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The Empire Times Issue 6
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% T H E E M P I R E T I M E S %
% ------------------------------- %
% The True Hacker Magazine %
% %
% November 13th, 1994 Issue 6 %
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
This Issues Features:
# Selection Author Size
- ------------------------------- ------------- ----
X. Introduction armitage 4k
1. Dc Dirt roach 7k
2. Pumpcon Review okinawa & dc 8k
3. Hohocon '94 drunkfux 21k
4. Who is Grayarea? armitage 11k
5. Pud Tribute roach 11k
6. OSCINT Part 3 firefly 11k
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Founder: Albatross
Editor: Armitage
Contributors: Deker
Drunkfux,
Firefly,
Grayarea,
Okinawa,
Roach
Special Thanks: Northern Telcom,
Sevenup,
Ophie,
Blackhawk,
Discodan,
Invalid Media,
Noelle.
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Introduction
Well obviously someone must care because people keep reminding me to
put empire times together. This issue I am very proud to present "DC DIRT"
the new column that will be put in every issue, supported by Roach.
This month Empire Times is taking a technical break. There is no
great technical information in this issue. Grant it that the next issue
will have pletheras of knowledge nuggets, this month we decided to take
a look at the scene.
Pumpcon was great, hohocon is around the corner, pud dead, and much
more. Sit back and enjoy. If you want to contribute any technical pieces,
please do. Keep em' coming.
Till the next Empire Times,
armitage@dhp.com
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 1 of 6
Dc Dirt
by The Roach / aka PuD c0ur13r
roach@tmok.res.wpi.edu
roach@dans.dorm.umd.edu
Hopefully, DC DIRT will be made with every issue of Empire Times.
I cannot vouch for it, but I will try. There is always enough dirt to go
around, but can I cover it in Empire Times without getting the shit beat
out of me? ;) We Will See...
DC Dirt is for gossiping hackers. You know who you are. I was just
smart enough to admit it. If anyone has a juicy tidbit to share, and is
not from DC, or is from DC, share it. If you wish to remain anonymous, I will
write it anonymous. But if you wish to slander someone, I will not allow
for it. I will also not be a cause for the Fedz to come at another person's
door. I have *some* morals, unlike some of you crazy crackers out there.
Alright then, lets start with the first issue of DC DIRT.
--- Rumor #1 Roach got Busted.
I have no idea where this rumor started from, but it scared me. I get a
phone call at 10 pm on a Thursday, saying,"Hey, Roach, I heard you were
busted". I was surprised to say the least. When I got the message, I was
still getting over a major bout of influenza.
I will say this: I was not busted. There were no Fedz coming to my door.
Did not even get a warning from AT&T. This rumor is false. If the rumor
was true, would I be writting an article right now?
--- Rumor #2 Ophie is a fed.
Don't make me laugh. Ophie is a fed like Roach got busted. Its not true
in the slightest. For one thing, Ophie isn't old enough to be a fed. She
just started college. Two, Ophie has been in the DC Scene for a long time.
People know her. DC Dirt knows her. She's just another hacker/cracker like
you and me.
--- Rumor #3 Ophie is Dead.
Nope. Old DC DIRT rumor. Not true.
--- Rumor #4 The BBS Empire Will be going down.
Albatross has threatened at a couple of points to take the bbs down. WWiV
just doesn't cut it, he says. Albatross would like to try waffle, but the
Dos version costs money. ;) If anyone would like to help Albatross with
this problem, please contact him at Empire, or at root@empire.org.
If Empire gets waffle, chances are it will get Usenet access. Good deal, eh?
--- Rumor #5 Y-windoze got busted.
I've only heard this on the IRC by Sarlo. I don't know if this rumor is
false or not. Sarlo told DC Dirt that he was at a Chicago Airport when the
FBI busted him for Cellular Fraud. If this rumor is true, then a collary
would be that Pizza Underground Digest is dead. The conclusion would be
that there wouldn't be a PuD c0ur13r much of anymore. :(
Y-windoze came to the DC 2600 once. He was a nice guy, not fat and short
as he used to say he was. He did get intoxicated there. How he could get
drunk off of Pentagon City beer is beyond me. The beer stinks.
This rumor I hope is totally false. But, sadly, hopes and dreams aren't
reality.
--- Rumor #6 DiscoDan has been getting death threats.
DiscoDan has been getting threats about his linux box. "Someone" is
going to shut down his machine. Discodan would like this someone to
stop making these threats, and to get a life.
--- Rumor #7 Armitage and Pat Sissions/Frenckis' Daughter are a "Thing".
Hmmmmmm...Armitage has met one of Frenchkis' daughters at 2600. DC DIRT
knows that Armitage would take Frenchie's daughter out for a date anytime.
Frenchie said on the IRC that she wouldn't mind Armitage to be the daughters
boyfriend. Pat said herself, the daughters old boyfriend had broken up with
her.
Let me name the daughter Cheerleader, since we don't want her real name to
get out. Supposedly Cheerleader really liked what she saw in Armitage when
she met him. What was holding her back was that Cheerleader already had
a boyfriend at the time, and was twice shy. [editors note: she had a bf?
When has that stopped anyone before? Bhahahahahahahahaaaa]
Now Cheerleaders old boyfriend is now gone and hopefully, dead. If not,
Armitage has muscles thick enough to beat the living crapola outta him.
A true love story hacker style. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA...
--- Rumor #8 Digital Anarchy Shirts are selling fast.
This is not a rumor, per say. This is true fact. These shirts are almost
all gone. Even the Editor of Phrack bought one. Would you like to have one?
This is what it says:
(Front) I quit Hacking,
Phreaking,
Cracking,
Spoofing,
Sniffing,
Scanning,
Boxing...
(Back) It the THE WORST 15 minutes of my life!
- Digital Anarchy
A good shirt for any hacker to get. To try and buy one, send e-mail to
armitage@dhp.com, with the Subject: DA shirts.
As DC Dirt says, order one now, because they are almost gone.
--- Rumor #9 Noe11e still is alive and kicking.
Rumor has it that noe11e is still around in the DC area. As Armitage put
it,"Noelle, aka Jill Bowyer. The fed, the woman, the partier, the myth. Who
knows where she might strike next?".
DC Dirt does know that 2 or 3 2600's ago, Noe11e and a fed-friend came to
Pentagon City. Mainly, Ruby Tuesdays. This was the same meeting that
Y-windoze, Morgen, and Das came to. Ever seemed to have a good time, and
no one was hurt.
Will Jill come back to the Hacker scene? DC Dirt thinks that she will
never step 5 feet into the scene without some major drawbacks. Noelle the
hacker is dead and gone. If she ever was one. We just hope that other
hacker girls will not follow her example in the least.
--- Rumor #10 DC 2600 is the best to go to.
Well, see for yourself! First Friday of the month, come down to Pentagon
City, and show yourself to us! There will be:
Fedz
Hackers
Chicks galore
Cute guys galore (What is a mall for? ;)
Food
Beer (shitty stuff though)
Resturants
DC DIRT
DA shirts (whats left of them)
Hacking/Phreaking/Carding/Cellular Material
The Empire Times gang
Taran King, Knight Lightning, Albatross, Okinawa, Dokk, Loki, Lgas, and the
other older hackers.
Anything you might want or need.
Well, folks, thats it for this issue of DC DIRT. If you want to send any
gossip to me, or just to pass it my way, email me at the to address' at
the top of this article. Or send me a line at fine boards like Digital
Anarchy or Empire. I might be on the IRC, go and check.
Until next time...
Dc Dirt.
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 2 of 6
Pumpcon Review & Sumup
by Okinawa
Pumpcon III added another chapter to hack history Saturday, bringing
over 50 underworld figures together from around the world to Philadelphia.
Although the Halloween con kept the fine tradition as being a
disorganized social con, it was marred by the lack of any decent busts
(Sorry Ixom).
The pre-con party started Friday with over half of the cons
participants checking into the Comfort Inn at Penns Landing. The all white
con contingent blended in nicely with the hotels other guests, an all black
Babtist church group from New York. Party rooms were stocked and recon
parties were sent out to nearby Hooters Resturant then the group settled
down for a night of socializing and partying.
About midnight sirens began to wail and emergency vehicles (including
police and fire boats) raced to the waterfront con site. Pumpcon partyers
were disappointed though when they continued on by the hotel and surrounded
the Ben Franklin Bridge, which was only meters away from the hotel.
The City of Phildelphia tryed to make up for this disappointment by
providing con-goers with a front row view of a bridge jumper. Anticipation
streched on for hours as police tryed to talk the jumper down from his perch
high above the Delaware River and were not disappointed a second time when
they finally relented, allowing him to fall to his death.
Saturday morning the hotel lobby began to fill the hotel staff began
to look worried. The con began promptly at 1 p.m. and the afternoon
included: Elite Entity, who spoke about Emmanuel Goldstien and several other
subject which no one listened to; Bernie S and LudiChrist, who gave a
informative up-to-date talk on new cell phone technology and Paul who gave
a lock discussion. Ophie chaired the days activities.
After a break for dinner the con began to re-organize in the
conference room, but finally submitted to the desires of it's participants
and the upstairs party rooms were reinhabited, but not before being warned
by the hotel staff with threats of evection.
"Pumpcon has always been mainly a social/party con with participants
who don't need or want long boring lectures about things they already know,"
said Okinawa, this year's con organizer. "I know Ixom was bummed that we
didn't get busted, but hopefully next year will be better.
The Pumpcon party continued through-out the night and Ixom's contingent
from 203 tryed to repay the City of Philadelphia for their previous nights
suicide demonstartion by taking one of the city's street people to an
all-expense payed dinner at Hooter's. (The City responded to this Sunday
morning by blasting the Sears Building into a pile of rubble. Philadelphia
sure knows how to party.) The rest of the evening had Sevenup passing around
large bottles of beer and was filled with the normal room to room party flow
associated with Pumpcon. Candy machines were hacked and several of the
party rooms sported free porn movies, thanks to their inept pay-per-view
system.
Overall it was a kewl social con which is expected to be larger next
year. Although I'm certain the Comfort Inn at Penn's Landing won't be the
site, Philadelphia does seem right for Pumpcon.
On a final note, MadCap has some left over Pumpcon III T-shirts. You
can contact him for more on that.
Welcome to my nightmare
Pumpcon Attendance List:
Laughing Gas
Blackhawk
Armitage
Discodan
L0ra
Jazzi
Dabe
Grayarea
Gauss
Ludichrist
Paul Bergmann
Bernie S.
Madcap
Ophie
Stormbringer
Road Dancer
Albatross
Loki
Wing
Scourge
Kluge
Vaxbuster
Petsounds
Noelle
Ixom
Okinawa
ReDragon
C-Curve
Johnny Oakley
Xenophile
SevenUp
Technowizz
Fractal
Elite Entity
NickO
Carlcory
Dark Tangent
Nightstriker
Moonbeam
Bob
Himehabu
Renegade
SubEthan
Pumpcon Quotes.
I'm NOT gonna put my tongue on that.
--ophie
Get off? I can do that by myself!
--Ludichrist
Noone ever guaranteed quality man, it's hacked.
--deker
We got pornos too...
--armitage
IFB <-- Immediately followed by
Oh, Cool
--vaxbuster
We've seen every single porno over and over and....
--ReDragon
Go jack off or something man
--bh
Oh, Oh, Oh!
--chick on porno
You know I don't wanna get laid by loki or oki
--ophie
Dark Tangent has teeth!
--ophie
I've seen this pussy before
--bh
Ridalin and beer don't mix very well.
--kluge
I'm kluge, not kludge.
--kluge
Did you get any l0ra quotes? Like "I'm stupid"
--anonymous
Why can't this girl get a date?
--discodan
(about girl in porn flick)
Coffee Anyone?
--armitage
(while taking a dump)
It was awesome.
--armitage
(every 5 seconds)
Go both ways, it speeds things up.
--anonymous
I can't get it in!
--discodan
Oh dude, the sucked.
--armitage
That was NOT awesome
--armitage
I don't mind sharing a bed with someone
--deker
IFB
As long as they don't get kinky...
--armitage
I'm gonna make it vibrate and put it on Dan...
--armitage
IFB
Hey, where's Dan?
--armitage
I had to translate it into negro for him...
--deker
(after explaining something to Alby)
BOOYAKKA!!
--deker and lgas
I don't have time to fuck around!
--bh
And then he bitched out a cop...Poor Cop...
--armitage
(about Ludichrist)
If you gould get s00pern1gger drunk (it wouldn't take much)
he could rule the world...
--armitage
I really wish I was like ManoWar
--discodan
I moan in my sleep.
--ophie
bh busted ass in the elevator...
--armitage
IFB
No I didn't. It was somebody's Body Oder!
--bh
IFB
No dude, you said "Sorry, I farted"
--armitage
I gotta stop laughing like this, I'm gonna hurt myself.
--armitage
We'll put him in a cage. Look it's a Yuri!
--anonymous
Bring that good ass over here, I'll give it some fucking breakfast.
--deker
She doesn't have cleavage, she has Cleveland!
--Dabe
I get real wet when I shower.
--lgas
She's got her breasts around her waist!
--armitage
(about ophie)
If I take my nose off it'll be cool.
--armitage
Dude, am I in there?
--gauss
I feel like a burrito.
--armitage
Note: These quotes all have a story behind them, some people were
also intoxicated, explaining the stupidity of some of them.
I also didnt know they stuck me in so much, owell. We had fun.
armitage
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 3 of 6
Hohocon '94
by Drunkfux
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
-- Amendment I to the Constitution of the United States
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Nov 1, 1994]
(Distribute Freely)
dFx, Phrack Magazine and cDc - Cult Of The Dead Cow proudly present :
The Fifth Annual
666 666 666666 666 666 666666 6666666 666666 666 666
666 666 66666666 666 666 66666666 66666666 66666666 6666 666
66! 666 66! 666 66! 666 66! 666 !66 66! 666 66!6!666
!6! 6!6 !6! 6!6 !6! 6!6 !6! 6!6 !6! !6! 6!6 !6!!6!6!
6!6!6!6! 6!6 !6! 6!6!6!6! 6!6 !6! !6! 6!6 !6! 6!6 !!6!
!!!6!!!! !6! !!! !!!6!!!! !6! !!! !!! !6! !!! !6! !!!
!!: !!! !!: !!! !!: !!! !!: !!! :!! !!: !!! !!: !!!
:!: !:! :!: !:! :!: !:! :!: !:! :!: :!: !:! :!: !:!
:: ::: ::::: :: :: ::: ::::: :: ::: ::: ::::: :: :: ::
: : : : : : : : : : : : :: :: : : : : :: :
"Excuse me, sir, but is the toothless gentleman with your party?"
Who: All Hackers, Journalists, Security Personnel, Federal Agents,
Lawyers, Authors, Cypherpunks, Virtual Realists, Modem Geeks,
Phone Nerds, Telco Employees, Phreaks, K0DE Warriors, WaReZ
Mongers, Alien Visitors, Government Officials, Strippers, and
Other Interested Parties.
Where: Red Lion Hotel
6121 North IH-35
Austin, Texas 78752
U.S.A.
(512) 323-5466
When: Friday December 30, 1994 through Sunday January 1, 1995
Cost: Ten Dollars (US $10)
What is HoHoCon?
----------------
HoHoCon is the largest annual gathering of those in, related to, or
wishing to know more about the computer underground. Attendees generally
include some of the most notable members of the "hacking" and "telecom"
community, journalists, authors, security professionals, lawyers and a
host of others. Previous speakers include John Draper (Cap'n Crunch),
Lex Luthor (LoD), Luke Perry, Bruce Sterling, Damien Thorn (Nuts & Volts)
and Chris Goggans (Erik Bloodaxe of LoD, Phrack and Teen Beat). The
conference is open to the public and we encourage anyone who is
interested to attend.
Hotel Information
-----------------
The Red Lion is located at 6121 North IH-35 on the corner of US290 and
IH-35. The HoHoCon group room rate is $55 for a single or double. Rooms
for the handicapped are also available. Check-in is 3:00 p.m. and
check-out is 12:00 noon. Earlier check-in is based on room availability.
The hotel accepts American Express, Visa, Master Card, Discover, Diner's
Club, and Carte Blanche credit cards.
As always, the hotel has set aside a block of rooms for the conference and
we recommend making your reservations as early as possible to guarantee a
room within the block, if not to just guarantee a room period. To make
your reservations, call the number listed above and tell them you are with
the HoHoCon conference. It is strongly suggested that you try to remember
to tell them you are with HoHoCon, not only in order to receive the group
rate, but also so you are placed in close proximity to the conference room
and other attendees. Personally, I never wish to relive our DefCon 2
experience where we clocked about 46 miles over the weekend walking to and
from the conference room.
The hotel provides transportation to and from the airport at no cost.
Shuttles leave every half hour from the morning until early evening.
If you are arriving or leaving at an odd time, you can make arrangements
with the front desk or use the courtesy phone in the airport.
Directions
----------
For those of you who will be driving to the conference, the following
is a list of directions provided by the hotel (complain to them if you
get lost) :
Traveling West on 290 : Take the Cameron Road Exit off of 290. The hotel
is on the corner of I-35 and 290.
Traveling West on I-10 : Take I-10 to 71 west to I-35 north. Take exit
238B and travel over 290. The hotel will be on the right hand side.
Traveling East on I-10 : Exit I-35 north and turn left on to the access
road. The hotel is on the corner of I-35 and 290.
Traveling North on I-35 : Take exit 238B and travel over 290. The hotel
will be on the right hand side.
Traveling South on I-35 : Take exit 238B and u-turn under I-35 at 290.
The hotel will be on the right hand side.
Traveling from the FBI, SPA or in any type of Government issued vehicle :
Take 290 west to I-35 south to I-10 west. Follow I-10 through Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona and into California. In Los Angeles, exit 5 north and
travel through California and Oregon into Washington. Exit 12 east and
drive about 50 miles or so until you see the Mount ST. Helens National
Volcano Monument exit. Take that exit and make your way to the large
fiery entrance atop the mountain. The conference is on the lower level
inside the mountain.
Call the hotel if these directions aren't complete enough or if you need
additional information.
Conference Details
__________________
HoHoCon will last 3 days, with the actual conference being held on
Saturday, December 31 starting at 10:00 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m.
We will release the first proposed speaker/topic list on or around
December 1st. The time table will follow last year's for the most part,
with a half hour break in the middle of the day followed by a raffle.
We will also have smaller 'mini meetings' on Friday evening and early
Sunday afternoon in a few of the hotel's meeting rooms. Details and times
of these gatherings will be included in future updates.
We are still taking submissions for speakers, so if you would like to
speak during the conference, please contact us and include a brief
outline of your topic and a rough estimate of how long you will need.
We will also gladly accept any suggestions on speakers that you would
like to see and hear from. Please note that not all people who request to
speak will be given the chance to, so you Star Trek idiots from last year
who wanted to talk about how Spock changed your life and your
interplanetary, m0dem warrior, anarchist group that was planning to steal
a space shuttle from NASA and take control of the galaxy via Prodigy need
not submit (or attend).
We would like to have people bring interesting items and videos again this
year. If you have anything you think people would enjoy having the chance
to see, please let us know ahead of time and tell us if you will need any
help getting it to the conference. If all else fails, just bring it to the
con and give it to us when you arrive. Any organization or individual that
wants to bring flyers to distribute during the conference may do so. You
may also send your flyers to us ahead of time if you can not make it to
the conference and we will distribute them for you. Left over flyers are
included with information packets and orders that we send out, so if you
want to send extras, go ahead.
Companies and organizations who wish to set up merchandising tables or
booths need to make arrangements with us in advance. Reservations for
table space in the conference room will be taken by e-mail or voice mail
and those parties not confirming their attendance by December 15 will
forfeit their space.
Cost
----
The cost of admission this year is US$10, which includes 2 tickets for
the super spiffy "Raffle From Hell" (extra tickets are available at the
door). It is no surprise that there will always be people out there who
will complain about paying for anything. You folks need not attend. After
five years (a few more actually), we are only asking ten dollars, which
is an outrageously low price compared to the suit infested industry
conferences which charge hundreds of dollars in registration fees and
even some of the new "Cons are k00l and trendy, I gotta do one too!"
conferences that are charging up to $50 for admission alone. Plus, we've
never made anyone sleep in a tent or eat next to a table of 36 Elvis
impersonators (although that was kind of cool, I guess).
Miscellaneous Notes
-------------------
Video cameras will *NOT* be allowed inside the conference room, except
for the people who have received prior consent to film. Still photos
are fine as each speaker will announce whether he or she minds them
being taken (although this didn't seem to stop the onslaught of flashes
when Lex Luthor approached the microphone).
The conference will start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep this in mind
when pondering whether or not to down yet another bottle of Mad Dog 20/20
on Friday night.
For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, HoHoCon falls on New
Year's Eve. Contrary to rumour, we will not be having a huge party in the
conference room on Saturday night. Instead, we will all head for 6th
Street, which is where 80% of Austin's nightclubs are located. We will
include a list of New Year's happenings in Austin in future updates.
HoHoCon shirts and videos from '92 & '93 (NARC, I Love Warez, I Love Feds,
Top 10 Narc List) will be available during the conference, along with last
year's big hit - I Love Cops shirts and hats ($20). The shirts are $15 and
the videos are $20. We have also added XXL for all you big folks. If you
are unable to attend the conference and wish to obtain any of these items,
you may either mail us for more information or send a check or money order
payable to O.I.S. to the address listed below. Include $3 per order (not
per item) for shipping. Canadian and overseas residents should mail first
for shipping prices and details. You may also mail us for a more detailed
description of any of the HoHoCon products.
Those of you driving from Houston that wish to join to HoHoConvoy which
leaves for Austin on Friday morning should call the HoHoCon VMB and
leave a message with a contact number.
Traci Lords has confirmed her appearance for this year's conference.
One of the reasons the cost of admission has raised from $5 to $10 is that
the cost of securing a conference room on New Year's Eve is quite high,
but another factor is insurance. It is almost impossible to put on a
conference of this nature without running into problems, the biggest one
being the slew of young, idiotic, underdeveloped, social rejects who like
to play make believe and pretend they're Beavis & Butt-head while they
cause unnecessary damage to the hotel and annoy the guests and staff. This
is far from k-rad and is definitely not what HoHoCon is about. What you do
in your own room is your own business, but what you do anywhere else on
the hotel property all comes back to one person ... me. I have grown
extremely tired of trying to deal with hotel managers who threaten to
cancel the conference altogether because of a few, no life idiots who have
no idea how to act in a public setting since they never leave their
mommy's house. Holistic Hacker wrote a good editorial about this in Phrack
#45 that is suggested reading for anyone who thinks they are some type of
elite m0dem anarchist. It is you people that ruin everything for the other
500 attendees who actually have a grip on reality. Due to the behaviour of
a few braindead morons in the past, I have decided to hire my own security
this year who will only be in place in order to prevent stupid fleebs from
breaking anything or causing any type of damage or unnecessary disturbance
to the hotel. It is unfortunate that I have to do this, but I do not wish
to accept the financial burden of having to pay for other people's
stupidity and destruction. If you have a problem with this, stay home.
By attending the conference, you are consenting to being filmed and
photographed and having your ugly likeness used in any fashion I deem
appropriate.
Birkenstocks are strictly prohibited at HoHoCon. Anyone caught wearing
them will be severely beaten with a bat.
Correspondence
--------------
If anyone requires any additional information, needs to ask any questions,
wants to RSVP, wants to order anything, or would like to be added to the
mailing list to receive the HoHoCon updates, you may mail us at:
dfx@usis.com
drunkfux@usis.com
dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com
hohocon@cypher.com
drunkfux@cypher.com
cDc@cypher.com
drunkfux@5285 (WWIV Net)
or via sluggo mail at:
O.I.S.
ATTN: HoHoCon
1310 Tulane
Houston, Texas
77008-4106
Freeside Communications is the official HoHoCon FTP site. FTP to fc.net
and check out /pub/hohocon.
Those of you without net access, can call the HoHoCon whirrled HQ BBS,
K0DE AB0DE/Metalland Southwest, at:
713.39-K0DES (713.395.0337)
We also have a VMB which includes all the conference information and is
probably the fastest way to get updated reports. The number is:
713-867-9544
What They're Saying
-------------------
"The manager quickly summoned the Austin police and had the hotel
telephone operator print the phone bills for the two rooms, anticipating
that the records would be necessary evidence for the Grand Jury
indictment he was envisioning. One of the boy's phone bills was eight
pages long, but almost all of the calls were local. The total amount
owed to the hotel was less than three dollars, and the officers
determined that the account being accessed was legitimately assigned to
one of the teens. A big production had been made out of nothing, fueled
by the fear of the 'evil hacker' stereotype."
Damien Thorn : Nuts & Volts Magazine : March 1994
*****
"At 1:00 a.m., everything was going great for me. I was taking part in
an impromptu mini 'cell-con' in one of the rooms at the Hilton and was
learning everything I ever wanted to know about cellular modification. I
was especially excited to hear someone say that they would be showing us
how to mod the new Mitsubishi phones since that is what I happened to
have in my jacket pocket. Unfortunately, about three seconds later,
someone kicked open the door and spastically announced the fact that
there were 10 underage strippers dancing naked in a room down the hall.
Two seconds later, I was alone."
Peter Beardsley : Independent Journal : January 4, 1994
*****
"I knocked on the door and asked the guy who opened it if we could come in
and say hi. They said yes and I spent several hours in there. We didn't
talk about anything special but had a lot of fun watching Eight Ball
stumble around the room drunk until he passed out."
Netta Gilboa : Gray Areas Magazine : Spring 1994
*****
"HoHoCon '93 was everything I had expected and much more. I gained 5
major items during my three day stay in Austin; a better knowledge of
numerous security holes across the net, a really cool NARC t-shirt, two
Traci Lords videos, and the understanding that the Austin police force
are a bunch of computer illiterate bozos."
White Shadow : CUF Review : January 1994
*****
"People who know how to telecommunicate without calling undue attention to
themselves show the interested what creative hacking is supposed to be
about. We watch people demonstrate the transformation of an OKI cellular
phone into a two-way tracking scanner with a computer interface, discuss
the 'passive' capture of private account passwords, and explore the
mathematical theories that make possible completely anonymous digital
money transactions.
Few are better able to explain the pros and cons of advanced programming
technology than rogue hackers. They already have much of the information
people like Barry Diller and Al Gore would have to steer millions into
think tanks to discover. The question is how to legitimize a collection
of software pirates, hippie academics, and teenage 'phone phreaks' to the
point where the mainstream would be willing to employ them as consultants
instead of locking them up as criminals."
Carol Cooper : VIBE Magazine : June 1994
*****
"After this sellout session, I found a sign on the wall: "hoho.con.com ->"
and, in room 260 someone piled up an enormous mass of equipment,
including something like 4 UNIX machines, a SLIP connection, 20" screens,
PET's.. Plus the room was stacked with 30-40 people, and I mean STACKED.
Most people were wasting their time entering commands like "mget
/warez/eleet/hot/0-day/*.*" Sick of that, I grabbed a bunch of people and
we went trashing at SW-Bell around the block, and whoops! we found a
diagram like this:
(Europe) (Asia) (Australia)
______
____: :____
: :
: Texas o <====== Austin
\ /
\ /
\_________/
(North America) (South America)
Now we know it: South Western Bell believes that Austin, Texas is the
center of the world. Well, from the 17th to the 19th of December, 1993,
it was."
Onkel Dittmeyer : Phrack Magazine #45
*****
"The hackers did it again. A monster party, several hundred strong, where
hacking was the agenda. HoHoCon is the annual hacker's convention in
Texas where all hell breaks loose.
Not one person I spoke to said they wouldn't attend again next year. So
there must be something to it. Even legendary phreaks like John Draper
aka Captain Crunch were there, despite his tenuous hold on reality and
emanating odor."
Winn Schwartau : Security Insider Report : January 1994
*****
"The night went on, the beer flowed, the dopamine inhibitors kicked in
full in full force, and the money changed hands faster than could be
counted. By the end of the evening, everyone had received several "table
dances," KevinTX had whip marks on his back, Weevil had won my complete
admiration, and the girls made a small fortune. Each of the dancers
walked away with over $200 in cash. The biggest winner was a really hot
little 18 year-old named Cathy who raked in almost $400."
Erik Bloodaxe : Phrack Magazine #45
*****
Tawk tawk tawking bout sum cyber stuff
Like Demon Roach's new Monster Truck sub
Matrix hoppin' we will go
In search of the hex marshmallow
Come now, come now, do not pace
We're off to call cyberwaste
The new beast known as demon seed
Run over your head and make you bleed
Decryption of the message I soon will start
For I have the hex-ascii chart
Fat, skanky dancers running all around
Wonder how many STD's Dispater has now
What made me sick was the one's hairy mole
Did I mention that Omar looks like Cliff Stoll?
Bruce taught me how to program in Unix and Hack C
Omar had his picture taken with E.T.
This is it.. I must go..
I may finish later.. I don't know
Drunkfux : Live From HoHoCon '91 : cDc 200
*****
_ _ _ _
((___)) ((___))
[ x x ] HoHoCon '94. New Year's Eve. Need we say more? [ x x ]
\ / \ /
(' ') (' ')
(U) drunkfux@usis.com (U)
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 4 of 6
Interview: Grayarea
by Armitage
Q: What is Gray Areas?
A: Gray Areas is a 148-page paper magazine about gray areas of the law and
morality. We explore subjects which are illegal, immoral and/or controversial
such as drugs, adult films, piracy, computer crimes, etc. While the magazine
is by no means just about hackers, it is something we cover and I've been
hanging around these parts for about a year and a half.
Q: Do you consider yourself press, or just another face that absorbs
information and later prints interesting stories?
A: I wear a lot of hats and I am able to put them on and take them off as
needed. I always disclose to hackers I talk to that I publish a magazine and
am very upfront so they won't think I was hiding anything later. By the same
token, most of the people I tell it to will never be mentioned in Gray
Areas unless they agree to be interviewed and we plan a time to do it,
or they submit an article they wrote to us, or unless they treat me so badly
that I think my readers need to know about it. Even then, most people
flatter themselves when they think they are worth wasting ink on to explain
their behavior to some reader buying Gray Areas in Japan or in England.
I laugh when some IRC newbie gets all nervous that I am sitting there
on #virus or wherever to write about them by printing IRC logs of every
word they write on IRC. It's an insult to what Gray Areas really explores and
I always wonder why they think they are allowed to check their jobs at the
door but I *never* can. Thank god for the few people who treat me like a
person here. I hope I'm as good a friend back.
Once in a great while I am sitting around socializing and the conversation
leads to something that I might want to write about in Gray Areas. If so,
I tell the people and they provide their input. If you've read Gray Areas
you know I am very careful not to link people's nicks to crimes and that if,
for example, you have spent time with me at a con and asked not to be
mentioned in my review you are not.
The bottom line is that Gray Areas is a quarterly not a daily and I do
not need new information on hackers every day or every week to keep my job.
I hang out socially because I like many people here, most of my older friends
ran away when I began hanging out with hackers, and because I don't do the
kind of journalism where you use people to get your story and them dump them
afterwards to go get facts wrong about some other group <grin>.
Q: How do you deal with elite information that you hear before the hacker
society? Do you feel like going out and telling everyone? Do you ever hold
back information from print?
A: Yes I hear elite info. Most of it would interest other people more than
it interests me. I think people tell me things sometimes because it is
kind of like confessing it to a priest and because they know I will not
want their hole, bug, code or passwords. I don't understand some of what I've
been told and I think that's another reason people tell it to me.
When I hear something, I try to sort out whether I am being told this as
an individual, as a magazine off-the-record or as a magazine for publication.
When people wanna stab someone in the back it's usually for publication and
when I really, really wanna know more it's usually off-the-record. So, yes,
I hold back lots of stuff from print. Ultimately I'm more interested in the
source than the story and there are things I don't print because they would
badly affect the community (like an expose of conference calls!) or because
it would lead back to who told it to me and there is no other way to prove
it without using their info.
There are secrets I have to live with, like for example the identities of
interviewees. I don't always get treated as I'd like to by these interviewees
in return and it's a part of the job that I have to cope with that. I have
get to have anyone not understand my position on that though from the hacker
I dated to the FBI agent I spoke with. I guess that I compensate for this
enormous stress in my life by being as much of a gossip as the next person
in the community about everything Gray Areas is not involved in.
Q: What are the advantages of being female in this field?
A: Overall, it is probably a huge disadvantage. I never thought about it
coming in, but I incorrectly assumed the visible hackers would be of all
ages and they turned out to be mostly guys who are young enough to be
scared of or inexperienced around girls.
Granted, there are guys who tell me they originally talked to me only
because I was female, but there are times #hack is down on girls and only
the guys seem welcome too. I forget which hacker told me, correctly, that
#hack is the last bastion of open displays of male chauvinism. You have to
put up with a lot as a female to stick around. It's a shame too, because
half the guys I /msg tell me they wish there were women hackers and women
who understood their interests to talk to. But some of the hackers I know of
would like to do their damndest to make sure women who try to enter the
scene can't get the technical knowledge and experience they need to become
sysadmins, etc.
Surprisingly, there is little sexual harassment by hackers in terms of
obscene phone calls and unwanted netsex /msgs. Most of them prefer to
operate in a repetitive cycle of calling the girls hanging around "whore,"
"psycho" or "narc."
Maybe if I was younger and prettier hackers would send me candy, flowers
and birthday cards (January 5th!). The free stuff I get like admission to
cons and hacker t-shirts is for being press not being female. If you think
anybody gives me interviews because I'm a girl it's not so. However, I
dated a hacker last summer and as other male hackers found out about it, a
lot of them stopped calling me voice. So go figure.
Q: Through the conversations you have had with hackers, those whom you
have spoken with for interviews or what not, which hackers have you grown
to love or respect?
A: You know, friendships in this community come and go. There are people
I have only spoken to once who I respect immensely. Other people get close
to you for a few weeks and then they turn on you. Still other people seem
like friends (Kevin Mitnick, ahem!) and then turn out not to exist but to
have been someone else you know playing with you for months. Some of the
people I love the most don't give a shit about me and some of the people
I have put myself out the most with law enforcement for wouldn't give me
the time of day. But I have friends I don't even know about too, and I
never lack for someone to talk to, whatever their motivations at the time.
I like everyone until they fuck with me. I like the people who have the
guts to op me and to unban me, as well as those who hug me when they see
me in person, the best. And everyone who has actually read my entire
magazine and makes serious comments (even if they are negative) on how to
improve it. I will also single out LGAS and Xenophile for inviting me to
leet parties.
Q: How do you go about selecting subjects for interview and people to write
about?
A: For the most part, they find me. A lot of the people I would like to
interview most shun press, like the "malicious" hackers and the top warez
people. Gail Thackery hasn't taken me up on my offer to interview her either.
I gave her a magazine at Defcon and told her I was "the girl they call on
conference calls right before or after" her. I meant it to imply I had a
great deal of sympathy for what she has put up with, but she never got in
touch and a few weeks later told my friend Merc he can't talk to me anymore.
I wonder if she came away with the mistaken impression I organize those
conference calls or that I have participated in any abuse of her. She
couldn't be more worng, if so. I don't know whether people perceive we won't
be fair to them (in a magazine that lets people speak for 18-22 pages
unedited!) or whether they think it's beneath them to explain their
philosophies and actions.
Instead, I spend my time talking with who is willing to talk to me. It
works out fine. However, it's hard to know who's going to have something
special to say. Gray Areas is in a unique position as to write for most other
"hacker zines" you are supposed to have some particular hacking skill or
specialty you can teach others. To talk to Gray Areas it doesn't matter if
you are super skilled or not, just how well you can analyze behavior.
Some people must be too shy to approach us directly, which is amazing
considering one can be anonymous on IRC or through E-mail. They prefer to
get my attention by harassing me. If they make themselves gray by their
behavior, then we might take an editorial interest in them. It's nice that
when it has come to that most people don't come back for round two.
Q: What do you think of the other hacker publications?
A: Most people don't realize how many there are! In print (off the top of
my head, apologies to whoever I forgot) alone there is: us, 2600, Nuts
and Volts, Private Line, American Hacker, Iron Feather Journal, Winn's
newsletter, Virus News Intl., 40-Hex, Wired, Mondo 2000, Full Disclosure,
etc. There are even more ezines, depending on how broadly you define hacking.
I think they're all great and I read everything anyone mails me or /dcc's
me. I will say that I really love Empire Times. The piece Noelle wrote for
you was both timely and witty and I was glad to see some accurate information
get out publically in your last issue about my friend Merc. This issue has
the first review of PumpCon III (mine will follow in the next Phrack). You
have carved out a unique niche for Empire Times as having the latest scoop
first. Congrats!
Q: What advice do you have for anyone who'd like to publish yet another zine
on hackers?
A: In the fifteen months or so I have been on IRC, over two dozen hackers
have some to me and said that they are working on or wish they working on
an ezine. To my knowledge, not one of those people has actually published
a thing. There seems to be a lot of bitching about the publications that
do exist (too newbie oriented, dislike/mistrust of the publishers, etc.)
but most hackers cannot cooperate enough with each other to put out their
own.
As you know, it is time consuming but not all that hard. My advice is
as follows: if you have something to say, get it out. Consider how long
term your interest in writing is too. First try the existing publications
because they already have a reader base and would probably publish more
frequently if they had more good articles sent to them. If none of those
mags are interested in your work, then it's appropriate to launch a new mag.
Gray Areas is interested in not-too-technical articles which explain
*why* people do things as opposed to *how*. Although we are not interested
in every subject, we explore those we do cover with more facets and in more
depth than any other magazine. We focus on teaching society about hackers
and cover subjects like cons, piracy, profiles, ethics, morals, busts.
We also offer the unique opportunity for hackers to write about other
subjects because we cover other gray areas like drugs, sex, UFOs, prank
calls, and we review everything from books to movies to concerts to video
games. If you'd like to talk about an idea I can be reached on IRC as
"grayarea" or by E-mail at: grayarea@netaxs.com or grayarea@well.sf.ca.us
Gray Areas is available at Tower Records around the world, Borders,
Barnes and Noble, etc. or by mail from us at $7.00 a sample issue ($10.00
foreign, U.S. funds) at:
Gray Areas, Inc.
P.O. Box 808
Broomall, PA 19008 USA
There are 6 issues out so far. A four issue subscription is $18.00 bulk rate
or $26.00 first class. If you live abroad it's $34.00 airmail for four issues.
===========================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 5 of x
A Pud Tribute
by Roach
[Editors note: This article is dedicated to Y-windoze, X, the
PuD crew, and to anyone who has been busted for cellular fraud.
Y-windoze got busted for cell fraud, so I doubt this article
will ever make it to Pizza Underground Digest. I'm putting it
in Empire Times to honour PuD's memory. PuD is dead. ]
How to Get On the PuD Supah Information Goat Track
By The Roach
AKA- Roach, r0ach, PuD C0ur13r, MacRoach, Raid Patrol,
Jeffry Dalmer, MacNiggah, PuDling, X-men, Y-Aol,
PuDroach, roachkill, alt.pud lover, Mrs. Manson,
FINGERMAN, NSA.ORG, Willy Makit, Betty Wont,
Roach Patrol.
You want to be on the Supah Information Goat Track, and you don't know where to
house your goat? This is the supah info you need, to be competing todays Tech-
Pud-alogy!
Tools:
1 dull night without nothing to do (thats right, YOU!)
1 brain. (optional)
10 fingers
1 computer, preferably a kaypro, with that tiny green screen.
1 300 baud modem
A .10 blood - alcohol average.
1 bag of potatoe chips.
3 kegs of jolt
500 megs of shareware, preferably Commader Keen, or something from Apogee.
1 goat
10 buckets to milk the goat
1 lame internet account [optional (freenets do not count!)]
oh, and almost forgot, THIS ARTICLE OF PUD.
Now, do you have everything?
- Brain, check, dull night, check, modem, check, 3 kegs of jolt, check...
Good! Now lets get started!
Get drunk.
(1 hour later...)
-Gee *hic* there is like *hic* blood in my alcohol. *hic*
How many fingers am I holding?
- uhhh, 3, no, 6...no, 1...uhhh....
Good, your brain is functioning! Now where is your computer?
- Over here, uh, no *hic* over there...Woah, what the heck is that?
* Baaah, Baaaah!!
Its your goat, the key to access the supah info goat track, like we said.
- Whats this "we" shit white man?!? I thought *hic* we were going out to get
- girls!
You moron, shut up and sit down.
- I won't I won't *hic* I won't I *hic* won't.!!!!! Ouch, stop, your hurting
- me!! Stop, no, not your shoe...!!!
<little later>
Modem?
- yhea, I *ouch* got it.
Potatoe chips?
- d00d, i have to go to the *hic* bathroom...
You got your animal ready to milk?
- yeah, 'SPuD the Goat' is right here.
* BAAAAAAH, BAAAAAAH, BAAAAAH.
Down SPuD, down...HEY, I AM NOT SOMETHING TO EAT! GET OFF MY SHIRT!!!
* BAAAAH, BAAAAH, -munch- -munch-
- huh, huhuhuh, huhuh, thats kewl. *hic*
GET THE FUCK OFF, YOU STUPID GOAT!@#$
CAN WE GET ON WITH THIS LESSON, PLEASE?!?!
<another bit later...>
Now, try and call 1-800-PuD-Roks
atdt 1-800-PuD-roks
<modem noise, goat bleating>
See that prompt?
USDA.ORG LOGIN:
-yhea, so?
Type in 'PuD_Guest'.
- yes, Bwanna.
USDA.ORG LOGIN: PuD_Guest
PASSWD:
-uhh, d00d, it needs a password.
Yes, I know. The Password is 'BoWsucks'
- *hic* gotcha.
USDA.ORG LOGIN: PuD_guest
PASSWD:
Last login: Sun Aug 21 17:14:51 from FBI.GOV
pudOS 3.141592654 (PuD_SERVER) #1 Tue Feb 8 14:50:25 EST 1994
At the request of Hymie, NC, and Squinky, you can now read PuD
in /Users/USDA/PuD. The whole collection of PuD is there now,
read for your reading enjoyment!
The Management.
You have new mail.
USDA>
Now, try...
- d00d, i need to go to the bathroom!
* Bleet, BaaaaAAAAAaaaaah, moooooOOOOOooooo
- please! I need one of those buckets!
...and do a 'supah info' command.
- d00d, please! It Hurts! *hic*
USDA>
How come i don't see any typing?!?
- >wiiiiiz< Aaahhhh... *burp*
...Great, next time, i will put "1 bag of diapers" on the list.
* Baaaaah.
<30 minutes later, after clean up of floor...>
Will you please type 'supah info'?
USDA> supah info
g0d console Aug 20 09:04
hymie ttyp1 Aug 22 19:25 (pud.org)
y ttyq3 Aug 21 11:22 (mcdonalds.com)
g0d ttyp2 Aug 20 12:23
g0d ttypc Aug 20 11:14
squinky sd8g Aug 22 15:16 (155.212.1.2)
PuD rsd9a Aug 21 11:03 (LAT_OQE184328AD)
PuD_guest fuk Aug 22 21:01 (LAT_OWE173403BC)
USDA>
-yhea *hic*, now what do I do?
Now do a 'last pud'
USDA> last pud
PuD_guest fuk Tue Aug 22 21:01 still logged in
hymie ttyp1 Tue Aug 22 19:25 still logged in
NSA_guest ttyp4 Tue Aug 22 18:00 19:02 (01:57)
squinky sd8g Tue Aug 22 15:16 still logged in
y ttyq3 Mon Aug 21 11:22 still logged in
PuD rsd9a Mon Aug 21 11:03 still logged in
g0d ttyp2 Sun Aug 20 12:23 still logged in
g0d ttyq3 Sun Aug 20 11:14 still logged in
g0d ttyw4 Sun Aug 20 10:56 11:03 (07:07)
g0d console Sun Aug 20 09:04 still logged in
reboot ~ Sun Aug 20 09:02
shutdown ~ Sat Aug 19 12:45
USDA>
Hmmm, thats wierd...try a 'finger NSA_guest'.
USDA> finger NSA_guest
Login name: NSA_guest In real life: <no comment>
Directory: /Users/NSA_guest Shell: /bin/csh
Last login Tue Aug 22 18:00:02 on ttyp4
Plan:
<no comment>
USDA>
I have never seen an NSA_guest. Wierd. Ok, lets mail g0d.
- d00d, i don't want to type anymore. I'm sleepy n stuph.
* baaaaa-aaaAAAAaaa-aaaah...Beeeecuuuuzzz IIIIIIIII'm BAAAAAAAAAAD to the
Boooooone...ba ba ba ba Baaaaaad, ba ba ba ba Baaaaaad...
Just listen to your goat, he's bleating some good music. I'll write the letter.
USDA> mail g0d
Subject: Who is NSA_guest?
g0d sometimes you just don't come through,
g0d sometimes you just don't come through...
Do you need a woman to look after you?
g0d sometimes you just come...through...
There is my Tori Amos sacrifice, now g0d, I will ask you a question:
Dear g0d,
You are the mightiest and knowingest "person" on this paradise called earth.
Well, maybe not the smartest g-d, but you come in close. My personal favorite
is Thor. No, it could be Zeus. No, I do like Minerva, she's a smart gal...
But anyways, this is not the point. Nor my question. My question is, who is
this NSA_guest charater? We only need one guest account, and that is PuD_guest.
So like, g0d, could you tell me?
Amen.
Cc: Santa
USDA>
- d00d, who is *hic* Santa?
Santa is a backup for g0d on the weekends. Santa always needs a break from
wrapping up presents, and Mrs. Santa. Especially since the affair with that
penguin. Talk about desperate.
* Saaaaaaantaaaaaaaah Klaaaaaauusss...
- oh.
Ok, here is the part where we truly get on the Supah Goat Track.
- spiffy!@#$ *hic* Ok, well, lets get on the Supah info goat track.
SPuD are you ready?
* baah.
Ok, then, type in 'supah goat track'.
USDA> supah goat track
) hello! i'm what they call "baaah, baah bah bah bah, baah bahh, ba, be bop,
) be bop" or more humane laguange, 'Helper of SIFGT, crowned king of all goat
) information, teacher of much goat talk, the gossip of the runty legged
) little manure makers.' But call me anything but late for dinner! lets get
) started! do you have your goat?
) type in [yes] or [no]
USDA> yes
) good! about how old is your goat?
USDA>
- How old is my goat?
How should I know?!? Its your goat!
- *hic* thats right. Uhm, lemme see...Sarah gave me a dog in August 1989,
- then Katy gave me a Cat in Sept of the same year...Oh, and then traded
- my dog for a lizard, with purple spots in '90...the cow came into my life
- after the Cat died, so that was about 1992-93...
HOW OLD IS THE GOAT?!? WHY ALL THIS CRAP ABOUT ANIMALS?
- and then...huh?
HOW OLD IS THE GOAT?!?
- The goat is 5 years old. I told you that already.
<Sigh.>
* baaaah, be bop.
- you hungry SPuD?
USDA> 5
) Five years old? That is a tough goat you have there! How many gallons of
) milk does your goat supplie a day?
USDA>
- lesseee...10 buckets...10 gallons?
USDA> 10
) Information noted. Now, take your goat, and sit on it.
) type in 'ready' when you are done.
USDA>
- Sit on my goat?!? uhm, thats going to hurt n stuph.
It won't hurt, regulations says so.
* Baaah, bah!@$!@#$ bahh!@#$!@#$!@#$
SPuD, you sound upset! <smile> Its going to be ok!
* Beeee bop, baaah bee bahh!!@ booop, baaah bah bawp.
- Surely you can't be translating goat talk?
I am not translating goat talk, and my name is not 'Shirley'.
- uhhhhh, yhea d00d.
<contestant sits on SPuD the goat>
USDA> READY
) now, for the ride of your life! lets go on the supah info goat track!
) good luck, and remember: Once a goat, always a goat!
) I am now initiating the sequence...done. Computer is complete.
- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!@#$
* BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!@#$!@#$
Wooooaaaah, eyem running for cover!
<Magically, the contestant and his goat, SPuD, gets sucked into the computer
screen. Are they really on the Supah information goat track?!?>
<Suddenly, 5 minutes later, the contestant and SPuD reappear out of the
computer screen...>
How was your ride?
- What the hell was that?
* baaaah, baah bee baaawp! [translation: that was a bumpy ride!]
That was the supah information goat track. Tell me, how many goat licks does
it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
- Zero, the goat will eat it whole...hey, I've never known that!
How many goats does it take to screw in a light bulb?
- Five! One to eat the light bulb, one to regurgitate it...hey, now, I've never
- known this stuff before. Is that what the supah information goat track is?
- Information about goats?
I don't really know. They just pay me to do this. I've never been on it myself
.
* baaah, bee bop bee baah bawp. [Translation: Watermelon is in the fridge.]
- The last time I checked the fridge...w3rd, I can even translate what SPuD is
- saying!
- Wait, lemme see something.
USDA> goat milk
Apps/ Library/ Mailboxes/ News/
USDA>
- Oh my gawd! I know everything in Goat and in English now! Amazing.
Isn't it? Well, I have to get going, I've got another person waiting to get on
the 'Supah Information Goat Track'.
- Goodbye!
<A door closes, and the contestant is now alone with his goat>
You have new mail
USDA> mail
>N 1 PuD_guest Sun Aug 28 00:02 12/274 "Minerva is smarter?"
& x
- I'm going to bed, i sick of this...
* baah, bee boop.
- You need food? Hold on...
USDA> logout
NO COURIER
PuDEmpireTimesYwindozeXPuDc0ur13rSquinkyVbbsPuDEmpireTimeYwindozeXPuDCour13r
Ok, shoutout time.
Squinky: This serial killer is for you.
X: *smewch*
Y-windoze: Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Dammitdammitdammit.
Armitage: We need a group for Empire Times. Like LoD for Phrack.
Firefly: Just keep on juggin out those articles. ;)
Ophie: I do forgive you. Thats what lil sis' is for.
=============================================================================
-=- The Empire Times -=-
Issue 6, File 6 of 6
Open Source Intelligence --- A Success Story
Part 3 of a Series.
by Firefly
Well, folks, here is the conclusion to my opening remarks on open source
intelligence. I'd appreciate your comments, feedback, and thoughts on where I
should focus on. OSINT is the new type of intelligence, and anyone can be a
collector. Let me know. Next month I'll be talking about this conference I'm
at this week that is run by Robert Steele, whom I mention so prominently
writing about in this article. There's a few of us hackers here, and we're
being tapped for knowledge and opinions by international audiences at this
conference.
Firefly
Resident OSINT Advocate
firefly@dans.dorm.umd.edu
OSCINT -- A Success Story
Part 3 (Conclusio
n)
Everyone is an OSINT collector, and people with specific interests are
OSINT specialists. Assume for a moment someone is interested in Anti-
Submarine Warfare (ASW) and sonar detection methods used by the American Navy
to detect enemy submarines. This person reads the newspaper to discover new
trends in ASW technology; he talks with naval officers onboard Navy ships
during a public tour when ships put in for liberty at his hometown port; he
reads Proceedings; he reads Popular Science and Naval Mechanics; he visits the
Library of Congress and does hard-copy research on the topic; he goes to
technical seminars and conventions on naval electronics; he interviews naval
officers in the ASW field on naval tactics against enemy submarines.
Ultimately, he compiles a sizable amount of research on the topic. His
finished product, released in 1986, was entitled The Hunt For Red October, and
his name was Tom Clancy, one of the boldest and most successful OSINT
operatives in modern times. The exacting detail incorporated in his book was
not surprising to the intelligence community. However, the relative ease by
which Clancy obtained the large amount of unclassified but sensitive
information for his book was the cause of heated controversy within the
intelligence community over what constituted "sensitive-but-open" data that,
while unclassified and available for research, is directly related to national
security programs. (In retrospect, some of the material Clancy obtained for
this book was indeed classified by the Navy).
"It was there for the taking, you just had to know where to look,"
Clancy told a student audience in Pennsylvania in 1991, "You had to know how
to find it, take your time, have patience, and ask the right people." The
naval admiral (whose name escapes me, unfortunately) helped Clancy in his
search for open material on American ASW tactics. "The thing that struck me
funny was that all the information he needed was there. Unclassified and free,
he just had to take the time to look for it." Through open sources, Clancy
obtained sensitive but unclassified information to meet his requirements in a
relatively short period of time. The Information Age has led to an Information
Overload, where "intelligence" is less a matter of penetrating classified
secrets and more a matter of separating useful information from the flood of
open information that is available legally and cheaply. To that extent,
computers have proven invaluable and have led to greater flexibility in the
tailoring of intelligence to specific audiences, one of the recurring themes
in Toffler's new War and Anti-War: Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century.
What if Clancy had been a foreign spy intent on discovering the latest
American ASW techniques? The ability to discover sensitive-but-open
information on these "touchy" subjects exists in the spectrum of open sources
as Clancy has illustrated in recent years. Libraries and databases exist to
serve the public and are used daily for academic, professional, and personal
research. The ease by which Clancy obtained this information is a result of
the openness of American society. Unlike the former Soviet Union and Eastern
Bloc nations, however, the American ideals of democracy, freedom, and
censorship forbid rigid state control of information except for national
security reasons. Yet, inside the former Soviet Union, the state regulated the
content of public libraries and publications available to its citizens.
Regarding the veracity and relevance of Cold War OSINT activities aimed at
former-Soviet periodicals, a former KGB Colonel I met last year at a quasi-
hacker conference joked that "In all my years in [the] KGB...I never saw
anything worth reporting to either side in Communist newspapers." Since OSINT
operations are hindered by a closed society such as the former Soviet state or
a well-organized counter-intelligence (CI) program, clandestine intelligence-
gathering operations are the only way to discover secrets that, in America,
are accessible to the public. Essentially, the information warrior is a
collector who locates and uses information about his target just as an
academic researches and utilizes references for his thesis.
In today's high-tech world, international borders are an artificial
reality. These borders can be crossed without passport, visa, or even leaving
home. This raises the question of what constitutes a denied area -- or a
region that is forbidden to enter, such as the current situation in North
Korea. The age of computers and high-speed communication allows information on
any topic from any nation to be instantly flashed to a consumer at a desktop
workstation thousands of miles away. Discreet border penetrations are now
possible via electronic data lines, eliminating the need for a human spy to
covertly squirm his way into a nation. Most anything this spy would secretly
search for in person is now available on a networked computer database
somewhere around the world. Instead of disguises, wigs, and dead drops, the
intelligence operative must now use his ingenuity in the new electronic global
environment -- with a new set of tradecraft -- to pursue his target and
complete his collection mission. The definitions and impact of power,
intelligence, and sovereignty as traditionally understood have become
transformed and much more complex. Most industrial nations are prepared only
to deal with the powerful enemy on the military battlefield and little else.
The Information Age has paved the way for an Information War. "Intelligence",
Steele notes, "is no longer limited to penetrating specific targets to obtain
specific bits of sensitive information." Intelligence must now be redefined to
encompass all information -- mostly from unclassified sources -- tailored to
assist commanders, policy makers, and corporate executives with decisions when
they need it and at a reasonable cost. It is now possible to obtain secrets
before they are even known to exist, obtain sensitive corporate marketing
plans before other firms, and identify weaknesses in other nations through
open source information. By dedicated library research, subscriptions to
technical journals, interviews, and some gray-area collection activities --
all of which are completely legal -- secrets can be discovered through the
analysis of disjointed and perhaps seemingly-unrelated data. The intelligence
community must examine this new area and develop methods to utilize this data
if it wishes to remain effective and competitive in producing accurate
intelligence estimates.
Perhaps the greatest problem facing the intelligence community is the
relative ease that vast amounts of information can be exchanged, especially
with the aid of computers. Man created computer databases to store this
information, much of which is easily- and publiclly-available on global
computer networks. Cyberspace, or the "virtual frontier," is a new variable in
today's political equations and definitions affecting national borders,
communication, security, and hostility. To say "government must monitor or
control the flow of all information" would transform academia and personal
research into a collective product created by the authorization of the
government and available only to whomever the government deems "not a threat".
An interesting issue is the ongoing debate of whether information should be
free versus censoring sensitive issues. Certainly, the arguement for open
source information as a potential danger to society is a viable one, but will
not be discussed in-depth here.
An intelligence operation/information war waged in cyberspace is
primarily a CI challenge, as there are no concrete identities to these
electronic warriors -- no faces to the names behind the glowing computer
screen. If a target believes he has been discovered, he simply modifies his
name and electronic signature. Unlike a human spy who cannot easily change
identity in a foreign nation, an information warrior in cyberspace can
instantly do so and force CI officers to begin a new trace on a new target
signature. National boundaries are rapidly becoming electronic "virtual
frontiers" that cannot be controlled by a border patrol. Steele told a
collection of French military leaders that "I can destroy any major nation in
24 hours with one platoon of knowledge warriors and make billions of dollars
on the international market by doing so, because I will know when this is
going to happen and invest accordingly." The face of the intelligence battle
has changed; physical laws are now subordinate to the laws of computers and
cybernetics. Knowledge is power and information power is the ultimate power.
Information warfare brings a new challenge to the intelligence
community. Intelligence gatherers must adapt their list of collection
techniques to include overt sources that are easily-available to the public.
Counterintelligence specialists have always had the task of protecting
national intelligence interests by tracking tangible human targets. They must
now realize the potential and threat of open sources, and take steps to deal
with this issue. Furthermore, counter-intelligence officers must develop their
security methods of dealing with a hostile pentetration of computer resources
in the shadowy realm of cyberspace by targets who can change identities at
will.
Technology has made society vulnerable by allowing vast quantities of
data to effortlessly move around the world. Information is the new enemy. He
who controls it wields the ultimate power. In summary, policymakers must
redefine their perceptions of national security and intelligence, while our
intelligence organizations should re-examine their missions, consider all
available sources, and eliminate the Cold War groupthink that emphasizes
secret methods as the single greatest indicator of enemy information. The
Information Explosion has created an Intelligence Explosion. It is up to the
intelligence community to exploit the wealth of open material to support its
covert sources in providing timely and accurate estimates for its consumers.
firefly@dans.dorm.umd.edu
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