@jhmail.hcf.jhu.edu:ins_bac@jhunix.bitnet (ins_bac) (03/18/90)
Sorry to sound misinformed but I guess this is the best place to find
out.
1) I have been reading about hacking groups called LOD and PHRACK,
what exactly did they do that warrants the sentence of 31 years?
I mainly want to sound objective, but if these 'kids' could do it,
then outside malevolent forces I am sure could do it. I think people
are going to have to learn that kids are a lot smarter than they
think. I am under the impression that these groups did nothing that
threatened the integrity of the systems they explored.
Also I'd like to add that with the growing amount of control
communications services afford thru information dissemination, not
only will this incident prove to be a rallying point around the hacker
ethic for the next generation of hackers but it could make these young
geniuses into martyrs. I think the phone company is best erved by
listening to them instead of persecuting them. If they (PH. and LOD)
did do this for profit, I am sure they would have been in different
position.
ins_bac@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
[Moderator's Note: The 'hackers group' is called Legion of Doom, or
LoD for short. Phrack is the official publication of the Legion.
Phrack was distrbuted via the Internet, among other electronic
networks, and it was the contents of Phrack, among other things, which
got the LoD in trouble recently and caused at least a few computer
sites to be closed by the government and/or (in the case of attctc) by
its owner. They have not received any punishment yet because they have
not been found guilty yet. For further information, I refer you to the
Telecom-Archives (ftp lcs.mit.edu - cd telecom-archives) and the file
there entitled 'jolnet'. PT]
Douglas Mason <douglas@ddsw1.mcs.com> (03/19/90)
>[Moderator's Note: The 'hackers group' is called Legion of Doom, or >LoD for short. Phrack is the official publication of the Legion. >Phrack was distrbuted via the Internet, among other electronic >networks, and it was the contents of Phrack, among other things, which >got the LoD in trouble recently and caused at least a few computer >sites to be closed by the government and/or (in the case of attctc) by >its owner. They have not received any punishment yet because they have >not been found guilty yet. For further information, I refer you to the >Telecom-Archives (ftp lcs.mit.edu - cd telecom-archives) and the file >there entitled 'jolnet'. PT] A few minor corrections to Pat's otherwise correct comments. PHRACK (short for "Phreak and Hack") was put out by Taran King and Knight Lightning as a quite seperate entity from the LoD group. LoD put out something called "The LoD Technical Journal" which was their "official publication". In fact, I dare say that for some time there was a lot of friction between the two "magazines", people often arguing over who was better -- The LoD tech journal had more techy stuff, but Phrack was put out on a quite regular basis (about 29 issues, each about 200k long) while LoD only put out a few (3 I believe) and were erratic about when they were released. It is quite suprising that Phrack was the one hit with the bad stuff. I was actually an editor for it some time back before I decided the "business was not for me" and there was a lot of screening as to what was "questionable" and what could be printed. I suppose it was a bad choice on Craig's part for not deleting that E911 stuff when he received it. I knew him fairly well (Knight Lightning) and knew he kept quite far from the "bad stuff" and wouldn't touch it for fear of God or other equally dangerous agencies. I have mixed feelings about the whole bust affair. I got along with many of the group, and have met many of them. The whole "Eliteness" of the group's attitude really bothered me, and it seemed that by placing themselves on such a stand, it was only a matter of time before someone came to knock them off. Now I only wish that they aren't shafted to the extreme that the media seems to want to impose. What they did was wrong, wrong, wrong; don't think I am trying to justify that, but after meeting some of these people, talking to them, realizing that they are indeed people, students, kids even, it's hard to wish 31 years upon them. I invite all threats/comments/suggestions. If you are nice, I'll even send you some of the back issues of Phrack for your reading entertainment. ;-) Douglas T. Mason | douglas@ddsw1.UUCP or dtmason@m-net |