==Phrack Inc.==

                 Volume Three, Issue Thirty-five, File 10 of 13

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              PWN              Phrack World News              PWN
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              PWN            Issue XXXV / Part One            PWN
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              PWN            Compiled by Dispater             PWN
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Welcome to another edition of Phrack World News.  Read this issue very
carefully because it is full of very important stories about a multitude of
different issues.  Special thanks goes to Dark OverLord, Stainless Steel
Provider, and Private Citizen for their help in preparing this issue.
_______________________________________________________________________________

XMASCON 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~
NIA Magazine & Phrack Inc. present:

                           The Second Annual

                             X M A S C O N


Who:  All Hackers, Journalists, Security Personnel, Federal Agents, Lawyers,
      Authors and Other Interested Parties.

Where:                 Houston Airport Hilton Inn
                          500 North Belt East
                         Houston, Texas  77060
                                 U.S.A.
                          Tel: (713) 931-0101
                          Fax: (713) 931-3523

When:      Friday December 27 through Sunday December 29, 1991


Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you read it right... Xmascon has returned! This will
undoubtedly be the telecom event of the year. Unlike certain conferences in the
past, Xmascon 91 has a devoted and dedicated staff who are putting in an
unmentionable amount of time to ensure a large, vast and organized collection
of some of the most diversified people in the telecommunications world. The
event will be open to the public so that anyone may attend and learn more about
the different aspects of computer security.


                           Hotel Information
                           -----------------

The Houston Airport Hilton Inn is located about 6 miles from Intercontinental
Airport. The Xmascon group room rates are $49.00 plus tax (15%) per night, your
choice of either single or double. There are also 7 suites available, the
prices of which vary from $140 to $250. You can call the hotel to find out the
differences and availability of the suites, and you will also NEED to tell them
you are with the Xmascon Conference to receive the reduced room rate,
otherwise, you will be paying $69.00. There is no charge for children,
regardless of age, when they occupy the same room as their parents.  Specially
designed rooms for the handicapped are available. The hotel provides free
transportation to and from the airport, as well as neighboring Greenspoint
Mall, every 30 minutes on the hour, and on call, if needed. There are 2
restaurants in the hotel. The Wicker Works is open until 11:00 pm, and The
Forty Love is open 24 Hours. There will also be breakfast, lunch and dinner
buffets each day. There is a piano bar, The Cycle Club, as well as a sports
bar, Chaps, which features numerous table games, large screen TV, and a disco
with a DJ.  Within the hotel compound, there are 3 pools, 2 of which are
indoors, a jacuzzi, a miniature golf course, and a fully equipped health club
which features universal weights, a whirlpool and sauna.  A car rental agency
is located in the hotel lobby, and you can arrange to pick your car up at
either the airport or the hotel. Xmascon attendees are entitled to a discounted
rate. Contact the hotel for more information.

Xmascon will last 3 days, with the main conference being held on Saturday,
December 28, in the Osage meeting room, starting at 12:00 p.m. and continuing
on throughout the evening. This year, we have our own complete wing of the
hotel, which is housed around a 3,000 square foot atrium ballroom. The wing
is completely separated from the rest of the hotel, so we are strongly
encouraging people to make their reservations as far in advance as possible
to ensure themselves a room within our area.

We are hoping to have a number of people speak on a varied assortment of
topics. If you would like to speak, please contact us as soon as possible and
let us know who you are, who you represent (if anyone), the topic you wish to
speak on, a rough estimate of how long you will need, and whether or not you
will be needing any audio-visual aids.

There will be a display case inside the meeting room which will hold items of
telecom interest. Specific items that will be available, or that we hope to
have, include the first issues of 2600, Tap, Mondo 2000, and other magazines,
non-computer related magazines that feature articles of interest, a wide array
of boxes, the Quaker Oats 2600 mhz whistle, The Metal AE, etc. We will also
have a VCR and monitor set up, so if you have any interesting videos (such as
the Unsolved Mysteries show featuring Kevin Poulsen), or if you have anything
you think people would enjoy having the chance to see, please let us know ahead
of time, and tell us if you will need any help getting it to the conference.
If all else fails, just bring it to the con and give it to us when you arrive.

If anyone requires any additional information, needs to ask any questions,
wants to RSVP, or would like to be added to the mailing list to receive the
Xmascon updates, you may write to either myself (Drunkfux), Judge Dredd, or
Lord Macduff via Internet at:

                          nia@nuchat.sccsi.com

Or via US Mail at:

                         Hard Data Corporation
                               ATTN: HoHo
                             P.O. Box 60695
                         Airport Mail Facility
                      Houston, Texas  77205-9998
                                 U.S.A.

We will hopefully have an 800 mailbox before the next update is sent out.  If
someone cares to donate a decent one, that will stay up throughout the end of
the year, please let us know. We should also be listing a few systems as an
alternative form of reaching us.

Xmascon 91 will be a priceless learning experience for professionals, and gives
journalists a chance to gather information and ideas direct from the source. It
is also one of the very few times when all the members of the computer
underground can come together for a realistic purpose. We urge people not to
miss out on an event of this caliber, which doesn't happen very often. If
you've ever wanted to meet some of the most famous people from the hacking
community, this may be your one and only chance. Don't wait to read about it in
all the magazines, and then wish you had attended, make your plans to be there
now! Be a part of our largest and greatest conference ever.

Remember, to make your reservations, call (713) 931-0101 and tell them you're
with Xmascon.

In closing...  if you miss this one, you're only cheating yourself.
_______________________________________________________________________________

MindRape Revisited                                           September 27,1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From Arizona State University State Press
Further Reading:  Phrack Issue 34, File 11, "MindRape or MediaRape?"

     An Arizona State University (ASU) student is one of seven suspects in a
computer fraud scheme that one US West Communications official said could cost
the carrier and the phone company as much as $5 billion in one year.

     Police in Phoenix, Arizona have seized computer equipment, software, and a
list of long distance calling card codes from the home of the unidentified
19-year-old student.

     The student is one of seven people -- three in Oregon and one each in
Washington, Utah, and Iowa -- singled out as suspects in a month-long
investigation of electronic phone fraud conducted by Phoenix police, said Jim
Waltman, a fraud manager for US West Communications.  The Phoenix man has not
been arrested.

    The computer "hackers" allegedly used their computers to gain access to
secret long distance phone access codes such as the ones found on calling
cards, and sold codes to other students for profit.

    US West officials told the Associated Press that it is unknown how many
local customers have been wrongfully billed for long distance calls on their
accounts.

    Kevin Robinson, public information sergeant for the Phoenix Police
Department, would not comment on the investigation.

    Art Carter, dean of Student Life at Arizona State University (ASU), said
that if the student is charged, the case will be reviewed under the ASU Code of
Conduct and the action taken by the University will be determined at that time.

    Mark Knighton, security director for LDL Long Distance, said his company
and US West were able to trace calls to several location, including the home of
the Phoenix man.

    The Phoenix man has not been arrested, authorities said.

    Waltman said he was with Phoenix police a week ago when they searched the
north Phoenix home and uncovered what turned out to be an inexpensive and
relatively simple system for getting free codes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Editor's Comment by: Dispater

     What MindRape has been charged with cannot be determined now.  A request
must be submitted to Arizona Public Records and be considered for release to
the requestor.

Here are some possibly useful numbers:

Arizona Special Investigations Division (602)542-4853
County Attorney's Office                (602)262-3411      (Gail Thackeray)
Arizona Republic Newspaper              (602)271-8000
Phoenix Police Department
- General Investigations                (602)262-6141
- Police Information                    (602)262-7626
- Police Records                        (602)262-6134
_______________________________________________________________________________

East Coast LOD Hackers Create Virtual Reality MAELSTROM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         "It's reached the point where hacking is counter-productive."

If the 1980's were the decade that hackers emerged from their relative
obscurity as computer oddities, to be transformed in the public's perception as
front-page news -- then the 90's are shaping up to be the decade of hacker
turned entrepreneur.  Lately the notorious hacker group Legion of Doom seems to
be a particularly fertile spawning ground for ex-hackers turned
young-businessman.

Two former East-Coast Legion of Doom members, Bruce Fanscher <Dead Lord> and
Patrick Krupa <Lord Digital>, have pooled their talents to form a new company
in the burgeoning field of Virtual Reality.

The arena of Virtual Reality has often been called technology in search of a
purpose and at times resembles nothing more than an interactive movie meets
videogame.  This chaotic state of affairs has led to a never-never land of
incompatible technologies and far-out ideas, that have tremendous potential,
but little commercial application at present.  Fanscher and Krupa plan to
change all that.  "VR isn't anything new, it's something we've been living for
over half our lives.  The only difference is the state of current technology,
makes possible an incredible variety of application." said Krupa in an
interview.  "Right now we're in the ideal position to move forward on ideas
we've been working on for years," added Fanscher.

Krupa, who had attained the status of cult figure in the hacker underground
prior to his arrest, as chronicled by John Markoff (New York Times) technology
columnist, has spent the last several years working in the very lo-tech world
of theater, "Basically I was totally burnt out on computers.  I mean I don't
give a damn if my word processor boots in one second instead of eight, and
that's the only place anything was heading for a long time.  The NeXT has
changed all that and brought to market something truly innovative, although I
still don't care too much about technology as anything but a medium through
which you can reach people and affect their experiences and perceptions."

No stranger to creative innovation himself, Fanscher, Krupa's longtime
compatriot, has spent his share of time in the somewhat murky spotlight of the
hacker underground.  Musing about his days as a hacker delving into computer
systems to see how they worked, Fanscher remarked that:

     "It's reached the point where hacking is counter-productive.  You can
     only take apart things other people have designed and see what makes
     them work, for so long, before it becomes an exercise in boredom and
     the time comes to use what you've learned to create something new
     that nobody has ever seen before.  My current interest in other
     people's systems is zero.  It was a useful learning experience for me,
     but there's no future in it."

This oddly charismatic, dynamic duo is rounded out by Delia Kopold a former
actress and theater major who is the architect of the worlds that make
MAELSTROM come alive.  This initial offering by the collection of talents will
be an online system run on the NeXTcube supermicro -- a machine that looks more
like a piece of modern art than a computer -- that offers enhanced versions of
all the usual amenities like electronic messaging, file transfers, and
networking, all revolving around MAELSTROM, a program Fanscher calls, "a
real-time virtual interaction simulation engine."  MAELSTROM will initially
take the form of an extremely detailed fantasy world complete with custom
graphic programs that run on MS-DOS, Macintosh and Amiga computers, allowing
users to tap into the NeXTcube's system architecture through their home
computers connected to telephone lines.  "Maelstrom isn't really a fantasy
game, it's actually a universal engine comprised of objects that can be
accessed by a variety of graphic, sound and data files to create just about any
multi-user reality you can dream up," explains Krupa.

The MAELSTROM system is about to go through a short beta-test run in New York
City prior to a national ad campaign that will herald its universal
accessibility on packet switch.  "Our beta system already offers everything
that competing services offer, but at a much lower cost -- and we're still
adding features.  And nothing like Maelstrom has ever existed before, the
technology just wasn't there," concludes Fanscher.
_______________________________________________________________________________

2600 Magazine Exposes Security Holes                           October 18,1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by John F. McMullen & Barbara E. McMullen (Newbytes)

Armonk, New York -- Supported by videotape examples, Emmanuel Goldstein, editor
and publisher of 2600 Magazine: The Hacker Quarterly, told those in attendance
at an October 17th New York City press conference that "the American public is
often lulled into a false sense of security; a security that is often not
supported by the facts of specific cases."

The videotapes, produced by 2600 and provided to the press show both the
intrusion of a Dutch "hacker" in to United States Military computers and what
Goldstein alleges is the fallibility of a brand of mechanical, pushbutton locks
used by, among others, New York State University sites, Federal Express, United
Parcel Service, JFK International Airport, IBM and NASA.

Goldstein told Newsbytes "We invested considerable time and money to wake
people up to the fact that we have a false sense of security when it comes not
only to computer networks but to physical safety as well."

The tape of the Dutch "hacker" was made by Goldstein while in Europe. and shows
the intrusion into a Unites States Army computer system.  The intruder was able
to set up a fictitious account called "danquayle" and, once into the system,
was able to obtain "root" privileges thus giving him total control of the
workings of the system.

A portion of this tape had previously been shown with Goldstein's approval on
an episode of the Geraldo Rivera television show "Now It Can Be Told".
Goldstein told Newsbytes that one^S^Q reason for his release of the entire tape to
the press was his feeling that the Rivera episode entitled "The Mad Hacker's
Key Party" had distorted the message of the tape -- "This was not a case of a
terrorist break-in but was rather simply a demonstration of the lack of
security of our systems.  To find root accounts with password like "Kuwait" and
lack of sophisticated security in our military computers should be of real
concern and should not be lost in an exploitation of the 'hacker' issue."

A background paper provided at the conference by 2600 explains the entire
intrusion effort in detail and states "The purpose of this demonstration is to
show just how easy it really was.  Great care was taken to ensure that no
damage or alteration of data occurred on this particular system.  No military
secrets were taken and no files were saved to a disk by the hackers.  What is
frightening is that nobody knows who else has access to this information or
what their motivations might be.  This is a warning that cannot be taken
lightly."

The second videotape show Goldstein and other 2600 staff opening seemingly at
will locks manufactured by Simplex Security Systems.  The locks of the
mechanical pushbutton combination variety were shown to be installed at the
State of New York University at Stony Brook, JFK International Airport and on
Federal Express and United Parcel pick-up boxes throughout the New York
Metropolitan area.

In the film, Goldstein is shown filling out a Federal Express envelope for
delivery to 2600 Magazine and inserting in the Fedex dropbox.  He then lifts
the weather protection cover on the box's lock and keys a combination that
allows him to open the lock and remove his envelope.  Scott Skinner, a SUNY
student and 2600 staff member told Newsbytes that it had actually taken the
staff 10 minutes to determine the proper code combinations to open the lock.

Skinner explained, "While Simplex prefers people to think that there is an
endless number of permutations to the lock, there are actually only 1,085.  In
most cases, even this number is greatly reduced -- if one knows that only three
buttons are being used, it reduces the possibilities to 135.  Additionally, we
found that, once we had the combination to one Federal Express dropbox, it
worked in every other one that we tried in the New York area."

Goldstein told Newsbytes "When we contacted Simplex, they first denied that the
locks were unsafe and then said that the permutations were much greater.  After
some discussion, they admitted that the 1,085 figure was correct but said that
it would take a person with a complete listing of the combinations over four
hours to try them all. Our experience obviously shows that they may be opened
in a much shorter time than that."

Goldstein also pointed out that, "although a $5 Master combination lock may be
broken by a crowbar, it is a much more secure combination device.  It has
64,000 combinations compared to the 1,085 with the Simplex."

Goldstein continued, "One of the real problems is that, should a person have
the misfortune to be robbed, entry due to a failure of the Simplex lock gives
no evidence of a forcible break-in and police and insurance companies often put
the blame on the homeowner or office manager for 'giving away the combination.'
It really can create a problem."

Skinner told Newsbytes "I'm really concerned about t^Shis.  I'm a student at
SUNY, Stony Brook and all our dormitories use these locks as the only means of
security.  I've shown the problem to Scott Law who is responsible for residence
security but he has discounted the problem and said that the locks were
installed at the recommendation of the campus locksmith.  The locksmith, Garry
Lenox contradicts Law and says that he recommended against these locks years
ago and said that they were not secure for dormitory use."  Skinner said that
he will write an article for the college newspaper in an attempt to raise
consciousness about this problem.

Goldstein also said that he intends to publish the list of valid combinations
in an up-coming iss^Que of 2600 to demonstrate to the public the problems with
the lock.  He further said that he will raise the issue on his weekly radio
show, "Off The Hook", heard on New York's WBAI-FM.

In response to a Newsbytes question concerning how the 2600 staff happened to
become involved in a problem with locks, Goldstein said, "We're hackers and
when we see something with buttons on it, whether it's a computer or not, we
tend to try it.  While the average person tends to accept that things are
secure just because he is told that they are, hackers will usually try them
out.  It's because of this 'trying out' that we can point out the problems with
both the US military computer security and this lock -- and we feel that, in
both cases, we have performed a service. People should be aware when they are
at risk so that they may take action to correct it."
_______________________________________________________________________________
 
Questions Exist On Israeli Break-In Of US Systems            September 10,1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen (Newsbytes)

NEW YORK -- Amidst reports of the intrusion by an Israeli national into United
States military computer systems, there have been conflicting accounts of the
extent and nature of the invasion.

According to wire services, Deri Schriebman, an 18 year-old graduate of
Israel's Technion Institute and a native of the northern Israeli city of
Carmiel, was arrested by Israeli police for allegedly breaking into US military
computers and commercial credit card systems.  Israeli spokes person Eitan Raz,
commenting on the equipment found at Schriebman's home for allegedly making
free overseas phone calls, was quoted as saying "This was a very complex
system. It was the first time such technology was discovered in Israel."

Newsbytes has ben able to confirm with sources that a trail of credit card
fraud in the United States and Canada led investigators to Schriebman but has
not been able to confirm that Schriebman, as reported in Israeli press, was
able to access classified Pentagon information concerning Patriot missiles
during the recent Gulf War.  A US government investigative official told
Newsbytes that, while his agency has formally requested documentation of the
events from the Israeli police, that there seems to have been no contact to
date between any US service and the Israeli investigators.

Other investigative sources have told Newsbytes that the investigation into
Schriebman's activities began in May 1991 when two Quebec teenagers were
arrested for purchasing goods through the use of stolen credit card
identification.  The teenagers told Canadian authorities that they had received
the information from a source in Carmiel, Israel and the authorities notified
Israeli police.  According to the Israeli reports, Schriebman admitted the
intrusion into credit card files and the subsequent dissemination of codes but
denied making any use of the information. He was quoted as saying that his
cracking into the systems was done only out of curiosity.

A "hacker" source told Newsbytes that underground bulletin boards utilized for
the exchange of such credit information are often frequented by foreign
nationals. He said that the most frequent visitors come from Australia, Israel
and Germany and that many of the Israelis identify themselves as have a
connection with the Technion Institute.
_______________________________________________________________________________