**************************************************************************** >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 #1.12 (June 10, 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 #1.12 / File 2 of 5 *** *************************************************************** ---------- IN THIS FILE: 1) Clarifying the CU 2) State of CU law in Canada ------------ ----------- %The author of this note requested anonymity. His comments indicate the importance of clarifying what computer hobbyists are all about.% ------------ It is kinda strange,the first thing I read about hacking was Stoll's "Cuckoo's Egg" and while reading I felt uncomfortably torn between these "monster's and ogres" as he called them and my sense of right and wrong. I definately felt drawn toward the hackers, but felt as if I was wrong for feeling that way. Everything I have ever heard about hacking was put in a negative light. Criminals, vandals etc. My recent exposure to the world of computers has been, in retrospect, very enlightening. I immediately upon working with computers at work dove into books about DOS and such. I constantly sought ways around our menu system, although the techniques I used were very very elementary, I felt a sense of accomplishment when being able to circumnavigate this login program. I also messed a lot with setting things up to happen when certain people logged on - practical jokes self deleting batch files and shit like that. I guess what I am trying say is that I never equated myself with hackers. The media has done a good job of controlling my thoughts about hackers, I have thought of them as criminals, and deviants who break in to systems and at times mess with other people lives, as in the case of Stoll's book as he described the medical research systems break in. Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that I am a Hacker but was not aware of it, I am saying that I seem to have the same drives and motivations. I think to be a hacker that it requires a lot of time and dedication, something to work towards. That is something I plan to work on . All in all, I just wanted to say I am glad I found a CUD issue on a local (so called respectable) bbs. It has opened a whole new world to me, where I already feel at home. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but that's all right. The only thing that concerns me is that it is very difficult to not feel the paranoia with all the busts. However, if I use my head and not be foolish, I think I will be all right. There are a lot of good guys out there who are helping me out. It is hard to establish trust. Some doubt has been thrown my way, in my defense I was going to reply that the SS won't ask the naive questions that I ask at times, but from all I here about the SS, they don't seem to bright :-) If your Digest has done anything to change peoples perception about the current state of affairs concerning the world of hacking, it has changed mine. Thank you. ****************************************************************** --------------------------- State of the Law in Canada ---------------------------- Here are several excerpts from an article, titled: The Changing Face of Computer Crime, appearing in the May, 1990 issue of Toronto Computes!. "Time is also in favour of the culprit," says Sgt. Greg Quesnelle of the anti-rackets branch of the Ontario Provincial Police. "A computer crime committed years ago may go unnoticed or unreported. As a result physical evidence could have been removed or destroyed. If witnesses are available and can be located it is very difficult to obtain information from people who can no longer recall events as they occurred. "The police investigator is bound by the rules of evidence according to law when investigating computer crimes whereas the criminal has no such restrictions. In order to obtain information pertaining to a suspect located on a computer data base a Criminal Code search warrant must be authorized, whereas a culprit may quickly and illegally hack access to information located on a computer mainframe," says Sgt. Quesnelle. -------------- A little further on in the article we have comments attributed to a spokesperson from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. . . . . -------------- If a suspect can be traced, things don't become much easier for law enforcement officers. Unlike laws regarding drugs or a stolen car, there is no legislation to prosecute someone simply because they possess stolen data, says Sgt. King. -------------- That's the state of things in Canada. This should be taken, however, to mean that there are no means to fight _computer_ crime. Getting caught in the act of taking data without authorization would most probably leading to criminal proceedings and/or civil suit. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ + END THIS FILE + +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=  Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+