**************************************************************************** >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 3, Issue #3.23 (June 27, 1991) ** **************************************************************************** MODERATORS: Jim Thomas / Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.bitnet) PHILEMEISTER: Bob Krause // VACATIONMEISTER: Bob Kusumoto MEISTERMEISTER: Brendan Kehoe +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ CONTENTS THIS ISSUE: File 1: From the Mailbag (Response to Dalton; Hacker Definitions) File 2: Warrants issued for Indiana and Michigan "Hackers" File 3: More on Thrifty-Tel File 4: The CU in the News (Thackeray; Cellular Fraud; Privacy) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CuD is available via electronic mail at no cost. Hard copies are available through subscription or single issue requests for the costs of reproduction and mailing. USENET readers can currently receive CuD as alt.society.cu-digest. Back issues of Computer Underground Digest on CompuServe can be found in these forums: IBMBBS, DL0 (new uploads) and DL4 (BBS Management) LAWSIG, DL1 (Computer Law) TELECOM, DL0 (New Uploads) and DL12 (Electronic Frontier) Back issues are also available from: GEnie, PC-EXEC BBS (414-789-4210), and at 1:100/345 for those on FIDOnet. Anonymous ftp sites: (1) ftp.cs.widener.edu (192.55.239.132); (2) cudarch@chsun1.uchicago.edu; (3) dagon.acc.stolaf.edu (130.71.192.18). E-mail server: archive-server@chsun1.uchicago.edu. 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. Articles are preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts unless absolutely necessary. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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. ******************************************************************** >> END OF THIS FILE << *************************************************************************** ------------------------------ From: Various Subject: From the Mailbag (Response to Dalton; Hacker Definitions) Date: June 27, 1991 ******************************************************************** *** CuD #3.23: File 1 of 4: From the Mailbag *** ******************************************************************** From: "Chas. Dye -- Solarsys Mechanic" Subject: Anonymous uucp from solarsys in Bay Area Date: Mon, 24 Jun 91 19:13:32 PDT solarsys, the site available for anonymous uucp downloads in the Bay Area, has had connectivity problems which have since been remedied. If you would like a listing of the available archives, you can grap the file /usr/uucppublic/ls-lR.Z You need to have a line in you Systems (or L.Sys) file which looks like this: solarsys ANY ACU ""-\n-gin: archinfo sword: knockknock where is a standard modem speed between 300 and 19200 (We have a Telebit T2500 modem) and is whatever portion of "1 415 339 6540" you need from your site Feel free to contribute files by writing them to the directory /usr/uucppublic/newfiles and letting me know (via mail to chas@solution.com) that you have sent something. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced by with earlier attempts to dial in. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: argonaut@PNET91.CTS.COM(C. Peter Constantinidis) Subject: Dalton Spence's Imaginary Canadian BBS Crackdown Date: Sun, 23 Jun 91 14:20:14 EDT > However, I will not become TOO complacent, since the government of > Canada has a history of following the lead of the United States, even > when it would serve us better NOT to. I am worried that the recent > virus infestations of government computers, as described in the > attached article from "Toronto Computes!" magazine (June 3, Vol. 7, > #5, p. 3), may act as a catalyst for a crackdown on Canadian bulletin > boards. Which would be a shame, since I am just getting the hang of > using them. Give me a break Dalton. I would be very interested in understanding how exactly you put two and two together to result in four. Because I cannot seem to understand how it could possibly happen. So basically you're saying, that if the government uses lousy computers with lousy security and some 14 year old writes a virus program that says, for example, "legalize marijuana" the government is going to take revenge by taking away the computers of every single Canadian in the country? Come on.. Unless the government goes dictatorship (doubtful) the people would go ballistic and vote the government out of existence in a hurry. I would imagine those people who would like to ban BBSes are the same people who are unable to program a VCR's clock because they are simply too technologically stupid. There is an expression you might be familiar with, "those who cannot do, teach". But back to the topic, whipping out our handy copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms we see in section 2b that ALL forms of communication, electronic and otherwise are PROTECTED. The government could not ban BBSes or crack down on them unless it could prove that it would benefit the people to do so and obviously they can't. Because of the protection in section 2b they cannot regulate bbses because then it would be controlling people's ability to read,write and communicate with other people. Canada has better protections in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms than the Americans do in their Constitution. The Canadian Charter was written in 1982 which makes it more up to date and contemporary. So you needn't worry that tomorrow morning you'll be woken up by big thugs shining a bright light into your eyes, having them drag you outside and shoot you just because of some scare mongers (which you tried to do) or out of date laws in OTHER countries. Dalton, last time I looked, Canada was still a sovereign country. And the government has more important things to worry about than computers bbses. So just take it easy and don't worry. Of course one knows one shouldn't send email to the government over and over saying "fuck you! i'm a BBS user! what are you gonna do about that?! hahahahahah" Jesus... Hope this has helped in clearing up any confusion. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: "76012,300 Brad Hicks" <76012.300@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Phreaks/Crackers/Hackers and Assundry Others Date: 20 Jun 91 10:59:54 EDT Attn: Computer Underground Digest REGARDING Re: Please Explain the Terms 'Hacker' and "Phreaker' In TELECOM Digest vol 11, #471, jdl@pro-nbs.cts.com (Jennifer Lafferty) asked: > I'm kind of lost here. Exactly what is "phreaking" and "hacking" > as you are using the terms. This should make a LONG thread. Everybody has their own definitions. Pat Townson, the TELECOM moderator, chimed in with his own. If I may paraphrase in the interest of brevity, Pat sez that a phreaker is someone who likes to rip of the Phone Cops; a hacker, a bright computer programmer; and a cracker, someone who rips off computer users. If true, this leaves a gaping hole in the language: what do we call a bright phone system expert who isn't a bright computer programmer? That aside, let me chip in my own definitions, which hopefully will shed as much light as they will heat (grin): HACKER: (n) Derived from "to hack," a verb used at MIT for dozens of years now to mean "to throw something together quickly" with an alternate, but related meaning, "to prank." (In MIT usage, a great prank is still called a hack, whether or not it has anything to do with computers.) Computer hackers are people who live for their hobby/profession. What separates a truly brilliant hacker from a truly brilliant programmer is that the hacker is only interested in results; s/he will achieve the impossible in record time but with code that cannot be maintained and no documentation. As one of Nancy Lebovitz's buttons says, "Real programmers don't document. If it was hard to write, it SHOULD be hard to understand." Or as we used to say at Taylor U., a hacker is someone who will sit at a computer terminal for two solid days, drinking gallons of caffeinated beverages and eating nothing but junk food out of vending machines, for no other reward than to hear another hacker say, "How did you get it to do THAT?" PHREAK: (n) Derived from the word "phone" and the Sixties usage, "freak," meaning someone who is very attached to, interested in, and/or experienced with something (e.g., "acid freak"). A "phone freak," or "phreak," is to the world-wide telephone system what a hacker is to computers: bright, not terribly disciplined, fanatically interested in all of the technical details, and (in many cases) prone to harmless but technically illegal pranks. CRACKER: (n) A hacker who specializes in entering systems against the owner and/or administrator's wishes. Used to be fairly common practice among hackers, but then, computing used to be WAY outside the price range of almost anybody and computers used to have lots of empty CPU cycles in the evenings. (There also used to be a lot fewer hackers; what is harmless when four or five people do it may become a social problem when four or five thousand do it.) Now hackers who don't illegally enter systems insist on a distinction between "hackers" and "crackers;" most so-called crackers do not, and just call themselves hackers. CRASHER: (n) Insult used by computer bulletin board system operators (sysops) to describe a cracker who enters for the malicious purpose of destroying the system or its contents. Used to be unheard of, but when I was last sysoping, was incredibly common. Crashers (who insist on calling themselves hackers) insist that this is because sysops are more obnoxious about asking for money and insisting on collecting legal names and addresses. CYBERPUNK: (n) A cyberpunk is to hackers/phreaks/crackers/crashers what a terrorist is to a serial killer; someone who insists that their crimes are in the public interest and for the common good, a computerized "freedom fighter" if you will. ******************************************************************** >> END OF THIS FILE << ***************************************************************************