**************************************************************************** >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 2, Issue #2.18 (December 28, 1990) ** **************************************************************************** MODERATORS: Jim Thomas / Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.bitnet) ARCHIVISTS: Bob Krause / Alex Smith PERIPATETIC GADFLY: Brendan Kehoe USENET readers can currently receive CuD as alt.society.cu-digest. COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted as long as the source is cited. Some authors, however, do copyright their material, and those authors should be contacted for reprint permission. It is assumed that non-personal mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise specified. Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles relating to the Computer Underground. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ------------------------------ From: "Martin Huber" Subject: CU Resources in Germany Date: Fri, 14 Dec 90 04:29:59 +0100 ******************************************************************** *** CuD #2.18: File 4 of 5: CU Resources in Germany *** ******************************************************************** %Moderators' note: We in the U.S. tend to be rather insular and often think of the CU world as limited to the 48 contiguous states. We are constantly reminded by cybernauts elsewhere that we should be more aggressive in recognizing that cyberspace is non-territorial. There are numerous articles and newsbits out there that we don't often see because of language barriers. We *STRONGLY ENCOURAGE* readers fluent in other languages to either send over translations or send summaries of various news stories. In addition to their general interest, we are finding that scholars, law students, and others find this information quite helpful. Thanks to Martin for sending the following over. When we spoke with him, he indicated that there is considerable activity in Europe that we neglect here in the U.S., and he uses a comment in Pat Townson's Telecom Digest to segue into the discussion%. ******************* In article <15334@accuvax.nwu.edu> (of Telecom Digest the moderator writes): > >Len Rose is beginning to prepare for his defense in Baltimore in >February. He is looking for Unix experts/gurus who would be willing to >provide general technical testimony about Unix. If anybody is willing >to consider it, or can provide the names of others who might be >willing, call Len at: (708) 527-xxxx. > > >Jim Thomas >Computer Underground Digest > > >[Moderator's Note: Poor Len. He's a great subject-candidate for the >old negro spiritual song, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen". PAT] I'll side with PAT and Len (although i didn't notice what he did, but today a seemingly funny hack can become a ghostly nightmare real fast). Please understand that i do not side my criminal activities, but IMHO mostly the wrong people get caught. The real criminals nearly get away with it. Me, i can't give him help (other than moral one). But there are some guys here in Germany who should be able to help with real expertise on any kinds of hacks (phone, modem, nets, UNIX boxes, other). They are called CCC (Chaos Computer Club). Their head has been charged with breaking into some kind of NATO network (can't remember details, ask them how it went out). I think they won or got a vote of confidence and a slight punishment because of having alerted security people about the possibility of the hack. Again, to state my opinion: They don't inquire into secrets in order to steal something/rob some bank/whatever, but merely want to enwiden their knowledge and try to pass information to others. (See below). Oh sh..... . Can't find any of their documents in my bureau. Let me try to squeeze my brain: Organization: "Chaos Computer Club" Contact: ??????? - they all have lots of nicknames City: "DW-2000 Hamburg" Country: "Germany" Check like 1-3 year old infos on the famous NATO hack. Names should appear there. I'll be searching back home and try to come up with more info ASAP. Maybe a secondary contact in Hannover will help: This is a german computer magazine called "c't". It is a full-fledged computer magazine for mostly small computers and UNIX systems. The spectrum of articles ranges from problems in information theory over product reviews, hard- und software tests, source code listings in different languages to science-fiction stories. They regularly feature editorials on hacking, law problems and such and are at the approximate level of expertise as BYTE is in the US (in fact, the magazines cooperate). [Of course, professional level in germany is in general not as high as in the US (the states are much larger and thus have more experts), but in science Germany is competitive.] In their January 1991 issue (no kidding, it appears in the mid of December!) they published a report on a sociological study on computer freaks which was carried out by a german university (Univ. of Trier). In the following, i'll give some quotations (transliterated to English): [Note that this is done with no regard to copyright issues, i don't know what position c't has regarding such matters, but i think it is perfectly o.k. to translate something while crediting it to the original author. As for publishing, you have my allowance to publish the english summary as long as c't or the author is not affected by this move] ARTICLE: "c't, Jan. 1990, p.44-46" AUTHOR: "Claudia Schmidt" [Can't find her listed on the publisher staff, seems to be an invited article, i bet she is from the research group] TITLE: Viele Vorurteile - Computerfreaks im Licht der Soziologie [ premonitions abound - computer freaks seen from a sociologist's point of view ] The article starts: "In a study sponsored by the Department of the Interior of the FRG a group of scientists from the University of Trier tried to find access to the world of computer freaks. The sociologists wanted to gain a fundamental platform for the assessment of computer technology und to unemotionalize the discussion on it. Wherever computing centers are, young alert people with rugged hair and deep-set eyes can be seen in front of computer consoles; their arms are bent und their hands seem to be waiting for hitting the buttons of their keyboards which they watch with the same inten- sity a gambler watches the rooling dices. Seemingly more relaxed they sit at desks loaded with computer listings and meditate like scientists over cabalistic treats .... This statement dating back to 1977 clearly demonstrates the premonitions which usually are ascribed to computer freaks[1]. 'Pseudo-empirical criticism on culture, mythos-conserving hearsay!' it is termed by the authors of a 300-page report of the University of Trier[2]. People are adopting fancy images [of freaks] all too eagerly: most of the statements suffer from a pseudo-scientific method of 'associative reasoning', the scientists claim ... The sociologists visited the Chaos Communication Congress 1989 in Hamburg, ..., 'in order to get a lasting impression of the productivity aspects of computer social life' and tested personal attitudes of [computer] freaks in meetings with several [computer] clubs. After field work, 62 interviews of 1 - 2 hours duration complimented by 15 interviews gained from interviews on a BBS were to be evaluated. [A description of a typical freak's school and college time follows (boring classrooms for under-rated geniuses), including the treat- ment of the early attraction of a typical freak towards technology. An interesting bynote states that women tend to exclude the computer of their private live and they are said to 'be afraid to destroy something'. The next paragraph follows the growth of a juvenile freak to a competent and professional specialist: ] Evolution: ... [freaks], according to the scientists can be separated into the classes of 'hackers', 'players', 'programmers', 'crackers' and 'crashers'. Freaks want to use all capabilities of their machines. A high degree of professionalism and competence, in general specialist's knowledge, gives the benefits of good standing, being recognized and admired among fellow professionals. The research group noticed that the rapid evolution of technology posed a problem. Social sciences always lag behind in assessment of new technologies and hust helplessly see a new wave of technology coming just as they finished evaluating it's predecessors. Lots of questions: The only solution to this problem is to tend towards dampening critical opinions: Of course the freak is working all alone ... in front of his computer, but - does he not communicate with fellow freaks over [computer] nets? A computer demands clear and concise commands, it cannot handle ambiguous statements found in everyday's speech. Under the assumption that a broad knowledge of speech is correlated with intellectual capabilities, a person who has to adopt his syntactical capability to abbreviations fitting a machine is in danger! ... the programming paradigm could influence life style towards thinking in rational terms only. Lone guys: On the other hand, there is a thesis that computerization is not the reason but the effect of a culture adoring reasoning, and that the computer is only fulfilling the wishes of men leaning towards a technical zivilisation. ... With the impact of lots of new media at home and at work, can we see an 'impersonalization of learning', will the real world be substituted by a made-up world, which is a secure place to flee to? ... Or is this world of synthetic images the expression of a desire to create new and singular scenarios, stimulating creativity and emotionality in the freaks? Is not today's world by a much higher degree plagued by rationalism and lack of emotions compared to the computerist's world? Summa summarum: For public discussion, the scientists drew the following conclusions: Since the computer is a well-known part of today's work, it is useful for several different specialisations. To the freak, it has become a natural part of his live and he spends a substantial amount of time and money on it. Only people with adequate knowledge can use a computer. A broad knowledge of information science is indispensable for a freak. His main method of learning is autodidactic. ... The 'process of auto-professionalisation' is found across all social and professional levels. Those activities do not tend to neglect leisure-time acti- vities. Electronic media are very important, whereas books are not so important (with the exception of cs books). Data nets created a renaissance of the art of writing letters. Computer freaks are not biased towards technology. From their intimate knowledge of systems and their limitations, their [the freaks] opinions are well balanced and often two- sided. Dangers are seen mainly in big uncontrollable systems. Contours of the information age of tomorrow are seen as changing and not subject to forecast or planning in a deterministic way. Methods of learning und practical work show a high degree of personal autonomy. New forms of self-controlled and self- confident use of communication medias are evolving hand in hand with a culture which does not need federal regulations (e.g. in form of laws). [because they are self-regulating, i can't resist to make my point here] The authors close with a proposal to the ministry of the interior to inquire into the usefulness of computerclubs and groups of hackers as critics of media, similar to the function of ecologist's associations in environment. [ The article closes with the perfectly natural observation that the degree of weirdness and fanaticism does not vary between philanthropists, hobby astrologicians and computer freaks ] [1] J. Weizenbaum, Die Macht der Computer und die Ohnmacht der Vernunft, Frankfurt/a.M., 1977, p.160 [The power of computers and the impotence of common sense] [2] R. Eckert et al., Im Schatten der Computer-Mythen. Zur kulturellen Praxis und den Spezialkulturen von Hackern, Programmierern, Crackern und Spielern. Eine ethnografische Untersuchung, Trier, [In the twilight of computer myths. On the cultural praxis and the specialized cultures of hackers, programmers, crackers and players. An ethnografical study] In the following some more citations from "c't", quoted from the indices: - c't,October 1990,Rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen fuer die Mailbox [ Juristical Framework for BBS ] - c't,February 1990,Es geht um Milliarden - Niederlage der Post in einem Modem-Prozess [ billions on stake - telco looses lawsuit concerning modems ] - c't,May 1989,Hackordnung - Wann wird das Strafrecht fuer Datenreisende zur Falle? [ hacker's laws - when do hackers get trapped in penal law? ] * This is written by a lawyer and treates the relationship * * between german penal law and hacker's activities. - excellent. * - c't,July 1988,Latente Bedrohung - Ueber die Verletzlichkeit der Informationsgesellschaft [ sleeping danger - about the vulnerability of information culture ] * This is an interview with Prof. Dr. Klaus Brunnstein, Univ. of * Hamburg, Inst. for applied computer science. He is specialising * in the field of computer crimes and the security of computer systems * Maybe a candidate for expert opinion? The publishing company is: "Verlag Heinz Heise GmbH" "Postfach 610407" "DW-3000 Hannover 61" Tel. ++49/511/54747-10 (PBX with direct) Fax ++49/511/54747-33 (call extensions) The editor is: "Christian Persson" extension -10 The vice editors are: "Andreas Burgwitz" extension -12 "Detlef Grell", MSEE extension -13 They are reachable on "CosmoNet": T. ++49/511/555398 300 Baud [ In fact, i think it is *their* BBS T. ++49/511/555392 300 Baud ask PAT or other netlanders for T. ++49/511/555686 1200 Baud more info. CosmoNet is well used in T. ++49/511/555630 1200 Baud Germany, maybe even Europe ] T. ++49/511/555302 2400 Baud Datex-P NUA: 45511090835 [ This is the german packet switching network. I have no idea of how to access it from overseas, but a friend of mine working in CA, USA should know it. If you need an european mail feed for this, i have access (in principle) to internet, bitnet, uucp and thus should be able to reach every german host. However, the transition from %internet,bitnet,uucp% to e.g. CosmoNet is newland for me. ] I'll stop here. I have all of the cited articles in my bookshelf. I have a FAX and a copier around. So if Len wants to have some, he should phone / FAX / mail me. Of course, translations are better to be done by somebody which is a native english speaker. I can help with nasty german sentences, no problem (with lightspeed communication? - never!). Anyway, i'll help what i can, sticking to the old prin- ciple: in dubio pro reo. -- /--------------------------------- Martin / Martin Huber % %----------------------------/ Univ. of Saarland % %email: mahu@ee.uni-sb.de Dept. of Electr. Eng. % %Tel: ++49/681/302-3574 D-66 Saarbruecken 11 % %FAX: ++49/681/302-2678 Germany % ******************************************************************** >> END OF THIS FILE << ***************************************************************************  Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+