82 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
82 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
TEEN-AGE HACKER
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HAS LESSONS FOR
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COLUMBIA POLICE
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THE 13 YEAR OLD COLUMBIAN YOUTH'S VOYAGE
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INTO THE WORLD OF COMPUTER PIRACY HAS BEEN AN EYE-OPENING
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EXPERIENCE FOR LOCAL POLICE, WHO SAY THEIR COMPUTER EXPERTISE
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PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE SELF-TAUGHT SKILLS OF THE
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BYTE-SIZE BUCCANEER.
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"I NEVER EVEN TOUCHED ONE OF THESE UNTIL WE GOT THIS ONE,"
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SAID HOWARD COUNTY POLICE LT. MICHAEL SHIUCHIOLO, HOLDING
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THE KEYBOARD OF THE YOUTH'S CONFISCATED HOME COMPUTER.
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COUNTY POLICE, ACTING ON A TIP FROM AN INFORMANT, ARRESTED
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THE UNIDENTIFIED YOUTH LAST MONTH FOR ALLEGEDLY USING DATA
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SUPPLIED BY COMPUTER PIRATES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO MAKE
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ILLEGAL CREDIT CARD PURCHASES, PLACE FREE LONG-DISTANCE
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TELEPHONE CALLS AND OBTAIN HUNDREDS OF BOOTLEGGED COMPUTER
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PROGRAMS WORTH AS MUCH AS $20,000.
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THE CASE HAS CALLED INTO QUESTION THE ABILITY OF LOCAL'
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POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO INVESTIGATE COMPUTER BANDITRY, WHICH
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SOME EXPERTS CONSIDER THE FASTEST-GROWING CRIME OF THE 1980S.
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IN HOWARD COUNTY, HOME TO THOUSANDS OF WHITE-COLLAR
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PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK IN HIGH-TECH INDUSTRIES, THE POLICE
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WERE CAUGHT COLD.
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AFTER OBTAINING A WARRENT, THE OFFICERS SEARCHED THE
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YOUTH'S COLUMBIA HOME AND SEIZED HIS COMPUTER EQUIPMENT.
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MERCHANDISE ALLEGEDLY PURCHASED WITH THE CREDIT CARD NUMBERS
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AND AT LEAST 80 COMPUTER DISCS ON WHICH DATA WAS STORED. BUT
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NONE OF THE OFFICERS KNEW HOW TO OPERATE THE COMMODORE 64, A
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MODEL THAT SELLS FOR ABOUT $179, EVEN THOUGH IT IS CONSIDERED
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AN EASY-TO-USE MODEL, CHIUCHIOLO SAID.
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COUNTY POLICE HAD TO CALL IN AN EXPERT FROM THE FBI TO
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GIVE THEM A CRASH COURSE IN COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. THE YOUTH,
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WHO AUTHORITIES SAID WAS COOPERATING WITH POLICE, HAS GIVEN
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SEVERAL DEMONSTRATIONS, CHIUCHIOLO SAID.
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LOCAL POLICE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR INVESTIGATING SUCH CASES.
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THE FBI PROVIDES ONLY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AN FBI SPOKESMAN
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SAID.
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THE SECRET SERVICE IS INVOLVED IN THIS CASE, BUT ONLY TO
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INVESTIGATE ALLEGED CREDIT CARD FRAUD, SAID SPECIAL AGENT
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JAMES DE DETTE.
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RECENTLY, IN A CONFERENCE ROOM AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS,
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SHIUCHIOLO DEMONSTRATES THE YOUTH'S EQUIPMENT, GINGERLY
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HUNTING AND PECKING ON THE COMPUTER KEYBOARD TO CALL UP
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PROGRAMS.
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HE SAID IT MAY BE WEEKS BEFORE ALL OF THE INFORMATION
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STORED ON THE COMPUTER DISCS IS EXAMINED.
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"A LOT OF THEM ARE PROGRAMS MADE UP BY OTHER COMPUTER
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HACKERS. HE EVEN DESIGNED A COMPUTER GAME HIMSELF WHICH IS
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REALLY QUITE GOOD," THE OFFICER SAID.
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THE YOUTH, WHO IS DESCRIBED BY POLICE AS AN OTHERWISE
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"TYPICAL" SUBURBAN TEEN-AGER, GOT THE HOME COMPUTER LAST YEAR
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AND READ DOZENS OF BOOKS AND MAGAZINES ON THE SUBJECT.
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FIVE MONTHS AGO, HE ADDED A DISK DRIVE UNIT, WHICH CAN
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RETRIEVE INFORMATION STORED ON SMALL DISCS INSERTED INTO THE
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MACHINE.
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AFTER THAT, POLICE SAID, HE EMBARKED INTO THE WORLD OF
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COMPUTER PIRACY, APPARENTLY LINKING WITH 15 TO 20 COMPUTER
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HACKERS AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE HACKERS, KNOWN BY CODE NAMES
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SUCK AS "THE KERNEL" AND "THE BANDIT," EXCHANGED INFORMATION
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AND PROGRAMS THROUGH SO-CALLED COMPUTER "BULLETIN BOARDS."
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STORED ON THE YOUTH'S COLLECTION OF DISCS WERE SCORES OF
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ALLEGEDLY PIRATED GAMES SUCH AS THE FARMILIAR "DONKEY KONG"
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AND "SPACE INVADERS," POLICE SAID. THEY ALSO FOUND ILLEGAL
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PROGRAMS THAT CAL PLACE FREE LONG-DISTANCE CALLS ON AT&T'S
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OWN CORPORATE TELEPHONE LINES, SIMULATE THE TONES OF
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COIN-OPERATED PHONES OR GET ACCESS TO SPRINT, MCI AND OTHERS
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INDEPENDENT PHONE COMPANIES, SHUICHIOLO SAID.
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TELEPHONE COMPANY OINVESTIGATORS WATCHED IN AMAZEMENT AS
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THE YOUTH EFFORTLESSLY PLACED A CALL TO LONDON DURING ONE OF
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HIS RECENT DEMONSTRATIONS, THE OFFICER SAID.
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THE TEEM-AGER ALSO HAD A PROGRAM TO CONDUCT "DRITY
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DIALING," A TERM USED FOR A COMPUTER THAT DIALS EVERY
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TELEPHONE NUMBER IN A GIVEN EXCHANGE IN SEARCH OF OTHER
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COMPUTERS WITH WHICH HIS COULD BE CONNECTED, POLICE SAID.
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DIRTY DIALING WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE MOVIE "WAR GAMES," IN
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WHICH A TEEN-AGE COMPUTER WIZARD INADVERTENTLY GAINS ACCESS
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TO DEFENSE DEPARTMENT COMPUTERS AND ALMOST STARTS WORLD WAR
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III.
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