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Computer Undergroud Digest Vol. 09 Issue 33
Computer underground Digest Sun Apr 27, 1997 Volume 9 : Issue 33
ISSN 1004-042X
Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
Ian Dickinson
Field Agent Extraordinaire: David Smith
Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest
CONTENTS, #9.33 (Sun, Apr 27, 1997)
File 1--Wired news: German Network Lifts Ban on Dutch ISP (fwd)
File 2--Effective blockade on the Internet impossible (AP newswire)
File 3--HACK - Censorship as system failure; route around...
File 4--Demand letter - Milburn v. Hasselton??
File 5--Fwd: More news about DES...
File 6--NSF out of DNS, what comes next?
File 7--Texas CyberWar - Tx Telecom Jrnl (fwd)
File 8--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 13 Dec, 1996)
CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION APPEARS IN
THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 15:22:36 +1000 (EST)
From: Peter Tonoli <anarchie@brimstone.suburbia.net>
Subject: File 1--Wired news: German Network Lifts Ban on Dutch ISP (fwd)
From-- tank <tank@xs4all.nl>
To-- tank@xs4all.nl
Date-- Wed, 23 Apr 1997 11:39:04 +0200 (MET DST)
>From www.wired.com:
German Network Lifts Ban on Dutch ISP
With mirror sites defeating its attempt to shutter a left-wing
magazine, Germany's main academic network has called off the blockade.
The network acted 11 April after prosecutors warned that Radikal
magazine, hosted by Dutch ISP XS4ALL, was illegal. The network then
blocked XS4ALL, which hosts 6,000 Web sites. Protests included
widespread mirroring of Radikal. "An effective barrier to the illegal
content was not possible," a network spokesman told the Associated
Press Tuesday.
XS4ALL Internet BV - Felipe Rodriquez-Svensson - finger
felipe@xs4all.nl for
Managing Director - - pub pgp-key 1024/A07C02F9
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 10:38:59 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Felipe Rodriquez <felipe@xs4all.nl>
Subject: File 2--Effective blockade on the Internet impossible (AP newswire)
This was was sent in Germany on tuesday, i got the translation today:
"Effective blockade on the Internet impossible"
Frankfurt/M, April 22 (AP)
Effectively barring information of a certain kind from
the Internet is not possible. That is the outcome of a week
long blockade by Deutsche Forschungsnetz (DFN) of the Dutch
Internet provider XS4ALL (meaning Access for All), which was
lifted Monday evening.
"It has been demonstrated that an effective blockade of
illegal information has not been within the bounds of
possibility" said DFN spokesman Klaus)Eckart Maass to AP news
agency last Tuesday. Other Web servers, according to Mr Maass,
have set up mirror sites of the online edition of the
underground magazine "Radikal", published via XS4ALL, that
is, it has been copied and been made accessible to the public.
But this only served to put "Radikal" really in the picture.
Besides, he had been faced with a flood of protest and abuse
from the Internet, Mr Maass said. "Maintaining the blockade
was not feasible."
With their measure of 11 April, DFN responded to a letter
from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, pointing
out the illegal contents of the magazine. Issue no. 154 of the
radical left wing magazine contains a "Short Guide to
hindering railway transports of all kinds" a manual
describing how attacks can be made on the tracks on which the
nuclear waste transports to Gorleben take place. On account of
the Telecoms Bill, which received its second reading in the
federal parliament on Friday, he is obliged to bar access to
material on the Internet as soon as he learns of any illegal
contents, Mr Maass explained, provided this is technically
feasible.
Protests from Serbia's opposition broadcasting station B92
As suppressing separate Web)pages is technically not
possible, DFN cut off all access to the Dutch provider, which
offers more than 6,000 different information sites among
which those of Serbian opposition broadcasting station B92 and
several others in the scientific field. "I cannot undertake
anything that hampers scientific developments", said Mr Maass.
Three DFN users complained they were no longer able to reach
archeological and other information at XS4ALL. DFN, to which
all German universities are connected, is used by about
500,000 users to obtain access to the Internet. Protests also
came from B92, as the broadcasting station found its efforts
to further the cause of democracy in Serbia thwarted by the
blockade.
In September of last year several commercial Internet
providers had already blocked XS4ALL temporarily out of
concern, so they said, that the measures taken by the law
could take on such dimensions as would endanger their very
existence. This action gave rise to fierce protests on the
Internet, but also caused XS4ALL to remove issue 154 of
"Radikal" from the server temporarily. It has not come to that
during this recent blockade.
Speaking out on the renewed blockade, XS4ALL said they were
surprised, stating that censoring measures on the
Internet had repeatedly proved to be counter productive. "As a
provider we take the position that we cannot curtail freedom
of opinion", XS4ALL spokesman Felipe Rodriquez-Svensson said.
If there are doubts about the legitimacy of "Radikal" in the
Netherlands, they should be settled in a Dutch court.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 23:12:37 EDT
From: Martin Kaminer <iguana@MIT.EDU>
Subject: File 3--HACK - Censorship as system failure; route around...
Date--Wed, 23 Apr 1997 11:33:37 -0500 (CDT)
From--FringeWare News Network <email@Fringeware.COM>
Sent from: heath m rezabek <rez@fringeware.com>
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,9964,00.html
Teen bypasses blocking software
By Courtney Macavinta
April 22, 1997, 5:30 p.m. PT
A teenager is using his Web site to help others bypass one brand
of filtering software intended to protect minors from illicit Net
material.
Using the "CYBERsitter codebreaker" from 18-year-old Bennett
Haselton, surfers can now decode the list of all Net sites
blocked by Solid Oak's Cybersitter software.
Haselton--the founder of a teen organization called Peacefire
that fights Net censorship--contends that the software violates
free speech rights for adults and teen-agers. He claims the
software is also falsely advertised because it promises parents
the "ability to limit their children's access to objectionable
material on the Internet," but also blocks other content on the
Net.
Haselton's campaign to get around Cybersitter has Solid Oak's
president seeing red.
Solid Oak denies Haselton's charges and is investigating the
legality of the code-breaking program. "He doesnUt know anything,
and he's just a kid," Solid Oak President Brian Milburn said
today. "We have never misrepresented our product--ever."
Haselton's Cybersitter codebreaker can be used to crack a coded
list of the sites that CYBERsitter blocks. The list is
distributed to subscribers to notify users what sites are being
blocked. Subscribers pay $39.95 for the software.
The software blocks sites containing any words describing
genitals, sex, nudity, porn, bombs, guns, suicide, racial slurs
and other violent, sexual and derogatory terms.
The list also blocks an array of sites about gay and lesbian
issues, including PlanetOut and the International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission . Cybersitter even blocks the National
Organization for Women because it contains information about
lesbianism, Solid Oak stated. "The NOW site has a bunch of
lesbian stuff on it, and our users don't want it," said Milburn.
The software also filters any site that contains the phrase
"Don't buy CYBERsitter" as well as Haselton's own site and any
reference to his name.
Milburn says Haselton's campaign is hurting the product's
marketability and hinted that the company will stop him, but
wouldn't say exactly how.
"We have users who think they purchased a secure product. This is
costing us considerably," Milburn said. "But we're not going to
let Bennett break the law."
He did point out that Haselton's program to decode the software
may violate its licensing agreement, which states: "Unauthorized
reverse engineering of the Software, whether for educational,
fair use, or other reason is expressly forbidden. Unauthorized
disclosure of CYBERsitter operational details, hacks, work around
methods, blocked sites, and blocked words or phrases are
expressly prohibited."
Haselton is undaunted by the suggestion of legal reprecussions.
"I've talked to a lawyer who offered to represent me in the event
that Cybersitter goes after me," he added.
Haselton, a junior at Vanderbuilt University, argues that the
software doesnUt protect kids from smut, but just keeps them from
learning new ideas.
"Blocking software is not the solution to all of our problems.
What's dangerous is not protecting [teenagers' free] speech on
the Net as well," he said. "This is the age, when you form your
opinions about social issues, human rights, and religion. We need
to keep free ideas on the Net for people under 18."
Haselton's organization is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit being
argued today in New York, the American Library Association vs.
Governor George Pataki. The case was filed to strike down a state
law similar to the Communications Decency Act that prohibits
making indecent material available to minors over the Net.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 15:18:50 -0500 (CDT)
From: Bennett Haselton <bennett@peacefire.org>
Subject: File 4--Demand letter - Milburn v. Hasselton??
Source - fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu, peacefire-talk@vorlon.mit.edu
[I like the part about us linking to his web site.
-Bennett]
>Return-path--<bennett@www.media3.net>
>Date--Thu, 24 Apr 1997 09:59:10 -0700
>From--Brian Milburn <bmilburn@solidoak.com>
>Subject--Demand letter
>X-Sender--Brian Milburn
>To--bennett@peacefire.org
>Organization--Solid Oak Software, Inc.
>
>The following is a copy of a certified letter mailed to you on April 24, 1997.
>
>------------------------------
>
>Bennett Haselton
>Vanderbuilt University
>Box 1161, Station B
>Nashville, TN 37235
>
>Re: www.peacefire.org
>
>
>Dear Mr. Haselton:
>
>Please let this letter serve as notice of the following:
>
>1. You have posted a program on your web site called "CYBERsitter filter file
>codebreaker". This program illegally modifies and decodes data and source code
>protected by U.S. and International intellectual property laws.
>
>This program performs this action without permission of the copyright
owner. We demand
>that this program be removed immediately.
>
>2. You have placed links on your web site to various locations on servers
owned and
>operated by Solid Oak Software, Inc., a private corporation. These include,
but are
>not limited to, HTTP links, FTP links, and e-mail links and private e-mail
addresses.
>
>You have done this without permission of Solid Oak Software, Inc. Further
use of
>these links to our private facilities will be viewed as trespassing and
intentional
>harassment. We demand that these links be removed immediately.
>
>Your failure to comply with these demands immediately upon receipt of this
letter will
>be met with appropriate action.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>Brian Milburn, President
>Solid Oak Software, Inc.
>
>
>
>____________________________________________
>
>Brian Milburn
>Solid Oak Software,Inc. - Santa Barbara, CA
>bmilburn@solidoak.com - CIS: 74774,551
>http://www.solidoak.com - CIS: "GO SOLIDOAK"
>
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------
bennett@peacefire.org (615) 421 6408 http://www.peacefire.org
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 97 22:09:30 -0700
From: Gordon Meyer <grmeyer@ricochet.net>
Subject: File 5--Fwd: More news about DES...
---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ----------------
Date-- 04/25 5:52 PM
From-- Justin Dolske, dolske@cis.ohio-state.edu
Thanks for your DESCHALL mention in CUD 9.31... Here's a further
development in the DESCHALL DES cracking effort... We're actually testing
over 1 billion keys per seconds right now, and are close to hitting 2%
done!
Justin Dolske
<URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~dolske/>
(dolske@cis.ohio-state.edu)
Graduate Fellow / Research Associate at The Ohio State University, CIS
Dept.
INTERNET LINKED COMPUTERS CHALLENGE DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD
LOVELAND, COLORADO (April 17, 1997). Thousands of computers, all
across the U.S. and Canada, are linking together via the Internet in an
unprecedented attempt to "crack" the Data Encryption Standard, DES.
The so-called DESCHALL effort is responding to a challenge,
including a prize of $10,000, being offered by RSA Data Security to the
individual or group which is first to decode RSA's secret message.
According to Rocke Verser, a contract programmer and consultant,
who developed the specialized software in his spare time, "There are
over 2500 computers now working cooperatively on the challenge."
Using a technique called "brute-force", computers participating in
the challenge are simply trying every possible key. "There are over 72
quadrillion keys. A number", Verser quips, "about 15,000 times larger
than the deficit."
But the DESCHALL group is racing through the keys at an incredible
pace. The group is now trying over 50 trillion keys per day -- or more
than 600 million keys per second.
Perhaps even more impressive, the number of computers
participating, and the rate at which they are trying keys has been
doubling every 8 to 11 days for the past 2 months.
If the number of participants continues to double every 10 days, it
should take about 2 months to find the key. If no other participants
joined the effort, it should take about 2 years to find the key.
Word of this cooperative effort has spread primarily by word of
mouth, and the Internet equivalents -- IRC, Newsgroups, and Mailing
Lists.
Noone knows where the growth of this type of cooperative computing
effort will peak.
"Members of the DESCHALL team will be in a festive mood, Friday",
Verser predicts. "About suppertime" on Friday, DESCHALL computers will
have tested 1% of the total set of 72 quadrillion keys.
Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can participate.
The software is available free of charge, and a portion of the prize
money will be awarded to the computer user that finds the correct key.
Information about the DESCHALL effort, including how to join, is
available from the official DESCHALL Web site at:
<http://www.frii.com/~rcv/deschall.htm>
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Matt Curtin, (908) 431-5300 x 295, <cmcurtin@research.megasoft.com>
ALTERNATE:
Rocke Verser, (970) 663-5629, <rcv@dopey.verser.frii.com>
- 30 -
INTERNET LINKED COMPUTERS CHALLENGE DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD
Background / Sidebar, for Release dated April 17, 1997
The Data Encryption Standard, DES, is a national standard, adopted
in 1977. Use of DES is mandatory in most Federal agencies, except the
military. DES is very widely used in the private sector, as well.
Interbank wire transfers, Visa transactions, your medical and
financial records, and your employer's financial data are some of the
many things secured against prying eyes or against modification by DES.
When the Data Encryption Standard was adopted in 1977, there was
some question as to whether or not the Standard was adequate to protect
confidential data.
Matt Curtin, Chief Scientist for Megasoft, Inc. says, "This is
proving by example, not by mathematical calculation, that DES can be
broken with little or no cost." Curtin added, "Others could just as
easily be attempting to gain access to multibillion dollar wire
transfers."
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Matt Curtin, (908) 431-5300 x 295, <cmcurtin@research.megasoft.com>
ALTERNATE:
Rocke Verser, (970) 663-5629, <rcv@dopey.verser.frii.com>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 22:46:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Thomas Grant Edwards <tedwards@Glue.umd.edu>
Subject: File 6--NSF out of DNS, what comes next?
Source - fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu
C-NET is reporting that the National Science Foundation is getting out of
the domain name business as early as March 1998 if not sooner, and will
not renew the InterNIC agreement with Network Solutions.
NSF acting deputy director Joseph Bordogna is quoted as saying "The
long-term issues raised by [an internal report made public today] may
indeed require additional government oversight. We are referring the OIG
report to appropriate policy-makers in the Administration for
consideration."
This kind of rhetoric makes me think that the Administration is going to
try to rush in like a white knight and try to solve our "problem" in a way
which will no doubt lead to government censorship of domain names.
While Network Solutions has had a government-granted monopoly on domain
names, at least it was a level removed from the government itself. I fear
we will begin now to see trial balloons floated for direct government
intervention in DNS issues. I can imagine Congresscritters arguing, "We
need the Internet for our children...butthole.com, sex.com, christ.com,
penis.org, vagina.com, anal.org, and the like just will not do!"
Someone please tell me I'm worrying too much!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 07:57:26 -0500 (CDT)
From: David Smith <bladex@BGA.COM>
Subject: File 7--Texas CyberWar - Tx Telecom Jrnl (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date--Thu, 24 Apr 1997 05:15:57 -0500 (CDT)
From--Gene Crick <gcrick@tpoint.net>
TTJ is a digest of news/analysis for telecommunications professionals
Re-posting is allowed where appropriate, if full attribution included
All Copyrights (1995-97) retained by Texas Telecommunications Journal
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
Texas Telecommunications Journal volume 2, number 14
Secession and Cyberspace: The First Internet War
GENERAL MORALES VS. THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
Recently the eyes of Texans have been turning to the Internet, observing
the continuing conflict between Texas Attorney General Dan Morales and
the "Republic of Texas" political group, a secessionist organization
which challenges current state and federal government authority and has
been filing allegedly "bogus" liens against Texas property deeds.
In civil actions arising from these liens, the Texas AG served subpoenas
on ten Texas ISPs, demanding the ISPs turn over all sorts of records
relating to several subscribers, most of whom are linked by the AG to
the Republic of Texas group. The demand could include printout of all
those customers' system e-mail, website content, service applications,
account IDs, passwords, plus payment and other business records.
Eight of these ISPs, acting on legal counsel, reportedly delivered
records to the AG.
Two others, Internet Texoma and Overland Network, were less cooperative.
Expressing concerns about subscriber privacy and possible violation of
the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA), they
joined forces with the Texas ISP Association (TISPA) to oppose the broad
scope of information sought by Attorney General Morales.
The ISPs maintain they are placed in an impossible position by the AG's
subpoenae. Though they are willing to comply with any lawful court
orders received, they claim compliance as requested by the AG would
force them to violate their perceived responsiblities to their customers
and also violate explicit privacy requirements of state and federal law.
One concern cited by the ISPs is this delivery would make all the email
information public. Since many subscribers requested were not party to
any lawsuits, this raises significant issues for Internet privacy. So
whatever the outcome of these actions, Internet precedent will be set.
Another complaint from TISPA/ISP attorney Scott McCollough is that the
AG's subpoenae were not from a judge, merely from a court reporter.
Unlike true judicial orders these demands, if denied, do not necessarily
subject the non-complying ISPs to penalties for contempt of court.
THE WORLD IS WATCHING TEXAS... AGAIN
The investigative precedents sought by Attorney General Morales raised
hackles outside the state. In a letter to Wired News, Wayne Shirley,
Chairman of the New Mexico Public Utility Commission said, "I find the
actions by the Attorney General of Texas to be beyond any reasonable
limit which even an overly zealous rookie prosecutor would argue."
Chairman Shirley (whose brother-in-law is COO of Internet Texoma)
further maintains that "the actions of the Attorney General of Texas in
this matter undermine the bedrock foundation of our free society."
SO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?
The position of TISPA and the two ISPs is that any customer specific
content or information is private and confidential and thus cannot be
revealed under casual summons. They contend these customer data are
protected by laws and safeguards which require more than the AG's
current subpoenae to breach.
Faced with this opposition, the Attorney General apparently intends to
curtail his Internet subscriber information requests significantly, and
is expected to drop demands for user email logs and message contents.
He seems more intent on pursuing action against the dissident "Republic"
than on starting a conflict with people on the Internet.
KEVLAR AND KEYBOARDS
In a bizarre late development the Republic of Texas has just posted a
formal "Declaration of War" to their website at Overland Network. (TTJ
just reports `em, folks; we don't try to explain this kind of politics.)
Once again, the ISPs involved are placed in an uncomfortable position -
debate is certain over whether this secessionist act is protected free
political speech or criminal treason against the lawful government. But
whatever legal view prevails, to the best of our knowledge this marks
the first time that the Internet has been used to declare a war.
* * * * * *
Final Note: it's tempting to be flip about such strange happenings. But
recent events remind that real people can sustain real harm in political
conflicts. Let's hope this whole episode remains nothing more than a
slightly off-center milestone as rights are defined in Cyberspace.
Republic of Texas web sites:
<http://www.overland.net/~embthert/em02007.html>.
<http://www.flash.net/~robertk/>
* * * * * * * * * * *
22 April, 1997
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
TTJ editor Gene Crick is also president of the Texas ISP Association.
Note: TTJ is a journal of information, opinion and telecom advocacy.
We cannot guarantee accuracy of these early, informal reports;
please check with official sources to confirm critical results.
Subscribers may request details or forward specific questions.
Subscription info: Gene Crick gcrick@main.org 512/303-1021 fx 321-3163
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1996 22:51:01 CST
From: CuD Moderators <cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu>
Subject: File 8--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 13 Dec, 1996)
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------------------------------
End of Computer Underground Digest #9.33
************************************
