hacking

	==Phrack Inc.==

	Volume Two, Issue Ten, Phile #8 of 9

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	In PWN Issue Seven/Part One, we had an article entitled "Maxfield Strikes
	Again." It was about a system known as "THE BOARD" in the Detroit 313 NPA.
	The number was 313-592-4143 and the newuser password was "HEL-N555,ELITE,3"
	(then return). It was kind of unique because it was run off of an HP2000
	computer. On August 20, 1986 the following message was seen on "THE BOARD."
	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
	Welcome to MIKE WENDLAND'S I-TEAM sting board!
	(Computer Services Provided By BOARDSCAN)
	66 Megabytes Strong

	300/1200 baud - 24 hours.

	Three (3) lines = no busy signals!
	Rotary hunting on 313-534-0400.


	Board: General Information & BBS's
	Message: 41
	Title: YOU'VE BEEN HAD!!!
	To: ALL
	From: HIGH TECH
	Posted: 8/20/86 @ 12.08 hours

	Greetings:

	You are now on THE BOARD, a "sting" BBS operated by MIKE WENDLAND of the
	WDIV-TV I-Team. The purpose? To demonstrate and document the extent of
	criminal and potentially illegal hacking and telephone fraud activity by the
	so-called "hacking community."

	Thanks for your cooperation. In the past month and a half, we've received all
	sorts of information from you implicating many of you to credit card fraud,
	telephone billing fraud, vandalism, and possible break-ins to government or
	public safety computers. And the beauty of this is we have your posts, your
	E-Mail and--- most importantly ---your REAL names and addresses.

	What are we going to do with it? Stay tuned to News 4. I plan a special
	series of reports about our experiences with THE BOARD, which saw users check
	in from coast-to-coast and Canada, users ranging in age from 12 to 48. For our
	regular users, I have been known as High Tech, among other ID's. John Maxfield
	of Boardscan served as our consultant and provided the HP2000 that this "sting"
	ran on. Through call forwarding and other conveniences made possible by
	telephone technology, the BBS operated remotely here in the Detroit area.

	When will our reports be ready? In a few weeks. We now will be contacting
	many of you directly, talking with law enforcement and security agents from
	credit card companies and the telephone services.

	It should be a hell of a series. Thanks for your help. And don't bother
	trying any harassment. Remember, we've got YOUR real names.

	Mike Wendland
	The I-team
	WDIV, Detroit, MI.
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	This then is the result:

	Phrack World News proudly presents...

	Mike Wendland & the I-Team Investigate
	"Electronic Gangsters"
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	Carman Harlan: Well we've all heard of computer hackers, those electronic
	gangsters who try to break into other people's computer
	systems. Tonight on the first of a three part news 4 [WDIV-TV,
	Channel 4 in Detroit] extra, Mike Wendland and the I-Team will
	investigate how such computer antics jeopardize our privacy.
	Mike joins us now to tell us what at first may have been
	innocent fun may now be affecting our pocket books.

	Mike Wendland: Well Carman and Mort, thanks to the media and movies just about
	everyone knows about hackers and phone phreaks. By hooking
	their Apples, their Ataris, and their Commodores into telephone
	lines these electronic enthusiasts have developed a new form of
	communication, the computer bulletin board. There are probably
	10,000 of these message swapping boards around the country
	today, most are innocent and worthwhile. There are an
	estimated 1,000 pirate or hacker boards where the main
	activities are electronic trespassing, and crime [Estimates
	provided by John Maxfield].

	[Clipping From Wargames comes on]

	In movies like Wargames computer hackers are portrayed as
	innocent hobbyist explorers acting more out of mischief than
	malice. But today a new generation of hackers have emerged. A
	hacker that uses his knowledge of computers to commit crimes.
	Hackers have electronically broken into banks, ripped off
	telephone companies for millions of dollars, trafficked in
	stolen credit card numbers, and through there network of
	computer bulletin boards traded information on everything from
	making bombs to causing terrorism.

	[Picture of John Maxfield comes on]

	John Maxfield: Well, now there are electronic gangsters, not just electronic
	explorers they are actually gangsters. These hackers meet
	electronically through the phone lines or computer bulletin
	boards. They don't meet face to face usually, but it is a
	semi-organized gang stile activity, much like a street gang, or
	motorcycle gang.

	Mike Wendland: John Maxfield of Detroit is America's foremost "Hacker
	Tracker". He has worked for the F.B.I. and various other law
	enforcement and security organizations. Helping catch dozens
	of hackers around the country, who have used their computers
	for illegal purposes. To find out how widespread these
	electronic gangsters have become, we used John Maxfield as a
	consultant to setup a so-called "sting" bulletin board [THE
	BOARD].

	We wrote and designed a special program that would allow us to
	monitor the calls we received and to carefully monitor the
	information that was being posted. We called our undercover
	operation "The Board", and put the word out on the underground
	hacker network that a new bulletin board was in operation for
	the "Elite Hacker". Then we sat back and watched the computer
	calls roll in.

	In all we ran our so called "Sting" board for about a month and
	a half, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We received literally
	hundreds of phone calls from hackers coast to coast, ranging in
	age from 17 to 43. All of them though had one thing in common,
	they were looking for ways to cheat the system.

	The hackers identified themselves by nicknames or handles like
	CB radio operators use, calling themselves things like Ax
	Murderer, Big Foot, and Captain Magic. They left messages on a
	variety of questionable subjects, this hacker for instance told
	how to confidentially eavesdrop on drug enforcement radio
	conversations. A New York hacker called The Jolter swapped
	information on making free long-distance calls through stolen
	access codes, and plenty of others offered credit card numbers
	to make illegal purchases on someone else's account.

	John Maxfield: Well these kids trade these credit card numbers through the
	computer bulletin boards much like they'd trade baseball cards
	at school. What we've seen in the last few years is a series
	of hacker gangs that are run by an adult, sort of the
	mastermind who stays in the background and is the one who
	fences the merchandise that the kids order with the stolen
	credit cards.

	Mike Wendland: Then there were the malicious messages that had the potential
	to do great harm. The Repo Man from West Virginia left this
	message telling hackers precisely how to break into a hospital
	computer in the Charleston, WV area.

	[Picture of Hospital]

	This is where that number rings, the Charleston Area Medical
	Center. We immediately notified the hospital that there
	computer security had been breached. Through a spokesperson,
	the hospital said that a hacker had indeed broken into the
	hospital's computer and had altered billing records. They
	immediately tightened security and began an investigation.
	They caught the hacker who has agreed to make restitution for
	the damages. Maxfield says though, "Most such break-ins are
	never solved".

	John Maxfield: When you are talking about electronic computer intrusion, it's
	the perfect crime. It's all done anonymously, it's all done by
	wires, there's no foot prints, no finger prints, no blood
	stains, no smoking guns, nothing. You may not even know the
	system has been penetrated.

	Mike Wendland: Our experience with the "Sting" bulletin board came to a sudden
	and unexpected end. Our cover was blown when the hackers
	somehow obtained confidential telephone company records. The
	result a campaign of harassment and threats that raised serious
	questions about just how private our supposedly personal
	records really are. That part of the story tomorrow. [For a
	little more detail about how their cover was "blown" see PWN
	Issue 7/Part One, "Maxfield Strikes Again." Heh heh heh heh.]

	Mort Crim: So these aren't just kids on a lark anymore, but who are the
	hackers?

	Mike Wendland: I'd say most of them are teenagers, our investigation has
	linked about 50 of them hardcore around this area, but most
	very young.

	Mort Crim: Far beyond just vandalism!

	Mike Wendland: Yep.
	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
	A few quicknotes in between shows, Mike Wendland and John Maxfield set up THE
	BOARD. Carman Harlan and Mort Crim are newscasters.

	Also if anyone is interested in the stupidity of Mike Wendland, he flashed the
	post that contained the phone number to the hospital across the screen, Bad
	Subscript put the VCR on pause and got the number. If interested please
	contact Bad Subscript, Ctrl C, or myself.
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	Carman Harlan: Tonight on the second part of a news 4 [WDIV-TV, Channel 4 in
	Detroit] extra Mike Wendland and the I-Team report on how they
	setup a sting bulletin board to see how much they could get on
	these criminal hackers. Mike joins us now to explain that
	information, that was not the only thing they got.

	Mike Wendland: That's right, Carman & Mort. Our so called sting bulletin
	board received hundreds of calls from hackers all over America,
	and even Canada. They offered to trade stolen credit cards,
	and they told how to electronically break into sensitive
	government computers. But our investigation came to a sudden
	end when our sting board was stung. Our cover was blown when
	a hacker discovered that this man, computer security expert
	John Maxfield was serving as the I-Team consultant on the
	investigation. Maxfield specializes as a hacker tracker and
	has worked for the F.B.I. and various other police and security
	agencies. The hacker discovered our sting board by getting a
	hold of Maxfield's supposedly confidential telephone records.

	John Maxfield: And in the process of doing that he discovered the real number
	to the computer. We were using a different phone number that
	was call forwarded to the true phone number, he found that
	number out and called it to discover he was on the sting board.

	Mike Wendland: But the hacker didn't stop at exposing the sting, instead he
	posted copies of Maxfield's private telephone bill on other
	hacker bulletin boards across the country.

	John Maxfield: The harassment started, all of the people on my phone bill got
	calls from hackers. In some cases their phone records were
	also stolen, friends and relatives of theirs got calls from
	hackers. There was all sorts of other harassment, I got a call
	from a food service in Los Angeles asking where I wanted the
	500 pounds of pumpkins delivered. Some of these kids are
	running around with guns, several of them made threats that
	they were going to come to Detroit, shoot me and shoot Mike
	Wendland.

	Mike Wendland: A spokesperson from Michigan Bell said that the breakdown in
	security that led to the release of Maxfield's confidential
	records was unprecedented.

	Phil Jones (MI Bell): I think as a company were very concerned because we work
	very hard to protect the confidentially of customer's
	records. [Yeah, right].

	Mike Wendland: The hacker who got a hold of Maxfield's confidential phone
	records is far removed from Michigan, he lives in Brooklyn, NY
	and goes by the name Little David [Bill From RNOC]. He says
	that getting confidential records from Michigan Bell or any
	other phone company is child's play. Little David is 17 years
	old. He refused to appear on camera, but did admit that he
	conned the phone company out of releasing the records by simply
	posing as Maxfield. He said that he has also sold pirated
	long-distance access codes, and confidential information
	obtained by hacking into the consumer credit files of T.R.W.
	Little David says that one of his customers is a skip-tracer, a
	private investigator from California who specializes in finding
	missing people. Maxfield, meanwhile, says that his own
	information verified Little David's claim.

	John Maxfield: The nearest I can determine the skip-tracer was using the
	hacker, the 17 year old boy to find out the whereabouts of
	people he was paid to find. He did this by getting into the
	credit bureau records for the private eye. This is an invasion
	of privacy, but it's my understanding that this boy was getting
	paid for his services.

	Mike Wendland: In Long Island in New York, Maxfield's telephone records were
	also posted on a bulletin board sponsored by Eric Corley,
	publisher of a hacker newsletter [2600 Magazine]. Corley
	doesn't dispute the harassment that Maxfield received.

	Eric Corley: Any group can harass any other group, the difference with hackers
	is that they know how to use particular technology to do it. If
	you get a malevolent hacker mad at you there's no telling all the
	different things that can happen.

	Mike Wendland: What can happen? Well besides getting your credit card number
	or charging things to your account, hackers have been known to
	change people's credit ratings. It is really serious business!
	And tomorrow night we'll hear about the hacker philosophy which
	holds that if there is information out there about you it is
	fair game.

	Mort Crim: "1984" in 1986.

	Mike Wendland: It is!
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	Carman Harlan: News four [WDIV-TV, Channel 4 in Detroit] extra, Mike Wendland
	and the I-Team look at how these hackers are getting out of
	hand.

	Mike Wendland: The problem with hackers is not just with mischief anymore,
	unscrupulous hackers are not only invading your privacy, they
	are costing you money. Case and point, your telephone bills,
	because American telephone companies have long been targets of
	computer hackers and thieves we are paying more than we should.
	Experts say the long distance companies lose tens of millions
	of dollars a year to, these self described "Phone Phreaks."

	For example in Lansing, the Michigan Association of
	Governmental Employees received a phone bill totalling nearly
	three hundred and twenty one thousand dollars. For calls
	illegally racked up on there credit card by hackers. Such
	victims seldom get stuck paying the charges, so hackers claim
	there piracy is innocent fun.

	Phil Jones (MI Bell): Nothing could be further from the truth, it becomes a
	very costly kind of fun. What happens is that the
	majority of the customers who do pay there bills on
	time, and do use our service lawfully end up quitting
	after that bill.

	Mike Wendland: That's not all, hackers regularly invade our privacy, they
	leave pirated credit card numbers and information how to break
	into electronic computer banks on bulletin boards. Thousands
	of such electronic message centers exist across the country,
	most operated by teenagers.

	John Maxfield: There is no law enforcement, no parental guidance, they're just
	on their own so they can do anything they want. So the few bad
	ones that know how to steal and commit computer crimes teach
	the other ones.

	Mike Wendland: There is very little that is safe from hackers, from automatic
	teller machines and banks to the internal telephone systems at
	the White House. Hackers have found ways around them all
	hackers even have their own underground publication of sorts
	that tells them how to do it.

	[Close up of publication]

	Its called 2600 [2600 Magazine], after the 2600 hertz that
	phone phreaks use to bypass telephone companies billing
	equipment. It tells you how to find credit card numbers and
	confidential records in trash bins, break into private
	mainframe computers, access airline's computers, and find
	financial information on other people through the nations
	largest credit bureau, TRW. 2600 is published in a
	ram-shackled old house at the far end of Long Island, New York
	by this man, Eric Corley. He argues that hackers aren't
	electronic gangsters.

	Eric Corley: We like to call them freedom fighters. Hackers are the true
	individuals of the computer revolution, they go were people tell
	them not to go, they find out things they weren't supposed to
	find out.

	Mike Wendland: Corley's newsletter supports a hacker bulletin board called the
	Private Sector. Last year the F.B.I. raided it.

	Eric Corley: They managed to charge the system operator with illegal
	possession of a burglary tool in the form of a computer program.

	Mike Wendland: But the bulletin board is still in operation. Corley resents
	the suspicion that hackers are involved in criminal activities.

	Eric Corley: Hackers are not the people who go around looking for credit cards
	and stealing merchandise. That's common thievery. Hackers are
	the people who explore. So basically what we are saying is more
	knowledge for more people. That will make it better for
	everybody.

	Mike Wendland: He claims that hackers, in their own ways, really protect our
	rights by exposing our vulnerabilities. Well hackers may
	expose our vulnerabilities, but they also invade our privacy.
	There activities have really spotlighted the whole question of
	privacy raised by the massive files that are now out there in
	electronic data banks. Much of that information that we think
	is personal and confidential is often available to the whole
	world.



	Original transcript gathered and typed by

	Ctrl C & Bad Subscript

	Major editing by Knight Lightning
	_______________________________________________________________________________