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\begin{center}
{\large \bf The Secret Service vs. The Legion of Doom \\
	   Illuminati BBS Caught in the Crossfire \\}
\vspace{.075in}
{\large \sf \copyright 1990 Steven J. Owens. All Rights Reserved.}

\vspace{.4in}
\end{center}

\begin{description}
\item[Editor's Note:] Steven J. Owens is a student in Pitsburgh Pennsylvania who
		gave us this documented account of how the days of ``Big
		Brother" are already here.
\end{description}


Austin, TX, March 1st, 1990\\

In the crisp, predawn air, agents of the United States Secret
Service in search of evidence and information about the Legion of
Doom seized a computer system controlled by the Illuminati, a
secret world-wide conspiracy whose goal is to rule the world
through blackmail and deceit.  Along with the equipment and files
of the Illuminati system, the Secret Service seized several pieces
of computer equipment belonging to the corporation that ``fronted"
for the Illuminati.  It sounds like a postmodern parody of the late
1950s science fiction serials, but there's a twist to this story.\\

\begin{center}
{\em It's true.} \\
\end{center}

The Illuminati computer system is a bulletin board system
owned by a gaming company.  The Legion of Doom is a club of
``phreakers," computer hobbyists who enjoy the challenge of cracking
computer security systems --- usually illegally.  The Secret Service? 
Well... they're secret.\\

The corporation that owned the Illuminati Bulletin Board
System (and still does, albeit in absentia since the Secret Service
has yet to return the it) is Steve Jackson Games.  Steve Jackson
Games produces, among other things, a humorous and fictional card
game called Illuminati, in which players take the role of secret
international conspiracies out to rule the world through all sorts
of unlikely power manipulations.  The Illuminati BBS, which
occupied a backup computer system, was used both as a public
relations tool and to provide feedback from game players with
access to the computer equipment needed to call in.\\

How did this odd and unlikely combination come about?  In a
phone interview, Steve Jackson explained that the first knowledge
that the corporation had of the search was when the staff was
barred from entering their offices upon arrival that morning.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``When the staff showed up, the Secret Service was already 
     here, and they wouldn't let anybody in."}
\end{center}
 
Inside, the Secret Service agents were going through the
building with a fine-toothed comb and a crow bar.  In the Steve
Jackson Games' warehouse, several boxes were torn open.  In the
offices, locks were broken, filing cabinets were needlessly
damaged.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``They cut or broke their way in to filing cabinets and boxes
     ... we would have been happy to unlock things if they'd have
     let us in.'"}
\end{center}


The Secret Service agents confiscated computer hardware and
software and anything that looked even remotely related.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``It took two paragraphs to say it, but what [the warrant] 
     boiled down to was `computer hardware and software, and 
     records relating to computer hardware and software.'"}
\end{center}

 
The all-encompassing nature of the search and seizure was was
something of a sore point with the folks at Steve Jackson Games.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``They descended on a desk being used as a repair bench" by the
     SJG staffer in charge of computer maintenance. ``It had about 
     2 or 3 half-assembled computers and other junk on it.  They 
     took everything."}
\end{center}

The staffer in charge of computer maintenance, Jackson
commented, was particularly irked that the Secret Service even took
a bag of nuts and bolts sitting on the desk.\\

Creede Lambard, who goes by the BBS handle `Fearless Leader'
and is the SJG staffer who serves as SysOp of the Illuminati BBS
was neither arrested nor searched.  What did the Secret Service do
to him?   Steve Jackson commented that they ``ate some of the candy
off his desk, but that's it." Explanations of the matter from the
Secret Service are meager.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``All they will say is that it is in connection with a
     nationwide data piracy case.  We have learned that it is in
     connection with the 911 emergency computer system, which is
     more than the Secret Service will tell us." }
\end{center}


I looked the Secret Service up in the phone book (they're
right there, between Secor International Services and Secret
Whispers) and called to ask them if they could tell me anything. 
``I'm sorry, we cannot give out any information over the phone." 
Understandable enough, they are the Secret Service, after all. 
Since that was the only phone number listed, I asked if there was
another number for inquiries about public information.  ``I'm sorry,
we cannot give out any information over the phone."  Well, there's
no address listed, so I asked where I would go to inquire in
person.  ``I'm sorry, we cannot give out any information over the
phone."  Catch-22.\\

I found out later, from a more cooperative Treasury official,
that I had probably gotten the Secret Service's answering service,
who really didn't know anything and were only allowed to take
messages.\\ 

Turning to other sources, I found more information.  According
to Patrick Townson, moderator of a computer newsgroup Comp.Dcom.
Telecom (A ``newsgroup" is essentially a bulletin board, but
distributed nationally or internationally over several hundred or
thousand computers on the Usenet or Internet computer networks.),
the ``nationwide data piracy case" is focused on the Legion of Doom.\\

AT\&T, sometimes referred to as `The Deathstar' by computer
crackers, because of the resemblance between its corporage logo and
the moon-sized battleship in Star Wars and its long standing
`stormtrooper' reaction to tampering with AT\&T computer systems,
is also interested in the case.  The data pirated in this case
belongs to them.\\

It seems that the case does indeed involve a 911 emergency
computer system, according to ``A Networker's Journal," a regular
column by Charles Bowen, in Info-Mat Magazine (an electronic
journal distributed on many computer bulletin board systems
throughout the United States), one which routes phone calls to
emergency services for nine states.  Presently two people have been
indicted;  Robert J. Riggs and Craig Neidorf. \\

According to the text of the federal indictment, the case
revolves around a text file named ``E911 Practice," a text file that
``described the computerized control and maintainence {sic} of the
E911 system."\\

Riggs, who goes by the bulletin board system alias Prophet,
a member of the computer phreaker/hacker group known as the Legion
of Doom,  penetrated a computer system containing the file labelled
``E911 Practice."  Riggs copied the information and prepared it for
transmission to Neidorf, a.k.a. Knight Lightning, an editor of the
hacker magazine Phrack.  The article would be published in  Phrack,
a phreaker/hacker oriented electronic magazine, distributed every
few months.  Riggs transferred the information via an account on
a publically accessible computer system named Jolnet, in Lockport,
Illinois.\\

So how was this linked to the Illuminati Bulletin Board system
and Steve Jackson Games?  What were they after?  One odd fact was
that the Secret Service confiscated all of the material related to
a new gamebook being prepared for publication, GURPS Cyberpunk. 
The game is based upon a science fiction genre in which stories 
often involve extensive penetration of computer security.
Apparently the gamebook was a little too close to reality for the
Secret Service's comfort.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``When they were reading the handbook in my presence they were 
     getting very upset and saying `This is just a handbook for 
     computer crime.'"}
\end{center}
 
In fact, as Steve Jackson learned later, the Secret Service
searched the home of Loyd Blankenship, the author of the GURPS
Cyberpunk gamebook, earlier that day.  They seized his personal
computer, software, and related equipment.  In some cases the
relevance of the equipment was inexplicable.  For example at both
Steve Jackson Games and Loyd Blankenship's house, laser printers
were confiscated.\\ 

Was the GURPS Cyberpunk gamebook, I asked Steve Jackson, the 
focus of the search?

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``We're not sure on that - maybe in a roundabout way," he
     explained his theory.  ``In the course of writing the Cyberpunk
     book, Loyd made lots and lots of connections with the computer
     underground.  He was also researching a mainstream book on the
     computer underworld at the time." }
\end{center}
 
He conjectured that contacts made in this research may have
led the Secret Service to suspect that there was a link between the
computer hackers they are tracking and Blankenship, and even Steve
Jackson Games.\\

According to comments on the Comp.dcom.telecom bulletin board,
one `retired' member of the Legion of Doom, known by the bulletin
board handle `The Mentor,' is in actuality Loyd Blankenship. 
Somebody recently posted anonymously on Comp.dcom.telecom, using
the handle `The Mentor,' to defend the Legion of Doom in the
ongoing discussion of the Secret Service investigation, saying
among other things that the Legion of Doom was very much against
abuse of computer systems:

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``While we have occasionally entered a computer that we weren't
     supposed to be in, it is grounds for expulsion from the group
     and social ostracism to do any damage to a system or to
     attempt to commit fraud for personal profit.'' }
\end{center}

Later, The Mentor remarked that, in fact, the Legion of Doom
had been responsible for reducing the security risk of computer
systems in the past:

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``The biggest crime that has been committed is that of
     curiosity. Kim, your 911 system is safe (from us, at least).
     We have been instrumental in closing many security holes in
     the past, and had hoped to continue to do so in the future.
     The list of computer security people who count us as allies
     is long, but must remain anonymous. If any of them choose to
     identify themselves, we would appreciate the support." }
\end{center}

Is The Mentor Loyd Blankenship?  He had no comment on the
question.\\   

I asked Steve Jackson, ``Was the Legion of Doom on the
Illuminati BBS?'' He didn't think so.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``It's possible that they were, but unlikely.  I know of
     several people, who have that kind of background, who were on
     the board, but no active hackers." }
\end{center}

The board did allow aliases, so it's impossible to be certain
that LODers weren't online, but it is certain that their illegal
activities, if any, were conducted in private mail, not e-mail. 
Secret Service seems to be confiscating computer systems out of
hand;  the Illuminati BBS was not the only computerized casualty. 
Other SysOps are concerned deeply concerned about some of the
issues raised by the whole thing.\\

In San Jose, California, John Higdon, of the Zygot computer
system, posted his reaction to Comp.Dcom.Telecom:

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``As administrator for zygot, should I start reading my users'
     mail to make sure they aren't saying anything naughty?  Should
     I snoop thorough all the files to make sure everyone is being
     good?" }
\end{center}

And later closed with the comment:

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``This whole affair is rather chilling." }
\end{center}

Meanwhile Bill Kuykendall, Sysop of The Point, a computer
system in Chicago, Illinois, took drastic measures to protect
himself from any legal richochets resulting from prosecution of
users committing criminal activities on his public access system.
Notification of these measures was posted on Comp.Dcom.Telecom,
along with an explanation:

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``Today, there is no law or precedent which affords me, as
     owner and system administrator of The Point, the same legal
     rights that other common carriers have against prosecution
     should some other party (you) use my property (The Point) for
     illegal activities.  That worries me." }
\end{center}

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``By comparison, AT\&T cannot be held liable should someone use
     their phone lines to transmit military secrets to an enemy. 
     Likewise, Acme Trucking is not vulnerable to drug trafficking
     charges should they pull a sealed trailer of cocaine to some
     destination unknowingly.  Yet somehow, I am presumed to be
     cognizant of the contents of every public message, mailed
     message, and file upload that passes through this public
     access system.  On a system this size, that may be nearly a
     gigabyte (1+ Billion characters!) of information a year." }
\end{center}        

Among the computer community, a feeling of apprehension and
an attitude of ``keep your head down" prevails.\\

The impact of the entire incident on Steve Jackson games has
been severe.  They've lost the use of a large amount of computer
equipment (most of it unrelated to the case the Secret Service is
investigating) and even some of their own products, in the
development stage, that were seized by the Secret Service.\\ 

The Illuminati BBS hardware is gone, in the custody of the
Secret Service.  Steve Jackson has no ideas if or when they'll get
it back.

\begin{center} \parbox{6in}{
     ``We've been trying to get one and set it up, but we're having
     software trouble.  The Secret Service people have been
     promising that the software would be returned...every day they
     say `It's in the mail, Federal Express will have it to you
     within 24 hours.' but so far we haven't gotten a copy." }
\end{center}

Gone as well are several pieces of the computer equipment used
by Steve Jackson Games.  It's only a few personal computer systems,
printers and assorted equipment, but it's not a minor loss of
resources for the small games corporation.\\

The Cyberpunk gamebook, a major new product in Steve Jackson
Games' line, was set back quite a bit by the incident.  The Secret
Service confiscated all of the GURPS Cyberpunk materials, including
the copies uploaded on the Illuminati BBS.  The staff at Steve
Jackson Games recreated the text from material downloaded by gamers
who called the BBS, old rough drafts, and material sent out to
playtest groups, but it wasn't be easy.\\ 

Steve Jackson gave a rough estimate that losses would be at
least \$10,000 a week for three or four weeks.  He pointed out that
the delay was exacerbated because they waited for the promised
return of the document.  At the time of the call they were still
fighting for the return of their hardware and software, though they
didn't expect the Cyberpunk material to be returned in time to make
any difference, if it was returned at all.\\

They've considered suing the Secret Service, but Jackson
admitted that their lawyer estimated little chance of success.  The
cost of temporarily replacing the confiscated equipment (and in
this case ``temporarily" might mean a long, long time) and the
losses caused by the delay of the Cyberpunk gamebook might seem
trivial compared to amounts of money involved in some larger
computer crime investigations.  To a small corporation walking the
thin line between genius and insolvency, it may make the
difference.\\

Postscript:\\

GURPS Cyberpunk, despite the problems and paranoia involved
in its birth, has been published.  The inside cover credits the
U.S. Secret Service for ``Unsolicited Comments."  Check it out at
your nearest game store.  If your gamestore doesn't carry Steve
Jackson Games products, tell them they should.  IF they disagree,
call the Steve Jackson Games voice line (512-447-7866) to inquire
about the product.\\

	Steve Jackson Games has not escaped from the affair unscathed;
the delays and costs incurred have compounded other financial problems. 
To date, the company has cut its full-time staff severely, and cut
back on planned new releases.  SJG has produced some fine products, and
they may be in danger of financial death.  If you have an interest in
some of their products but have put off buying, now would be a good
time to invest in Steve Jackson Games products.  If you've never
tried them, take a look at some of their products, you may find them
worth your while.\\

Although the hardware has yet to be returned to Steve Jackson
Games, the Illuminati BBS has come back online.  It can be reached
at (512) 447-4449.  It normally operates at 300/1200/2400 baud.\\
\\

End Editor' Note:\\

This article was printed before in Necromonicon which is based in the    
Pitsburgh area of Pennsylvania.  To get a subscription, write to:\\

\begin{center}
        Anthony Kapolka \\
	2931 Spring Street\\
	Pittsburgh, Pa, 15210\\
\end{center}
\$5 for a four issue subscription (or \$2 per single issue).\\


\end{document}

