newsham@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu (Timothy Newsham) (01/23/91)
It is my interpretation that the cellular industry restricts the dissemination of cellular phone programming information on the basis that such info could be used to commit widespread fraud. A person armed with a scanner (modified to monitor cellular frequencies) or other similar device could easily read the ESN (Electronic Serial Number [of the cellular phone]) and PIN (PIN for that phone, not the real technical acronym for it, I can't recall the actual name) off the air and program this information into their cellular phone. Thus, all further use of the cellular phone will be billed to a random victim who's billing information was read with ease right off the air. The mobil nature of the cellular phone adds to the appeal of this crime to new wave phreakers. It's an almost perfect way for phreakers to do their thing. Sure, anyone who really wanted to commit this fraud would find out sooner or later how to program their phone ... but why make it that much easier for them? There's an article in Phrack magazine Issue 11, File 9 that tells of the potential problem that making programming information public would be. It was written by a few engineers in the cellular industry. It isn't an article written by a hacker. Good reading for the comp.dcom.telecom type, check it out. [Moderator's Note: There were also people who said that when the telco switched from 'permanent' jacks in residences to modular plug-in phones and permitted people to do their own wiring the amount of fraud against telco would increase when people figured out how to steal pairs from their neighbors. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't, but everyone now moves their phone and wiring around as they see fit without asking telco for permission to do so. There are people around now who hack cellular service by listening on their Radio Shack PRO-34 scanner to the cellular frequencies (take the diode from D-4 and solder it at D-3 to bring in full coverage at 800 megs), then set dip switches on their home-brew cellular transmitter to do what you mention. What is the solution? Should we punish everyone, or conduct seminars on 'ethics and modern technology'? PAT]
DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) (01/24/91)
I think the idea of a list of "Cellular Codes" for programming your own cell phone (rather than pay the dealer $25 to do this SIMPLE procedure) makes a LOT of sense. Easy reference to this info will encourage people to reprogram their phones in the correct manner, which hopefully will show some of the (cheaper) Cell Co's that their customers object to being continuously "nickled and dimed" for every little "change of service" or by paying excessive roam and "daily roam" charges. I typed up a list of Audiovox CMT-450 (and 400/500 series in general) programming codes a while back. I think I may have even posted it here. If there is any interest in an "archive" of codes, I'll repost it or submit it to the "archives". Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet [Moderator's Note: Yes please, it is about time to print your article once again here for those who missed it the first time. Send it in. PAT]