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Mercenary Mag Volume 1 Issue 1
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:edited by marlon brando & opteek \/ /
:...whq: 773.244.4137 _/
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Presents...
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 1 of 11
Introduction...
Welcome to the first issue of Mercenary Mag!!! Basically, we are a group of
file writers who are combining our text files and are distributing them in a
group. Mercenary Mag is home-based at Black Hole Cafe. If you or your group
are interested in writing articles or text files for Mercenary Mag, you, your
group, bbs, or any other credits will be included. These files should be
about hacking, phreaking, cracking, anarchy, etc. Other articles will be
allowed, also, to a certain extent. If you have any original materials that
you have written, please call and we'll include them in the next issue
possible. You are welcomed to put up these files on your BBS/FTP/WWW/ETC.
All the issue of Mercenary Mag will be included on Black Hole Cafe, so give
it a call!! If you or your bbs/group/etc. wish to sponser Mercenary Mag,
please leave me a message saying so and we will include you in the credits.
OPTEEK
CO-EDITOR
CO-SYSOP OF BHC
This issue is Volume One, Issue One. Included are:
1. This Introduction by Opteek
2. Introduction by Marlon Brando
3. The Beginners Guide to Hacking Part I by Opteek
4. On Rivalry by Goatboy
5. The Tale of the Goat by Goatboy
6. A Review of the Chicago Scene by Goatboy
7. Telnet BBS Reviews by Marlon Brando
8. Interview of Midnight Sorrow by Marlon Brando
9. Interview of Skaboy by Marlon Brando
10. Interview of Comatose by Marlon Brando
11. True Story of the Pentagon Hackers by Reflux
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 2 of 11
Introduction...
Browsing through some of the older emags out there (Insanity, Adrenaline,
etc.), I started to really miss that scene where all the happenings revolved
strictly around the BBS. Before IRC, the World Wide Web and
artpacks.acid.org, there was FelonyNet, CelerityNet, courier groups and ansi
was drawn specifically for bulletin boards. A lot of people talk about what
the scene "was" but, it seems, no one was really around.
Regardless of the fact that the Internet has virutally taken over, BBS' have
continued to go online. It is only natural that there should be more support
out there for the BBS Scene. Originally, Mercenary was intended to be an
underground BBS emag but underground bulletin boards are defunct. I indulge
in endless nostalgic tirades about what the BBS scene and my desire for it
to be the way it was but I'll spare you.
While some of the articles for Mercenary were being written, I was approached
by a user on my board called Opteek who wanted to start an h/p ezine. Since
we both desired for our respective emags to be read, we decided to merge and
work together. Opteek has a great article on the history of hacking in this
issue. Read it and you'll have more knowledge of what the real hacking scene
was..
If you are interested in writing for Mercenary or doing any other duties,
please contact us at mercenary_letters@juno.com. Send us comments, kudos,
death threats, etc.. If you have any articles for Mercenary, write to
brand0@gte.net and they might get published. We will not alter your letters
in anyway..
Thanks for reading Mercenary!
..BRANDO
Greets:
Goatboy: Bro, I can't tell you how much of a help you have been with
Mercenary and bHc. I owe you big time..
Skaboy101: Infusion ownez.. Thanks for all your help on coding
Mercenary...
Time Warrior: Where's my goddamn limo, bitch??
Black Jack: Weren't you going to write that Mimic article :)
Discofunk 1974: Get a life..
Shouts out to: Assassin, Grindstoned, Midnight Sorrow, Toon Goon, Homer,
Tetanus, Kracker Jack and the entire Chicago BBS scene..
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 3 of 11
The Begginers Guide to Hacking
by Opteek
Written: 11/10/98 Volume #1
Introduction
============
Okay, I've tried to find a good "how to hack" text with no avail. There are
many text files that are good for beginners such as Revelation's Guide and
the Mentor's "how to hack" file. But they reveal little bits and pieces of
the whole picture. So, I decided to write my own "how to hack" file. I'm
hoping this collection of files will help the people starting out at hacking
and maybe direct the "wannabes" to actually learning something and to realize
how much they don't know. Anyways, what I'm going for is a very extensive
collection of text files on hacking. So I decided to write a series of text
files and a new one will be released every week or so, so keep looking for
the rest of the series. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions,
leave me a message on BHC at (773) 244-4137.
The History of Hacking
======================
The term hacker goes back about twenty years, to the days of the antiseptic
computer rooms and stacked boxes of punched cards that you were told not to
"spindle, fold, or mutilate." In those days, like now, a hacker was someone
who simply wanted to eat, breathe, and sleep computers.
As computer technology has evolved, however, the definition of a hacker has
taken on different shades of meaning, too. In the late 1960s to the
mid-1970s, the term hacker was applied to anyone doing anything with
computers, but especially to someone who worked on programming the machines.
Then, from the mid- to late-1970s, a hacker was someone with enough love of
computers to build his own from the limited resources of the time. Later
still, between 1979 and 1981, a hacker was most likely someone so fascinated
by computers that his involvement with them approached or passed the point of
"working to much" - this was the "classic" hacker who ran around with a
calculator in one pocket and a pieces of computer in the other.
Then, starting about 1981 or 1982, the personal-computer market burst open.
Software and hardware were designed to allow freer communication than ever
before between large and small computers. This brought about the most recent
change in the definition of a hacker: A person who often attempts to gain
unauthorized access to large systems by using his personal computer equipment.
The publicity about the movie WarGames and the arrests of teenage hackers,
such as the Wisconsin group that called themselves the 414s, has brought the
term of the attention of the public for the first time. As a result, I think
the latest definition is probably here to stay. This file, tough, is mostly
about earlier "breeds" of hackers who, whether they dreamt it or not, had an
effect on the hackers of today.
The Sixties Hacker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the early 1960s, in the primitive days of hacker history long before
ordinary teenagers could afford to install personal computers in their
bedrooms, a group of young people about the same age as todays hackers began
to create a new culture. These were young computer wizards, many of them
school dropouts, and they were employed by the artificial-intelligence and
computer-systems research laboratories at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). They worked on a project known as "MAC" - a fabulous
venture whose initials have been (and apparently were intended to be)
interpreted as standing for Multiple-Access Computers, Machine-Aided
Cognition or, at MIT itself, Man Against Computers.
Legends say some of these first hackers were rather motley, wild, and
eccentric crew, but there was a good reason why the MIT administration
permitted them to work in this ultra-sophisticated department (which, tough
few of them knew of it, was funded by ARPA, the Advanced Research Projects
Agency of the Defense Department): The MIT laboratories didn't just use
state-of-the-art hardware - they created it. The young programmers knew the
system better than anyone else, so they were more qualified than anyone else
to create the software that would bring the state-of-the-art hardware of
those days to life.
Although they were often untidy, kept strange hours, and spoke a language
that only other hackers could understand, the MAC hackers weren't fringe
fanatics. They were the most progressive software designers around, at a time
when a whole new kind of computer was evolving - a computer that would pave
the way for personal computers of today.
The MAC hackers wrote the first chess-playing programs, and they also worked
with computer scientist John McCarthy to develop a high-level programming
language called LISP for artificial-intelligence programmers to use. In
addition, they were the first to put together the sophisticated programs that
are known today as "expert-systems." But perhaps the hackers' greatest
accomplishment came from the role they played in the creation of computer
time-sharing. A time-shared computer system is one in which several people
can use the computer at the same time, and time-sharing was a turning point
in computer evolution because it made computers more accessible to
programmers.
Up until the MAC hackers and other groups of programmers created time-sharing
systems, programmers had no way to interact directly with the computer. Big
mainframe computers and punched cards were state of the art. Programmers had
to submit their decks of punched cards to operators - the high priests of the
mainframe world - and wait for the results. And the results, good or bad,
came back as a paper printout. If the program needed only one correction, the
entire stack of punched cards had to be submitted again and again.
All this was going on in 1959 and 1960, and it seemed as tough mainframes and
teletype machines were doing there best to keep computers and programmers
apart.
Then, the MAC hackers and their colleagues began to create a special kind of
operating system, a set of programs that would enable a computer to interact
directly with several programmers at the same time, and to display results
immediately on TV-like screens (cathode ray tubes) rather than on teletype
printouts.
Because they created the time-sharing framework that allowed everyone else to
use the new computer system, the MAC hackers (now called system programmers)
had a certain power over the other users, including their bosses and
teachers. One aspect of this power was an ability to "crash a system" by
running a particular program. A system crash would usually dump all unsaved
data into computer oblivion, and would lock up the system until the hacker or
someone else came up with a way to fix it.
In the early days of time-sharing, crashing - testing the system's limits -
was encouraged in the MAC project, because programs that crashed the system
did so by exploiting a bug, a flaw in the system software. Everyone wanted to
find and fix all the system's bugs and vulnerabilities, so this kind of
deliberate horseplay was a vital part of the whole research and development
process. The hackers' use of their power was also a natural outgrowth of
their original approach to hacking, since it implied that the person with the
greatest knowledge about the computer's operations (and its flaws) had the
right to use that knowledge as he wished.
The hackers who created and crashed those early time-sharing operating
systems delighted delighted in getting around any attempt to keep them away
from the computer's resources. As far as they were concerned, any hacker who
could find a way to circumvent or even destroy a barrier set up by the system
operator wasn't at all obliged to keep from using his discovery - it was up
to the system programmers and operators to patch any holes in their software
barriers.
The MAC hackers were in their heyday ten years earlier than the phone
"phreaks" of the 1970s, but they had the same fundamental beliefs that
modern-day hackers do: Nothing must prevent a hacker from knowing or learning
as much as possible about a system's operation. Any software barrier to
knowledge about a computer system was, and is, a challenge to all hackers.
The Seventies Hacker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our home computers can contact computers thousands of miles away because they
can use devices called modems that enable them to "hear" and translate sounds
sent over the nation's (and the world's) telephone communication system. Like
all giant networks, however, the telephone system has its weak points, and
one lies in the fact that a computer-to-computer hookup can occur without the
knowledge of either the phone company or the invaded machine. This is the
weakness that makes the telephone system and most computer systems vulnerable
to hackers.
In the 1970s, before personal computers became as common as they are now, the
telephone system itself was explored by a group of hackers who called
themselves phone phreaks. The ethical and technical predecessors of today's
hackers, the phone phreaks were anarchic "musicians" who delighted in using
flutes, whistles, and any other sound generators that worked to enter and
explore the worldwide telephone network.
The phone phreaks were far less organized and widespread than today's hackers
are, and, in the beginning, none of them even new of each others existence.
The cult itslef came into being in the late 1960s, partly because "phone
hackers" at MIT and Stanford, were there partly because of a brilliant young
man in Tennessee named Joe Engressia.
Joe was the first phone phreak to achieve media notoriety, when a 1971
Esquire magazine article told the world about him and his cohorts. Like many
other early phone phreaks, Joe was is blind. He was only twenty-two when the
article was published, but he had been tweaking the phone system since the
age of eight. Telephones had always, fascinated him, and Joe also happens to
be one of those rare individuals who are born with a perfect pitch. One day,
by accident, he discovered how this gift could help him manipulate some of
the most sophisticated and widespread technology in the world.
He was dialing recorded messages, partly because it was the only was he knew
of to call around the world for free, and partly because it was a favorite
pastime. He was whistling while listening to a recorded announcement when
suddenly the recording clicked off. Someone with less curiosity might have
assumed that it was just one of those things the phone company does to you,
but Joe had an idea. He fooled around with some other numbers and discovered
that he could switch off any recorded message by whistling a certain tone.
He called the local telephone company and asked why the tape recorders
stopped working when he whistled into the telephone. He didn't fully
understand the explanation that was given to him at the time (remember, he
was only eight years old), but it sounded as tough he had stumbled into a
whole new world of things to do and explore. And to a blind eight-year-old,
an easily explored world, no farther away than his telephone, was, indeed an
intriguing discovery.
Joe was able to control some of the telephone company's global switching
network - which is what he stumbled upon with his whistling - because of a
decision American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) made sometime in the 1950s.
Their long-term, irreversible, multibillion-dollar decision was to base their
long-distance on a series of specific, audible tones called a multifrequency
system. The multifrequency system (known to phreaks as "MF") is a way for
numbers that designate switching paths to be transmitted as tones similar to
the sounds touch-tone phones make. Certain frequencies are used to find open
lines, to switch from local to long-distance trunks, and, essentially, to do
most of the jobs a human operator is able to do.
Undoubtedly, the decision-makers at AT&T did not give a moment's tought to
the possibility that the system might someday fall before a blind
eight-year-old with perfect pitch, but Joe found that he could maneuver his
way trough the system by whistling that one specific tone at the right time.
His motivation was not to steal free telephone calls, but to find his way
around the network and to learn how to extend his control over it.
Joe explored for years, but he never tought of himself as an enemy of the
phone system. He loved the system. His dream was to work for the telephone
company someday, and he often tried to tell the company about bugs he
discovered in the system. But he finally ran afoul of his intended employer
when he was caught whistling up phone calls for fellow college students.
The publicity surrounding Joe's case had an unfortunate (for the telephone
company) side effect: It led to the creation of the phone-phreak network.
Soon after the story hit the papers, Joe began to get calls from all over the
country. Some of the callers were blind, most were young, and all of them had
one thing in common: an enormous curiosity about the telephone system. Joe
put his callers in touch with one another, and these scattered experimenters
soon found that they had stumbled upon several different ways to use the MF
system as the ticket to a world of electronic globe-trotting.
Joe Engressia may have been the "phounding phather" of the phone phreaks, but
just one discovery often leads to another and another, it soon happened that
someone else discovered a very large error made by the Bell Telephone System
in 1954. The Bell System's technical journal had published a complete
description of the multifrequency system, including the specific frequencies
and descriptions of how the frequencies were used.
Once the frequencies became public knowledge, phreaks began to use pipe
organs, flutes, and tape recorders to create the tones that gave them control
over the telecommunications network. And then came the ultimate irony: The
news spread that a simple toy whistle included as a giveaway in boxes of
Cap'n Crunch cereal produced a pure 2600-cycle tone if one of the holes in
the whistle was taped shut. Using the whistle at just the right point in the
process of making a connection, phreaks could call each other whenever and
wherever they wanted without having to pay the phone company.
One of the more curious and inventive phreaks using the Cap'n Crunch whistle
was John Draper, a young Air Force technician stationed overseas. Draper used
the whistle for free calls to his friends in the United States. He was
interested in the way this bizarre tool worked, so he began experimenting
with the system and found that he could use the whistle and his knowledge of
the switching network to route his calls in peculiar ways.
He began by calling people who worked inside the telephone system. They
weren't aware that he was an outsider, so he was able to start gathering
"intelligence". Soon, he was calling Peking and Paris, and routing calls to
himself around the world. He set up massive clandestine conference calls that
phreaks around the world could join and drop out of at will. Soon, he became
known to the phreak underground as Cap'n Crunch.
Cap'n Crunch soon found out from other electronically minded phreaks that it
was possible to build specially tuned electronic-tone generators that could
reproduce the MF frequencies. A few electronic wizards began to circulate the
generators, which were first known as "MF boxes" because they reproduced the
multifrequency tones, and later came to be called "blue boxes", as they are
today.
The number of phreaks grew, and as they added their own discoveries to the
collection of phreak knowledge, the cult's power to manipulate the system
steadily increased. Then, in October 1971, the whole underground scene, from
Joe Engressia to Cap'n Crunch, became well known to the outside world.
Esquire magazine published "Secrets of the Little Blue Box" by Ron Rosenbaum,
a journalist who had encountered the top phreaks of the time. Cap'n Crunch
was characterized somewhat romantically in Rosenbaum's piece as a roving
prankster who drove the author around in his specially equipped van, pausing
frequently at public telephones to phone locations around the world: the
American Embassy in Moscow, a group of blind teenage phreaks in Canada, a
public telephone in Trafalgar Square.
After the article was published (tough not as a direct result), Crunch was
arrested twice, convicted, and ended up spending four months at the prison
in Lompoc, California in 1976, and two at Northampton State Prison in
Pennsylvania in 1977. While he was in prison, several mob-connected inmates
tried to enlist him a commercial blue-box venture. Draper declined. The
convicts broke his back and knocked out his front teeth.
After he left prison, Draper quit phreaking and decided to start programming.
An old friend by the name of Steve Wozniak seemed to be doing pretty well
with a piece of hardware he called the Apple and Draper started writing
software for Apple Computer. He developed a word-processing program known as
EasyWriter and gained another niche in the technological Hall of Fame in
1981, when EasyWriter was selected as the first word-processing program
available for the IBM PC. How, Cap'n Crunch makes a legitimate living under a
new handle, Cap'n Software.
The Eighties Hacker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those were the days when computers were still too few and far between to gain
the interest of telecommunications hackers. But during the mid- to late-1970s,
phone phreaking overlapped, and gradually merged with, the birth if the
microcomputer industry. I'm sure that current hackers back then would have
been phone phreaks, if computers hadn't been there to lure them away, but
beginning in 1975 and 1976, electronics technology and the development of
packaged software began their headlong race into the future - one led by many
of today's top hardware and program developers, some who have admittedly
turned their attention from blue boxes to big business in the years between.
By the early 1980s, hackers were starting to come out of the woodwork. Many
people who already had an interest in computers were now starting to learn
about the rapidly advancing field of telecommunications. Even more people
were just becoming interested in computers. Mainframe computers began
springing up all over the place, making hacking much more worthwhile than
ever before, Personal computers were taking the "offices of the furure,"
their prices started dropping, and more and better programs appeared. The
machines themselves became faster and more powerful by the day. IBM entered
the fray with its Personal Computer and "legitimized" the industry for
conservative onlookers.
Microcomputers found there way into homes, schools, and offices everywhere.
The hacker community grew strong, and, between the middle of 1981 and the end
of 1982, the population of hackers exploded to at least three times its
former level.
Along with these developments, telecommunications became a big part of the
computing world. Modems became smaller, faster, and smarter. Information
networks sprang up everywhere, offering dial-up facts and figures on
everything from the stock market to the latest in biochemical abstracts. And
during this time, hackers were busy. So much so that some began to attract
the attention of journalists and law-enforcement officials.
The telecommunications network at this time was a wonderland for hackers:
big, exotic, complicated computers were a touch-tone away; bulletin-boards
systems (or BBSs) were set up for everyone from people seeking dates to
school teachers. Hackers "met" other hackers via private and semiprivate
bulletin boards. They exchanged tips, accounts, and phone numbers, and they
learned who was good and who was not so good.
Then, the movie WarGames was released. Most hacker did not like the movie,
but no matter how we felt about it, this film became a landmark in hacking
history: Many, many people decided to try hacking on the basis of what they
saw (or tought they saw) in WarGames. Handles like Warmonger, and esoteric
references to Joshua (a key name in the movie), began to appear with
distressing frequency. In fact, about seven or eight months after WarGames
was released, the system operator of one bulletin-board system I knew told me
that he had perhaps 290 users, of whom only about 40 had been involved in
telecommunications for much more than half a year.
At about the same time, and probably for the same cinematic reason, many
other people began to become concerned about hacking. On the basis of one
implausible, overly dramatized film, people began editorializing about
hackers, and government agencies rushed to see whether there systems had been
compromised. The FBI took an interest. Hackers were caught, there exploits
publicized, and there computer equipment confiscated. Cases were taken to
court, in the United States and elsewhere, and questions arose: Was hacking a
threat or a nuisance? A crime or a lesser offense? Punishable? And if so, to
what extent?
A Final Note
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to thank the users on Black Hole Cafe for welcoming me with open
arms and excepting me and especially to Marlon Brando for having such
confidence in me. I would also like to give a special thanks to Assassin, The
Goat, and Time Warrior and all the other people who helped me out (you know
who you are).
Look for the next text file, "A Look at Computers", available in Mercenary
Mag Issue #2!!!!
-Opteek
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 4 of 11
On Rivalry
by Goatboy
What do you think of rivalry on bulletin boards? It's been a long time
since anyone's asked that; we've all accepted its inevitability.
In a scene so small, so close, is there really room for rivalry? No, far
more important issues and concerns exist. So why do we still continue
to tear at each other, to dig for flames and call upon hate?
So many factors influence us, create these miniature wars. Why must we
degrade ourselves by resorting to such petty hatred? How many times have
you called someone fat, or hurled an epithet at them? They're hardly
representative of our true selves, these unfounded slurs. Would you, in
earnest, call a black acquaintance a "nigger," or accuse a greedy friend of
being "Jewish?"
Yet we continue to do so on our BBSs, laughing at the obese and snickering
at the unique. These stupid rivalries tear us apart, and degrade us to the
rest of the world. Men rebuilding a city would not do well to fight amongst
each other.
Rather than turn the other cheek, we lash out. But we seek only to repair
a damaged ego. Our ego, the true person, the id. And this is what we
represent?
We stand, ready to illuminate ourselves to the world! But the light will
reveal so much which should not be shown, which should never exist. We are
an embarrassment to the "scene" when we flame each other for our typing
styles, fascinations, any distinguishing factor which does not bear our
personal stamp of approval.
Would that we matched our own requirements.
[ you can reach me on blackhole cafe or godflesh bbs, or, if i ever check
it, bootcamp2@juno.com. ]
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 5 of 11
The Tale of the Goat
by Goatboy
See, there was this farmer, named Bob. Big guy. Wore overalls. Stereo-
typical. You get the idea. Anyways, Bob had this goat. He always thought
there was something strange about it; the goat was constantly quoting Shake-
spear or singing lines from "Carmen." Really, though, this wasn't that odd.
Most of Bob's livestock did that. No, this one talked to him about his life.
"You know, Bob. You've been doing too many drugs again," the goat would
begin. Just like last week, thought Bob.
"Oh yeah? How's that, goat?" came his invariable reply.
"Well, for one, you're talking to a goat."
"Aint too strange. I talk to the cow, too."
"Does the cow talk back?"
"Well. No."
And so on. One day, Farmer Bob was tripping really hard on some fly agaric
he'd found growing by the cow, and came out to find the goat kicking a duck.
"Hey, don't do that, goat!" he shouted, and saved the duck from certain
death. "What are you doing, old man?" hissed the goat. "That duck is
Satan!"
"Is this true?" he asked the duck, knowing how to deal with devils, since
he'd read 'faust' and all.
The duck just stared at him.
"Talk, duck! Or I'll be forced to conclude that you really ARE Beelzebub!"
The duck bit his nose, and, surprised, Bob dropped it.
"Quack." Said the duck.
Farmer Bob was a little miffed. Here was this duck, and it wouldn't talk
to him.
"Goat, get the duck to talk," he said.
"What do you think I was trying to do?" the goat burst. And then he really
DID burst. Just blew up, right there, like that. The duck quacked, and
that's how Farmer Bob learned that "quack" meant absolutely nothing at all.
[ contact me on Blackhole Cafe, or on Godflesh BBS, or at
bootcamp2@juno.com ]
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 6 of 11
A Review of the Chicago Scene
By Goatboy
Well, it's been a long time since I've seen anything like this, or even,
since I've bothered to think about it. It seems like Chicago has always been
a place to give up hope, and certainly nothing has helped change the view.
Chicago is a shell of what it once was. It is almost impossible to
imagine, isn't it? A place with so many artists, so many great boards,
and such a rich history, being nothing after all these years. Remember
Lan's Laughter, Cell Block 9, Crime, Shroom Palace, the Seventh Seal, the
Whammy Bar? All of them, gone for good. Most of them nationally recognized.
There is hardly any interest in musical OR graphical pursuit here. The BBS
scene here was close to death for a long time, and it has only just now
revived itself. Hopefully, activity will pick up... right now, it's
mostly us die-hards in the underground scene.
My reviewing system:
First and foremost, I look at the quality and quantity of messages on a
board. The setup, look and feel of the board come afterwards, the sysop(s)
afterwards, and finally, and lowliest, the file activity. A board could have
an awesome setup, great users, and a wonderful sysop, but if it's got no
activity, it'll probably score somewhere around two and a half stars. If
it's got a great sysop, great files, great setup, great users, no local
activity but participation in a net or wonderful doors, it'll probably score
higher up towards 3 stars. If it downright sucks, or has multiple things
wrong with it, then I'm sorry, but it's going to score one star. If it's
awful, it's no stars. I don't intend to anger or insult anyone, I could
love you to death and live with you, but if your board sucks, then it'll
get a bad rating :)
BBS : Godflesh - (630)834-3021
Sysop: Homer
In my opinion, this is a great board to call and hang out on. The people are
friendly (usually :P) and the activity is high (or usually is). The only
thing keeping this board from an A is the anger and quick temper of everyone
on the board (myself included :). Definitely worth a call, at three stars.
It is one of the last remnants of the Chicago Art scene (in fact, the only
art-based board around, now.) and it's important, even though the first-time
caller is often driven away by the arguments. Also, it needs more artists,
all around. More musicians, more ansi artists, more hi-res artists. You
name it, it could have a place here, but there just aren't any people
willing to participate. So, the bbs gets three stars.
BBS : W.O.I - (630)834-9838
Sysop: Black Phantom and Dr. Wh0
This BBS is a bit more public than I'd prefer, with a lot of "it's windows, so
it's ok" people calling. (it was a debate whether or not to put it in this
review.) The sysops are active, and the system is enjoyable (in my opinion),
once you get used to it. W.O.I (windows of illusion) uses a telegard
scripting system they created, which is called PC-Net. It emulates the old
Amiga C-Net BBS system. The emulation isn't exact, and the activity is
minimal at best. On the sysops, though there has been a lot of arguing and
basic anger towards them, I respect them for continuing to post rational
arguments in defense of themselves. So, because of the low activity, the
BBS gets two and a half stars.
BBS : Black Hole Cafe - (773)244-4137
Sysop: Marlon Brand0
What can I say, I love the BBS. It's well molded, and the sysop is
active, even with a full schedule in real life. The setup is still a little
flaky, mostly because of wildcat and its various problems. Marlon is
switching over to Infusion. Message wise, it carries CCi as well as Xpresit,
and a good set of local messages. Local activity is rather low, but cci
makes up for it. The BBS could feel more local and personal, but activity in
Chicago is so hard to find. Overall, 3 and a half stars.
BBS : Moo 'n Oink - (847)256-5928
Sysop: Stash
Well, this bbs is a little strange. It's got an all-greys setup, with a bit
of elite text, and not a lot of activity. The bases are essentially fucked,
and the sysop is hardly ever around. It is mainly h/p, so it's out of my
scope to some degree, but the activity (or lack of) knocks it way down. It's
got a good filebase for music, when the music is online, so it's one and a
half stars. With activity (of any kind), a sysop, and maybe a few colors,
it would be a full three to four stars. Great potential, but isn't that
always the case in Chicago?
---
Well, that ends my review of the Chicago underground scene. Pretty sad,
huh? It's best not to think about it :) There could be so much going on
here, so much which could happen, but there's no loyalty. No one calls
boards who's made it with a national group, or who is on multiple web-boards.
They just don't care. We're all like a bunch of homeless guys, playing sax
great on the street, and the few who get discovered, rocket away, and never
return. Does the appeal of small clubs disappear? What about playing to
fifty people in a smoky room, and getting personal comments and commendations
afterwards? Or even playing in the same city? Hm. I guess I can't condemn
what they do, it's everyone's desire to reach higher than they already are.
Christmas? Bah humbug.
- El Gote
(Goatboy)
(ansi artist extraordinare)
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 7 of 11
Telnet BBS Reviews
By MarloN Brando
Name: Cracktech 2000
Sysop: Infect
Address: telnet://cracktech.ddns.org
Software: Iniquity
Review: Cracktech is one of the best boards there is on telnet. Infect has
done a great job with his system. Cracktech runs Iniquity and has taken a
lot of Iniquity's commands and just dumped them so the setup is bare bones
and simple. The message bases are very high quality. A few assholes aside,
Cracktech's message base a very low bullshit factor. There are only two
doors available (LORD and Tradewars) which are very active. The LORD
competition is fierce. Cracktech caters more to the ascii-scene but still
has a great variety of messages. It's definitely worth calling. Lately,
Cracktech has been up and down when the system used to be much more stable.
Rating:
[****-] of [*****]
Name: Dystopia
Sysop: Lusis
Address: telnet://nothing.fred.net
Software: Renegade
Review: I don't know what the deal is with Dystopia. The Sysop, Lusis, has
Renegade modded nicely and there is some really nice artwork on the system.
However, it seems that he is thinking about taking the board down. There's
not a lot of activity which is odd for a telnet board. The door activity is
also low. The connection is kind of slow as well. No file bases.. The
board does have potential, though..
Rating:
[**---] of [*****]
Name: Powerrage BBS
Sysop: Tornak
Address: telnet://powerrage.ml.org
Software: Telegard
Review: Where there was telnet, there was always Powerrage. Tornak has this
board up on a cable modem with 4 telnet nodes, his ftp server and his web
server and it's still fast. Powerrage's setup is okay; it's very typical
Telegard. The best part of the system is the huge amount of echomail
networks he runs which makes Powerrage a valuable asset for anyone who likes
echomail or a Sysop who wants to get his BBS ads out there.. The users are
all very mature which gives the board a SUPER-LOW asshole level. The file
bases are general with a lot of BBS stuff and Artpacks. You can also get the
latest copy of the telnet BBS list online.
Rating:
[***--] of [*****]
Name: Route 666
Sysop: Comatose
Address: telnet://route666.iniquity.com
Software: Iniquity
Review: Route 666 has an amazing setup. The board is 100% ansi and that
doesn't get in the way at all. The board is run off a cable modem which
makes the board extremely fast. Comatose is very active with his system so
the asshole quotient is very low and any assholes are dealt with accordingly.
The message activity goes from very low to very high depending on the month
but, usually, the messages are pretty high quality. Route 666 also carries
CyberCrime International. The file system has everything that has ever been
written for Iniquity which is refreshing and makes this board extremely
valuable.
Rating:
[****-] of [*****]
if you are a sysop and want your bbs reviewed for mercenary, contact me at
brand0@gte.net or on the black hole cafÇ.
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 8 of 11
Session Start: Tue Nov 10 15:12:12 1998
* Logging MidSorrow to 'midsorrow.log'
<M_Brand0> aight..
<M_Brand0> Let's get started...
<M_Brand0> for the record, gimme your name age and location..
<MidSorrow> "I was born a poor black child..."
<MidSorrow> Mitch, 30, Fort Lauderdale Florida.
<M_Brand0> I'm sure most of us have read that enormous text novel you did but
gimme a brief history how you got into BBSing and how CyberCrime evolved?
<MidSorrow> Hell, I got into BBSing because when I was in high school, I got
heavily into trading warez floppies for my C-64. Found out about BBSes, and
how it was so much quicker & easier to just call a board and download
directly from there. I switched to the PC Scene in '87, put Infinite
Darkness up in '89, then thanks for Force Ten of iCE, discovered message
networking. Started CCi in late '89, and the rest was history. :)
<M_Brand0> CyberCrime is back and doing really well, where do you see it all
going?
<MidSorrow> I actually see CyberCrime undergoing the sort of changes it went
through back in 1994 - becoming less of a hard-core "underground" network and
more of a high-quality general chat network for the masses. Only major
difference between CCi and the other big networks out there today is that we
have no problem supporting the illegal topics. Well, and the sinister,
somewhat outdated name. :)
<M_Brand0> I do remember cybercrime being a more or less underground scene
network..are you happy with this evolution?
<MidSorrow> Aside from the inevitable infiltration of lower-quality kiddies
and newbies, which I'm combating to the end, I'm quite happy with it. I
restarted CCi back in July of '97 to help the BBS SCENE. With the network
diversifying more, and becoming more popular with the FidoNet-type of system,
I feel we can do a lot more good for the BBS Scene as a whole. Meanwhile, I
feel those types of systems will stay away from the more underground-oriented
areas, k
<M_Brand0> Where do you see bbs' going in the next few years?
<MidSorrow> With local scenes dying out for all but the MOST diehard of
motivated sysops, I see most sysops either adding telnet lines to their
boards, or becoming telnet-only ala Powerrage. Once the higher-bandwidth
mediums like cablemodem and xDSL become more prevalent, truly huge multinode
bbses will start becoming more prevalent, which is an idea that truly excites
me (now if I could only get some bandwidth!)
<M_Brand0> What's your advice to someone who might want to start one of
their own bbs'?
<MidSorrow> Don't be lazy. A well-modded bbs with a caring and motivated
sysop makes all the difference in the world. The BBS Scene depends upon its
sysops, but we really don't need another "who cares" type sysop, so if you're
going to be lazy, it'd be better if you just be lazy on someone ELSE's bbs.
Every new unconfigured bbs that goes up and stays online where the sysop
doesn't put effort into it makes the job that much harder for those sysops
who DO care
<M_Brand0> Great...That's about it. Anything you would like to add?
<MidSorrow> No sir, I believe that about covers everything. Kudos to you
for starting up Mercenary!
<M_Brand0> Thank you. Anyone you wanna shout out to?
<MidSorrow> Just a quick "hiya" to everyone on CyberCrime, and to those of
you who aren't, goto http://www.ice.org/~midsorrow/cci NOW!
<MidSorrow> (couldn't resist the plug :)
<M_Brand0> Aight, Thanks for your time.. and good luck with CCi and all the
rest!
<MidSorrow> Thank you!
Session Close: Tue Nov 10 15:38:00 1998
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 9 of 11
Session Start: Mon Nov 23 00:08:42 1998
* Logging skaboy- to 'skaboy_.log'
<M_Brand0> cool..Lemme know when you're ready..
<skaboy-> k ready :)
<M_Brand0> aight..Just state your name, age, location for the record ;)
<skaboy-> heh, should i turn to the right for my mug shot too? :).. name:
grant passmore .. age: 16 (yeah im young, wrote my first bbsware [insanity]
in 6th grade, ehee) :)
<M_Brand0> How did you get into bbsing and, subsequently, Infusion..
<skaboy-> hmm, all started out when i aw the movie wargames i think
<skaboy-> that shit was fucking amazing .. i couldnt believe that he could do
all that stuff just with his computer .. so one day i called up 1411 and
asked for anyhting in houston with the word "bbs"
<skaboy-> luckily the one i got happened to be "The Greater Houston BBS List"
<skaboy-> which was a small board that just had a huge huge list of all local
boards
<skaboy-> and then i went on from there..
<M_Brand0> What brought you into developing a BBS software?
<skaboy-> hmm, well i had always ben a huge obv and pcb fan
<skaboy-> but both of them requred you to register
<skaboy-> and plus i never really got along with de
<skaboy-> so in late 94 i started on insanity bbs software
<skaboy-> (not insanity/2 .. thats a diff soft :)
<skaboy-> and that was released .. but i dropped it and released source code
locally, and began to focus more on my local scene..
<skaboy-> doin group stuff (we had a local group, "pez")
<skaboy-> which speciallized in punkrock ansi art (we still have #ansipunx ,
heh)
<skaboy-> then in january 97 i startd back up with a new bbsware
<skaboy-> somthing that would blow everyone away..
<M_Brand0> Infusion..it seems like a lot of the softwares out there are very
alike..From what i have seen of infusion it looks like a nice mix..
<skaboy-> lots stuff happened.. gained a co-author, he left, then i spent all
summer of 97 coding it, and released it in early october
<M_Brand0> What did you base it off of, Telegard, Forum?
<skaboy-> heh yeah
<skaboy-> infusion is definitly different
<skaboy-> feels differen, looks diferent, is different :)
<M_Brand0> Refreshing.. ;)
<skaboy-> oldschool babaye, straight up forum
<skaboy-> although you wont find a line of forum code in it anymore of course
:)
<M_Brand0> That's what we like to hear..
<skaboy-> k, back to the story :).. i released infusion .01a in oct 97
<skaboy-> then thats when i gained a real large bade, and stared up a group
called iDT (infusion development team)
<skaboy-> bade = base :)
<skaboy-> around this time some guy named comatose (i say "a guy named" b/c
back then i didnt know him) who was an artist for fuel contacted me
<skaboy-> and asked me if i could release infusion under fuel as the offfical
fuel bbs software, b/c he was sick of iniquity
<M_Brand0> hehe..Interesting.
<skaboy-> ad thats when mrplastik got interested, etc, etc
<skaboy-> yeah its real funny :)
<skaboy-> but me and ct are great friends
<skaboy-> both support eachother to the max, heh
<M_Brand0> Kewl..So how do you feel Infusion holds up next to Iniquity?
<skaboy-> hm, very very VERY well
<skaboy-> especially with 1.5alpha17 .. the whole bbs scene is gonna feel
some major tremors
<M_Brand0> Are you planning any huge integrations with the internet..
<skaboy-> so many features .. most have never been thought of before
<M_Brand0> wanna let us in on some? ;)
<skaboy-> yeah i am working on a straight telnet 32bit console version of
infusion
<skaboy-> which should be out sometime easrly 98
<skaboy-> yeah :) bt of course i'll always support and work on the
dialup/fossil version
<skaboy-> but its nice to have both
<skaboy-> sure i'll letya in on some of the new features >>
<skaboy-> all these are implemented btw
<skaboy-> > 100% new menuing system (more powerful than anyone has ever
seen!) .. it was once thought impossible for ayone to pass up obv in that
respect, and infusion proves that it can happen :)
<skaboy-> > full keymapping with keydefintions which allow for multicolumn
lightbars (not as complicated as it sounds .. but all u need to know is that
you can actually have multicolumn lightbars, which have never been done in a
bbs software before)
<skaboy-> > 100% new file system, its amazing
<skaboy-> you know how in most softwares (like iniquity) you can list the
contents of an archive?
<M_Brand0> yep..
<skaboy-> well in infusion you can actually NAVIGATE the archive.. you can
view files (actually view a whole artpack without downloading it!), tag files
inside of archive (only download what you want!), and even tag multiple files
in multiple archives, and infusion will package it for you and allow you to
create a diz in the fse!
<skaboy-> i implemented almost every requested feature, and fixed eevry
single reported bug
<skaboy-> thats one of infusions BEST features .. the fact that it is totally
STABLE (something that most softwares these days seem to lack)
<M_Brand0> You've been doing some work!
<skaboy-> hells yeah!
<skaboy-> new infusion is definitly setting new standards :) .. also the
speed is amazing
<M_Brand0> What do you think of the state of BBS' as of late?
<skaboy-> hmm, mizxed feelings
<skaboy-> i love the fact that bses are popular again
<skaboy-> but i really wish people would starup dialup boards
<skaboy-> just b/c local boardscenes are SOOO much fun, and really elp to
bring your local scene together
<skaboy-> but hey .. as long as theres a boardscene .. be it global or local
.. man im happy :)
<M_Brand0> Are you still running Pepto Bismo?
<skaboy-> sure am.. it is down right noew b/c i am setting it up with new
infusion .. but will be back up sometime next week
<M_Brand0> So when you're done with this release, you gonna keep going?
<skaboy-> of course .. always .. there are always things to be done, new
allys to explore .. as long as people keep requesting features, and basically
supporting, i will keep going.. im not stoppin yo
<skaboy-> the telnet version is a prime example of this :)
<M_Brand0> Well, i'm fucking impressed..
<skaboy-> thajks bro :)im glad to hear it .. and if theres any special
feature that youve always wanted in a bbsware .. lemme know, i'll be glad to
add it before release on friday
<skaboy-> hm anything else? (i have some time to kill, heh)
<M_Brand0> yeah, any greets or fuck you's to shout out?
<skaboy-> hmm yah .. big greets outo the whole avenge crew, jack phlash,
filth, comatose, lord scarlet, inazone, all the ex-force'rs, the knight,
mrplastik, and basically anyone whose ever helped me out with infusion,
reported bugs, requrested featurtes, etc
<skaboy-> oh and last but not least, sudden death .. whos turned his life
around and is making a come back .. gonna reclaim his ruined reputation
<skaboy-> yeah on friday it will be re-mappedto the new site which is being
hosted off of avenge.razorshift.com
<M_Brand0> aight, man, i appreciate your time..good luck with infusion!
<skaboy-> np bro
<skaboy-> thanks!
<skaboy-> cya
Session Close: Mon Nov 23 00:44:17 1998
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 10 of 11
Session Start: Sat Nov 14 22:38:19 1998
* Logging comatose to 'comatose.log'
<comatose> ok
<comatose> im coding so i might be delayed
<M_Brand0> okay no prob...let's get started. i'll be on for a while so delays
are okay..
<comatose> ok
<M_Brand0> state your name and age for the record if ya don't mind..
<comatose> mike spenard and im 22
<M_Brand0> alright, how did you get involved with iniquity?
<comatose> i was using renegade for a few years, and i needed something
better
<comatose> found out about iniquity
<comatose> used it, loved it.
<M_Brand0> what was the state of iniquity before you took over as the
programmer?
<comatose> well that depends on what point it iniq's history
<comatose> it=in
<comatose> fiend did a hell of a job, after he dumped it it was dead
<comatose> pike did absolutly nothing for it
<M_Brand0> okay, for those who haven't seen iniquity lately, what are the
differences now?
<comatose> well 2.0 isnt finished
<comatose> but itll have more fixes then any release to date
<M_Brand0> what will be the highlights of 2.0?
<comatose> stablity, more of what people have been asking for
<M_Brand0> are there any plans for integrating iniquity more into the
internet (ie it's own telnet/ftp/www server, etc?)
<comatose> nope
<comatose> thats what microsoft is for
<M_Brand0> it seems like there are more iniquity boards popping up than
anything else..what do you attribute to that?
<comatose> people want to use something thats not dead,has tons of
configurability and is easy to use.
<M_Brand0> what was your inspiration to take on such a huge project as
iniquity?
<comatose> i have to be doing something cunstructive all the time
<comatose> otherwise i feel thers no point in someones life
<comatose> seeing what fiend did and the founders of the bbs scene is a great
motivation too
<M_Brand0> i hear that..any future plans for iniquity (post-2.0) ??
<comatose> depends on the interest level
<comatose> of myself and you
<comatose> iniquity is a 100% scene software, if someone else wants to work
at it, there more then welcome
<comatose> er theyre
<M_Brand0> what do you think about the "scene" now days?
<comatose> people like to condem things
<comatose> and cant take what something is for what it is
<M_Brand0> a lot of people asked me to ask you if you plan on taking iniquity
to another platform (ie, os/2)..there any chance of that?
<comatose> dink will be doing the os/2 port again
<M_Brand0> one person on my board asked if you had plans on moving iniquity
out of pascal..any plans or are you going to stick with pascal?
<comatose> im starting to learn c/c++
<comatose> so mabey
<comatose> depends on wether someone wants to do the dos version
<comatose> i cant do both
<M_Brand0> now the most anticipated question, when's he final comming out?
<comatose> ill be setting a date soon i think
<comatose> its going slow caz the beta testers arnt following through
<comatose> i find stupid shit they should have
<comatose> and its a slow process
<M_Brand0> great..like i said, this mag is about promoting bbs' anything you
wanna add about route 666?
<comatose> heh ya call, someone has to.
<comatose> or have you gotten to use to clicking
<M_Brand0> hehe..great..anything you wanna add?
<comatose> thinking..
<M_Brand0> also any greets or fuck you's?
<comatose> id like to see more people push themselves
<comatose> every day i sit down and try to accomplish something
<comatose> i dont think there are to many irc'rs that are doing that anymore
<comatose> they just idle
<M_Brand0> i agree with that..i have like four commentaries on that already
submitted :)
<comatose> heh
<comatose> its the sad truth
<M_Brand0> it is..but that's another subject :)
<M_Brand0> i guess that's it..thanks for your time and best of luck with
iniquity!
<comatose> thanks
Session Close: Sat Nov 14 22:59:08 1998
==Mercenary Mag==
Volume One, Issue One, File 11 of 11
TRUE STORY OF THE PENTAGON HACKERS By Reflux
Introduction ( lets get this shit out of the way...)
You think you have mad skills?, You and your crew are the best?...Thinking
your too good to be caught?, Let me tell you... your never going to be
caught, your techniques are so goddam elite that you could never be caught by
the feds.
Your Seriously fucking mistaken...Theres somebody out there who is better
then you and they are watching you. -Reflux
=======================================
Pentagon Hackers, What truly happened...
=======================================
I am Reflux, I was a computer hacker and a Senior member of the Virii crew
involved in the FBI Pentagon hacking investigations Im writing this article
to clear up some misinterpretations about what actually happened here. On
March 10 1998 at 9:30 AM We were raided by Several Federal Agents at our
home, FBI agents looking for information about an organization of computer
hackers who had pulled off the most "highly organized and systematic attack
the Pentagon has seen to date" A hack of the United States defense department
computer systems. This organization was The ViRii Crew, an organization that
consisted of everything from computer security professionals to Lawyers to
top notch programmers, Specializing in a broad range of talents in many
computer and non-computer related fields.
======================================
Who was involved and what was done?
======================================
It was early 1997, when The ViRii Crew began security scans of US Government
computer system domains, these scans came up with hundreds of vulnerable
government computer systems, most of which were found by ViRii members Jakes
and StOrm, and were spread quickly to members of the organization and
internal sources, It was the Jet Propulsion labs (JPL) Nasa web server that
was the first hit, LLNL Lawerence Livermore National Labs computer's were
then hit and many more were to follow, but the JPL Nasa web server was the
first penetrated by The ViRii Crew.
"The NASA investigation into ViRii began in June of 1997 when network
security officials at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
Pasadena, California, detected a problem with a network server at JPL.
Investigation established that the NASA server was controlled by intruders
and that a number of foreign and U.S. sites were used by the intruders as
conduit points of attack to control the JPL server and to launch further
attacks against ViRii targets. CCD investigation identified Coffman and
others as possible suspects, including an Israeli national known as
"Analyzer"." -Taken from Aritical Written by OIG NASA. #98-022
After the Jet Propulsion Labs NASA systems had been hacked by ViRii, there
were packet sniffers installed and many more government domains were acquired
and hacked, including classified and non-classified machines at the Lawerance
Livermore National Labs (LLNL) Berkley and at the Langly Research (LARC)
centers systems, Any information Released by OIG NASA Officials stated that
only Non-Classified systems were compromised but that is bullshit, because I
know from my conversations with NASA agents that classified information was
accessed or disrupted. They can deny the evidence but there were classified
sites that were hacked and they know it. This leads the case from being a low
priority non-classified hack of a government computer network to a large-scale
hack and listed it as an attack against the US defense department. (The
Pentagon).
Agents from OIG NASA (Office of the Inspector General) had been dispatched to
investigate this case along with members from the federal bureau of
investigations. The First from the ViRii crew to be caught was FA-Q, but fa-q
was the leader of the crew, fa-q was the founder of ViRii and he was highly
skilled and well respected. Then on March 6th came the arrests of Makeveli
and TooShort, Makaveli and TooShort's computers were confiscated and they
were released awaiting court dates because they were minors. We have no proof
to back this up, Because they haven't been seen since, but we believe that
Makaveli and/or TooShort had ratted out key members of ViRii, including
myself and Calldan Coffman.
=================================================
The Calm Before the Storm... Night before the raid.
=================================================
The night before the raid me and Calldan encountered some strange activity
out in front of LoaD's Apartment, there was an unmarked police car that kept
circling the block, then as we went to get into my car, the unmarked hit us
with his spot and got out of his vehicle, the officer walked up and asked to
see our drivers licenses, I handed him mine and Calldan handed him his, the
cop didn't give us any explanation for what he had stopped us for, why he
wanted to see our licenses, anything... There were two officers in the
vehicle, about 15min pass and passenger side officer comes back and hands my
license back but holds on to Calldans for much longer, after over 20 min. the
cop comes back and hands Calldans license back and says 'Have a nice night!"
and drives off, this was extremely strange and made us think that they were
already on to us.
The feds had our telephones tapped and had intercepted telephone
conversations between Calldan Coffman and his parents in North Bend Or, soon
after there raid and search for Calldan came up short Calldans parents had
called him and notified him that they had been there and they were on there
way.
===================================
What Virii members were arrested?
===================================
In this investigation, the first of the crew to go down were Makaveli and
Tooshort, they were arrested in there Cloverdale California homes after NASA
Investigators had joined up with the teens local ISP in finding out where the
illegal access of the Government computers had originated.
After Makaveli and TooShort were raided, the agents had proceeded to Calldan
Coffman's Parents residence in North Bend Oregon where they had confiscated
his parents computer hardware and software and went to his grandparents house
where they collected more computer equipment and software.
They then raided us, they handed LoaD the Search Warrant and Arrested Calldan
Coffman, under federal Arrest Warrants, then they confiscated all the
computer hardware and software and tore the place apart, they had detained
Me, LoaD and Kytten from ViRii and had cuffed Calldan and moved him.
Calldan was arrested and taken to a federal holding facility in Vancouver
Washington, where he was detained and interrogated, after that he was put in
the Vancouver county jail and the next day released to his parents custody
after signing a pre-trial agreement that he would severe his communications
with us or any of his ViRii associates. They tried to charge him multiple
counts of using illegal access devices.
"Yet another computer adept, 20-year-old Calldan Levi Coffman, is already
facing a federal charge of possessing unauthorized computer access codes.
NASA investigators say the youth, who is in his parents' custody in Oregon,
played a leading role in a series of attacks on the space agency's computer
network. They also say he was a leader in a group that counted Analyzer among
its members." -- published by MSNBC
===================================================
The Decline and fall of The ViRii Crew...(Final Hours)
===================================================
The downfall of the ViRii Crew first started with the arrest of the Crew
leader Sean Trifero "Aka FA-Q" at his home on federal warrants, for hacking
computer networks on the East Coast. From Information that was obtained from
Seans computer, The FBI was able to track down over 75% of the crew's senior
members and leading to multiple arrests, including the arrests of Calldan
Levi Coffman and the infamous "Analyzer."
On March 6 (which is what I believe acurate) Makaveli and TooShort were
arrested at there homes in Cloverdale California by members of the NASA's
computer crimes team, they were interrogated and there computer equipment was
confiscated, information that was given to the agents from them sent them on
a direct course after us, we believe Makaveli and TooShort had ratted us out,
And it wasnt a week before they had been given the go to raid Calldans
Coffman's parents house in North Bend Or, and then proceed on to our Carson
Washington location..
Then like a flash, on March 10th just a few days after the arrests of
Makaveli and TooShort the FBI had raided LoaD's residence in Carson
Washington arresting Calldan Coffman detaining LoaD and Kytten and taken me
from my work place in Stevenson Washington for a nine hour long interrogation
session and questioning.. They were accompanied by Several agents from
OIG-NASA Computer Crimes Department with federal arrest warrants and a Search
Order, I myself wasnt Arrested but I was detained for over nine hours while
agents tore through our hardware, software, and equipment.
========================================================
Overview and Final thoughts on the Pentagon Hackers story
========================================================
Fuck all the hype ass Bullshit.
The Media hyped up this story to make it big, Making the Analyzer look like
some crazy hacker terrorist , "HOLY SHIT, THE PENTAGON GOT HACKED!@!*(*)!
Lamers who have no clue what what the fuck hacking is, post story's on MSNBC,
NyTimes, WiRED, ABC.. etc... Articles about the Analyzer, The ViRii Crew,
Calldan Coffman and "The Pentagon Hackers" yet none of these people really
know what happened, who was all involved what was done... The Pentagon was not
hacked. And it wasn't done by professionals or Terrorists, It was done by a
group of friends who for fun hacked some low-budget NASA box and miraculously
packet sniffed some hard-core Gov. logins on LLNL and LARC and other higher
level Government owned machines and when it came down to it, most of this
done by 12yr olds k1ddy's with r00tshell exploits (Makaveli), kids like
Makaveli and TooShort who had little experience evading the eyes of
administration.
They really didn't know what the fuck they were doing, using Unsecured logins
on High Level government machines, not understanding that they were being
watched by highly-paid highly skilled Gov. admins and officials of course..
the machines were not secure, but if they were the admins would be out of a
job... But they were following there faithful leader "The Analyzer" and when
they were caught, they put it all on the line and through in the towel,
ratting off everyone involved, supplying information about Crew members and
crew Activities.
NOTHING IS SACRED - DENY EVERYTHING.
I am Reflux, I was one of the Original Members of The ViRii Crew, I joined
the ViRii Crew in September of 1995 and was a member until March 10th 1998.
You can find me on #Cha0s - Undernet or Email me at Reflux@Cha0s.com
-=------------------------------------------
Greets
Calldan, Load, Biohazard, Phusion, KuRupTioN, Analyzer, Frys, aragorn, ThePhreak Lurk3r, JP, Gh0stMan, Legend, Lady_D, Minus0, Precursor, Spides, all oldskewl ViRii.
You know who you are, Keep it real.
Outro...
Well, that's it..Thanks for reading the text version of Mercenary. As with
any emag's premiere issue, we wish that there could have been more..I have
spent much of this development process scrutinizing what we had..Stay tuned
for Issue #2 which should be out in a month with more articles...Send email
to brand0@gte.net..
Marlon Brando & Opteek
Merry Christmas!!
