31 lines
1.9 KiB
Plaintext
31 lines
1.9 KiB
Plaintext
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REMOBS
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The Silver Box, as stated earlier, is a lineman's handset or REMOBS
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(Remote Service Observing Systems). They allow Bell employees and phreakers
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to use the system to tap phones. By using a Silver Box and an ordinary Touch-
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Tone phone, one can dial directly into the RECEIVE ONLY portion of any
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customer's line (the mouthpiece is disconnected). Silver Boxes work as
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follows:
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Dial the number of a REMOBS unit. Bell apparently puts them in the 555
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information exchange (XXX-555-XXXX). A tone will then be heard for about
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two seconds and then silence. It is then necessary to key in, with a Touch-
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Tone, a 2-5 digit security code, holding each digit down at least one second.
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If the code is not entered within 5-6 seconds, the REMOBS will disconnect,
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and must be dialed again. If the code is properly entered then another tone
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will be heard. Any 7-digit customer number can then be entered (the REMOBS
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can only handle certain exchanges which are prewired for it, and usually one
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machine can't monitor all of a multi-Central Office locality).
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The REMOBS will then connect up to the customer line. The phreaker will
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hear the low level idle tone. As the monitored party dials, the phreaker
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will hear the number being dialed and the entire conversation! At no time
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will the monitored party be aware that he has been tapped - there are no
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messages, clicks, strange sounds, etc.! When the phreaker is done listening
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to Customer A, he can key in a single "reset digit" (usually the last digit
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in the access code), which disconnects him from the monitored line and
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returns him to the tone so that he can dial Customer B. When the phreaker
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wants to quit, he keys in a single "disconnect digit," which disconnects him
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from the last line being monitored, and disconnects him from REMOBS so that
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REMOBS can be reset and be ready for another caller.
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