**************************************************************************** >C O M P U T E R U N D E R G R O U N D< >D I G E S T< *** Volume 1, Issue #1.13 (June 12, 1990) ** **************************************************************************** MODERATORS: Jim Thomas / Gordon Meyer REPLY TO: TK0JUT2@NIU.bitnet COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of diverse views. -------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent the views of the moderators. Contributors assume all responsibility for assuring that articles submitted do not violate copyright protections. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************** *** Computer Underground Digest Issue #1.13 / File 2 of 5 *** *************************************************************** * * * A Hacker's Perspective * * * ...insights into Operation Sun Devil... ...from the OTHER side... by Johnny Yonderboy A long time ago, in a land far, far away, hacking and phreaking were safe, relatively painless hobbies to get into. People did not have major law enforcement agencies hunting them down...huge bureaus weren't devoted to the eradication of this crime. When caught, the usual punishment was to simply be billed for the act that you perpetrated. Even myself, when I was busted for illegally using AT&T credit cards, only received a stiff bill. When they did prosecute further, the sentencing was designed to punish you for your deviance, but also commended you on your cleverness. That was a long time ago, and I came in on the tail end of the Golden Age of Phreaking/Hacking. Phreaking was easy, and hacking was young. Those who could hack in those days were also those who got the better jobs. Those who couldn't, phreaked. And those who didn't fool around with that "illegal nonsense" wrote bulletin board software. Life was simple, and social divisions were even moreso. Today, however, things are quite different. An average bulletin board today can expect to be visited by a major law enforcement agency (the FBI, the SS) about once a year. Most of the time, you won't even know who is intruding upon your sacred privacy. These visits are standard practice to be expected on the elite boards - a status symbol, if you will. But to a normal user, this is terrifying. And among non-computer users, this type of practice is totally unheard of. You might scoff, but consider this - say you were a member of the NRA, and you had weekly meetings (if indeed the NRA has weekly meetings). Suppose a federal agent started sitting in at your meetings, looking for illegal activity. Not participating, not speaking, but just watching. Would the NRA stand for it? Not just no, but HELL NO! But as members (even legitimate ones) of the computer-using community, we are supposed to accept this, as blindly and complacently as we accept income tax. Sure, there is a law being broken on certain boards, but what about those boards that are legitimate? Or, what about the times on elite boards that the conversation is centered around something besides illegal matters? Are we to always accept these KGB-like raids upon our homes as well? Or how about the seizure of our personal property? Which, notably, there is no guarantee of it's return if you are proven innocent. If we accept these things, (i.e. surveillance, raids, seizures, etc.) how much farther will we let them go before we have to put them in check? Indeed, it is easy to state that what hackers are doing mandates this type of personal infringement. But by all definitions of "personal rights", the actions taken by the involved law enforcement agencies in Operation Sun Devil go beyond what is democratic and free, and begins to step into the formation of a police state. The distribution of information is heavily controlled in Communist Russia. As they take steps towards democracy with Glasnost, are we also to take steps towards totalitarianism? The media used to play us up to be high-tech folk heroes. With this new computer-phobia on the rise, we are the electronic mafia. We, the Computer Underground, have no say over this - it has happened. But what are we, really? Are we pranksters, attacking in the middle of the night to scrawl obscenities in email? Sure, this has happened, and a lot of damage has been done both to victim computers as well as to the reputation of the Computer Underground as a whole. Are we high-tech hooligans burglarizing systems for their valuable data, to sell to the highest bidder? The infamous E911 document which was stolen is proof of that. Did the involved parties sell that material? Indeed not. They were going to distribute that information to the general public. Are we political subversives trying to overthrow the government? Indeed not. While some of us may have radical political ideas, none of us get tied up in outside government for any reason beyond what effects us here (sorry for the broad generalization...some of us ARE political subversives...). So, what exactly are we trying to do? To go further. To stay online longer. To do more. Not to be able to destroy more, but to simply be able to do more on the national networks. The end goal of all this hacking, cracking and phreaking is to be able to exchange information with people all over the world. This is not always economically feasible, so illegal methods have to be employed. How many of YOU can say that you would go to any limits to achieve something that you wanted? Is this "ambition" a bad thing? Indeed not. Laying judgements down on us doesn't solve a thing. Saying that you don't agree with what we do, but you don't like what is being done to us is supportive, but you have to make your own judgements in the long run anyhow. If you have never done it, then you will never be able to understand why we do this. This should about wrap up what I have to say. If you have any comments or such, then please mail them to the editors here at CuD. -=* Keep the flames burning, AND DON'T LET PHREAKING/HACKING DIE!!! *=- ... Johnny Yonderboy ... =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ + END THIS FILE + +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=  Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+