covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert 11-Sep-1989 2252) (09/12/89)
>From: GMONTI 11-SEP-1989 18:06:07.67 >Subj: TD Submission: 2600 Contents >*** For Telecom Digest *** >Date: 11 September 1989 TELECOM Digest recipients have expressed interest of late in the kind of information that can be found in the magazine "2600." I subscribed to this periodical last year. Here is a sampling of the contents of 2 recent issues: Spring 1989 issue: "Hackers in Jail" "A Hacker's Guide to Unix" Copies of 2 different dialing instruction pages from U.S. Department of Defense telephone directories "Ever Wonder Who Owns All Those 800 Numbers?" including - description of how end offices and access tandems handle 800 calls - a glossary of terms - a list of all active 800 prefixes and the long distance carriers who control each prefix - the same for 900 prefixes "Letters" including - Wargames Dialer - ANI Codes for some cities - Blue Box Questions - A Scary Tale (story of a hacker who was arrested and jailed for his illegal activities, told in the first person) "How Pay Phones Really Work" "Ripoffs and Scams" (an explanation of the AOS business) "Long Distance Censorship" (story about a long distance carrier which does not allow calls to be made to BBS's which publish codes that can be used to steal phone service) "Foulups and Blunders" (short items about authorities who make mistakes) "Abuse" (about British computer privacy laws) "Mischief Makers" (about perpetrators of fake viruses that looked real, also the story of a British bank who sued a hacker who had broken through its lax security to write himself checks for a million pounds; the judge threw the case out, telling the bank it should have better security if it wants to bring court cases) "2600 Marketplace" the classified column including ads to buy and sell DEC computer manuals, CATV descrambling devices, hacker software, back issues of TAP, etc.) "2600 meeting notice" meetings for 2600 readers, writers and editors are held on the first Friday of each month at "The Market" lobby tables at the Citicorp Center, 153 East 53rd Street (at Lexington), New York, NY, 6-8 PM Winter '88-'89 issue: Copy of an Instruction Card from a British Pay Phone - of 1884 "A Report on the Internet Worm" reprinted from "RISKS," including an explanation of how it was done and a list of commonly-used passwords which the worm used) "MCI: The Phone Company with a Lot of Explaining to Do" (about how MCI snatched the magazine's office phone lines to default to MCI dial-1 service and how MCI uses an AOS called NTS to handle operator assisted calls at a time when MCI had no routine operator service) "Gall Department" (a copy of an entire AOS page from the magazine's New York Telephone bill showing that the AOS had billed a 7 minute collect call to the magazine's answering machine which, obviously, could not have "accepted the charges;" the call came from Las Vegas, Nevada) "How to Hear Phone Calls" (suggested bands and modulation methods to look for phone calls on shortwave, VHF, UHF, etc.) A list of access numbers and customer service numbers for the "MCI Call USA" service (reprinted from an MCI ad) "Letters" including - Ideas on 2600's Financial Plight (it had just changed from a monthly to a quarterly at the time) - Telecaption Adapter Info - An AT&T System 85 Nightmare - Call Forwarding Questions - Some 800 prefixes identified by long distance carrier "What It's Like Being a Soviet Operator" reprinted from Pravda Reprint of an AT&T ad describing a cancellation of direct dial service to Iran from the U.S. and a resulting increase in rates to use international operator service to call Iran "Interview with Chaos Computer Club" a West German hacker group "2600 Marketplace" buy/sell ads for red/blue box tone chips, satellite video receivers, UNIX operating system books, etc. "Hard Wiring Your Way In" (about finding pairs, connecting yourself to someone else's line) Book Review of "Tune in on Telephone Calls" 2600 BBS's: #2 "The Central Office" 914 234-3260 #3 "YoYoDine" 402 564-4518 #4 "Beehive" 703 823-6591 #5 either "Switchboard" or "Hacker's Den" 718 358-9209 2600's Usenet address: 2600@dasys1.uucp 2600's Arpanet address: phri!dasys1!2600@nyu "2600, The Hacker Quarterly" is published by 2600 Enterprises, Inc., 7 Strong's Lane, Setauket, NY 11733. For subscriptions and information, write or call 2600 Magazine, PO Box 752, Middle Island, NY 11953-0752 516 751-2600. Subscription rate is $18 a year for 4 issues (for individuals), $45 corporate. Lifetime, overseas and multiple-year quantity discounts are available. Back issues are available for all years 1984 thru 1988 at $25 per year. I am a subscriber to 2600 and find it to be of moderate interest. I may resubscribe for one more year but may let it lapse after that unless it piques my interest more. I have no financial interest in 2600 Magazine, am not employed there and do not personally know any of its principals. This Telecom Digest submission is intended to be informative to those who are interested. Opinions expressed above are my own. Greg Monti, Arlington, Virginia; workplace +1 202 822-2459 [Moderator's Note: My objection to 2600 is that they seem to condone theft of phone service (which they call phreaking) and burglary of phone and computer systems (sometimes called hacking, much to the disparagement of true hackers). What possible reason could there be for advertisements offering red/blue box chips, or books on how to camp on someone else's pairs? And what are cable descramblers used for except theft of cable service? Its almost like they encourage that sort of behavior. PT]