==Phrack Inc.== Volume Two, Issue 12, Phile #10 of 11 PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN >>>>>=-*{ Phrack World News }*-=<<<<< PWN PWN Issue XII/1 PWN PWN PWN PWN Created, Compiled, and Written PWN PWN by Knight Lightning PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN Local News March 20, 1987 ~~~~~~~~~~ This issue of PWN marks the anniversary of Metal Shop Brewery. Things are looking up. Metal Shop Private is back and all previous members are asked to call back. The same passwords and logons still work and even better, the old posts have been saved despite the hard drive crash a few months ago. Phrack XIII will be released on April 1, 1987; April Fool's Day! It features joke files, fiction files, humorous files, and of course, rag files. With all the seriousness of the regular issues of Phrack, this is a chance to release some building flashes of comedy. Please note that files for Phrack XIII can only be submitted by members of Metal Shop Private. This does not apply to other issues of Phrack. Don't miss it! SummerCon 1987 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For those that don't already know, TeleComputist Newsletter and Phrack Inc. are sponsoring this year's big phreak gathering in St. Louis, Missouri. As many of you may note, St. Louis is the home of Metal Shop Private, Phrack Inc., and TeleComputist Newsletter. We all hope that since St. Louis is in the middle of the country that it will be easy for people to attend. We extend an invitation to anyone who wants to come. We will have a conference room and two suites in a hotel in St. Louis. The official date for SummerCon 1987 is June 19,20. This is far enough into the summer that everyone of the younger generation should be out of school and early enough that no one has to worry about facing reality right away. This date has also been chosen specifically as to not interfere with the St. Louis VP Fair (Vale Profit). If you are going to attend SummerCon, we ask that you contact Knight Lightning, Taran King, or Forest Ranger for more details. The TeleComputist Information Line is (314) 921-7938. The names of those attending will be kept confidential so as to not cause anyone discomfort, however we do ask that you identify yourself at the conference by means of a name tag or some form of identification. Security personal is welcome to attend, but we request that you let us know ahead of time. If anyone, especially security personnel, would like to speak at SummerCon please also let us know and we will schedule you in. :Knight Lightning ______________________________________________________________________________ Hackers Caught Using Credit Card To Buy More Equipment February 20, 1987 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Ben L. Kaufman of The Cincinnati Enquirer "I was uneasy about the pickup." Two young "hackers" in Milford using an electronic bulletin board to get stolen credit card numbers and buy hardware to expand their computers. Now they're in big trouble because unauthorized use of a credit card is a federal offense and the Secret Service caught them. "Computer-aided credit card fraud is increasingly common, said special agent in charge, James T. Christian on Tuesday, "but using the filched name and number to enhance computer clout was a unique touch." The two youths had a $1,300 order sent to an abandoned house on Ohio 131E, Christian said, but when they picked it up an agent was waiting with the UPS deliveryman. John Martin Howard, 21, 5788 Meadowview Drive, Milford was cited before U.S. magistrate J. Vincent Aug Jr., who accepted his plead to guilty Monday and released him on his promise to return when summoned. "I was uneasy about the pickup," Howard recalled in a telephone interview. The risk of getting caught "was in the back of my mind." And it was an awful moment when the Secret Service agent confronted him and his juvenile buddy, Howard added. "I think they were surprised," Christian said. Howard was charged with attempted use of an unauthorized credit card. His juvenile partner -- who refused to comment Tuesday -- was turned over to his parents. Christian said the youths ordered equipment from Computer-Ability in suburban Milwaukee paying with the stolen credit card. A sharp-eyed store employee noted purchases on that credit card were coming in from all over the country and called the Secret Service. Within two weeks the trap in Milford was set. Howard said his young friend knew the Cincinnatian who led them to the bulletin board filled with the names and the numbers of stolen credit cards. "We got it from somebody who got it from somebody who got it from somebody on the east coast," Howard recalled. That new acquaintance also boasted of using stolen card numbers from electronic bulletin boards to buy expensive accessories and reselling them locally at bargain process. He and his friend used the stolen credit card to upgrade his Atari 800 system, Howard said. "We ordered a bunch of hardware to use with it." In addition to the purchase that drew the secret service to them, Howard said they "ordered other stuff, but before we received anything, we were picked up." Howard said he'd had the Atari about two years and was getting bored with it and home computers in general. He had taken computer programming for eight months after high school, he said, but hadn't used it. He would like to try computer-aided design and engineering, but right now, he's working in a pizza parlor. Christian said Howard's parents had been enthusiastic about his computer interests and friends who shared them. "They though it would keep them out of trouble." Assistant U.S. attorney Kathleen Brinkman and Christian said the Cincinnati area investigation was continuing and numerous juveniles, some quite young, may be involved. Thanks to Grey Elf Re-typed for PWN into lowercase by Knight Lightning ______________________________________________________________________________ Hang On... Phone Rates Are Falling Again! March 1987 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From Changing Times Magazine March 1987 Issue No news that long-distance rates are still headed down, but now local rates are poised to follow, at least in some areas. Competing long-distance carriers have already been forced to react to AT&T's January rate cut, which averaged 11.2%, with cuts of their own. Now the Federal Communications Commission [FCC] may propose that an additional $1 or $2 be added to the subscribers line charge, the $2-a-month access charge that every residential customer pays. If that happens it would compensate. Since AT&T's divestiture in January 1984, the telephone services component of the consumer price index has risen 17.4%, reflecting a 36.7% increase in local rates at the same time long-distance charges were falling. But price increases for overall service have moderated each year, falling 2.7% in 1986 from 4.7% in 1985 and 9.2% in 1984. That trend should continue as local rates stabilize and even fall. Wisconsin and Vermont, for example, have ordered local companies to make refunds, and a number of states - New York, Pennsylvania, Washington - are considering lowering rates to reflect the improved financial position of local phone companies. Those companies will benefit from tax reform, and lower inflation and interest rates have resulted in lower expenses in several other areas. Things are not looking good for some of AT&T's competitors in the long distance business, however. Forced to follow AT&T's rate cuts, both MCI and US Sprint are hard-pressed financially, and analysts don't rule out the possibility that one or both could get out of the long-distance business, potentially leaving AT&T a monopoly again. But that would be "politically unacceptable," says analyst Charles Nichols of E.F. Hutton. Some alternatives: allowing regional phone companies to enter the long-distance business or allowing AT&T to keep more of the profits it earns from increased efficiency instead of forcing the company to cut rates. That would take some pressure off competitors. Special Thanks to Stingray ______________________________________________________________________________ Police Arrest Computer "Hacker" Suspect March 15, 1987 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch "MCI told police it was losing $2.7 million a month to such 'hackers.'" A computer software engineer [Robert Wong] has been arrested at his home in Maryland Heights, Missouri on suspicion of trying to get into the computer system of MCI Telecommunications Corporation. The case is the fourth in this area involving computer "hackers" who have tried in recent months to get into MCI's computer system, police say. Detective John Wachter of the Maryland Heights Police Department said the department would seek a warrant today charging the suspect with "tampering with computer users," a felony. The charge is being sought under a state law enacted last year to deal with hackers - people who try illegally to tap into other computer systems. The suspect is Robert Wong, 23, of the 2000 block of Maverick Drive, Maryland Heights, Missouri. Police tracked down Wong by a court-sanctioned "trap" on his phone after MCI learned that someone was trying to tap into its long-distance lines. In a written statement to police, Wong said he "came across" MCI's programs and access codes. He said he was "amazed" when he got into the system. "I know it was illegal, but the urge of experimenting was too great," he told police. Typed For PWN by Taran King ______________________________________________________________________________ PWN Quicknotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In upcoming months P-80 will be moved from her ole TRS Model 1 to an IBM PC compatible. In addition to a boost in storage capacity (amount still undecided), P-80 will be adding a new "user to user" direct file/program transfer thus allowing the membership the ability to privately send text or programs directly to another user. There will also be the ability to forward a message with text/program attached) to another user after receipt. (2/26/87) Information from & P-80 Information Systems ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you consider yourself a phreaker or a hacker in any way, shape or form, then read on! The Telecom Security Group is sponsoring the first on-line hack/phreak survey. It consists of about 30 minutes work of answering questions (or until you want to stop) that pertain to phreaking, hacking, the security, and the attitudes surrounding it all. You are allowed to identify yourself during the survey if you wish or you may remain totally anonymous. It's really just the general answers that will count. Call now: 914-564-6648 (914-LOG-ON-IT) and type SURVEY at the main prompt to get the survey. Thanks for your involvement, and do spread the word to any board that considers itself phreak/hack oriented. Information by Taran King & Tuc (2/6/87) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telecommunications giant AT&T is lying in its advertisements that claim it has an exclusive toll-free number for foreign clients to reach U.S. businesses, its competitor says in a lawsuit. Worldwide 800 Services Inc. says that it has filed suit against AT&T with the FCC, charging AT&T with false advertising. The ads by AT&T claim that it can provide a global telephone network that would allow clients in foreign countries to call a toll-free number to reach businesses in the United States. AT&T claimed that "You won't find this type of service anywhere else." Worldwide 800 says that their company provides toll-free service from any foreign city to the U.S., whereas AT&T can only provide toll-free service on a countrywide basis. An AT&T spokeswoman denied all of the charges, stating that the advertisement in question was neither fraudulent or deceptive. If Worldwide 800 Services wins the case, they state that they will demand corrective advertising and seek monetary damages. Information from Lucifer 666 (3/1/87) ______________________________________________________________________________