2600 The Hacker Quarterly - Volume 39 Issue 4 - 2023

35 Pages·2023·12.738 MB·English

by  2600 Magazine

Foxconn:
Valuus tiles pills, Nuusse ¥

ZtRHR RE
OF,e A ly '

al A. Ris =
Foreign Payphones
Interpretations
Inconvenient Truths
You Can Use the Dark Web for Good
Degradation as DRM
We Love Trash
TELECOM INFORMER
Friendly Fraud
Let's Party Like It's 1989
Current Bulletin Board Systems: How It's Done
Intercepting Google CSE Resources
toms Ome eR UML hme UL aL lo he Infosec Professional Song
next to the Royal Regalia Museum in Bandar Seri SU Cec eS een a Ok
le taal titty Meats OUN MN mom emer metre Serer en Ree ee eee mead aee HACKER PERSPECTIVE
Tico ieee MMS eee meee above. The fully operational. This close-up view shows how
roleserm PEN Bem ed eRe MU at) a both coins and cards are accepted, Operated by YouTube Is Not a Safe Space
e’s no sign of the current name, which is Imagine KT, formerly Korea Telecom.
y Sam Pursglove TOUR MAA What Do You Mean You Don't Have a Responsible Disclosure Program?
Phe Coolest Hacker Multitool On the Market: The Flipper Zero
LETTERS
EFFECTING DIGITAL FREEDOM
Cyber Security Frameworks
Music in Ones and Zeroes: A Memory of Streaming Soundscapes
Cryptocurrency - Busted!
\RTIFICIAL INTERRUPTION
Tales for My Toddler
Raising Generation Orwell: A Guide to Teaching Kids the Human Rights of Privacy
scan.sh
The Search for Life at 300 Baud
Australia. This phone is located at the Waurn Ponds
Nites) sya tte elo ee ee Coie Canada. Spotted at the Northern Store in the remote Hey, | Paid For This Cabin
payphone companies, Telstra has made their phones community of Churchill, Manitoba. Pressing the
OO ohmic met RPM mee Rae Cte) DCU ENCeR OE Biome ROR e er Reba men Liha An Atavistic Freak Out, Final Episode
Soe UMUC ee Cee oa part of (We don’t know what happened on October Ist.)
a aac Photo by DarkLight Photo by TProphet HACKER HAPPENINGS 6l
Got foreign payphone photos for us‘ ay Stee) ayphones@ 2600.com. MARKETPLACE 62
LOR a alt Tie quality settings on your d UO e cme Leeny
ied mars Moats atiey tonc e Woe CMe BLL (emer e aero g) MEETINGS 66
r
(mo re space now. Offsetting that decrease from Amazon alone. And since Amazon |
Inconvenient Truths with paid online attendees who participate won’t share the subscriber info with us, the
digitally could add a great deal to the only way for us to reach our current Kindle
conference, with more participation from subscribers is through the words in the
all over the world. (We're also not opposed magazine itself. We hope they’re all able
These last few years have been difficult our readers about letting big companies
to growing into a bigger in-person crowd to see this and to act upon it. But again,
for all of us on so many levels. And we call the shots. But this was a case where in future years as we use more facilities.) that only addresses the Amazon problem.
keep thinking we're almost at the end of it we were able to reach a great number of There has even been talk of making the We still need to add more subscribers to
when more bad stuff happens. Sometimes people in a convenient manner and it
conference an annual event due to how help address the shortfalls brought about
it’s directly related to the pandemic; other really helped offset the printing expenses,
smoothly it went this last time. We won't by everything else described above.
times it’s something entirely new. What even after Amazon took their cut. This
know if that’s doable until we see how the We believe this is doable, as there are so
helps to get us through is support from loss couldn't have come at a worse time.
next one goes, but if we are able to reach many people who react with amazement
those around us and fresh ideas on how to But there is hope. Literally. The last
that stage without overworking ourselves and enthusiasm when discovering that
tackle these challenges. few HOPE conferences have been able
to death, then we will be on very solid we are in fact still around. Since we don’t
As we approach our 40th year, things to help support the magazine and keep
ground indefinitely. advertise and since so many establishments
look especially daunting for us. We’ve been things from becoming too dire. Of course,
But we're more than a year away from where we were displayed have disappeared,
through hard times before, whether it was COVID threw a monkey wrench into that
knowing if this will be sustainable. 2023 it’s very easy to lose track of our existence.
another distributor making off with half a as well when we weren't able to hold an
is going to be a pivotal year and we need The entire zine community has been hit
year’s income, lawsuits from some of the in-person conference in 2020 and were
to come up with more immediate solutions with this reality and we're one of the few
most powerful entities on earth, or unjust forced to limit attendance in 2022 due to
to help get us through all of the challenges survivors, which is a painful reality for us.
and inhumane government prosecutions health concerns. Ironically, in 2019 we
that are being flung at us. Assuming we make it through this latest
of those close to us. But what we're facing had thought our biggest challenge would
Ideally, 2600 should be self-sustaining. crisis, we intend to do everything we can
now is probably the biggest threat we've be finding a new home after losing the
While this has become quite difficult with to help other independent publications find
ever had to our continued existence. Hotel Pennsylvania. We had no idea what
the cost of printing and the shrinking new visibility.
Being a printed magazine has been we were all in for.
number of retail outlets, it’s not impossible. At press time, we're still trying to put
especially difficult for a couple of decades Happily, the most recent conference
The one thing readers seem to be most together a digital subscription option
now. Being one that takes no advertising at St. John’s University went better than
adamant about is the continuation of the that works the way we want it to. We've
made that challenge even greater. We we had ever hoped. We are extremely
printed edition. We believe following the actually been trying to do this for years,
osfa wb usiinnedsesp enbdye nbti g cbhoaoiknsst.o reAsn d ftohrecne d thoosuet ffuotrutruen atceo ntfoe rbeen caebsl e int o scuocnht inau ev enauned. buBiultd, trend of many magazines and only having but have run into software that insists on
digital editions would be a big mistake for using DRM (copy control which we do
big chains went out of business, leaving because of the fact that we had to make
us. People value the physical copies and not want) or that doesn’t know how to
nothing in their place. things smaller due to the pandemic, we
those tend to live forever. It’s a true gift to generate unique URLs for subscribers. It’s
COVID-19 made all of this even worse didn’t wind up where we needed to be in
be able to do this year after year and we annoying, but we’re determined to solve
since lots of the issues we had already order to help support 2600. The timing
printed never made it to the newsstands was just really bad, which seems to be a really don’t want to give it up. But we need this. Hopefully, by the time you read this,
to make some serious progress if that’s we will have.
because they weren't open. And many of recurring theme lately.
them never reopened. Even though people So how bad are things? They’re bad, no going to happen. But what really comforts us is knowing
We don’t see a way to get 2600 into that hacker ingenuity is on our side.
were looking for our magazine, there were question, Those of us who can afford not
more retail outlets if there simply aren’t There are people reading this now who
significantly less places to find it. to get paid haven’t been for the past few
any more of them. We experimented with have ideas that we've never thought of
In 2022, things got even worse as the months. We love what we do and we will
price of paper skyrocketed, which made make many personal sacrifices if it means supermarkets during the pandemic and which will prove immensely helpful. The
our profit margin practically nonexistent that we get to stick around and do this it was a disaster. (Apparently, grocery power of the hacker mind, determined to
while inflation drove prices for almost for longer. We may have to make difficult shoppers aren't interested in magazines accomplish that which they have been told
everything else upwards. It hasn’t exactly decisions down the road, but we're really about hacking. We know this now.) The is impossible, is our greatest ally here and
been a cheery time. hoping to stave that off with the help of the loss of so many bookstores, especially the one which we believe will help us solve
One bright spot in all of this has been community. independents but also the chains, has hurt problems and get the word out.
our Kindle edition, where sales were Here’s where things can turn around. our entire society and we're now living We've accomplished so much over the
significant since its launch in 2010. This We have a great biennial event with through yet another consequence of that. past four decades. It’s always been a bit
digital platform offered another way to get the HOPE conference. If we're able to More physical subscribers would of a struggle. But we truly believe we're
2600 into subscriber hands without the cost get 1500 in-person attendees and 1000 certainly be a good thing, but due to the the right people in the right place at the
of printing. But as we go to press with this online attendees each time, most of these volatile costs of printing, packaging, right time to take on this challenge. While
issue, we've been informed that Amazon problems will vanish. Note that the in- and shipping, it’s not really an economic the reality at the moment isn’t what we'd
has decided to discontinue magazine person number is actually less than what boon for us. What really would make a prefer, we're convinced we have the power,
subscriptions on the Kindle, except for it was in past years because we don’t want difference at this point is a dramatic upturn ability, and intelligence to change that
the biggest mainstream publications. We to recreate the overcrowding that occurred in digital sales. We would need around reality into something a little better.
can’t say we're surprised - we always warn back then, even though we have much 3500 digital subscribers to offset the losses We're ready for the next chapter.
Page 4 2600 Magazine / 39:4 Page 5 at
(ne ie daughter was pregnant because diaper and or location. ze
You Can Use the Dark Web for Good maternity ads started to appear in the browser Your New Friends
and computer used by the family. This is my first hack of the Dark Web. Let
by Djilpmh Pi Defeating tracking of your every action can me introduce you to your new friends: a group
feel insurmountable. Corporations already know of people who volunteer to do just that for you,
One of my earliest memories of trying to figure been! You have to decide whether the good honest every intimate detail of your life: what ice cream for free, because they all believe in and support
out how things work and what makes them tick is police should use guns or just stick to the billy flavors and brands you like, whether you use ice privacy. Surprise! They operate the Tor (the onion
when I was nine or [0 years old and my parents clubs for law enforcement. Oh wait, criminals use cream as a celebration or consolation. It’s creepy router) relay computers that make up the Dark
left me alone in the house. I took a dinner knife sticks too. As with any power tool, the Dark Web to know that complete strangers - not even limited Web.
and disassembled the Big Ben mechanical alarm can be used for both good and evil. Unfortunately, to your country of citizenship or residence - know Tor is the technical name of the Dark Web, and
clock. It had two windup handles, one to wind the its legitimate use by honest people has been everything you buy and read, and at what time of its only purpose is to hide your real location by
spring to keep the clock running, and the other for overshadowed by its icky reputation. night and which days you like to shop. It should passing your traffic through a series of friendly
the bell clapper. Very cleverly the “quiet alarm” Good Honest People Can Benefit be annoying to people that a website already relay routers between your computer and the
mode had a lever that slipped a thin piece of Good honest people who don’t want their knows your “consumer score” to set your place in website you are accessing. Tor does nothing else.
leather between the clapper and the bell housing network activity to be tracked, victims of the helpdesk queue and probably to decide what But even that little help from your new friends
so it was not as annoying as a full on alarm. I domestic violence, and whistleblowers can all deals to offer you, individually. See si ft.com can do a lot to defeat tracking.
could see the gears and levers spin and slide; it benefit from using the Dark Web. and next roll.com for examples. Protecting Victims of Domestic Abuse
was wonderful, It kept working even though I had Anyone who is interested in privacy can use the Private Browsing Some victims of domestic abuse leave town for
a few parts left over which I could not remember Dark Web to protect their personal information. To remove tracking of your web searches, fear of their safety and for their lives, It is most
where they were supposed to go back. I only got These uses will be explained below, Having a it’s possible to use a private search engine such important to keep their location secret from their
into trouble the second time I took the clock apart basic understanding of the Dark Web, or Tor as DuckDuckGo or StartPage. Both proxy your abuser.
into more picces, and it no longer tick-tocked, No (the technical name is “the onion router”) can search request, so your IP address is initially Finding Someone’s Location
matter, figuring out how things worked was in be helpful to understand how and why it works. protected and cookies are not passed through. If the attacker finds an email that was sent by
my blood, and this hacker never looked back even Recognizing the imitations of the Tor software But if you click on the search result directly, your the victim to family or friends telling them all is
after my spanking. is as important as understanding its power. For computer can become visible to both the service well, it is trivially simple to find the IP address
Today my Big Ben is to figure out and explain an explanation and resources see torproject. e provider and the website unless you are careful from which that email is sent. As explained
to people how the Dark Web can be put to org. n to use the “Anonymous View” link in StartPage. in www.lifewire.com/how-to-find-
legitimate and beneficial uses. For too long, it has Use Cases for Dark Web (Tor) Without using = “Anonymous View,” wemail-server-ip-address-818402,
been yielded to the “dark side” for evil purposes. These are my hacks of the Dark Web, figuring DuckDuckGo or other search engines connect this method can be used to check the authenticity
It is, after all, only a technology and, on its own, out how to use it for the benefit of honest people you directly to a website and your IP address, of an email message, or flag it as suspicious in
tech is not inherently good or evil. Whether in these ways: cookies, and other tracking mechanisms kick origin. If your cousin lives across town, why are
something is good or bad should be judged by 1. Avoiding tracking: protecting the privacy of right back into action. they sending email from Norway?
the motivation of our actions and the harmful or your Internet use a If you use a VPN, your real IP address is Sadly, the same method can be used by an
helpful outcomes. 2. Protecting the location of victims of domestic masked by the VPN provider, but you have to attacker to find the location of their victim.
Everybody Knows the Dark Web is a Bad Place violence trust them to keep that information private, and Geographic location is used by website and online
The Dark Web is well known as a playground 3, Protecting anonymous whistleblowers VPNs don’t do anything to protect you against store owners to validate the physical location
and hiding place for criminals including drug Standard Disclaimer e cookies and other tracking methods. of a potential visitor or buyer, so if an order is
dealers, sex traffickers, and every kind of bad Seck professional advice and talk with h What If You Had Some Friends... connecting from France, it would be inconsistent
people. It is painted by popular media as the dark people you trust. You are responsible for your ee Defeating tracking can actually be easy. What to have the item sent to lowa, or vice versa,
alley everyone should avoid because you will own actions. Be skeptical and verify anything if you had a group of friends help each other At least it would be worth getting additional
get mugged and worse if you go there, Taking a important. by randomly mixing the traffic up among the verification that the purchase is legitimate. A
closer look, it is a powerful tool that can be used Tracking and Privacy members of the group, so it’s no longer clear who diligent website owner could use geolocation
for good in spite of its evil reputation, Tracking collects information about your was shopping for cars, a particular medication, or to reduce fraud. Another example would be
The U.S. Navy created the technology behind Internet use, what you search for, what you buy, pregnancy tests? Those searches and connections comments on a political activity website of users
the Dark Web initially to protect American spies and what time of day or night you use the Internet. would be randomly changed and no longer linked claiming to be local residents that are traced to
in hostile locations. See en.wikipedia.org/ That information is sold to advertisers who pay to your individual identity, You still have to deal geolocations in Eastern Europe or Far East. www.
wewiki/Tor (network) for its origins. very well for that information. If you don't with cookies and other tracking, but your location wiplocation.net/ and en.utrace.
Power Tools Have Two Sharp Edges already think it’s creepy and invasive, you've information is no longer usable to track you. »de/ are examples of many free online services
Power tools and power concepts are two-edged missed something basic about intrusions into If your group of friends were distributed all providing the physical location of an IP address.
swords: free speech protects hateful speech, your privacy. over the world in many countries, that would fool Protect Victims From Real Harm
anonymity protects privacy but encourages What Google Knows About You some websites nicely. If a victim left town to escape an abuser,
trolls, and airplanes can be used by terrorists We've all observed that a random Google Randomizing Internet Connections to Defeat revealing even the town or suburb of their current
to take down high rise buildings. Unintended search for vacations in Glacier National Park will Tracking by IP Address location has made all the effort a waste of money,
consequences and uses are the second sharp edge shortly generate advertisements for tour packages That group of cooperating friends who allowed time, and energy. Such exposure puts victims in
of powerful ideas. and hotels in the area. The simple explanation you to use their shared Internet connections could real harm’s way.
If we say that “good honest people” should stay is that your free use of the search engine has make the IP address detected by the Internet My second hack of the Dark Web is this:
away from that dirty Dark Web because icky bad tagged you as someone who is interested in the web server or store different for each visit. If using Tails or at least a Tor browser can keep
people use it, we could also say that criminals area, and that information is sold to the hotels and there were hundreds, or even thousands of these the IP address of the sender private and protect
use guns, cash, and cars, so honest folk should tour providers around Glacier, Early in the use friends, that would confuse the tracking tools to the real location of the victim. Of course, if the
= use those icky things - who knows where it's of tracking and advertising, a parent discovered soy point they wouldn't know your real IP address email contents describe an address, no fects)
Page 6 2600 Magazine 39:4 Page 7
fin s will protect against sloppiness of their pitfalls, you can be as anonymous as it is possible \ “ty
security. to be today. Tails is a USB-based operating CEECabaTrIon aS ORM
The best strategy would be to completely system that boots from the USB drive and does
isolate from previous contact with family and not touch the host computer's hard drive, and
friends, but that discipline can be hard to keep leaves no footprint revealing that you were even
forever, particularly during significant times such on the computer, Tails can be obtained through by Nikolaos Tsapakis
as holidays, family births and deaths, or birthdays, tails.boum.org/ and is free. It is the method Information available is for educational patch_2:
If communications were attempted, at least try to recommended by news organizations worldwide purposes only, views expressed are my own and i file offset O0x6D2F04
avoid leaking the location of the victim. for submitting tip information anonymously. do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. ; Save original registers
Protecting Whistleblowers This is my third hack of the Dark Web: helping Long time ago, while I was searching for 50 push rax
Whistleblowers protect our democratic whistleblowers stay anonymous if they wish. interesting Digital Rights Management systems 66:9C pushf
society by shining a spotlight on evil. They are Media Outlets Use SecureDrop on games, I came across FADE'. The protection + rax points to cheat string
an essential part of revealing abuse of power, SecureDrop is Dark Web software that allows allows the player to use the game normally. Then *# compare string with "Very"
avoidance of responsibility, and other things that whistleblowers to send information to news it gradually degrades certain game features over 813856657279 cmp dword ptr
destroy the civilized part of our modern society. outlets and exchange messages between the time, like decreasing the accuracy of the player's eds:[rax],0x79726556
By revealing information about such abuses, they whistleblower and the journalist. Many global weapons, eventually rendering it unplayable. 7 aif no string matches then
put themselves at great risk of reprisal (snitches news and other organizations use it - the list is It seemed to me like an interesting exercise to continue game
get stitches, rats get bats), so it can be helpful found at securedrop.org/. introduce a similar custom protection as a binary 75 OF jne lzdoom _ _ prot.
if a whistleblower can remain anonymous. Any Thorns and Roses patch in a game. | selected LZDoom [2}. After “continue 1
accusation has to be proven to be true or false The sweet smell of roses in the world of privacy downloading, you need to place a .wad' file inside ; if string matches then get delta
by investigation and other information and comes with its own thorns. the main game directory in order to start the E8 00000000 call lzdoom =
testimony: that is the responsible action of a Removing tracking from your Internet use game. wprot.delta
conscientious citizen, by using Tor does give you better privacy. But The idea is to drop the game frame rate on delta:
If you came into possession of some documents it can be inconvenient. Because Tor relays are a computer which is different than the game 58 pop rax
or information that proved illegal, immoral, or spread out over the world, you might see a French owner’s computer based on an event. That event ; Yax points at the end of data
unethical behavior of powerful people, what language landing page because the last relay is the player typing the “idkfa” cheat string section
would you do? Many people think twice about was in a French speaking country. Web pages during game play. A different computer is 48:05 DC745700 add rax, 0x5774DC
being identified as the source because they take more time to load because all the traffic is been detected by the CPUID‘* instruction. That + set flag for later h/w check
correctly fear the anger and reprisal of those passing through several additional routers instead hardware check is not very strict, but I believe c600 01 mov byte ptr ds:[rax],1
powerful people and their unthinking followers. of going straight between your browser and the it is fine for the purposes of the current article. * restore original registers
Tnheiisg hbios rhtoheo d,c asei n whgeotvheerrn metnhte, issoru e ini s ai n lyaorugre webL ossser veorf. discipline in correctly using Tor can oInn oprldaeyre r toc hedaits cosvterrin g whiincpuht , gIa mset artceodd e thet riggagemres 6c6o:n9tDi nupeo pf_ 1:
corporation, leak your anonymity; for example, if you give and entered “idkfa”, then noticed the string “Very 58 pop rax
It’s Hard to Be Anonymous your real identity to a website. Happy Ammo Added” on top of the screen. 7 execute stolen code due to
It is very hard to be an anonymous It’s Still Worth It Break pointing for read access on that particular “patch 1
whistleblower, Conventional email contains the In spite of these drawbacks, it is necessary string pauses game execution on code which gets 48:8BF8 mov rdi,rax
IP address (and thus location) of the sender’s and important to support the use of Tor in the executed in an event of a player cheat string input. 48:85FF test rdi,rdi
computer. What would you have to do? First, get protection of everyone’s privacy. For dropping the game frame rate, | found the ; continue game
a wad of cash: credit cards and checks will be Private communications are essential for game’s main loop and introduced a delay. Delay E9 AFFOBAFF jmp lzdoom
traced back to you. Pay someone - preferably a resistors under oppressive regimes. Syrians may be introduced in different places inside the “prot.continue 2 -
stranger or homeless person - to buy a smartphone fighting Assad cannot use ordinary email systems; game's main loop.
or laptop from a pawn shop or used computer they would be found out in no time. Iranians The file for binary patching is lzdoom. patch_3:
store. If you enter the store yourself, you will be organizing resistance to their government would exe having an MDS value of 6la2ca931fd + file offset 0x253c0
on the surveillance video for the store. Use your be wise not to use conventional messaging tools 3aaaae976e4131¢c512728. Binary analysis *# go to patch4 hardware check
device outside the library and use their Wi-Fi out offered by local companies. and patching was done using x64dbg°. Running E9 67DB6A00 jmp lzdoom
of view of the surveillance cameras. Just as free speech is important to a free tests between two different computers was done “prot.patch 4
Is that enough? Probably not. But it’s a good society, it allows some to express hateful ideas. In using a physical and a virtual machine on VBox. 90 nop
start. What is a better way? Use the Dark Web, the same way, privacy can be used by good people Following are the patches, description, and file 90 nop
in the same way American spies communicated and abused by bad ones. But in the end, the value raw offsets to patch. You may use any hex Eeditor 30 nop
with their home team. of free speech is higher than what it allows, to apply the patches. 390 nop
Better to Use Tor (the Dark Web) and the value of privacy is higher than what the continue 4: <original game
If you use the Dark Web and avoid the known abusers can make of it. patch_I: instructions>
_____ Try Out Our PDF Version! ? file offset 0x281FD6
7 — No reason you can't have a paper Ls wai Ty 4 s# trigontgo piantpucth e2ve nt pclhaeycekr cheat p+ atcfihl_e4 : offset 0x6D2F2C
copy AND a digital version. This issue is \, \ Cit+— }-f E9290F4500 jmp ilzdoom __ _ + save original registers
available at our online store, along with WETEI E > prot.patch 2 66:9C pushf
90 nop 50 push rax
au_ _ so much more! KE continue 2 <original game 53 push rbx
>instructions> 51 push rex
2600 Magaz in e 7 \ 39:4 Page 9 YY
(s2 push rdx ; restore original registers, (e n I recalled why the place sounded ¢ incident report.doc
E8 00000000 call lzdoom_ _ execute stolen familiar. ¢ insurance questionnaire.
“prot.delta 2 7; code due to patch _ 3 and continue On the desktop, files of note: pdf
delta 2: game * check.jpg: The back of a signed * Quickbooks (but only has the 2009
58 pop rax continue _ 3: check. Front account and routing templates).
48:05 B9745700 add rax,0x5774B9 5A pop rdx numbers visible. * W2 reconciliation Dec 2015
heck if flag set by cheat string 9 pop rex * HVAC.pdf: Floor plan for HVAC * Symatec folder with a CD key and a
check B pop rbx install. bunch of 80s music.
; If not set then continue game 58 pop rax * Desktop\Drawings: Building * Taxes: Tax returns, payroll taxes in
else check h/w 66:9D popf plans, high definition AutoCAD .xls files dated from 2010 to 2015.
; processor info and feature bits design files, building engineering
“8750.c 3o8 nt17i 01n ujecnm ep 3bl yztdeo omp tr ds:[(rax],1p rot. stolenh r8cd0oi 0de0 0; 00s0t olesnu b codres p,0x80 ; * dDDooeccsuumkemtneotnspt.\ sE:m pCluorryeenet and past ¢*¢ CCVroeemdrciiat sztoc anrbdU uSssietnraetsIesDm e.ncdtosno.tc raxc t
48:33C0 xor rax,rax E9 5C2495FF jmp lzdoom employee info, full names, driver Some files ask for a password to open,
48:FFCO inc rax “prot.continue 4 licenses, scanned copies of Social most files do not.
OFA2 cpuid * discover.csv (for listing of
Security cards, W4, 19, and direct
“837; 41f Fr9aI fm OFe0 3h2/2dwj9 ee8 l9aEcy h lezccdkmo po m efcaxil, s0 x9_E_i9 n 8_t2 r2o0pd3ru octe. w?' pgfhioptr?hutum=b.1.e3cx2oe3mt2/o dorlfsr.acqo6m6/6s/hgozwdtohorme/a d. FebTrhueda erpyoas rict2h 0i1vf8eo. r msDd.ai tgag inwge ntm oref,r omt his2 01l5a ptotpo * OtRrecastniosdbaeecnrtt iioan2l0s 1)1.l. e ases agreements from
“continue 3 wreleases/download/3.87b/ had been in use since 2013. * Local Inquirer Ad.pdf dated
B9 00101101 mov ecx,0x1111000 LZDoom 3.87b_ x64.zip Data, Data, More Data January 29th 2012.
frame drop: thub.com/Akbar30Bil1/DOOM _ wads Found an advertisement for Valentine’s ¢ koldwalkInCooler.pdf
E2 FE loop lzdoom _ _ _ prot. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPUID Day 2018, food menu specials, and payroll * Landlord Letter.docx
“frame drop »x64dbqg.com details for January 29, 2018 to February (vouching for tenants).
11, 2018 - names, positions, hours worked, * Commercial construction building
by Oscar T, OTe ty i] hourly pay, net pay. contract.
4 ¢ $3.00 an hour for servers. * PR statement from August 6th, 2013
ayes Ps - *¢ $$91.20.00 0 ana n hohuoru r fofro r bucsosuenrtse.r employee. ¢ gZargaantd 2o0p1e3n inrge.v iew.
This is a tale of caution. Most all of you ¢ $13.00 an hour for food runner. * Tag Organizer.pdf
hacker-types reading this already know dead laptop battery. Two minutes later as | ¢ January 2018 Sales Report. * — PNC bank settlement documentation.
to always wipe any old hard disk before loaded lappy into my backpack, they found “pdf: $29,101.35 grand _ total. * scan.pdf (inventory of office
disposal - ideally, multi-pass drive wipes a matching power supply. | added that into Including GC, SC, tips $31,882.07. cleaning cups).
follow by partitioning as a LUKS volume my bag. ¢ Back to the desktop folder, we have ¢ Even more direct deposit and bank
with drive encryption. These baselines are Game On! Time to go home and check Desktop\Music which was empty. details found in a bank details folder.
out of scope for this article, to tell you the this out! * Old Catering Menus. TeamViewer 10 * Health inspections.
real story. 1 got home, grabbed one of my favorite was also installed. ¢ staff.xlsx
When I found this data on the Windows Linux Live USB sticks (Ubuntu, Kali, ¢ Desktop\Permits: Deck and * monthly.pdf (February 2017
trashed laptop, | wrote my findings in Tails, TempleOS, Hannah Montana outdoor business permits. Address of generated nearly $80,000 in one
a notebook, then multi-pass wiped the Linux). the business owners. month).
laptop disk. These files were not even Once booted up, your favorite hacker * Finance Docs: Scanned checks, * Scanned Documents. 164 files.
deleted, so no NTFS recovery needed to mounted the Windows volume, then client catering agreements. Writing this out was longer than I
review drive contents. browsed the “C:\Users\%ousername%” ¢ Heather\Bank Statements: expected. May this article go easy on
Enter the Dragon folder. AMEX, PNC Card processing the 2600 editorial staff. Redact names if
cfirtoyTm h inse awro tralktehi en gsEt aasrttis n Cobaa ys tm.am jyo Wra wlakmliekntigrn ogp aollohniogtm,a en I owvaesTr h estsooe csodtneuftnianrilemsd thaitrshe a t evfaeIc ntts c alwlIa esd o brtemaaiyl.n edTw.hi ifse I ¢ s2Et0q1au2ti.ef maexn tsr eporgto.i ng back to July 9th, onwenceesrssa’r y,n abmuet s I fselotl isdhifaireisn g thteh at coI nhcaedr nb otihn
saw a trash management employee giving is the story of a restaurant with zero data ¢ — Fire inspection documents, the discoveries. Wipe and/or encrypt your
Pause to reflect. This is a ton of data disks.
someone else a laptop. integrity.
I went over to learn more. Talking The disk was reviewed and wiped in and I have more. Please wipe business and Might I suggest amateur forensics to
personal details. | could have committed learn more.
to the sanitation workers, they told me September 2019 (pre-COVID - the world tons of fraud with this data. Also, if using Linux, create a LUKS
people throw away multiple laptops all the seemed so simple then).
I still have a few more cringe details volume with an encryption passphrase
time. They noted seeing a dozen laptops The Goods
to wrap this article up. | appreciate your to encrypt the whole disk. You can then
a week in the trash, easily. I struck up a I recognized the company name. | ate
patience as a reader. create ext4 data volumes. 7
(conversation and was given a free 17 inch dinner there a few months ago and laughed

P a ge 10 2600 Magazine 39:4 Page Il
(: 1Cec 2ves enecsevNeseErcecWoces es C2nec6oes0cre0esec oe cscoTooc-eossS HIteR eseTreenSees!eren aeeseee © \
TELECOM
INFORMER
You read that right. We now have an additional 12 (!)
shirts in a variety of sizes for your wearing enjoyment.
Each shirt has the full color artwork from one of by The Prophet
our covers that was ponte in the past three years.
Hello, and greetings from the Central Northwest than networks were designed
People have been asking us to do this for years, but Office! I'm on Shaw Island, one island for (and this is every network, from
it wasn’t until now that we were able to accomplish it over from the home of ToorCamp, and electricity to cable TV to telephone to
in a way that we were pe with. And we’re certain it is snowing. That’s rare here, but it has wireless networks). In our case, higher
you too will be quite pleased with these shirts. been an unusually cold winter so far. temperatures cause deterioration of cable
There have been windstorms and snow sheathing at an elevated rate. It used to
and ice, all of which have wreaked havoc be that five percent of the time, a fault
on our aging and rickety outside plant. was in the aerial or underground portion
I'm here tasked with figuring out what, of a cable, and 95 percent of the time,
exactly, we're going to do about it. Who a fault was at an interconnection point.
am I kidding, though? The answer is That’s no longer true; it’s now closer to
probably nothing. ten percent of the time that the fault is
A phone line, conceptually, used to up a pole, or somewhere underground.
be a single copper pair, which ran all These faults are harder to find and much
the way from your phone to the frame harder to fix. Why? Nearly every outside
in the central office. In reality, it was far plant component of the telephone system
more complicated than that: you owned - from poles to cables and beyond - is
your inside wiring (which was your past its useful life.
responsibility), which would interface What’s more, there are capacitors
with the telephone company’s outside inline throughout the network and, if
plant at the SNI or TNI (typically a you own an old electronic device, you
box on the side of your house), On the have probably experienced a capacitor
telephone company’s side, a drop cable that has failed from age. This happens
would run from your premises to a in the telephone system too. Fortunately,
splice enclosure (these usually look these failures are easier to find, but due
like a post, serving multiple houses in a to supply chain disruptions, the parts
neighborhood), which will then connect can be very difficult and expensive to
They all contain an entire cover image without via a distribution cable to a serving area come by. Naturally, phone companies
interface (these are the green boxes dramatically reduced inventories of
any masthead or barcode. Whether you choose
you typically see at the entrance to a spare parts to save money starting in
the Ukrainian payphone picture, evil social media neighborhood), which then connects to the early 2000s. I have heard of cases
image, ransomware message, or any of our other a feeder cable and finally to the central where outside plant technicians will,
designs, we’re quite confident that you’ll be happy office frame. when faced with a shortage of spare
strolling around town wearing what might be the So, it wasn’t really just one cable - parts, borrow capacitors from a part
it was a patchwork of cables spliced of the network with fewer subscribers
coolest, most provocative t-shirt in miles. together, which formed one continuous (potentially causing an outage) in order
circuit between your telephone and to restore service in an area with more
This is also another way of supporting 2600. the central office. That’s a long way to subscribers.
VCMT) ate R Coe ileMielcmr Clem lla) push electrons. It might be five miles or Overall, it’s really complicated to run
more. Both resistance and capacitance a network that is outside in the weather,
Tam talcMirrel altatcw-lat-tele md mi et a decent reaction exist. Cables are twisted, and this causes with trees falling on it and deer pissing
to what we’ve released so far. Please be sure to further attenuation because the distance on it and the occasional meth head
send us your feedback! is about three percent greater than if stealing copper from it (yes, this really
cables went straight through. We're happens). Funny story about that. One
All shirts can be seen and ordered at store.2600.com along with hats and sweatshirts! also, due to runaway global warming, genius thought it was a good idea to cut
secing higher temperatures in the Pacific a 2400 pair PE-89 cable. These are 24
Sopege DR This is only the beginning 2600 Magazine “ey
39:4 Page 13
(a filled with icky pic, and weigh campsites (assuming they solve a puzzle)
over ten pounds per foot. When his required to initiate service). Two AT&T
buddy cut it, it dropped straight down Definity PBXs were installed, serving
and clocked him in the head, splitting as central offices, one each at upper and eee iy
his forehead open. The techs found him lower camps. Two trunks ran between Greetings. Lee the Agent here. By now I side, and they always will. My bank, which was
in the gutter, bleeding, and out cold. them (T1, digital, for switching between hope you can recognize my writing style across actually one dollar in negative balance, had the
Miraculously, he survived. exchanges, using HDSL as transport). editions of this magazine and figure out who I money spent on the knife back in my account,
If all of this sounds unsustainable, it am eyen though I’ve been writing under different and I was no longer in debt. But there's a catch.
This provided both redundancy and
is. And naturally, the company doesn’t pseudonyms. Now, let's get to the article. When you do an honest credit card dispute,
really want to invest much (if anything) spare capacity in the event of anticipated When someone fraudulently takes money you have to also, in good faith, make an effort to
in fixing problems because the network is hacker shenanigans (such as attempting out of your bank account, most of the time you resolve the issue with the merchant first. When
obsolete, They don’t make money selling to ring every telephone at Toorcamp at have almost nothing to worry about. The bank, the merchant won't help you, then you make a
traditional telephone service. All of the once). whoever that is to you, is required to keep your dispute. But I technically skipped the step of
money is in selling broadband these For local distribution, T1s were run to money safe. When your money goes missing, the trying to resolve the issue with the merchant
bank is never allowed to say “sucks to be you” and went straight to the bank. My bank was
days, which is not only unregulated, it multiplexers distributed throughout the
and then leave it at that. They have to insure your in negative balance. Afterwards it wasn’t. The
mostly relies on different technologies. camp, which were equipped with line money. Therefore, banks have these processes knife was partially functional. I just skipped
Fiber to the node is going in everywhere. cards (up to six per mux, supporting two called “disputes” that allow the customer to get the step of trying to resolve the issue with the
The way this works is that new, fiber- Tls in total). Each line card supported their money back when shit hits the fan. You see merchant. This is around when I realized what |
optic cable is run from the central office up to eight subscriber lines, which a fraudulent charge on your account, you make did was technically fraud. Whoops. Thankfully,
to each serving area interface, where a were then run over Category 5 cable a dispute with your bank, and if you're being nothing ever came of it, but I never did it again.
DSLAM and SIP gateway are installed. to distribution points throughout each honest, they will place the money back in your The merchant, however, is allowed to argue
The existing copper cabling is used account. the dispute and keep the money. If they don’t
camping area. From there, campers
for “last mile” connectivity to nearby This goes beyond unauthorized transactions. make a good argument or don’t respond fast
buildings. It sounds great in theory, but would run their own phone lines to If a merchant scams you, you can actually go to enough, the customer wins the dispute. Most
this plant is still decades old and has connect to the network. your bank and tell them that. If you order two banks follow this protocol.
been deteriorating as much as the rest Naturally, many of the same problems snacks at the vending machine but it only gives This happens all the time, where people
of the network (arguably even more), that occur in the real world occurred you one, you can go to your bank and tell them will do fraud without serious malicious intent.
so it’s a stop-gap solution at best. Then at Toorcamp. Splicing caused constant that. The bank has the option to side with you, Perhaps they did what I did, and just skipped
again, telecom executives seem to be headaches. Splices could get damp, or aton d thief yvoeu'nrdei ngb einmga chhionnees,t , bothuegyh t wiltl.w o Soc anI dwieesn,t as tesatle p frwoitmh mnyo iblla nikn;t enIt ijounsst. wMayn tegdo al myw asmno’tn eyto
tprreoaotfi ngt ecfhibneorl ogopyt ic thacta blweisl l asn evae r futwueraer- craocnctoaomnisn,a taendd cwointnhe ctdiirvti, tyo r woautltdac kbeed lobsyt bauntd oI nlrye ceionvee d chaamlef ofo utt.h e I mtoonled y myb ackb anikn to thmisy, bsakicpk . stPeeposp, lea ndw ille ndd isuppu tec omcmhairtgteisn gb y a acccriidmeen.t , Buotr
out or require maintenance, which is - potentially to large parts of camp. Power account. That’s when it hit me: I can steal with with my bank, there seems to be no chance of
completely inaccurate. The lifespan of could be interrupted (occasionally by this. If I can file a fraudulent dispute, I can get them siding with the merchant in a dispute. So
fiber optic cable is lower than that of campers unplugging network equipment away with not paying for shit. what's stopping me from consistently disputing
copper cabling! All of this stuff will need to run kitchen appliances). Aging There’s one specific bank, the one I bank charges, stealing from both the merchant and the
to be replaced in 30 years, if technology with, who will always side with the customer bank, a real 21st century heist?
hasn’t already passed us by prior to that. equipment sometimes failed under the when dealing with disputes. I'm not going to The Blacklist.
What’s the future? Well, right now, on extreme conditions. Fortunately, the say the name of the bank, but it’s one of the Not many people really know exactly how the
places like Shaw Island, it’s the present, HDSL equipment was equipped with largest banks in the United States. Let’s call it anti-fraud algorithms work except for the bank.
which is essentially the past. This will LEDs to monitor the state, and the Digital Dash National Bank. What this means But we all know that the algorithm isn’t stupid.
be among the last places to get much equipment was colocated with Shadytel is that when you file a dispute, nothing else There are certain things that we know will tip
additional investment. There’s not much operations. When a connection dropped, matters; They're on your side. My current love it off, like having a VPN or your zip code, but
here: a couple of convents, a community it was visibly evident: the LED would interest has family who actively does fraud with there are other times where the algorithm just
center, a ferry dock, a general store, turn red. Fortunately, copper theft was jDuisgti teanla blDeass h it. NTahtiiso nahla ppBeannsk allb etchaeu stei me.t he Peboapnlke swroomnegh. ow Amkonnogw s otthhaet r yotuh'irneg s, doitnhge saolmgeotrhiitnhgm
and some houses. It'll be far down the never the root cause; hackers are a realize that when you dispute a charge you get pays attention to your disputes, how often they
priority list. As beautiful as the place
friendly crowd. your money back, so people take advantage of happen, when they happen, and other pieces of
is, I really wonder what I’m even doing
And with that, it appears I have a new it. They would make huge purchases and then context about them. There’s really no perfect
here. nemesis: a squirrel. One has evidently dispute the charge. ratio to successfully do a fraudulent dispute. It’s
impA lemenmtoartei’ on, ofupne ratedo utbsyi dep hreakpsl anatt packed a splice enclosure full of nuts, cusI tofmoeurn d wheount I tbhoatu ghmty a pbaarntki allsyi debsr okweint h knitfhee tmoo rdeo fofr auad .g uessing game when your intention is
the ToorCamp hacker camp this year on and this is the root cause of the outage at a gas station. It broke the same day I bought “But Lee, you said your bank sides with
neighboring Orcas Island, was presented I'm dealing with. Have a happy and safe it. It was partially functional, enough that I still customers all of the time! How will they stop
by Shadytel. These folks show up and winter, don’t forget to check your tires, wanted to keep it. I went straight to my bank fraud? Why haven't they stopped your lover's
operate a virtual phone company, offering and let the gentle hum of a dial tone be to tell them that the merchant (the gas station) family?”
free landline telephone service allowing your spirit guide. I'll see you in the new sold me a broken product. The man on the other Well, even though they side with you, the
hackers to make phone calls from their year. end of the phone told me that they’re taking my algorithm can still figure out you're doing ee)
Pass 14 2600 Magazine 7 39:4 Page 15
( Once they finally catch on, risk analysis at the Scenario One: You go to Walmart in another (as sembly programs with no issues, They are I bought was just a few years ago from a pawn \
bank determines that you're a threat to them and town and buy a burner phone with cash. Then also common and easy to pocket and walk away shop. I got it cheap because they thought it was
other financial institutions, so they place your you walk to a cafe, log into your bank on the with (who reading this hasn't “found” a USB only a keyboard. This means that many today
social security number in a database I refer to burner phone, and purchase a brand new pair of drive somewhere and then found it later in their may not even recognize the system. So, set up
as The Blacklist. Other people also refer to it black Air Force Ones. Then, a day later on your pocket?). right next to my eight core i7 64GB RAM with
like that; I just like the dramatic effect of The main phone, you dispute the charge. Let's look at the retro. CDs and DVDs are two terabytes of storage space I have my one
Blacklist in italics. Once your SSN ends up in Boom, you're in the blacklist because the great: stable, easy to hide, hold a decent amount megahertz 64K RAM system with zero native
of data, but hard to rewrite. Meaning, in most storage.
the blacklist, you won't be able to get approved algorithm knew that you were up to no good, or
for a loan or a mortgage, and you won't be able you messed up somewhere, or some other reason cases, once your data is written, it might as Now, while many may see a gap, there
to set up bank accounts, You could end up in that on the incalculable list of reasons for why it got well be in stone. And yes, | know CD-RWs really isn’t. I have cartridges and devices I
database forever, and you're basically fucked flagged. Risk analysis deems you a threat, you exist, but honestly, I have had nothing but bad can plug into my C64 to attach to a LAN to
for life at that point, as no financial institution get blacklisted, and the credit bureaus write your experiences with these, and often by the third access disk image files on my server, or to get
will want you because they think you're going to name and SSN down somewhere. rewrite the data is so horrible that it might as onto my network to access BBS systems. I can
steal from them. Scenario Two: Your bank is in negative well be lost. This puts a barrier on data upkeep. communicate between systems with the proper
But wait, | mentioned floppy disks earlier. knowledge.
mosTth e likreelays onb echaeurs ef amtihelyy shuacscn'ets sfguoltltye n focoaluegdh t thies bcallaainmcien.g Yyoouu rd isfpouotde ntehvate r mecaalm e.yo u Thaete yaelsgtoerridtahym, tWihmaets, anobto utt he thlaermg?e st Caanm ounbet worf itstteonr ageto smpaacney, devAenldo peedv en- antdo dasye,l l p- eospylset emhsa vet hatd esaillgonwe d thaensde
anti-fraud algorithm, If I'm being honest, I don’t knew. Risk analysis deems you a threat, you get and a bit obscure to use (when was the last time older devices to work on modern devices. This
know the exact details of what they're doing, but blacklisted, and the credit bureaus write your you actually needed to use a floppy disk or means I can access and use my Commodore
it's definitely more than just disputing charges. name and SSN down somewhere. even found a system with a reader installed?). disk drives on that i7 system I mentioned earlier
Thankfully, I’m not in the blacklist, but I almost There’s no way to know if your dispute will And many of the older style disks are rather to read and write files if I don’t want to hook up
ended up in the blacklist one time and can no blacklist you or not, Once you're in, it’s hard to stable and built to last. The ones from the 90s the ole CRT monitor to see what | am doing.
longer bank with a separate major bank. I'm get out and your life will be very difficult from are often where quality was sacrificed on the Not good enough for you, you say? Lots of
lucky they didn’t sue me or press charges, but at there on out. altar of profits. However, while it will not auto people still have disk drives? How about going
that time they thought it was not a malicious act That said, the only time you should be worried launch, most systems with a drive can read even older and using cassette tapes? Needing
of fraud, but rather | had gotten scammed so it is if you're doing fraud. And if you do happen to them, and they still make and sell 3.5 inch USB to remember the counter on the tape to find the
makes sense why no action was taken. That’s not dispute a charge in good faith and the algorithm floppy drives. specific data needed, and it is slow! Worried
actually true, but I'd rather them think that it is flags it, you can always make a call to the right Well, wait a moment. Only as long as the about people getting files quickly? Yea, not
and then close my accoun t. people (“the right people ” being your bank) and disk was written in a compatible system on happening, they would need to take the tape,
Here are two real life scenarios: explain the situation to them. a compatible drive, can it be read. Anyone and then you may notice it is missing.
from the 8-bit or early 16-bit system days may Or go the Amstrad route and use the three
remember that those who used the same OS (say, inch disks, something I do not think were ever
CP/M) may not have been able to read disks on really used on IBM systems (which became
a different model system despite running the modern PCs), adding another layer of access
UM od ae Oe) same code. Sure, there are devices that could be obscurity to your security...
: always a challenge hiding something server into a wall to prevent access to it. But attached to increase compatibility, but can we So, by embracing the old in the age of the
sensitive that you might need quickly. Any hiding this meant when that server was dying (likely use this to our advantage? Yes, but even some new, I feel secure in my data since many do not
place involves a trade-off between security due to overheating due to lack of ventilation), systems back in the day could get around this. know how to use my data or even what to look
and access. Hide something in the sewer main it was frustrating and sad because these people But if we take it a step further, what if the for. Between the encrypted USB flash drive I
beneath your floor and it's secure, but good luck wuseerde taot rau n hitghhe ir rilsikv elofi holoods inogn , the system they dprhiyvseisc alwleyr e buinlott dciofmfepraetnitbllye? because they were oaplewna ys“ hokwee pd o onI acmcye ssp erthsiosn sttuof f”t hem edoiuta-,i n-I thfeee-l
gaentdt initg’ s teo asity, Htio dege t sotom ebtuht inhga rdilny yosuerc urseo.c k Thder awbeesrt to Bkuete p it’so uro uro wnve ryd evniacteusr e aansd haurmeaasn s restot riwcatnetd everL ets’osl d,t akteh e a onleosok bauti ltt hef orm otshte mpaospsuelsa,r nsoyts ttehme dreeltaetrivmeilny eds eciunrdei vidinu alm y outd atoaf. myWi lls tuftfh?is Nok.e epB uta
hiding places are easy to get to but tough to find. to ourselves. Today this can range from classes? The Commodore line of systems. Their I have a higher bar than many because of the
The do-it-yourself versions are known in the spy encryption programs to hiding a yellow floppy drives were wired differently (for instance, an obscurity of the mix of media I use.
trade as slicks - easy to slip something in, easy disk in an air vent in our bedrooms. But many IBM 3.5 inch disk drive could not be used in Want more proof that this is not a crazy
to slide it out.” - Michael Weston, Burn Notice, governments require encryption programs to the Amiga systems or the 1581 drive without idea? Until 2019, the United Staes Air Force
Season 2, Episode 9. register a public key with them in order to do modification because the pin outs were used eight inch floppy disks to control systems
As hackers, access is everything. If we can business in their country, and if you need to flee different), related to ICBMs, nuclear bombers, and tanker
get into it, or at it, we will. It is in our nature, quickly, you may not be able to get that disk out. In addition, accessing a disk in a lot of support, because the disks were stable and
And this isn’t always to cause millions of dollars But one thing that many people overlook is systems is easy. But while many of those in the required physical access to the media and drives
of damage by looking at something (also, fu compatibility with modern devices. I still have scene from the later years may or may not have to interact with, adding a level of protection
Sun Microsystems). I remember laughing when a512MB flash drive from college that used USB knowledge of DOS commands, how do you between those authorized to use the system
I first watched Freedom Downtime and seeing LO to connect to systems, and will still connect access drives on the Commodore? I am sure and those from outside it who should not have
the scene where the FedEx truck driver found to my USB 3.0-only desktop system. Again, we many of my fellow Boomer and Gen X hackers access but may want it. And per Lt. Col. Valerie
several cases of beer in a drop box, because have used this to our advantage (honey pot USB may remember the LOAD "*",8,1 command. Henderson, spokesperson for the U.S. Defense
they use the same combination on all their drop sticks left in parking lots, anyone?). But this And while you can look this command Department, “It still works.”
boxes, Funny and entertaining. means our tech can be plugged into a system up, again, the accessibility is not there. Not And yes, my Commodore can run Crysis,
On the other hand, I used to do tech support used by those we do not want to have access in everyone has a Commodore available. Not because I wrote a BASIC program and titled
for the Microsoft point of sale systems, and order for others to access it. I can still access many people would keep the old while they it “Crysis” just so I can answer “yes” to this
remember one customer that literally built their my late 90s/early 00s buggy C++ and Intel x86 move to the new. Heck, the first Commodore question,
Pa ge 16 2600 Ma g azine 39:4 Page 1 77
>
f Current Bulleti.n Board S ystems: How It’s Done * “S*ynncehtr)o ne(eta syB BSto ussoef twaanrde o(pewnw w.sosuyrcnec, hrmoo.re In* staMnutl tiM-eRseslaagy inCgh:a t: at the time of this writing> )
difficult to modify) there are over 100 boards that are connected
* Enigma 1/2 (enigma-bbs c to this instant messaging service. It works
by warmfuzzy
(excellent for the programming community) quite well and has been a boon for the
Of all the things I've loved and lost, I miss my * The Quantum Wormhole BBS: MeaTLoTioN, Code Pages: scene, however there is currently no secure
board the most, bbs.erb.pw:23(telnet) / 45022(ssh) * CP437/ANSI-BBS (around 250 or so usable communication capacity in the present
but now it is back online, and this corner of Echomail Nets (all the below networks use the “characters” out of 256 characters) version, To fix this gap in secure chat is
the net is mine, fresh binkp echomail protocol): iCE ANSI (an improved ANSI that offers a MeaTLoTioN's Matrix server which is end-
the speed is a thousand fold, my storage is * FSX (Fun Simple and eXperimental), 21:*, greater color selection in place of flashing to-end encrypted (riot .erb.pw).
even more, Avon, [email protected] colors) Fun Times:
I'm back in the scene, behold my 1337 system AgoraNet, 46:*, Accession, access@ UTP-8 (with foreign language support) * [Plhone [ijn [M]y [Plocket BBS:
is hardcore. wpharcyde.org ASCIL (plain and simple text based MeaTLoTioN’s BBS running off of his
- warmfuzzy Retronet, 80:*, necromaster, communications) Android phone Pimpbbs.erb.pw:18023
Hosting Benefits: Self-hosted systems (full retrone [email protected] Rarely used protocols: AVATAR, RIP (telnet) PIMP BBS: “No pocket fluff was
control) vs. vServers (cheap and reliable) vs. Whispernet, 316:*, crlmson, crimson@ Plain Old Telephone System: harmed in the making of this BBS.” -ML
dedicated servers (massive capacity and offsite phatstar.org * SEXPOTS: Synchronet External Plain Old File Servers: BBSes can now connect to file
reliability). Recommended home-based systems Sp0O0knet Echomail Network, 700:*, Telephone System. Allows you to receive servers through the TELNET-OUT function
are the “nano computers” which are very small s [email protected] connections from the POTS and redirect it available in modern BBS software. You
form-factor systems that you set up and leave * Fishingnet Echomail Network, 701:*, to any arbitrary Telnet BBS server, works on connect to your favorite BBS system, go
to run, vServers are available at ION [email protected] Linux and Windows. to the “file area,” select the server of your
recommended dedicated servers are available at The Investor’s Network, 702:*, crewmate, Connect your favorite RS-232 US Robotics choice, telnet with the push of a button to that
www.hetzner.com. With all of these hosting crewmate @ c rewmate.tech 56k v92 vEverything External Modem file server, and you're good to go. Systems
options, it is fully recommended that you use the * TQWnet, I MeaTLoTioN, [email protected] via Serial to USB 2.0 conversion cable. include Anonymous Archivers File Distro
Linux operating system, as it is more capable Art Groups: Blocktronics (b1 t ronics. Recommended cable; DTECH USB to RS232 Network (phatstar.org), Silent Partner
than the Windows or Mac alternatives. org), Impure (and others) (L6colo.rs/), and DB9 serial adapter cable 16 with FTDI Chip, FDN (phatstar.org) accessible from
Storage: HDD vs. SSD (SSD gives no speed an den.com (custom and stock artwork DB9 9 Pin USB 2.0 (a converter adapter with AAFDN, and ArchaicNet FDN (sysop@
advantage due to the limits in the Internet for a fai r fee) the FTDI chipset) which will cost you around warchaicbinary.net).
service.) “Toasters” are recommended; they ANSI Editors: PabloDraw (picoe.ca/ $20 USD for a 16 foot cable. Recommended Door Game Servers: You can now play
are HDD docking stations that look as if the wproducts/pablodraw/), Moebius modem: US Robotics 56k vEverything online games with thousands of others using
HDD is toast and the docking bay is the toaster. (blocktro github.io/moebius/), external serial modem which costs around a game server where people can log on to a
Recommended model is the “Sabrent 4-Bay USB and Mystic BBS’s Internal ANSI Editor $30 USD plus shipping from eBay.com. BBS, open the game server portal, and be
3.0 SATA 2.5/3.5" SSD/HDD docking station (mysticbbs.com) Connection Protocols: presented with many dozens or hundreds of
(DS-U3B4), which goes for around $100 USD. Modding Groups: PHATstar — Society * TELNET: plain text with no encryption, very games, having all those games in one spot to
Recommended HDDs are the Western Digital (phatstar.net), DoRE (Dreamland BBS), easy to “sniff” the traffic. It’s recommended play with fellow gamers on a single system.
RED NAS 5400 rpm drives. One thing to note Phenom Productions (phenomprod.com/) for speed, but should have no function to login BBSLink (bbslink.net) and DoorParty
with these drives is that they can get really hot Documentaries and Commentaries: to system functions or the sysop password (www.throwbackbbs.com/).
due to the density of the platters, so you may need * The BBS Documentary (www. could be sniffed. Quantum Radio: The scene’s Chiptunes
to buy a fan to cool down the several drives that bbsdocumentary.com/order/) ¢ SSH: commercial-grade cryptographic and Tracked Music streaming radio station
you should buy. The eight terabyte WD RED Back to the BBS Documentaries (erb.pw/ protocol. Can easily be added to Mystic BBS (radio.erb.pw/).
NAS drive is recommended, which will cost you ebttb) Al's Geek Lab YouTube also with a free crypto library. The Weekly MeaTup with MeaTLoTioN
aFraomuonud s $2S5y0s tUemSsD aonr d lesPse rsifo nyaolu itgieets :a deal. aTveaxiTlaabllke..n ews: Going Full-on Mad Retro aRlLtOerGnIatNi:v e fnoort nouns-eds tanvderayr d msuecthu,ps . buItt is isu seadn oonn FMruildtaiy-sR. elaMyR C Chaits a(ccMeRsCsi)b lea t f2r0o:m0 0 BBUSTeCs
Agency BBS: Avon, agency.bbs. (textalk.news ) , The Textmode PODcast to connect to the Doorparty door game server. that have the MRC BBS mod installed; this
wenz:23(telnet) / 2024(ssh) Textmode Magaz i n e (textmo d emag.com), RS-232/Serial: the protocol used by POTS works on all the major BBS software (www.
Black Flag BBS: Hawk, blackflag.acid. a future project that is on hold for the time modems going into the connecting computer. meat lotion.com).
oFirsghi:ng ne2t3 (teBlBnSe:t ) warmfuzzy, fishingnet. bTeeinlgn, etBBSguide.com: The central
location for a BBS system directory.
phatstar.org:7777(telnet)
* HyperNode BBS: MaxMouse, hy pernode. Client Software: NetRunner (www.
1S. net:23(telnet) “mysticbbs.com), SyncTerm (syncterm.
KANSIT WHQ_ BBS: crimson, wha. bbsdev.net), mTelnet (no link)
wkansit.com:23(telnet) / 22000(ssh) Server Software: (all of the below software
* Necronomicon BBS: necromaster, suites work on both Linux and Windows +
© “Raniedcerrso bbs.dIdncn.s .net:B2B3S(:t elnet)c rlmson, My¢ stiMcy’sst icA RM BBS (www.mysticbbs.com) SMe Ome awe Te ML
(straightforward configuration and most
vintagebbsing.com:1337(telnet)
ss BBS: StackFault, bbs. modable). Recommended for most users in the editorial (‘Inconvenient Truths")
wbotton ssabyss.net:2023 (telnet) as it is basically plug and play with easy
/ 2222(ssh) configuration
Pape 18 2600 Magazine