+- That means you can't do anything with it.
READ -+- You can READ it but not modify it.
WRITE -+- That means you have READ and WRITE access to it
so you can modify it.
EXECUTE -+- That means they can read it and run it.
For directory security:
MODIFY -+- That means you can add, remove, change, and
execute files in the directory.
STATUS -+- That means you can display_dir_status and
view the current status of the directory.
NULL -+- That means you can not access the directory.
If you don't have the appropriate security for the directory or file it
is because the owner/creator of the file or directory doesn't have you on the
list and since this informational file doesn't contain the information needed
to get access to files that you haven't been given access to then it is
advisable to look for more informational files from [ECHO].
Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Seven, File 9 of 14
THE COMPUSERVE CASE
A STEP FORWARD IN FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION FOR ONLINE SERVICES
Presented by Electronic Frontier Foundation
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Mike Godwin (mnemonic@eff.org) in EFFector Online 3.03
By now you may have heard about the summary-judgment decision in Cubby, Inc. v.
CompuServe, a libel case. What you may not know is why the decision is such an
important one. By holding that CompuServe should not be liable for defamation
posted by a third-party user, the court in this case correctly analyzed the
First Amendment needs of most online services. And because it's the first
decision to deal directly with these issues, this case may turn out to be a
model for future decisionsin other courts.
The full name of the case, which was decided in the Southern District of New
York, is Cubby Inc. v. CompuServe. Basically, CompuServe contracted with a
third party for that user to conduct a special-interest forum on CompuServe.
The plaintiff claimed that defamatory material about its business was posted a
user in that forum, and sued both the forum host and CompuServe. CompuServe
moved for, and received, summary judgment in its favor.
Judge Leisure held in his opinion that CompuServe is less like a publisher than like a bookstore owner or book distributor. First Amendment law allows
publishers to be liable for defamation, but not bookstore owners, because
holding the latter liable would create a burden on bookstore owners to review
every book they carry for defamatory material. This burden would "chill" the
distribution of books (not to mention causing some people to get out of the
bookstore business) and thus would come into serious conflict with the First
Amendment.
So, although we often talk about BBSs as having the rights of publishers and
publications, this case hits on an important distinction. How are publishers
different from bookstore owners? Because we expect a publisher (or its agents)
to review everything prior to publication. But we *don't* expect bookstore
owners to review everything prior to sale. Similarly, in the CompuServe case,
as in any case involving an online service in which users freely post messages
for the public (this excludes Prodigy), we wouldn't expect the online-
communications service provider to read everything posted *before* allowing it
to appear.
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court case on which Judge Leisure relies is
Smith v. California -- an obscenity case, not a defamation case. Smith is the
Supreme Court case in which the notion first appears that it is generally
unconstitutional to hold bookstore owners liable for content. So, if Smith v.
California applies in a online-service or BBS defamation case, it certainly
ought to apply in an obscenity case as well.
Thus, Cubby, Inc. v. CompuServe sheds light not only on defamation law as
applied in this new medium but on obscenity law as well. This decision should
do much to clarify to concerned sysops what their obligations and liabilities
are under the law.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Highlights of the CompuServe Decision
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Danny Weitzner (djw@eff.org) in EFFector Online 3.03
"CompuServe's CIS [CS Information Service] product is in essence an electronic,
for-profit library that carries a vast number of publications and collects
usage and membership fees from its subscribers in return for access to the
publications. CompuServe and companies like it are at the forefront of the
information industry revolution. High technology has markedly increased the
speed with which information is gathered and processed; it is now possible for
an individual with a personal computer, modem, and telephone line to have
instantaneous access to thousands of news publications from across the United
States and around the world. While CompuServe may decline to carry a given
publication altogether, in reality, once it does decide to carry a given
publication, it will have little or no editorial control over that
publication's contents. This is especially so when CompuServe carries the
publication as part of a forum that is managed by a company unrelated to
CompuServe. "... CompuServe has no more editorial control over ... [the
publication in question] ... than does a public library, book store, or
newsstand, and it would be no more feasible for CompuServe to examine every
publication it carries for potentially defamatory statements than it would for
any other distributor to do so."
"...Given the relevant First Amendment considerations, the appropriate standard
of liability to be applied to CompuServe is whether it knew or had reason to
know of the allegedly defamatory Rumorville statements."
Cubby, Inc. v. CompuServe, Inc. (90 Civ. 6571, SDNY)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For the full opinion, please see:
CUBBY, INC., a Corporation d/b/a SKUTTLEBUT, and ROBERT G.
BLANCHARD, Plaintiffs, v. COMPUSERVE INC., d/b/a RUMORVILLE,
and DON FITZPATRICK, individually, Defendants
No. 90 Civ. 6571 (PKL)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF
NEW YORK
October 29, 1991, Decided
October 29, 1991, Filed
PWN ^*^ PWN ^*^ PWN { WeenieFest'92 } PWN ^*^ PWN ^*^ PWN
^*^ ^*^
PWN P h r a c k W o r l d N e w s PWN
^*^ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^*^
PWN Special Edition Issue Five PWN
^*^ ^*^
PWN "WeenieFest '92" PWN
^*^ ^*^
PWN ~A Meeting With John Markoff~ PWN
^*^ ^*^
PWN Written by Count Zero PWN
^*^ ^*^
PWN ^*^ PWN ^*^ PWN { WeenieFest'92 } PWN ^*^ PWN ^*^ PWN
WeenieFest '92: A Meeting With John Markoff
Co-Author of CYBERPUNK: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier
..oooOO Count Zero OOooo..
count0@world.std.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Boston Computer Society General Meeting, Wednesday, January 22, 7:30pm.
Katie Hafner, co-author with husband John Markoff of _Cyberpunk_, talks
about computer ethics [ya, right] and computer crimes. _Cyberpunk_
details the stories of three computer hackers: Kevin Mitnick, an expert
phone phreak, who carried his hacking to obsession [isn't that a perfume?]
and addiction-wreaking havoc [holy SHIT!] with computer networks and
top-secret research; Pengo, from Germany, who penetrated US military
computers and sold information to the Soviet Union; and Robert Morris,
a Harvard and Cornell graduate, who released a virus [WORM!] program that
crippled thousands of computers on Internet. This discussion may change
how you think about computer accessibility [sure changed MY life..jeesh]."
That's how the advertisement appeared in the Boston Computer Society's
UPDATE mag (without my bracketed snide comments, of course). Knight Lightning
informed me of this meeting via electronic mail, and I read it the DAY it was
happening. I had read about half of the book CYBERPUNK, and I know most of you
have already checked it out. Yes, it is a piece of shit. A great deal of the
info is *fabricated*, and the authors attempt to explain hacking as a "social
disorder"...on par with juvenile delinquency.
True, a lot of hacking is just kids screwing around, but there is MORE to
the scene than just that. What about the violation of civil liberties going on
by the federal government and its agents? What about privacy on the nets?
What about the REAL DRIVE behind most of the hacking going on today... the
search for TECH KNOWLEDGE? These topics were NOT covered adequately in the
book.
Seeing this meeting as a GREAT opportunity to grill Ms. Hafner and to hear
what members of the BCS had to say, I attempted to quickly mobilize the entire
RDT crew into attending. Alas, I was the *only* person able to make it. "What
the hell," I figured, "I'm sure there'll be plenty of other people there who'll
make the discussion lively and *heated*." Boy, was I wrong...
For starters, Ms. Hafner was unable to attend. Instead, her husband and
co-author, John Markoff showed up. I had never been to a BCS meeting before,
and figured that the members would be relatively intelligent about computers
and computer ethics. Well, about 80 people filled the lecture hall, and ALL of
them were older than me (and I'm 24 by the way). Looked like mostly yuppie
trash ("Gee, I just bought this 486...I wonder what it does. Guess I'll join
the BCS!") and some old professor-types. Suddenly, I felt a chill...
*Weenie-alert* Two bozos behind me were trying to discuss how to write an
MS-DOS CONFIG.SYS file:
"Bob, my computer is all messed up. Doesn't work."
"Gee, well, maybe you need one of those set device equals things!"
NOTE: ALL quotes are REAL...Yes, truth is stranger than fiction...
Oh well...Finally, John Markoff came on-stage looking a lot like Dustin
Hoffman. He started out by talking for 15 minutes on the definitions
of "hacker," "cracker," and "cyberpunk." This is when my migraine started (a
small throbbing pulse in my left temple). He discussed the origin of the term
"cyberpunk" and made MANY references to *BILL* Gibson. Guess he wanted to
stroke himself and make his "personal" relationship with Gibson known to all.
Then, he talked in DETAIL about how HE figured out who set loose the Internet
worm. "I told them to 'finger RTM'... and the name Robert T. Morris popped
up." Boy, some SERIOUS tech wizardry going on there. Markoff patted himself
on the back for about 10 minutes more. He also seemed proud of his dealings
with Cliff Stoll (as he plugged THE CUCKOO'S EGG about 5 times). Stroke,
stroke, stroke. He seemed really *proud* at having discovered all this info
about the computer underground (even though his book is ONLY about *THREE* case
studies!!!).
"We wanted to get inside these cultures..."
Well his book was basically just a REPORT of WHAT HAPPENED (not even
factual half the time)... NOT about the CULTURE... NOT about what really made
these people tick... NOT about what REALLY ATTRACTS people to the computer
underground. He was just a *reporter*, looking for a scoop. Nothing more.
After describing his book, he opened up the presentation to discussion.
The FIRST question was by some BCS dork:
"Do you know anything about the printer-ROM virus used in the
Iraqi computer systems?"
I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Markoff talked about this for 10 minutes
with comments by other BCS members thrown in. ARRRGH. Anyway, the NEXT
question was a real winner:
"What about those computers that took the Turing test recently..
did they pass? Could you explain what a Turing test is?"
So maybe the BCS people WERE NOT that up on things. Maybe none of them read
the book. Maybe none of them have ever read Phrack or 2600. Maybe ALL of them
have their heads shoved up their butts?
Finally, I made my move. I asked him:
"What do you think of the punishments given to convicted 'cyberpunks'?
Do you think they're fair? What about seizure of equipment without
charges, taking examples from Operation Sundevil?"
Markoff: "I think the government is just using scare tactics. It's a shame
that equipment is seized. It's unconstitutional."
Yep, that is all he had to say about it. No comments on the POLICE STATE
that's evolving on the nets. Nothing about what's being done to *protect*
computer users' free speech. Next question of mine:
"What do you think really drives 'cyberpunks'...how 'serious' do you
think the *crime* of *hacking* is?"
Markoff: "It's just juvenile delinquency. Most of it has nothing to do
with tech wizardry. It's mostly con-artists. I hope there is
a 'fad element' to this cyberpunk thing. Hopefully they'll
grow out of it."
Yeah, this guy certainly has his damn FINGER on the PULSE of the
underground. We're just a bunch of delinquent, juvenile con-artists. We'll
grow out of it. Really. Man, I was steamed. What he said was full of
*half-truths* leaving out IMPORTANT things, like the drive for exploration of
highly complicated networks and machinery, but I wasn't going to pick a fight
with this guy. I calmed down and asked the next question on my list:
"What do you think of publications like Phrack and 2600? How do you feel
about the E911 bust that tried to suppress Phrack?"
Markoff: "I don't buy their 'exploration' excuse. I don't want people
testing the locks on MY computer. It's just juvenile delinquency."
How insightful. Completely ignored my question about the E911 affair. So
much for understanding the underground. Ya, we all read stuff like Phrack
and 2600 JUST so we can FUCK UP things.
***ONE interesting thing he mentioned was that MOST hacker-related crimes
are INSIDE JOBS. Trusted people working on the INSIDE. Well, that was the
ONLY thing he said that I totally agreed with. At least Markoff isn't trying
to start a "Cyberpunk Witch-Hunt"...not like OTHER people (i.e., Geraldo, Don
Ingram, etc.).
This gets REAL funny now. Other BCS members seemed to have NO interest in
talking about hacking/phreaking/civil liberties/hacker ethic/etc. ONE guy
asked:
"Is piracy a big problem in the US?"
Another asked:
"Do pirate bulletin boards still exist?"
Some *insightful* BCS member said:
"Yeah, but it's dangerous. Lawyers call up and check to see if you
have copyrighted software. You can go to jail for it!"
Markoff: "Yes, piracy is still rampant. I can't give you any numbers
<cheesy smile here> but I know many exist."
BCS member responds:
"You mean I can just call a number and get Pagemaker for free?"
At this point, I vomited violently..at least my BRAIN did. Many other
stupid questions were asked, but I won't torture you further ("What about the
IBM/Apple merger?"...that sort of thing). I managed to get in ONE LAST
question:
"What do you think of 'reformed cyberpunks'...for nstance, the security
consulting company 'Comsec' formed by ex-LOD members?"
Markoff: "I think that any company that hires them should know what they're
getting into. I'm skeptical. *I* wouldn't hire them."
You should know that at this point MOST of the BCS dorks laughed out loud,
in annoying, weenie-like chuckles of mirth. It took all of my strength not to
get up and crack skulls. So much for intelligent discussions. Actually,
throughout MOST of the meeting, people were laughing for no apparent reason.
Guess they knew something I didn't?
In the final analysis, the meeting confirmed my suspicions that Markoff is
just a reporter trying to make a buck. Cashing in on half-truths. Not at all
interested in the "cyberpunk's" point of view. Not interested in the ETHICS
and MORAL RAMIFICATIONS of hacker busts. He's just reporting the "news." At
least he wasn't trying to stir up a "witch-hunt"...but then again, he isn't
contributing much to the awareness of the underground and what it "really"
means...hacking is NOT a sickness...it is NOT something to "grow out of"...
it means freedom of speech...freedom to explore (to an extent..heh) and the
DESIRE to explore. MUCH more than juvenile delinquency. I hope someone writes
a book from that perspective someday.
I also got an insight into the BCS community. Clueless. Need I say more?
I hope you enjoyed this file. Look for more "Special Reports" in the near
future.
: -=Restricted -=Data -=Transmissions :
: :
: "Truth is cheap, but information costs." :
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Phrack World News PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Issue XXXVII / Part One of Four PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Compiled by Dispater & Spirit Walker PWN
PWN PWN
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
Federal Seizure Of "Hacker" Equipment December 16, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen (Newsbytes)
"New York's MOD Hackers Get Raided!"
NEW YORK CITY -- Newsbytes has learned that a joint Unites States Secret
Service / Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team has executed search
warrants at the homes of so-called "hackers" at various locations across the
country and seized computer equipment.
It is Newsbytes information that warrants were executed on Friday, December 6th
in various places including New York City, Pennsylvania, and the state of
Washington. According to informed sources, the warrants were executed pursuant
to investigations of violations of Title 18 of the federal statutes, sections
1029 (Access Device Fraud), 1030 (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act), 1343 (Wire
Fraud), and 2511 (Wiretapping).
Law enforcement officials contacted by Newsbytes, while acknowledging the
warrant execution, refused to comment on what was called "an on-going
investigation." One source told Newsbytes that the affidavits underlying the
search warrants have been sealed due to the on-going nature of the
investigation."
He added "There was obviously enough in the affidavits to convince judges that
there was probable cause that evidence of a crime would be found if the search
warrants were issued."
The source also said that he would expect a statement to be issued by the
Secret Service/FBI team "somewhere after the first of the year."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Two Cornell Students Arrested for Spreading Computer Virus February 27, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Lee A Daniels (New York Times News Service)
Special Thanks: Risks Digest
Two Cornell University undergraduates were arrested Monday night and charged
with developing and spreading a computer virus that disrupted computers as far
away as California and Japan, Cornell officials said. M. Stewart Lynn, vice
president for information technologies at the university in Ithaca, N.Y.,
identified the students as David Blumenthal and Mark Pilgrim. Lynn said that
both Blumenthal, who is in the engineering program, and Pilgrim, in the college
of arts and sciences, were 19-year-old sophomores. They were arrested on the
evening of February 24 by Cornell and Ithaca police officers. Lynn said the
students were arraigned in Ithaca City Court on charges of second-degree
computer tampering, a misdemeanor, and taken to the county jail. Lynn said
authorities believed that the two were responsible for a computer virus planted
in three Macintosh games on February 14.
He identified the games as Obnoxious Tetris, Tetricycle and Ten Tile Puzzle.
The virus may have first appeared in a Stanford University public computer
archive and spread from there through computer users who loaded the games into
their own computers.
Lynn said officials at Cornell and elsewhere became aware of the virus last
week and quickly developed what he described as "disinfectant" software to
eradicate it. He said officials traced the virus to Cornell last week, but he
would not specify how that was done or what led officials to the two students.
Lynn said he did not yet know how much damage the virus had caused. "At
Cornell we absolutely deplore this kind of behavior," he said.
Note: References to the Robert Morris, Jr. virus incident at Cornell deleted.
Associated Press reported that both defendants are being held in the
Tompkins County Jail on $10,000 bail.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Man Admits to NASA Hacking November 26, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By John C Ensslin (Rocky Mountain News)(Page 6)
Also see Phrack 34, File 11
Special Thanks: The Public
A self-taught computer hacker with a high school education admitted Monday to
breaking into a sensitive NASA computer system -- in less time than it takes
the Broncos to play a football game.
Richard G. Wittman Jr., 24, told Denver U.S. District Judge Sherman Finesilver
that it took him about "1 1/2 to 2 hours" on a personal computer using
telephone lines in his apartment to tap into the space agency's restricted
files.
Wittman pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of altering information
-- a password -- inside a federal computer. In exchange for the plea, federal
prosecutors dropped six similar counts in indictments handed up in September.
The Northglenn High School graduate told the judge he hadn't had much schooling
in computers. Most of what he knew about computers he learned from books.
And most of those books, he said, are in a federal warehouse, seized after FBI
agents searched his Westminster apartment last year.
"Do you think you could teach these two lawyers about computers?" Finesilver
asked, referring to Wittman's public defender and the prosecutor. "Probably,"
Wittman replied.
Wittman not only broke into 118 NASA systems, he also reviewed files and
electronic mail of other users, said assistant U.S. attorney Gregory C. Graf.
It took NASA investigators nearly 300 hours to track Wittman an another 100
hours to rewrite the software, Graf said.
Wittman faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But Graf said
the government will seek a much lighter penalty when Wittman is sentenced in
Jan. 13.
Both sides have agreed on repayment of $1,100 in collect calls placed to the
other computer system. But they differ on whether Wittman should be held
responsible for the cost of new software.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Hacker Pleads Guilty December 5, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Thanks: Iron Eagle
"A 24-year-old Denver hacker who admitted breaking into a sensitive NASA
computer system pleaded guilty to a felony count of altering information.
In exchange for the plea Monday, federal prosecutors dropped six similar counts
against Richard G. Wittman Jr., who faced up to five years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. Authorities said the government will seek a much lighter
penalty when Wittman is sentenced January 13.
Both sides have agreed on repayment of $1,100 in collect calls he placed to the
computer system, but they differ on whether Wittman should be held responsible
for the cost of new software.
Wittman told U.S. District Judge Sherman Finesilver that it took him about two
hours on a personal computer in his apartment to tap into the space agency's
restricted files. It took NASA investigators nearly 300 hours to track Wittman
and an additional 100 hours to rewrite the software to prevent a recurrence,
prosecutors said."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Recent Novell Software Contains A Hidden Virus December 20, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By John Markoff (New York Times)
The nation's largest supplier of office-network software for personal computers
has sent a letter to approximately 3,800 customers warning that it
inadvertently allowed a software virus to invade copies of a disk shipped
earlier this month.
The letter, sent on Wednesday to customers of Novell Inc., a Provo, Utah,
software publisher, said the diskette, which was mailed on December 11, had
been accidentally infected with a virus known by computer experts as "Stoned
111."
A company official said yesterday that Novell had received a number of reports
>from customers that the virus had invaded their systems, although there had
been no reports of damage.
But a California-based computer virus expert said that the potential for damage
was significant and that the virus on the Novell diskette frequently disabled
computers that it infected.
MASSIVE POTENTIAL LIABILITIES
"If this was to get into an organization and spread to 1,500 to 2,000 machines,
you are looking at millions of dollars of cleanup costs," said John McAfee,
president of McAfee & Associates, a Santa Clara, Calif. antivirus consulting
firm. "It doesn't matter that only a few are infected," he said. "You can't
tell. You have to take the network down and there are massive potential
liabilities." Mr. McAfee said he had received several dozen calls from Novell
users, some of whom were outraged.
The Novell incident is the second such case this month. On December 6, Konami
Inc., a software game manufacturer based in Buffalo Grove, 111.wrote customers
that disks of its Spacewrecked game had also become infected with an earlier
version of the Stoned virus. The company said in the letter that it had
identified the virus before a large volume of disks had been shipped to
dealers.
SOURCE OF VIRUS UNKNOWN
Novell officials said that after the company began getting calls earlier this
week, they traced the source of the infection to a particular part of their
manufacturing process. But the officials said they had not been able to
determine how the virus had infected their software initially.
Novell's customers include some of nation's largest corporations. The
software, called Netware, controls office networks ranging from just two or
three machines to a thousand systems.
"Viruses are a challenge for the marketplace," said John Edwards, director of
marketing for Netware systems at Novell. "But we'll keep up our vigilance. He
said the virus had attacked a disk that contained a help encyclopedia that the
company had distributed to its customers.
SERVERS SAID TO BE UNAFFECTED
Computer viruses are small programs that are passed from computer to computer
by secretly attaching themselves to data files that are then copied either by
diskette or via a computer network. The programs can be written to perform
malicious tasks after infecting a new computer, or do no more than copy
themselves from machine to machine.
In its letter to customers the company said that the Stoned 111 virus would not
spread over computer networks to infect the file servers that are the
foundation of networks. File servers are special computers with large disks
that store and distribute data to a network of desktop computers.
The Stoned 111 virus works by attaching itself to a special area on a floppy
diskette and then copying itself into the computer's memory to infect other
diskettes.
But Mr. McAfee said the program also copied itself to the hard disk of a
computer where it could occasionally disable a system. In this case it is
possible to lose data if the virus writes information over the area where a
special directory is stored.
Mr. McAfee said that the Stoned 111 virus had first been reported in Europe
just three months ago. The new virus is representative of a class of programs
known as "stealth" viruses, because they mask their location and are difficult
to identify. Mr. McAfee speculated that this was why the program had escaped
detection by the company.
STEPS TOWARD DETECTION
Novell has been moving toward adding new technology to its software to make it
more difficult for viruses to invade it, Mr. Edwards said. Recently, the
company licensed special digital-signature software that makes it difficult for
viruses to spread undetected. Novell plans to add this new technology to the
next major release of its software, due out at the end of 1992.
In the past, courts have generally not held companies liable for damages in
cases where a third party is responsible, said Susan Nycum, a Palo Alto,
California, lawyer who is an expert on computer issues. "If they have been
prudent it wouldn't be fair to hold them liable," she said. "But ultimately it
may be a question for a jury."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Working Assets Long Distance! January 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from an advertisement in Mother Jones
(Not pictured is a photo of a college student giving "the finger" to someone
and a caption that reads 'Twenty years later, we've given people a better way
to put this finger to use.')
The advertisement reads as follows:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sit-ins. Protest marches, Flower power. Times have changed but the need for
grass roots involvement hasn't.
Introducing "Working Assets Long Distance." The ONLY phone company that is
as committed to social and political change as you are. Every time you use
your finger to make a long distance call, one percent of the bill goes to
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, GREENPEACE, PLANNED PARENTHOOD, FEDERATION OF AMERICA,
THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, and many others.
We're more than a phone company that gives money to good causes. Our intent
is to make your individual voice heard. That's why we offer *FREE CALLS* to
corporate and political leaders. And well-argued letters at a fraction of
the cost of a mail-gram. So you can demand a halt to clear-cutting our
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reproductive rights. It's that simple. Your phone becomes a tool for
democracy and you don't give up a thing. You see, Working Assets comes with
the exact same service as the major long distance carriers. Convenient
dial 1 calling 24-hour operation and fiber optic sound quality. All this at
rates lower that AT&T's basic rates. And signing up couldn't be simpler.
Just give us a call at 1-800-788-8588 ext 114 or fill out the coupon today.
We'll hook you up right away without any intrusion or interruption. So you
can help change the world without lifting a finger. Ok, maybe one finger.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Computer Virus Used in Gulf War January 12, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from The Boston Globe (Page 12)
Special Thanks: Tone Surfer
Several weeks before the start of the Gulf War, US intelligence agents inserted
a computer virus into a network of Iraqi computers tied to that country's air
defense system, a news magazine reports. US News and World Report said the
virus was designed by the supersecret National Security Agency at Fort Meade,
Maryland, and was intended to disable a mainframe computer.
The report, citing two unidentified senior US officials, said the virus
appeared to have worked, but it gave no details. It said the operation may
have been irrelevant, though, since the allies' overwhelming air superiority
would have ensured the same results of rendering the air defense radars and
missiles ineffective. The secret operation began when American intelligence
agents identified a French made computer printer that was to be smuggled from
Amman, Jordan, to a military facility in Baghdad.
The agents in Amman replaced a computer chip in the printer with another
micro-chip that contained the virus in its electronic circuits. By attacking
the Iraqi computer through the printer, the virus was able to avoid detection
by normal electronic security procedures, the report said. "Once the virus was
in the system, the US officials explained, each time an Iraqi technician opened
a "window" on his computer screen to access information, the contents of the
screen simply vanished," US News reported.
The report is part of a book, based on 12 months of research by US News
reporters, called "Triumph without Victory: The Unreported History of the
Persian Gulf War," to be published next month.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Indictments of "Information Brokers" January 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from The Privacy Journal
The unholy alliance between "information brokers" and government bureaucrats
who provide personal information has been uncovered in the grand jury
indictments of 18 persons in 14 states.
United States Attorney Michael Chertoff in Newark, New Jersey, and his
counterpart in Tampa, Florida, accused eight "information brokers" (or
"information gatekeepers" or "super bureaus") of bribing two Social Security
Administration employees to provide confidential earnings and employee
information stored in federal computer files. The brokers, who fill in the
cracks not occupied by national credit bureaus and who also track the
whereabouts of persons, would sell the information to their clients --
retailers, lawyers, detectives, insurance companies, and others.
Ned Flemming, president of Super Bureau Inc. of Montery, California, was
indicted on 32 counts for coaxing a Social Security supervisor in New Jersey
named Joseph Lynch (who was not charged) to provide confidential personal
information for a fee. Fleming's daughter, Susan, was charged also, as were
Victor Fought, operator of Locate Unlimited in Mesa, Arizona; George T.
Theodore, owner of Tracers Worldwide Services in Corpus Christi, Texas;
Richard Stone, owner of Interstate Information Services in Port Jefferson, New
York; and Michael Hawes, former owner of International Criminal Investigative
Agency (ICIA) in Port Angeles, Washington, for participating in the same
conspiracy. Another broker, Joseph Norman Dillon Ross, who operates a firm
under his name in Pauma Valley, California also accepted the personal data,
according to Chertoff, but was not charged. Richard Stone was further indicted
for corrupting a Social Security claims clerk in Melrose Park, Illinois. Also
charged were Allen Schweitzer and his wife Petra, who operate Security Group
Group in Sumner, Washington.
The government employees also stole personal information from the FBI's
National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which stores data on arrests and
missing persons.
Fleming told Privacy Journal that he had never met Lynch. Stone refused to
comment. Tracers Worldwide, ICIA, and Locate Unlimited are not listed in
telephone information, although all three companies are required by the Fair
Credit Reporting Act to permit the subjects of their files to have disclosure
of such information to them.
The 18-month long investigation culminating in the December 18 indictments and
arrests is only the first phase, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Sierra. "We
don't think it stops there."
For the past three years, the Big Three credit bureaus have continued to sell
credit information regularly to information brokers, even after complaints that
some of them violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act in disclosing credit
information for impermissible purposes. Trans Union's president, Albert
Flitcraft, told Congress in 1989 that is was not possible for a major credit
bureau to protect consumer information sold to brokers. John Baker, Equifax
senior vice-president, said at the time that the Big Three would "put together
our best thinking" to see if safeguards could be developed. By 1991, Oscar
Marquis, vice-president of Trans Union, was asking Congress for solutions, but
Baker presented Equifax's new guidelines and checklist for doing business with
the brokers. None of the Big Three has been willing to cease doing business
with the cloudy merchants of recycled credit reports -- and of purloined Social
Security and FBI information.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, at the Internal Revenue Service...
Two weeks after he blew the cover off the information brokers, U.S. Attorney
Michael Chertoff in New Jersey indicted a retired chief of the Internal Revenue
Service Criminal Investigation Division for selling personal information to a
California private investigative firm in his last week on the job in 1988.
For a $300 payment, according to the indictment, the IRS executive, Robert G.
Roche, promised to procure non-public marital records from vital records
offices. Using false pretenses, he ordered one of his subordinates to get the
information, on government time. The aide got the records in one instance only
after writing out an IRS summons and in another instance after producing a
letter on IRS stationary saying the information was needed for "official
investigative matters." Roche, according to the U.S. Attorney, accepted
payment from the California investigative firm of Saranow, Wells, & Emirhanian,
part of a larger network called Financial Investigative Services Group.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Privacy Journal is an independent monthly on privacy in the computer age.
They can be reached at:
Privacy Journal
P.O Box 28577
Providence, Rhode Island 02908
(401)274-7861
_______________________________________________________________________________
SSA, FBI Database Violations Prompt Security Evaluations January 13, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Kevin M. Baerson (Federal Computer Week)(Pages 1, 41)
Indictments recently handed down against insiders who bought and sold
confidential information held in Federal Bureau of Investigation and Social
Security Administration computers have prompted agency officials to evaluate
how well the government secures its databases.
"I see this as positive more than negative," said David Nemecek, section chief
for the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which contains data on
thousands of people suspected and convicted of crimes. "Am I happy it
happened? No. But it led us to discovering that this was happening and it
sends a message that if people try it, they will get caught."
But Renny DiPentima, assistant commissioner of SSA's Office of System Design
and Development, said he did not view the indictments as a positive
development.
"It's not a victory," DiPentima said. "Even if we catch them, it's a loss. My
victory is when I never have a call that someone has abused their position."
The "information broker" bust was the culmination of an 18-month investigation
by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general's office in
Atlanta. Officials said it was the largest case ever prosecuted involving the
theft of federal computer data. More indictments could be forthcoming, they
said.
Special agents from the FBI joined the inquiry and in the end nabbed 18 people
>from 10 states, including one former and two current SSA employees. Others
indicted were a Chicago police officer, an employee of the Fulton County
Sheriff's Office in Georgia, and several private investigators.
The indictments alleged that the investigators paid for confidential data,
including criminal records and earnings histories, that was lifted from the
databases by people who exploited their access to the records.
"The FBI cannot manage every person in the United States," Nemecek said. "We
have all kinds of protection to prevent this from happening. We keep logs of
who uses the systems and for what, security training programs and routine
audits of inquiries."
"But the people who committed the violations had access to the system, and
there's only one way to deal with that: aggressive prosecution of people who do
this. And the FBI is actively pursuing these individuals."
DiPentima's problem is equally delicate. His agency performs 15 million
electronic transactions per day -- 500 per second -- and monitoring the rights
and wrongs of those people is a daunting task.
Currently, every employee who uses the network is assigned a password and
personal identification number, which change frequently. Depending on the
nature of the employee's job, the PIN grants him access to certain types of
information.
If the employee tries to access a menu in the system that he has not been
authorized to enter, or makes more than one error in entering his PIN number,
he is locked off the system. Once that happens, only a security office from
one of SSA's 10 regional offices can reinstate the employee.
An SSA section chief and six analysts, working from the agency's data center
headquarters outside Baltimore, also search routinely for transactional
aberrations such as employees who have made an unusual number of transactions
on a certain account.
The FBI also has a number of security precautions in place. FBI personnel
conduct random audits of searches, and Nemecek said sweeping state and local
audits of the system are performed biannually. Furthermore, if the FBI
desires, it easily can track an access request back to the terminal and user it
came from.
DiPentima said that in the wake of the indictments, he is considering new
policies to clamp down on abusers.
Nemecek said that as the FBI continues upgrading the NCIC database, the center
might automate further its auditing of state and local agencies to detect
patterns and trends of use the way SSA does.
But despite efforts to tighten the screws on network security, both men realize
that in cases of federal and municipal employees who exploit authorized access,
technology and policies can only go so far in affecting human nature.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Free University Suffers Damage. February 24, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By The Dude (of Holland)
An investigation by the Amsterdam police, in cooperation with an anti-fraud
team of the CRI (sort of like the FBI), and the geographical science department
of the Free University has led to the arrests of two hackers. The two had
succeeded to break into the department's computer system and caused damage of
over 100,000 Dutch Guilders.
In a press conference, held by the research teams last Friday, it was stated
that the duo, a 25-year old computer-science engineer R.J.N. from Nuenen
[aka Fidelio] and a 21-year old student computer-science H.H.H.W. from Roermond
[aka Wave], were the first "hackers" to be arrested in the Netherlands. In
several other countries this has already happened before.
The arrested hackers made a complete confession. Since November 1991, they
have entered the University's computer between 30 and 40 times. The system
was known as "bronto." From this system the hackers were able to gain access
to other systems, thus travelling to systems in the US, Scandinavia, Spain and
Italy.
According to the leader of the computer-crime team of the Amsterdam police,
D. Komen, the two cracked codes of the VU-system to get in. They got their
hands on so-called "passwords" of officially registered users, which allowed
them to use the system at no cost. They were also able to get the "highest of
rights" within the computer system "bronto."
A total of four houses were searched, and several PC's, printouts and a large
quantity of diskettes was seized. The duo was taken to the DA and imprisoned.
Because "hacking" is not a criminal offense in the Netherlands, the suspects
are officially accused of falsification of records, destruction of property,
and fraud.
This year the government expects to enact legislation that will make hacking a
criminal offense, according to P.Slort of the CRI.
The hacker-duo stated that they undertook their illegal activities because of
fanatic "hobbyism." "It's a kick to see how far you can go", says Mr. Slort of
the CRI. The two said they did not know that their data journeys had caused
enormous damages. The police do not see them as real criminals, either since
the pair did not earn money from their activities.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Computer Engineer Gets Death Sentence February 9, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Thanks: Ninja Master
Richard Farley was cool to the end, taking a sip of water and smoothing his
jacket before leaving the courtroom where he was sentenced to die for killing
seven people in a rage over unrequited love.
"I'm not somebody who is demonstrative or prone to shedding tears", Farley said
Friday before apologizing for the slayings. "I do feel sorry for the
victims....I'm not a perfect human being. I'm good. I'm evil."
Farley was convicted in October of the 1988 slayings at ESL Inc., a Sunnyvale
defense contractor. Jurrors on November 1st recommended the death penalty for
the computer engineer, who prosecutors said planned the rampage to get the
attention of a former co-worker who rejected him.
Superior Court Judge Joseph Biafore Jr. called Farley a vicious killer who had
"complete disregard for human life."
"The defendant...killed with the attention to prove to the object of his
unrequited love that he wasn't a wimp anymore," Biafore said.
During the trial, prosecutors detailed Farley's 3 1/2-year obsessive pursuit of
Laura Black. He sent her more than 100 letters, followed her day and night,
left gifts on her desk, and rifled through confidential personnel files to
glean tidbits about her life.
Despite her repeated rejections, Farley persisted and was fired in 1987 for
harassing her. A year later, he returned to ESL.
Black, 30, was shot in the shoulder during the rampage, but survived to testify
against Farley. She said that about a week before the slayings, she had
received a court order to keep him away.
Farley, 43, admitted the killings but pleaded not guilty, saying he never
planned to kill but only wished to get Black's attention or commit suicide in
front of her for rejecting him.
Farley's attorney, Gregory Paraskou, argued that Farley's judgement was clouded
by his obsession with Black and that he was not violent before the slayings and
likely would not kill again.
But Asst. Dist. Atty. Charles Constantinides said Farley spent years preparing
for the murder by taking target practice and buying weapons, including the
firearms and 98 pounds of ammunition he used at ESL.
The judge rejected the defense's request for a modified sentence of life in
prison and a request for a new trial. Under California law, Farley's death
sentence will be automatically sent to the state Supreme Court for review.
Among those in the courtroom were family members of some of the victims,
including four who addressed the judge.
Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Seven, File 12 of 14
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Operation Sun-Devil Nabs First Suspect February 17, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Michael Alexander (ComputerWorld)(Page 15)
"Defendant Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Access Codes, Faces 10-year Term"
The U.S. Department of Justice said last week that it had successfully
completed its first prosecution in the Operation Sun-Devil investigation.
Robert Chandler [a/k/a The Whiz Kid and former bulletin board system operator
of the Whiz House in 619 NPA], 21, pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego
to a single felony for possessing 15 or more access codes, which can be used
illegally to make toll-free telephone calls, said Scott Charney, who heads the
Justice Department's computer crime unit in Washington, D.C. Chandler also
admitted to using the access codes, Charney said.
Chandler will be sentenced on May 11. The legal maximum penalty is 10 years'
imprisonment, but federal prosecutors will probably recommend probation,
assuming the sentencing guidelines and the judge handling the case permit it,
Charney said.
Chandler may also be required to make restitution of a still-undetermined
amount for telephone calls made with the access code.
On May 7 and 8, 1990, U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement officials
executed more than 20 search warrants [more like 27] in 14 cities in a
nationwide crackdown on computer crime code called Operation Sun-Devil.
Federal law enforcers said the raid was aimed at rounding up computer-using
outlaws who were engaged in telephone and credit-card fraud.
Approximately 42 computers and 23,000 disks were swept up in the dragnet, but
until last week there were no indictments or convictions in the investigation.
The Justice Department has been severely criticized by Computer Professionals
for Social Responsibility (CPSR), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and
other advocacy groups for its handling of Operation Sun-Devil cases. CPSR has
charged that federal law enforcers trampled on the First and Fourth Amendment
rights of those targeted in the raids.
_______________________________________________________________________________
No More Fast Times For Spicoli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Night Ranger
On November 19, 1991, Spicoli was awaken by Pima County (Arizona) Sheriffs and
some other agents in his apartment. They showed him their search warrants,
which was obtained under the suspicion of "Computer Fraud and/or Theft" and
asked him to step outside. They began dismantling his computer system, which
ran his bulletin board called "Fast Times." It was not a hack/phreak bulletin
board and contained no information that would normally be construed as such.
The main reason he ran the board was because he was writing it himself.
The authorities took many items not related to his computer, including his VCR.
He was not charged with any crimes and additionally he was informed that he
was "free to go." This incident is very similar to what happened with the
hacker "Mind Rape." Late last year, his home was raided and lots of items
were seized, but no charges followed.
Spicoli attempted to hire private legal counsel, but discovered that it was
beyond his means financially. Since then, he has chosen to go with the public
defender's office.
Weeks later, it was revealed that his case concerned an undisclosed, but
presumably large amount of stolen money and he was charged with various
felonies. He further learned that the authorities had been monitoring him over
a period of at least three months. Anyone who had contact with him between
August and November should be careful. His computer is now in the hands of the
government.
This is the second major bust in Arizona during the last half of 1991. With
people like Gail Thackeray residing there and anti-hacker companies such as
Long Distance For Less and U.S. West it is definitely not the place for any
kind of hacking.
_______________________________________________________________________________
U2 Shakes Up New England Bell February 24, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Steve Morse (The Boston Globe)(Page 15)
Irish rockers U2 left local telephone operators hasping for breath. In an
unprecedented move designed to thwart scalpers, tickets for U2's March 17 show
at Boston Garden went on sale through telephone charge only -- and the result
was a long morning for the phone company.
"It was complete gridlock. I don't know how else to describe it. The bombed
us right out of the water," said Joanne Waddell, a New England Telephone
manager. "We expected a lot of calls ... but this was unbelievable. Our
operators were clicking away like crazy out there."
The Garden show sold out in 4 1/2 hours, said Doug Borg of Tea Party Concerts,
adding that it took that long because there was a two-ticket limit per person
-- another step taken to frustrate scalpers.
"The demand was overwhelming. I heard there were a half-million calls in the
first hour," said Larry Moulter, president of Boston Garden. The telephone
company said exact figures were not yet available, but Moulter's information is
consistent with a recent U2 sale in Atlanta, where more than one million calls,
many from eager fans with automatic redial, were logged.
"I don't really have a number. It's safe to say thousands, many thousands,"
said Peter Cronin, a spokesman for New England Telephone. He admitted there
were minor delays in getting a dial tone, but that it was "not a serious
situation. If people stayed on the line, they'd get dial tone in a few seconds."
There were 100 lines selling sales for the Garden concert. They checked for
duplicate names, credit card numbers and addresses (to help enforce the limit
of two per person) and caught 'some' attempts to use a card number more than
once.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Federal Agents Raid WCFL; Station Silenced, Forced Off Air January 28, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Patrick Townson (Telecom Digest)
In an unusual move by the Federal Communications Commission, a far southwest
suburban radio station in the Chicago area has been forced off the air by the
FCC which alleges illegal activity at the station.
WCFL-FM (104.7), a station licensed in Morris, IL with no connection to the
station using the same call letters in Chicago several years ago was silenced
by FCC officials who raided the station accompanied by members of the United
States Marshall's Office on Friday, January 24.
Prompted by complaints from other broadcasters in the Chicago area, an FCC
field inspection team on January 16 found WCFL was beaming its signal at more
than twice its authorized power of 11,000 watts, and was using a nondirectional
rather than directional antenna as called for in its license to operate.
The effect of the violations was to broacast a more powerful signal toward
Chicago and elsewhere, and "to increase the likelyhood of interference with
other stations," acccording to Dan Emrick, chief of investigations for the
FCC's office in Chicago.
The FCC had cited the station for similar offenses in 1990, and fined the
owners $3000. Emrick said there was no record of payment.
Tim Spires is the General Manager of WCFL, and an officer of the parent company
'MM Group' which is based in Ohio. Neither Mr. Spires nor other officials of
'MM Group' would make any response to the FCC action which forced the station
off the air at 1:00 PM last Friday.
Emrick said federal officers entered the station shortly before 1:00 PM and
served the appropriate legal papers on employees on duty. FCC staffers then
siezed the broadcasting studio and transmitting equipment. After giving the
obligatory sign off message and station identification over the air, power was
killed to the transmitter. Employees were ordered to leave the premises, which
was closed with a US Marshall's Seal.
Emrick went on to say the station would not be allowed to return to the air
until the station settles its account with the FCC and completes construction
of a directional antenna. At that point, the station would be permitted to
operate 'in probation' while the Commission did further technical inspections,
and the probation status would continue for an unspecified period of time
afterward.
A press release was finally issued by the 'MM Group' yesterday which said in
part that WCFL " ... went off the air voluntarily in order to install a new
antenna; bring their transmitter into compliance with FCC regulations and
better serve their listening area."
_______________________________________________________________________________
New Cellular Phones Raise A National Security Debate February 6, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By John Markoff (New York Times)(Page D1)
Advocates of privacy rights are challenging the nation's most clandestine
intelligence-gathering agency over how much confidentiality people will have
when communicating via the next generation of cellular telephones and wireless
computers.
The issue has emerged at meetings this week of an obscure committee of
telecommunications experts that is to decide what kinds of protections against
eavesdropping should be designed into new models of cellular phones. People
concerned with privacy are eager to incorporate more potent scrambling and
descrambling codes in equipment to prevent the eavesdropping that is so easy
and so common in the current generation of cellular phones.
But privacy advocates contend that the industry committee has already decided
not to adopt the maximum level of protection because of pressure from the
National Security Agency, whose intelligence gathering includes listening in on
phone conversations in foreign countries and intercepting data sent by
computers. The privacy-rights faction contends that the security agency
opposes codes that are hard to crack because the equipment might be used
overseas.
"The NSA is trying to weaken privacy technology," said Marc Rotenberg,
Washington director of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, a
public advocacy group organized by computer scientists and engineers. "At
stake is nothing less than the future of our privacy in the communications
world."
The standards setting group is made up of cellular telephone equipment
manufacturers and service providers.
The National Security Agency is the Defense Department Agency in charge of
electronic intelligence gathering around the world for use by many other
branches of the government. Officials of the agency, who have been
participating in the meetings as observers, said their only interest in the
matter was insuring that the government's own secure telephones were compatible
with the new cellular phones. They said that agency officials have
specifically been told not to participate in the standards-setting effort, and
indeed some engineers attending the meetings said they have felt no outside
pressure.
But other engineers involved in the standards process said the agency's
presence had loomed large in earlier technical meetings during the past two
years. "I would talk to people and they would say, 'The NSA wouldn't like
this, or wouldn't like that,'" said one committee member, who spoke on the
condition that he not be identified.
The Agency's Long Reach
The debate is important, the privacy advocates say, not just for cellular
phones but for many other emerging technologies that communicate using radio
signals, which are easier to intercept than information sent over conventional
telephone lines. These include wireless "personal communicators" that transmit
and receive data, and portable "notebook" computers.
But the dispute also illustrates that even as the cold war ebbs, the
National Security Agency is still wielding influence over many United States
high-technology industries. Indeed, executives from a number of high-
technology companies say the agency is hampering their efforts to compete for
business overseas by forcing them to make products for foreign markets that are
different from products sold domestically.
The agency exercises this power in evaluating some of the applications by
companies to export high-technology products. In that role, critics say, the
agency has opposed exports of equipment fitted with advanced encryption systems
that are increasingly vital to modern business.
Buyers Can Shop Elsewhere
The agency's critics say it is almost impossible to contain the proliferation
of encryption technologies and that customers who are deterred from buying it
in the United States will simply shop abroad or steal the technology.
"The notion that you can control this technology is comical," said William H.
Neukom, vice president for law and corporate affairs at Microsoft Corporation,
the big software publisher.
Critics also say that it is ludicrous that encryption systems used in popular
software programs receive the type of Government scrutiny that might be
expected for weapons. "The notion that our our products should be classified
as munitions, and treated that way just doesn't make sense at all," Mr. Neukom
said.
Privacy advocates have also challenged the committee's intention not to publish
the algorithm on which the encryption technology is based. Traditionally,
cryptographers have said that the best way to ensure that encryption techniques
work is to publish the formulas so they can be publicly tested.
The committee has said that it will not disclose the formula because it does
not want to criminals an opportunity to crack the code. But publishing the
formula is only a danger only if the formula is weak, said John Gilmore, a
Silicon Valley software designer, and privacy advocate. If the formula is
strong, disclosing it publicly and letting anyone try to crack it would simply
prove it works.
The code, however, is simple to break, say a number of engineers who have
examined it. Several committee members said they realized that the security
agency would never permit the adoption of an unbreakable privacy scheme.
"The cynics in the bar would say that you're never going to get anything by the
NSA that they can't crack trivially anyway," said Peter Nurse, chairman of the
authentication and privacy subcommittee of the standards committee and an
engineer at Hughes Network Systems.
NSA Role Denied
But a number of engineers who worked on the technical standard insist that the
agency has had no overt role in setting it. "The standard was based on the
technical deliberations of some of the best experts in North America," said
John Marinho, chairman of the standards committee and an executive at AT&T. He
said the committee relied on the NSA only for guidance on complying with United
States regulations.
He also said that the new standard would offer far more privacy protection than
is available under the present cellular telephone system. Today, although it
is against the law to eavesdrop on a cellular telephone conversation, many
individuals modify commercial radio scanners so they can receive the
frequencies on which cellular calls are transmitted.
_______________________________________________________________________________
FBI Eavesdropping Challenged February 17, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from The Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- Cellular telephones and other state-of-the art telecommunications
technology are seriously challenging the FBI's ability to listen to the
telephone conversations of criminal suspects, law enforcement officials say.
The FBI is seeking $26.6 million next year to update its eavesdropping
techniques. Normally tight-lipped FBI officials become even more closed-
mouthed when the subject of investigative "sources and methods" comes up. But
a review of the bureau's 1993 budget request provides an unusual glimpse into
the FBI's research on electronic surveillance and its concerns about new
technologies.
"Law enforcement is playing catchup with the telecommunications industry's
migration to this technology," said the FBI's budget proposal to Congress. "If
electronic surveillance is to remain available as a law enforcement tool,
hardware and software supporting it must be developed."
The new technologies include digital signals and cellular telephones. At the
same time, there has been an increase in over-the-phone transmission of
computer data, which can be encrypted through readily available software
programs, say industry experts and government officials.
The FBI's five-year research effort to develop equipment compatible with
digital phone systems is expected to cost $82 million, according to
administration figures.
The FBI effort is just a part of a wider research program also financed by the
Pentagon's secret intelligence budget, said officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
Electronic surveillance, which includes both telephone wiretaps and microphones
hidden in places frequented by criminal suspects, is a key tool for
investigating drug traffickers as well as white-collar and organized crime.
Conversations recorded by microphones the FBI placed in the New York City
hangouts of the Gambino crime family are the centerpiece of the government's
case against reputed mob boss John Gotti, now on trial for ordering the murder
of his predecessor, Paul Castellano.
Taps on the phones of defense consultants provided key evidence in the Justice
Department's long running investigation of Pentagon procurement fraud, dubbed
"Operation Ill Wind." But with the advent of digital phone signals, it is
difficult to unscramble a single conversation from the thousands that are
transmitted simultaneously with computer generated data and images, industry
officials said.
"In the old days all you had to do was take a pair of clip leads and a head
set, put it on the right terminal and you could listen to the conversation,"
said James Sylvester, an official of Bell Atlantic Network Services Inc. But
digital signal transmission makes this task much more difficult. Conversations
are broken into an incoherent stream of digits and put back together again at
the other end of the line.
John D. Podesta, a former counsel to the Senate Judiciary's law and technology
subcommittee, said the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are simply
victims of a technological revolution. For more than 50 years the basic
telephone technology remained the same.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Nynex Will Go On-line With Listings February 20, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Adam M. Gaffin (adamg@world.std.com)(Middlesex News, Framingham, MA)
You can now let your fingers do the walking electronically through the Yellow
Pages.
Nynex yesterday announced an online Yellow Pages available to anyone with a
computer and modem, becoming the first regional Bell operating company to offer
an electronic Yellow Pages database. The 1984 court order that broke up AT&T
had barred such efforts, but that provision was overturned last year.
The service, at least at first, will offer listings only, rather than ads, from
close to 300 Nynex directories -- the company serves most of New York and New
England, except for Connecticut.
Users will also be able to scan UPI news and financial information, according
to Kurt Roessner, president of Nynex Information Technologies, the subsidiary
that will run the service. Ultimately, the company hopes to begin offering and
displaying Yellow Pages-like ads to users, Roessner said yesterday.
Users will require special software to access the information through the
Minitel network, a French system that has so far failed to catch on in the U.S.
Nynex will provide the software for free to users of MS-DOS, Macintosh, Apple
II and Commodore computers, Roessner said.
Roessner said Nynex eventually hopes to offer the service on other, more
popular computer networks. Minitel was chosen because Nynex has offered its
Yellow Pages information to French subscribers for almost two years, he said.
Nynex will charge 61 cents a minute -- $36.60 an hour -- the same as French
users pay. However, Roessner acknowledged this may be more than Americans are
willing to pay and that the company will look at lowering the rate.
CompuServe, the nation's largest consumer-oriented computer network, charges
$12.80 an hour -- but drops that to just 50 cents an hour to people who use an
AT&T directory of national toll-free numbers.
The Nynex project is the latest in a series of efforts by large companies to
sell information to consumers via computer. Some, such as an effort by Knight-
Ridder in the mid-1980s, have ended in spectacular failure. Last year, Nynex
dropped its own information "gateway" service after losing several million
dollars. CompuServe and several other online services, however, reportedly
earn sizable profits.
Phone-company information services have been surrounded by controversy.
Opponents, who include organizations representing newspaper publishers, say it
is unfair to allow a company that provides the means of distribution to also
offer services -- a common comparison is to a turnpike authority that also ran
a trucking company.
Roessner, however, said he hopes the phone company can cooperate with, rather
than fight, other potential "information providers." He said he has already
talked with officials at a number of newspapers who seem more willing to work
with the phone company on joint projects than their national organizations
would let on.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Civil Jury Rules Against AT&T in Patent Violation Case February 9, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Paul Deckelman (United Press International/UPI)
NEW YORK -- A jury ruled American Telephone & Telegraph Company infringed upon
somebody else's patent for telephone switching equipment and awarded the
plaintiff $34.6 million, an attorney said.
AT&T contends the suit is without merit and said it will appeal the verdict.
The six-member jury at the federal district court in Midland, Texas, returned
its verdict after having heard six days of testimony in the case, brought
against the telecommunications giant by Collins Licensing L.P., of Dallas.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Joseph Grear, of the Chicago-based firm of Rolf
Stadheim Ltd., held out the possibility that the total award could go
substantially higher, due to interest accruing back to 1985. An AT&T spokesman
dismissed the possibility.
U.S. District Court Judge Lucius Bunton is considering the jury's
recommendation.
Grear claimed AT&T's 5ESS digital central office switching device infringed
upon a 1976 federal patent for a "Time Space Time (TST) Switch" awarded to the
late Arthur A. Collins.
Collins was the founder of Collins Radio Co., now a division of Rockwell
International Inc., of El Segundo, California.
"Arthur Collins was a pioneer in the field of digital telecommunications. The
jury's verdict provides recognition of Mr. Collins' substantial research and
development investment in, and important technical contributions to, the field
of digital telephony," Grear said.
AT&T's Network Systems division came out with the device in the early 1980s,
using it for central-office telephone switching equipment used to route calls
to the proper exchange and number.
The suit, filed in December 1990, originally named Southwestern Bell, of
Dallas, as a co-defendent. That portion of the case, however, was dismissed
when the regional telephone company argued it had not violated the patent
because it did not make the disputed switching equipment -- it had only bought
it from AT&T.
But AT&T contends that Collins' patent was not valid.
Spokesman Curt Wilson said the Federal Patent Office is currently examining the
patent in question in a separate proceeding at the request of both AT&T and
Collins Licensing. "We think they will invalidate that patent and we won't
have to pay," he said.
There is no firm time frame for the anticipated Patent Office ruling.
Wilson added that even if the patent is found by the government to have been
valid, AT&T does not believe its equipment used Collins' discovery, and thus
feels it did not infringe upon the patent.
"The jury found in our favor on seven of the original eight counts of the
suit," Wilson said, "and on the remaining claim, awarded them $34 million, 70
times less than the amount they had originally sought."
We believe this suit is totally without merit," the spokesman asserted. "The
patent is not valid -- and we expect the patent office to agree."
_______________________________________________________________________________
User "Bill Of Rights" Introduced January 23, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TAMPA, FLORIDA.-- .The North American Directory Forum (NADF) introduced a "User
Bill of Rights" to address security and privacy issues regarding entries and
listings concerning its proposed cooperative public directory service. NADF
members also approved continuing efforts on an experimental publish directory
pilot at their eighth quarterly meeting.
The "User Bill of Rights" addresses the concerns of the individual user or the
user's agent, and is in response to issues brought to the attention of the
NADF.
Final plans were completed for the X.500 directory pilot scheduled to begin in
the first quarter of this year. The pilot will be used by the NADF to validate
its technical agreements for providing a publich directory service in North
America. The agreements have been recorded in standing documents and include
the services that will be provided, the directory schema and information
sharing required to unify the directory. It will test the operation of X.500
in a large-scale, multi-vendor environment.
All NADF members are participating in the pilot. The members are AT&T, Bell
Atlantic, BellSouth Advanced Networks, Bellcore representing US West, BT North
America, GE Information Services, IBM, Infonet, MCI Communications Corp.,
Pacific Bell, Performance Systems International, US Postal Service and Ziff
Communications Co. Joining the NADF at this meeting are Canada Post
Corporation and DirectoryNet, Inc.
The NADF was founded in 1990 with the goal of bringing together major messaging
providers in the U.S. and Canada to establish a public directory service based
on X.500, the CCITT recommendation for a global directory service. The forum
meets quarterly in a collaborative effort to address operational, commercial
and technical issues involved in implementing a North American directory with
the objective of expediting the industry's transition to a global X.500
directory.
This quarter's meeting was hosted by the IBM Information Network, IBM's
value-added services network that provides networking, messaging, capacity and
consulting services.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
USER BILL OF RIGHTS (for entries and listings in the Public Directory)
The mission of the North American Directory Forum is to provide interconnected
electronic directories which empower users with unprecedented access to public
information. To address significant security and privacy issues, the North
American Directory Forum introduces the following "User Bill of Rights" for
entries in the Public Directory. As a user, you have:
I. The right not to be listed.
II. The right to have you or your agent informed when your entry is created.
III. The right to examine your entry.
IV. The right to correct inaccurate information in your entry.
V. The right to remove specific information from your entry.
VI. The right to be assured that your listing in the Public Directory will
comply with US or Canadian law regulating privacy or access information.
VII. The right to expect timely fulfillment of these rights.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Scope of Intent - User Bill of Rights
The North American Directory Forum is a collection of service providers that
plan to offer a cooperative directory service in North America. This is
achieved by interconnecting electronic directories using a set of
internationally developed standards known as the CCITT X.500 series.
In this context, the "Directory" represents the collection of electronic
directories administered by both service providers and private operators. When
an entry containing information about a user is listed in the Directory, that
information can be accessed unless restricted by security and privacy controls.
A portion of the Directory -- The Public Directory -- contains information for
public dissemination. In contrast, other portions of the Directory may contain
information not intended for public access. A user or user's agent may elect
to list information in the Public Directory, a private directory, or some
combination. For example, a user might publicly list a telephone number or an
electronic mail address, and might designate other information for specific
private use.
The User Bill of Rights pertains to the Public Directory.
Source: NADF, January 1992
Volume Four, Issue Thirty-Seven, File 13 of 14
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Phrack World News PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Issue XXXVII / Part Three of Four PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Compiled by Dispater & Spirit Walker PWN
PWN PWN
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
THE RBOC'S GREED IS AIMED AT DESTROYING OUR BULLETIN BOARDS!
Computer Users See Threat In Costs November 5, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Martin Rosenberg (Kansas City Star)
"Southwestern Bell Plan Portends Changes, They Fear"
Some computer bulletin board operators in Missouri say they might have to shut
down the increasingly popular computer networks if Southwestern Bell Telephone
Company, succeeds in raising their rates.
Southwestern Bell says its only trying to fairly price its services by charging
the bulletin board operators business rates instead of residential rates. The
company is seeking approval for the changes from Missouri regulators.
Industry experts say the issue could be the opening volley in a broad campaign
by telephone companies to change the way consumers and businesses pay for
electronic communications.
Residential customers might one day have to pay more to use their personal
computers and modems than they pay for voice communications, experts say. And
businesses might have to pay more to use fax machines.
Southwestern Bell denied that it is attempting to change any rates other than
those affecting a small number of data communications customers who should be
switched to a flat business rate, more expensive than the residential rate.
The bulletin boards, frequently operated out of homes, allow users to exchange
messages, advice and software programs. Many are free to use, and operators
often get no revenue from them. Hundreds have formed across the state in the
last few years.
Southwestern Bell's proposal is meant for only those who have set up a bulletin
board through his or her personal computer. Not affected are computer users
who merely access the bulletin board computer over telephone lines.
The proposal comes at a time when telephone companies' plans for information
services have moved to center stage.
The U.S. Supreme Court (as already) cleared the way for seven regional
telephone companies, including Southwestern Bell, to start providing
information services. Those services could eventually compete with electronic
bulletin boards, newspapers and data base operations such as CompuServe Inc.
and Prodigy Services Co. (CompuServe is owned by H&R Block Inc. of Kansas
City).
Revenues for telephone-delivered information in the United States amounted to
an estimated $750 million last year and are projected to grow to $2 billion in
1992, according to industry sources.
Southwestern Bell's proposal, if approved, would take effect by mid-November.
Bulletin board operators are operating like businesses, said William Bailey,
company district manager of rate administration for Missouri in St. Louis.
"Some customers on residential lines would more appropriately be on business
lines," Bailey said.
Bailey said current business customers also would be affected. They would be
allowed to switch to the flat business rate ($33.55 a month in metropolitan
Kansas City) and avoid paying a higher "information terminal service" rate
(currently $43.60 a month), he said.
Southwestern Bell mounted a similar effort to get bulletin boards under
business rates in Texas. It later decided to allow free bulletin board services
using three or fewer lines to continue to enjoy residential rates.
That was "an enormous mistake," Bailey said. Phone companies are unable to
monitor whether a bulletin board is collecting money from users, he added.
Many Kansas City bulletin board operators are upset with Southwestern Bell's
proposal.
"If they start charging business rates, some bulletin boards will shut down,"
said Lanny Conn, who operates a free bulletin board called SOLO-Quest.
Bill Hirt, who operates the Amiga Central bulletin board for Amiga computer
users, said he would close down if he is charged the business rate. His
bulletin board also is free to use.
Currently, about 200 personal computer users -- some as far off as Australia
and Sweden - call his bulletin board, he said.
Conn and Hirt serve as spokesmen for the Greater Kansas City SysOps
Association, made up of about 22 bulletin boards. (SysOps stands for system
operators). Hirt estimates there are 100 bulletin boards in the city; most
have been set up as hobbies.
Attorney Robin Martinez, who is representing the association, said that
Southwestern Bell's proposal would hurt information-age pioneers.
"People running bulletin boards and people using them are on the cutting edge
of the information age," he said.
Southwestern Bell wants to thin the ranks of bulletin board providers so there
will be fewer competitors to its own offerings, he said.
"To a certain extent, they are trying to get a stranglehold on information
services," Martinez said.
Bailey denied there is a link between his company's proposals and its own plans
for information services.
"I'm not getting any direction from on high to do what I am doing," he said.
"I'm really not aware what my company intends to do in terms of information
services."
But William Degnan, a telecommunications consultant in Austin, Texas, said,
"The majority of these folks (bulletin boards) are underpricing these services
that Southwestern Bell would like to provide at a grander scale."
Degnan had advised the group of Texas bulletin board operators who had opposed
Southwestern Bell's efforts to charge business rates there.
"I think Southwestern Bell is concerned that (it) won't be able to sell what
other people are giving away," Degnan said.
Martha Hogerty, public council representing consumers in Missouri, said after
reviewing Southwestern Bell's filing, "This looks like anybody with a modem
would have to be on a business rate."
Most regional Bell telephone companies are now developing strategies for
offering information services.
Phone companies may soon try to get customers to pay a measured rate for data
communications, said Howard Anderson, president of the Yankee Group of Boston.
Under such a system, the monthly cost of data communications would increase the
longer you are connected during the month -- like a running taxi meter.
A change to metered rates would be reasonable and enable telephone companies to
increase revenues as usage and expenses mount, he said.
The average residential customer uses the phone 21 minutes a day, while a
customer with a personal computer and modem uses a phone line an average of 62
minutes a day, Anderson said.
Anderson predicted that telephone companies may decide to offer customers high-
speed data communications for a rate higher than voice communications. Usage
above a fixed number of hours would increase the size of the monthly phone
bill, he said.
To encourage use of the new line, phone companies may take steps to lower the
quality of standard lines so that they will not cleanly carry electronic
information, Anderson said.
Bailey disagreed, saying Southwestern Bell has no plans to introduce measured
service for voice or data communications.
And, he said, "I know of no plans to degrade our service to migrate customers
>from one service to another."
_______________________________________________________________________________
SW Bell Tariff Called Threat to Computer Bulletin Boards November 18, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Robert Sanford (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
A proposal by Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. to revise a tariff for telephone
use has brought protests from owners of personal computers who use phone lines
to operate bulletin board services for other computer owners.
The bulletin board operators contend that their members - by and large -
operate bulletin boards as a hobby and not a business. And they contend that
the change suggested by Bell is part of an effort by the phone company to make
them pay business phone line rates rather than residential rates.
Bulletin boards are computers with modems that can be accessed by other
computers with modems. The "bulletin boards" contain information that can be
passed to other computers - information of any sort, from cooking recipes to
games to automobile tips to computer programming.
Hobby bulletin board users have common interests, said Jim Harre, coordinator
of a bulletin board network called Network 100. "You could say that bulletin
board users are somewhat similar to amateur radio operators. They are people
using computers to communicate. They serve a function like a bulletin board at
a supermarket. They pass on information.
The operators see the Bell proposal as a threat to all bulletin boards.
Increased costs would simply force some hobby boards out of existence."
A list of several networks in the St. Louis area shows there are about 250
bulletin boards in the area, said Bob Schmedake, a system operator, or "sysop",
as they call themselves. It is estimated that there may be that many in the
Kansas City area. So there are several hundred across the state. There are
16,000 bulletin boards listed worldwide.
Although the tariff proposal has brought the issue of residential vs. business
rates to the forefront in discussions among Missouri sysops, the proposal does
not suggest any sort of residential rate change. The proposal suggests that
some users of a different sort of service called Information Terminal Service
should be allowed to change to flat business rate.
Generally, the ITS rate is $43.65, the flat business rate is $33.55 and the
residential rate is $11.35.
A definition in the phone company's existing tariffs says in part that a line
used "more as a business than of a residence nature" should be billed at a
business rate, said William Bailey, Southwestern Bell's district manager for
rate administration in Missouri.
A "business nature" could be said to be present if the line is advertised in
any way, he said.
But the nature of the growth of bulletin boards has been that computer owners
added modems to personal computers in the home and began communicating with
others by computer, using residential line, the sysops say. Most always have
thought of bulletin boards as a hobby, they say. Though there may be some
charges for access to bulletin boards, nobody makes any money at it, they said.
Bailey said that the phone company does not know how many sysops there are
using residential lines and the company has no formal plan to try to determine
how lines are being used.
Bailey attended a meeting in Kansas City that also was attended by John Van
Eschen, assistant manager for telecommunications for the Missouri Public
Service Commission, and about 150 sysops.
The meeting was described later as being "testy" at times and the outcome was
that the sysops and the phone company agreed to disagree. Users contended that
bulletin boards are a public service offering information and that rate
increases could force some to shut down.
"The users want to be billed as residential", Van Eschen said. "An avenue
toward getting that would be to file a formal complaint against Bell. That
could lead to written testimony and a hearing."
He said there is a complaint on file now charging that Bell wanted to change
user's rate from residential to business and there was talk at the meeting
about some sort of legal action.
Van Eschen said the PSC is continuing to study the question and has made no
recommendation. The effective date for application of a ruling would be
December. 15.
Some sysops, Harre among them, suggest that the phone company might be
interested in reducing the number of bulletin boards because the company has
plans to enter the information services business itself and may see bulletin
boards as potential competitors. The Supreme Court recently upheld a ruling
that allowed the Baby Bell companies to enter information services.
Bailey said he was not aware of what the company plans to do in the information
services business.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Phone Companies Eyeing Higher Rates for BBSes November 18, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Steve Higgins (PC Week)(Page 173)
The shoestring bulletin-board service could be a thing of the past if the major
telephone companies have their way.
Regional operating companies such as U.S. West Inc., Southwestern Bell Corp.
and Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. are maneuvering to raise the cost
of doing business for the more than 40,000 operators of dial-in bulletin boards
in the United States, those operators say.
The bulletin board services (BBSs), whose offerings run the gamut from
technical support to discussions on exotic birds, could be crippled or killed
off completely by higher installation costs and monthly line charges that, in
some cases, would double the current rates.
"If the telephone companies were to raise the operating costs, we would have to
pass that on to users," said Kevin Beherens, operator of Aquilla BBS, a
distributor of shareware in Aurora, Ill.
While attempts to up the ante have thus far been rebuked by overwhelming
opposition from BBS users, a proposal by Southwestern Bell that could make it
easier for the company to crack down on BBS operators who are paying low,
residential phone-line rates is up for review this month.
"We have a tariff for business customers. Bulletin-board service operators
should be paying that rate," said David Martin, a spokesman for Southwestern
Bell in St. Louis. "We don't now have an organized program to move bulletin-
board providers to that rate."
The companies region covers five states in the Midwest and the southern United
States, but the proposal would take effect only in Missouri. If approved by
Missouri regulators, it could more than double the monthly rate for operators
of bulletin-board systems.
Business data-line rates average $18 to $45 per month nationally, while
residential rates average $7 to $20 per month.
In addition, a federal judge's ruling in October that frees the telephone
companies to operate their own bulletin-board services could make price hikes
even more tempting. Because of the federal ruling, analysts say, the phone
companies' interest in raising costs for BBS operators extends beyond
extracting more revenue.
"The phone companies want to put up electronic Yellow Pages...[which] in itself
[is] not a bad thing," said Jack Rickard, editor of Boardwatch, a monthly
magazine for BBS users that is published in Lakewood, Colorado. "But the
mentality seems to be to stop anything else."
COMPETITORS ABOUND
Should they unveil their own on-line services, the phone companies will find a
prodigious installed base with which to compete. In addition to the garage BBS
operations, nearly 40 of the top 100 PC software companies are exploiting the
low expense and wide reach of bulletin boards to provide customer support,
according to Soft*letter, an industry newsletter based in Watertown,
Massachusetts.
"We are just now starting to see business use bulletin-board services," said
Jim Harrer, president and CEO of Mustang Software Inc., a vendor of
communications software and a bulletin-board service operator located in
Bakersfield, Calif. "It would cripple them if [tariffs] got in the way."
If that becomes the case, observers say, some system operators might try to
dodge the new tariff by disguising their operations as personal telephone
lines. In fact, some operators are reportedly trying that tactic already.
"I've heard of one guy who was who was trying to convince the phone company
that he has five kids" who needed separate phone lines, Mustang Software's
Harrer said.
Increased costs could also affect the large bulletin-board operators, such as
Prodigy Services Co. and CompuServe Inc., particularly if coupled with the
emergence of bulletin boards maintained by telephone companies.
"It is not going to push them out of business," said Boardwatch's Rickard, "but
[Prodigy and CompuServe] are also affected."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Southwestern Bell's Scorched Earth Policy For Bulletin Boards December 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from BOARDWATCH Magazine
Throughout the debate on whether to allow the Regional Bell Operating Companies
(RBOC) into the information business, opponents warned that the RBOC would use
their monopoly position to unfairly eliminate competition. And throughout this
debate, the RBOC piously denied they would ever do anything anti-competitive.
Judge Greene warned in clear and ringing terms that their history indicated
they would and denied them repeatedly the freedom to compete in information
services over the course of the seven years since divestiture.
Using millions in rate-payers funds, the RBOC lobbied and appealed through
every venue in government and finally found an appeals court who directed Judge
Greene to reconsider his stand.
Forced to lift the ban on information content, Greene issued a stay on his
ruling pending appeals by the opposition. In an October 7 decision by the
appeals court, even the stay was overturned freeing the bells over night to
operate their own online services.
The ink had not completely dried on the document when they levied their opening
shot. Southwestern Bell Telephone, with a history of BBS harassment going back
to the mid-80s already under their belt, was the first out of the gate. In
October, they filed a tariff revision asking that ALL electronic bulletin
boards, whether operated for profit or as a hobby, be classified as Information
Terminal Services and not only forced to pay higher business rates, but
specifically prevented from using existing business measured service tariffs to
reduce their telephone bills. The tariff was filed October 7, 1991 as a
proposed revision to Missouri Local Exchange Tariff, P.S.C. Mo. No. 24 and
P.S.C. Mo. No. 35, General Exchange Tariff, Section 17, Rules and Regulations
Applying to all Customer's Contracts.
Currently, the basic line charge for businesses in the Kansas City area is
$33.55 monthly--about twice the residential rate. And the Information Terminal
Rate is actually higher yet at $43.60 monthly. While the tariff modification
is specifically aimed at BBS operators, the wording of the tariff would seem to
include anyone who uses a modem or fax machine on a telephone line.
Southwestern Bell has a history of animosity with regards to bulletin board
operations. The company announced their own SOURCELINE gateway data service in
Houston in 1988 and delivered letters to hundreds of Houston bulletin boards in
October of that year demanding they pay business rates for their residential
telephone lines. A group of local system operators operating under the banner
of COSUARD took their case to the Texas Public Utilities Commission, charging
predatory practices, anti-competitive actions, and discrimination against the
hobby BBS community.
Southwestern Bell, concurrent with the grandiose failure of their own
SOURCELINE gateway service, settled with the group in January 1991. All BBS in
the Houston area operating on three or fewer lines and not seeking subscriber
support are classified as hobby BBS and continue to qualify for residential
telephone service.
Hobby bulletin boards are really the issue. Most commercial or subscription
bulletin board systems already pay business telephone rates for their systems.
However, most opt for a type of business classification referred to as "totally
measured service." Virtually all RBOC offer a reduced basic rate in exchange
for the right to meter local calls -- usually at two or three cents per minute.
Since most bulletin boards make few outbound calls -- most of the activity is
incoming--the totally measured service, even in a business classification, is
only a few dollars more than residential telephone service. SWB in their
filing, if approved, would effectively double the telephone charges for any BBS
in the state of Missouri overnight.
Kansas City system operators have banded together to form a non-profit
organization titled the Greater Kansas City Sysops Association (GKCSA) to fight
the proposed change. At a November 14th public hearing in Kansas City, nearly
150 operators and callers showed up to protest the action and the MPSC agreed
to delay implementation of the new rate until December 15th. SWB had
originally sought to apply the rates effective November 15.
According to GKCSA attorney Robin Martinez, the group will be filing a legal
petition asking the MPSC to rule that all hobby BBS operating on residential
premises be allowed the lower residential rate classification. The GKCSA
contends in its petition that Southwestern Bell Telephone is acting in a
predatory and anti-competitive manner in seeking to eliminate any perceived
competition to their own planned information services in Missouri.
GKCSA president Scott Lent predicts that if Southwestern Bell gets their way,
it will be the end of the free hobby BBS in the state -- which is just what the
telephone company wants. And he predicts that if SWB wins in Missouri, the
other RBOC won't be far behind with tariffs of their own to eliminate the
competition of underpriced information services represented by the free BBSs.
William Bailey, company district manager of rate administration for Missouri,
makes no apologies for the company's approach. At the Kansas City meeting he
admitted that the charge will have no significant impact on company revenues,
but denied that it was in any way connected to their entry into information
services and avowed that he wasn't informed what the company's plans were in
information services. He claimed their only goal was "fairness" in that modem
users tied up the system longer than voice callers and should pay more. He
could not comment on the coincidence of SWB filing for the tariff within a week
of the appeals court decision.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Computer Phone-Fee Plan Angers Many December 8, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Christine Bertelson (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
"Costs May Triple For Electronic Bulletin Boards"
For Barbara Clements, the electronic bulletin board she operates on her home
computer in south St. Louis County is far more than a hobby. It is her only
window on the world.
Clements, 43, has severe cerebral palsy, which prevents her from walking or
using her hands. Her garbled speech is difficult for many people to understand
in public and impossible to comprehend on the telephone, she says.
But by sitting at the keyboard and using a head wand, Clements is able to use
her modem and computer to communicate with a growing network of other computer
hobbyists.
The computer network has given her a freedom and social life she is loath to
lose.
"Six years ago, before I got my modem, I was a total hermit," Clements said in
an interview at her home.
"My privately run bulletin board system is strictly social for my sanity. I am
an equal human being on any bulletin board system because people cannot see my
disability and they cannot hear my garbled speech. This makes it easier to
make friends."
Clements is one of hundreds of computer hobbyists statewide who would be
affected by a proposal by Southwestern Bell Corp. to charge bulletin board
operators business rates instead of residential rates for telephone hookups to
their terminals.
The proposal would affect not only disabled people such as Clements who see the
network as a lifeline to the outside world.
The bulletin boards have become increasingly popular with computer hobbyists in
the general population as well - as a way to exchanging information about
computers and various other interests.
Those involved from teen-age "computer hackers" to adults trading recipes to
singles looking for dates.
Hundreds of electronic bulletin boards have been added to the network across
Missouri the past few years. In the St. Louis area, more than 200 are in
place. Only operators of the boards would be affected by the proposed rate
boost; hundreds of others who phone into them would not be covered.
The company announced the plan several weeks ago. The issue is expected to
soon be before the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates utility
rates in the state.
The telephone company says it is only trying to price its services fairly,
noting that computer chitchat often lasts longer than telephone calls. Tying
up telephone lines increases Bell's operating costs, a spokesman said.
Robin Martinez, a lawyer from Kansas City representing computer hobbyists
there, said he plans to file a complaint this week, calling for a public
hearing on the issue.
William Bailey, Southwestern Bell's district manager of rate administration for
Missouri, said the company considers electronic bulletin boards operated by
people such as Clements as businesses.
"If a customer acts as a business, by advertising and other things, we could
charge a business rate," Bailey said. "We charge business rates to clubs and
fraternities. One reason we price businesses higher is to keep residential
rates lower."
Electronic bulletin boards, frequently operated from homes, function as a
meeting place, their operators say.
Many are free to use, and operators often get no income from them.
Each has its on name, reflecting the personality of its "sysop" or system
operators. Clements dubbed hers, appropriately, "Barb's Outlook Window."
One of Clements' electronic acquaintances is John Brawley Jr. of Eureka, known
by his computer handle "The Wanderer."
The two met three months ago on her bulletin board and now regularly talk by
computer about subjects from the weather to Clement's cerebral palsy to
Brawley's ideas on the impact of quantum mechanics on religious concepts.
Brawley is concerned that Bell's proposal would effectively gag Clements. But,
he said, there is a broader issue involved also. Charging the higher rates
would restrict the free flow of information, he said.
Bailey said the principle at stake is not freedom of speech, but merely the
definition of what is a business and what is not.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently cleared the way for regional telephone
companies, including Southwestern Bell, to provide information services that
could eventually compete with electronic bulletin boards, newspapers and data
base operators.
Revenue for telephone-delivered information in the nation was estimated at $750
million last year and projected at $2 billion next year, industry sources said.
Martinez, the lawyer for the Kansas City bulletin users, estimated that
Southwestern Bell could take in $8 million more a year by charging the business
rates in question. Bailey would not confirm that figure.
Once computer hobbyists file a formal complaint with the state commission, Bell
would have 30 days to respond. If the issue is not resolved privately, the
commission may hold a public hearing, said agency spokesman Kevin Kelly.
In the meantime, Clements said she has written to the company and is eager to
testify at a hearing.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Agreement Nears For Phone Company And Missouri BBS Sysops February 14, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taken from Newsbytes
The report from Kansas City is that Southwestern Bell phone company is nearing
an agreement with local operators of computer bulletin board systems in dispute
over the company's charging BBSes business rates. The pact seems to center on
language in a new tariff plan.
Communications Daily newsletter this week quoted attorney Robin Martinez,
representing the sysops, as saying the proposed agreement calls for BBSes to be
exempt from business rates if they meet certain conditions.
One of the conditions is that the boards must be located in residences.
Exempted BBSes also must not charge for access, must not advertise and must
have fewer than five phone lines.
Martinez says the last stumbling block in the agreement is coming up with a
workable definition for "BBS" for the tariff language.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Final Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~
There are still some problems to be worked out in the Missouri/Southwestern
Bell situation, but meanwhile, there are other similar problems going on
with C&P (Bell Atlantic) Telephone in Virginia and US West Telephone in
Oregon.
Our electronic rights and freedoms that we have enjoyed for oh so many years
are in jeopardy because of the greed of the Regional Bell Operating Companies.
Support our Congress by supporting S 2112 and HR 3515!
More details in Phrack 38.
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Phrack World News PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Issue XXXVII / Part Four of Four PWN
PWN PWN
PWN Compiled by Dispater & Spirit Walker PWN
PWN PWN
PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
Computer Espionage: Can We Be Compromised By The Internet? December 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extracted from Security Awareness Bulletin
The advent of computer networks linking scientists and their research
institutions vastly complicates any effort to identify Soviet scientific
espionage. For example, foreign travel may become less important, as computers
become more directly interconnected, allowing scientists anywhere in the world
to talk to each other -- and, in some cases to access information in data bases
at Western academic and defense-related institutions.
This capability has been available for some time, but in 1989 the USSR took an
important step toward increasing the breadth and availability of access, by
applying (with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria) to be connected
to the European Academic Research Network (EARN). Approval of the application
in April 1990 provided Soviet and East European users access far beyond simply
a link to computers throughout Western Europe. Through EARN, the Soviets would
be connected to Internet, a US network serving defense, research, and academic
organizations worldwide.
A number of threats are inherent in the trend toward computer linkage. The
most obvious is the increased ease with which a Soviet can discuss professional
matters with Westerners working on similar projects. A user also can put out a
blanket request for information on any subject, and it may not always be
obvious that the requestor is working for the USSR. In addition, the Soviet
Academy of Sciences can use a computer network to issue general invitations to
conferences -- in hopes that the responses will identify untapped research
institutions or individual scientists that later can be targeted for specific
information.
Access to data in the computers connected to a network normally is controlled,
so that specific files can be read only by authorized users. However, the
Soviets have demonstrated that an innovative "hacker" connected to computers
containing sensitive information can evade the access controls in order to read
that information. In the "Hannover Hacker" case, for example, the Soviet
intelligence services used West German computer experts to access US restricted
data bases, obtaining both software and defense-related information.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Waging War Against War Dialing November 27, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Edmund L. Andrews (New York Times)
Special Thanks: Dark Overlord
WASHINGTON -- Riding a wave of popular annoyance over telephone sales calls,
Congress approved and sent to President Bush a bill that would ban the use of
automated dialing devices that deliver pre-recorded messages to the home. The
measure would also allow consumers to block calls from human sales-people by
placing their names on a "do not call" list.
The bill, which passed on voice votes in both the House and Senate, was
supported by both Democrats and Republicans, some of whom have recounted their
own aggravations with unsolicited sales calls.
Although the White House has expressed concerns about what it views as
unnecessary regulation, the President has not threatened to veto the bill.
The measure, which combines provisions from several separate measures passed
previously by both chambers of Congress, bans the use of autodialers for
calling most individual homes. The few exceptions would be when a person has
explicitly agreed to receive such a call or when the autodialer is being used
to notify people of an emergency.
When autodialers are used to call businesses, they would be prohibited from
reaching more than two numbers at a single business.
Many states have already passed laws that restrict autodialers, including about
a dozen states that ban them altogether and about two dozen others that
restrict their use in various ways.
The state laws, however, do not stop a company from using an autodialer in an
unregulated state to call homes in state with regulations.
In an attempt to curb telemarketing by human sales representatives, the measure
would instruct the Federal Communications Commission to either oversee the
creation of a nationwide "do not call" list or issue rules ordering companies
to maintain their own lists.
The bill would allow people who placed their names on such a list to file suits
is small claims courts against companies that persisted in calling. The suits
could seek up to $500 for each unwanted call, up to a maximum of three calls
>from a single company.
Finally, the bill would ban unsolicited "junk fax" messages, which are
advertisements transmitted to facsimile machines.
"This is a victory for beleaguered consumers, who in this piece of legislation
have their declaration of independence from junk faxes and junk calls," said
Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., the measure's principal sponsor in the House.
Companies that make or use autodialers glumly predicted that the measure would
put them out of business and would hurt small advertisers the most.
"I think it will put us out of business," said Mark Anderson, owner of the
Leshoppe Corp., a New Orleans concern that uses about 160 machines for clients
who sell everything from tanning products to health insurance. "What people
don't understand is that a lot of mom-and-pop operations use electronic
marketing, and use it successfully."
Ray Kolker, president of Kolker Systems, the largest maker of autodialers,
echoed those views. "Passage of this bill demonstrates that Congress just
isn't as concerned about the economy as they think they are," he said. "This
will destroy a multibillion-dollar business."
Telemarketing has surged in recent years, as the cost of long-distance
telephone service has plunged and as consumers have become deluged by floods of
catalogues they do not read and envelopes they do not open.
According to congressional estimates, the volume of goods and services sold
through all forms of telephone marketing has increased from about $72 billion
in 1982 to $435 billion in 1990. Over all, an estimated 300,000 people are
employed in some facet of telephone marketing.
Autodialers, which can each make about 1,500 calls a day, have become one of
the most efficient but disliked forms of telemarketing. By one estimate,
20,000 autodialers are in operation at one time, with the capacity of making
more than 20 million calls in a single day.
During hearings on the issue earlier this year, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye,
D-Hawaii, noted irritably that he had been summoned to the telephone only to
hear a recorded sales message about winning a trip to Hawaii.
The legislation was not opposed by all companies involved in telephone sales.
Many marketing experts have long deplored the use of autodialers as a sales
tool, arguing that they are counter-productive because they generate more
irritation than sales interest.
The Direct Marketing Association, a trade group, has expressed cautious support
for the legislation and already maintains its own, voluntary "do not call"
list.
Beyond simply annoying people at home, the autodialers have been known to tie
up telephone paging networks and the switchboards of hospitals and
universities, and to call people on their cellular telephones.
But it remains unclear how effective the "do not call" lists would be in
practice, because the two options available to the FCC differ greatly.
A national list maintained by the government would effectively protect
consumers from all unwanted sales calls. But a requirement that each company
maintain its own list would be much more limited, because people might have to
call each company to be placed on its individual list.
Congressional aides noted that the measure passed Wednesday strongly implied
that the FCC should set up its own list, because it provides two pages of
detail on just how such a list should be created.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Foreign Guests Learn America Is Land Of The Free December 2, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpted from the Orlando Sentinel
"Merry Christmas From BellSouth!"
A telephone computer glitch gave dozens of foreign travelers at downtown
Orlando hotel early Christmas presents Saturday and Sunday.
The giving began when a guest at the Plantation Manor, an international youth
hotel across from Lake Eola, discovered that pay phones were allowing free
long-distance calls to virtually anywhere in the world.
As the news spread, the four public phones, which are normally deserted at the
hotel, were busy non-stop until Sunday afternoon,when Southern Bell discovered
the problem and dispatched technicians to shut off long-distance service.
Roger Swain, a clerk at Plantation Manor, said the discovery was made by
accident.
"One of our guests said he tried to call Houston, Texas, from the second
floor," Swain said. The operator told him he didn't need to use coins because
the phone was not listed as a public phone. He was on the phone for 40
minutes, and they didn't charge him.'
A spokesman for AT&T, which handles long distance for some of Southern Bell's
phones, said the problem seemed to be with a Southern Bell computer.
"Our equipment is working fine," said Randy Berridge, AT&T spokesman. "If it's
a Southern Bell problem, they would bear the costs.'
It's possible Southern Bell recouped some money: It still cost 25 cents for a
local call.
"This is a drop in the ocean to them," one English traveler said of the phone
company, which had just covered the cost of his call home at the Sunday rate of
$21.74 for each half hour."
_______________________________________________________________________________
8th Chaos Computer Congress December 27-29, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Klaus Brunnstein
Special Thanks: Terra of CCC
On occasion of the 10th anniversary of its foundation, Chaos Computer Club
(CCC) organized its 8th Congress in Hamburg. To more than 400 participants
(largest participation ever, with growing number of students rather than
teen-age scholars), a rich diversity of PC and network related themes was
offered, with significantly less sessions than before devoted to critical
themes, such as phreaking, hacking or malware construction. Changes in the
European hacker scene became evident as only few people from Netherlands
(e.g. Hack-Tic) and Italy had come to this former hackers' Mecca.
Consequently, Congress news are only documented in German. As CCC's founding
members develop in age and experience, reflection of CCC's role and growing
diversity of opinions indicates that teen-age CCC may produce less spectacular
events than ever before.
This year's dominating theme covered presentations of communication techniques
for PCs, Ataris, Amigas and Unix, the development of a local net as well as
description of regional and international networks, including a survey. In
comparison, CCC '90 documents are more detailed on architectures while sessions
and demonstrations in CCC '91 (in "Hacker Center" and other rooms) were more
concerned with practical navigation in such nets.
Phreaking was covered by the Dutch group HACK-TIC which updated its CCC '90
presentation of how to "minimize expenditures for telephone conversations" by
using blue boxes and red boxes, and describing available software and recent
events. Detailed information on phreaking methods in specific countries and
bugs in some telecom systems were discussed. More information (in Dutch) was
available, including charts of electronic circuits, in several volumes of Dutch
"HACKTIC: Tidschrift voor Techno-Anarchisten" (news for techno-anarchists).
Remark #1: Recent events (e.g. "Gulf hacks") and material presented on Chaos
Congress '91 indicate that the Netherlands emerges as a new
European center of malicious attacks on systems and networks.
Among other potentially harmful information, HACKTIC #14/15
publishes code of computer viruses (a BAT-virus which does not work
properly.
Remark #2: While few Netherland universities devote research and teaching to
security, Delft university at least offers introductory courses
into data protection.
Different from recent years, a seminar on Computer viruses (presented by Morton
Swimmer of Virus Test Center, University of Hamburg) as deliberately devoted to
disseminate non-destructive information (avoiding any presentation of virus
programming). A survey of legal aspects of inadequate software quality
(including viruses and program errors) was presented by lawyer Freiherr von
Gravenreuth.
Some public attention was drawn to the fact that the "city-call" telephone
system radio-transmits information essentially as ASCII. A demonstration
proved that such transmitted texts may easily be intercepted, analyzed and
even manipulated on a PC. CCC publicly warned that "profiles" of such texts
(and those addressed) may easily be collected, and asked Telecom to inform
users about this insecurity; German Telecom did not follow this advice.
Besides discussions of emerging voice mailboxes, an interesting session
presented a C64-based chipcard analysis systems. Two students have built a
simple mechanism to analyze (from systematic IO analysis) the protocol of a
German telephone card communicating with the public telephone box; they
described, in some detail (including an electronmicroscopic photo) the
architecture and the system behavior, including 100 bytes of communication
data stored in a central German Telecom computer. Asked for legal implications
of their work, they argued that they just wanted to understand this technology,
and they were not aware of any legal constraint. They have not analyzed
possibilities to reload the telephone account (which is generally possible,
due to the architecture), and they did not analyze architectures or procedures
of other chipcards (bank cards etc).
Following CCC's (10-year old charter), essential discussions were devoted to
social themes. The "Feminine computer handling" workshop deliberately
excluded men (about 25 women participating), to avoid last year's experience
of male dominance in related discussions. A session (mainly attended by
informatics students) was devoted to "Informatics and Ethics", introducing the
international state-of-discussion, and discussing the value of professional
standards in the German case.
A discussion about "techno-terrorism" became somewhat symptomatic for CCC's
actual state. While external participants (von Gravenreuth, Brunnstein)
were invited to this theme, CCC-internal controversies presented the panel
discussion under the technical title "definition questions". While one
fraction wanted to discuss possibilities, examples and dangers of techno-
terrorism openly, others (CCC "ol'man" Wau Holland) wanted to generally define
"terrorism" somehow academically, and some undertook to describe "government
repression" as some sort of terrorism. In the controversial debate, a few
examples of technoterrorism (WANK worm, development of virus techniques for
economic competition and warfare) were given.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Another AT&T 800-Number Outage December 16, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Dana Blankenhorn (Newsbytes)
BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY -- AT&T suffered another embarrassing outage on its
toll-free "800" number lines over the weekend, right in the middle of the
Christmas catalog shopping season.
Andrew Myers, an AT&T spokesman, said the problem hit at 7:20 PM on December 13
as technicians loaded new software into computers in Alabama, Georgia, and New
York. The software identifies and transfers 800 calls, he said. A total of
1.8 million calls originating in parts of the eastern U.S. were impacted, the
company said.
Service was restored after about one hour when technicians "backed off" the
patch and went back to using the old software. Programmers are now working on
the software, trying to stamp out the bugs before it's reloaded. "Obviously we
don't like it when a single call doesn't get through, but I wouldn't consider
this a serious problem," Myers said. The problem was reported to the Federal
Communications Commission over the weekend, and to the press the next day.
The latest problem continues a disturbing trend of AT&T service outages in the
Northeast. Worse, all the problems have had different causes -- power
problems, switch software problems, and cable cuts caused previous outages.
_______________________________________________________________________________
US Congress Sets Up BBS For Whistle Blowers December 16, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Dana Blankenhorn (Newsbytes)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Congressman Bob Wise and his House Government
Operations subcommittee on government information, justice and agriculture have
opened a bulletin board service for government whistle-blowers.
Wise himself is the system operator, or sysop, of the new board. Newsbytes
contacted the board and found it accepts parameters of 8 bit words, no parity,
and 1 stop bit, known as 8-N-1 in the trade, and will take calls from a
standard 2400 bit/second Hayes- compatible modem.
Whistle-blowers are employees who tell investigators about wrong- doing at
their companies or agencies, or "blow the whistle" on wrong-doing. Wise said
that pseudonyms will be accepted on the BBS -- most private systems demand
real names so as to avoid infiltration by computer crackers or other abusive
users. Passwords will keep other users from reading return messages from the
subcommittee, Wise added. The committee will check the board daily and get
back to callers about their charges. The board is using RBBS software, a
"freeware" package available without license fee.
The executive branch of the U.S. government uses a system of inspectors
general to police its offices, most of whom have telephone hotlines for
whistle-blowers and accept mail as well. But the inspectors expect whistle-
blowers to collect evidence at work, which could get them in trouble. And
efforts to contact the whistle-blower by an inspector general representative
can identify them to wrongdoers. Theoretically, calls from Congressional
staffers will be seen by the bad guys as typical annoying oversight calls.
Press Contact: Rep. Bob Wise
202-224-3121
202-225-5527 BBS
_______________________________________________________________________________
NIST Extends Review Deadline for Digital Signature December 16, 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By John McCormick (Newsbytes)
WASHINGTON, DC -- NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(formerly the Bureau of Standards) has taken the unusual step of extending the
review period for the controversial digital signature standard which the agency
proposed at the end of August.
The normal 90-day comment period would already have ended, but the NIST has
extended that deadline until the end of February - some say because the agency
wishes to tighten the standard.
NIST spokespersons deny that there was any need to modify the proposed standard
to increase its level of security, but James Bidzos, whose RSA Data Security
markets a rival standard, says that the NIST's ElGamal algorithm is too weak
and is being promoted by the government because the National Security Agency
feels that it can easily break the code when necessary.
The new standard is not a way of encrypting messages themselves; that is
covered by the existing DES or Data Encryption Standard. Rather, the DSS or
Digital Signature Standard is the method used to verify the "signature" of the
person sending the message, i.e., to make certain that the message, which
might be an order to transfer money or some other important item, is really
>from the person who is authorized to send such instructions.
As Newsbytes reported back in July, the NSA and NIS had been charged with
developing a security system nearly four years ago. The recently announced
ElGamal algorithm was previously due to be released last fall, and in the
meantime the RSA encryption scheme has become quite popular.
At that time, NIST's deputy director, Raymond G. Kammer, told the Technology
and Competitiveness Subcommittee of the House (U.S. House of Representatives)
Science, Space and Technology Committee that the ElGamal encryption scheme,
patented by the federal government, was chosen because it would save federal
agencies money over the private RSA encryption and signature verification
scheme.
Interestingly enough, the only company that currently markets an ElGamal DS
system is Information Security Corp., 1141 Lake Cook Rd., Ste. D, Deerfield,
IL 60015, a company that fought and won a bitter court battle with RSA over
the right to market RSA-based encryption software to the federal government.
That was possible because RSA was developed at MIT by mathematicians working
under federal grants.
ISC's $249.95 Secret Agent, which uses the ElGamal algorithm, was released at
last year's Federal Office Systems Expo in Washington. ElGamal is a public key
system that can be used just like the RSA system but differs from it in
significant theoretical ways.
ISC's CEO and president, Thomas J. Venn, has told Newsbytes that the ElGamal
system is highly secure, but the ElGamal algorithm is quite different from
that of the RSA system, deriving its security from the difficulty of computing
discrete logarithms, in finite field, instead of using RSA's very different
method of factoring the products of two prime numbers.
RSA has fought back by posting a prize for anyone who can crack the RSA scheme.
To take a stab at it, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to RSA Data
Security, Inc., 10 Twin Dolphin Dr., Redwood City, CA 94065, for the RSA list
and the rules. Those with access to Internet e-mail can send a request to
challenge-info@rsa.com.
_______________________________________________________________________________
PWN Quicknotes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Computer bulletin boards aren't just for dweeby cyberpunks anymore -- at
least not in San Francisco. Entrepreneur Wayne Gregori has created SF Net,
a decidedly socialble computer network that links up patrons of the city's
dangerously hip cafe's. From the Lower Haight to south of Market Street,
high-tech trendies are interfacing over cappuccino. All you have to do is
buy a ticket from the cafe>, enter a number into an on-site computer and
begin your techno-chat at $1 per 15 minutes. The next Gregori test site is
Seattle, Washington. (Newsweek, December 2, 1991)
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. The (November 29, 1991 issue of) San Jose Mercury News reported that the
San Mateo, California 911 system was brought to it's knees because of a
prank <but not by any computer hacker or phone phreak>.
It seems that a disc jockey at KSOL decided to play a recent MC Hammer
record over and over and over... as a prank. Listeners were concerned that
something had happened to the personnel at the station, so they called 911
(and the police department business line). It seems that a few hundred
calls in forty five minutes or an hour was enough to jam up the system.
There was no report in the newspaper of any deaths or injuries to the
overloaded system.
The DJ didn't want to stop playing the record (claiming First Amendment
rights), but did insert an announcement to not call the police.
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. Jean Paul Barrett, a convict serving 33 years for forgery and fraud in the
Pima County jail in Tuscon, Arizona, was released on December 13, 1991
after receipt of a forged fax ordering his release. It appears that a copy
of a legitimate release order was altered to bear HIS name. Apparently no
one noticed that the faxed document lacked an originating phone number or
that there was no "formal" cover sheet. The "error" was discovered when
Barrett failed to show up for a court hearing.
The jail releases about 60 people each day, and faxes have become standard
procedure. Sheriff's Sergeant Rick Kastigar said "procedures are being
changed so the error will not occur again." (San Francisco Chronicle,
December 18, 1991, Page A3)
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. AT&T will boosted it's rates on direct-dial, out-of-state calls on January
2, 1992. The increase, to affect weekday and evening calls, would add
about 8 cents to the average monthly long-distance bill of $17 and about
$60 million to AT&T'd annual revenue. (USA Today, December 23, 1991, Page
B1)
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5. The following was in the AT&T shareholders quarterly, and is submitted not
as a commercial solicitation but because somebody might be interested.
A colorful 22-by-28-inch poster that traces the development of the
telephone from Bell's first model to the latest high-technology feature
phone can be purchased for $12. To order, send a check to Poster, AT&T
Archives, WV A102, 5 Reinman Road, Warren, NJ 07059-0647.
(Telephone 908-756-1590.)"
(Special Thanks: The Tone Surfer)
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6. Word has it that the normal toll-free number blue-box is now DEAD in
Norway. According to some information received by Phrack, the toll-free
numbers got switched onto the regular phone network in the United States,
which you can't phreak the same way. (Special Thanks: Nosferatu)
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7. In case you've been trying to call Blitzkreig BBS and been unable to
connect with it, Predat0r is moving his board into the basement. He
said the board would be back up as of February 1st. He also said that
master copy of TAP #106 is finished, but he is a year behind on updating
his mailing list. Predat0r said that making the copies was no problem but
that with the influx of subscribers he was going to have to enlist local
help to get the database updated. He also said that if someone paid for
ten issues they will get ten issues. (Special Thanks: Roy the Tarantula)
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8. There is a new science fiction book about called "Fallen Angels" by Larry
Niven. The basis for the book is this: The United States government has
been taken over by religious fanatics and militant environmentalists.
Soon the United States is an Anti-Technological police state. Two
astronauts are shot down over the United States and are on the run. They
are on the run from various government agencies such as the (Secret
Service like) Environmental Protection Agency. Nivin's wild imagination
provides for a great deal of humor as well as some things that are not
funny at all, due to the fact that they hit just a little to close to home.
The story also mentions the Legion of Doom and The Steve Jackson Games
raids. In the "acknowledgments" section at the rear of the book the author
has this to say, "As to the society portrayed here, of course much of it is
satirical. Alas, many of the incidents --- such as the Steve Jackson case
in which a business was searched by Secret Service Agents displaying an
unsigned search warrant --- are quite real. So are many of the anti-
technological arguments given in the book. There really is an anti-
intellectual on-campus movement to denounce 'materialistic science' in
favor of something considerably more 'cold and unforgiving.' So watch it."
(Special Thanks: The Mad Alchemist)
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9. Bell Atlantic Shoots Themselves in the Foot (February 5, 1992) -- Newsbytes
reports that Bell Atlantic admits having funded an advocacy group "Small
Businesses for Advertising Choice" to oppose HR 3515, a bill regulating
the RBOCs' entry into info services. Tennessee Democrat Jim Cooper, the
sponsor, called it a "clumsy Astroturf campaign," meaning fake grass roots.
Republican co-sponsor Dan Schaeffer was a target of a similar campaign by US
West, in which telephone company employees were encouraged to call their
representatives on company time to oppose the measure.
The bill is HR 3515. To get a copy, call the House Documents Room at
(202)225 3456 and ask for a copy. It's free (more accurately, you have
already paid for it).
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10. Computer Hackers Get Into Private Credit Records (Columbus Dispatch,
February 24, 1992) -- DAYTON - Computer hackers obtained confidential
credit reports of Midwest consumers from a credit reporting firm in
Atlanta. Atlanta-based Equifax said a ring of 30 hackers in Dayton [Ohio]
stole credit card numbers and bill-paying histories of the consumers by
using an Equifax customer's password.
Ronald J. Horst, security consultant for the company said the break-in
apparently began in January. Police don't know if the password was stolen
or if an employee of the client company cooperated with the hackers. Horst
said the hackers were apparently doing it just for fun. No charges have
been filed. Equifax will notify customers whose credit reports were taken.
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11. Fingerprints And Connected Databases (Summary of an article by Stephen
Schwartz, San Francisco Chronicle, February 22, 1992, Page A16) -- A
fingerprint found in an unsolved 1984 murder of an 84-year-old woman was
kept in the San Francisco police database all these years. Recently the
San Francisco fingerprint database was linked with the Alameda County
fingerprint database. The old print matched a new one taken in connection
with a petty theft case, and so eight years later the police were able to
solve the old case (burglary, arson, homicide). The two girls implicated
were 12 and 15 at the time. (Special Thanks: Peter G. Neumann of RISKS)
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