2600: The Hacker Quarterly (Volume 2, Number 2, February 1985)

8/9/2019 2600: The Hacker Quarterly (Volume 2, Number 2, February 1985)

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IN THIS ISSUEACRONYM LIST260088SCOSMOS EXPLORATIONBLUE BOXES FEBRUARY, 1985RASHING2600!6()() I!I published b . 2600 Enleqmses. Inc . an C ' ~ f 1 l O 5 y n a r y organlllltlOnSubscription rdtes S 10- I ..ear. S5 months. SI per back ISSUC. ,Overseas: SU.5Q. I year VOLUME TWO, NUMBER TWOLIfetime subscnpuon: $260. Corporate sponsorshiP: $2tJOOWnl< to. !6OO. Ilo.' 752. Moddle bland. "Y 11953.,752. D .I: 5167512600. 811S. 2013604431 ISS". 074'l-385 I

THE THEORY OF 'BLUE BOXING'their history, how they're used, their futureAfter most neophyte phreaks overcome their fascination with Metrocodes

and W ATS extenders. they will usually seek to explore otheravenues in the vastphone network. O ften. they will come across references such as sirriplydial KP +213080 1050 +ST for the Alliance teleconferencing system in LA.' Numbers suchas the one above were intended to be used with a blue box: this article willexplain the fundamental principles of the fine ar t of blue boxing.GenesisIn the begining. all long distance calls were connected m anually by operatorswho passed on the called number verbally to other operators in series. This isbecause pulse (aka rotary) digits are created by causing breaks in the OC current.Since long distance calls require routing through various switching equipmentand AC voice amplifiers. pulse dialing cannot be used to send the destinationnumber to the end local office (CO).Eventually. the demand for faster and more efficient long distance (LD)service caused Bell to make a multi-billion dollar decision. They had to create asignaling system that could be used on the LD network. Basically. they had twooptions: (I ) to send all the signaling and supervisory information (ie. ON andOF F HOOK) over separate data links. This type of signaling is referred to asout-of-band signaling. or (2 ) to send all the signaling information alongwith theconversation using tones to represent digits. This type of signaling is referred toas in-band signaling. Being the cheap bastards that they naturally are. Bell chosethe latter (and cheaper) method- in-band signaling. They eventually regrettedthis. though (heh. heh). In-Band SilJlllling Principles

When a subscriber dials a telephone number. whether in rotary or touchtone(aka DTFM). the equipment in the CO interprets the digits and looks for aconvenient trunk line to send the call on tts wav. In the case of a local call. it willprobahly be sent viaan inter-office trunk: otheiwise. it will be sent to a toll office(class 4 or higher) to be processed.

When trunks are not being used there is a 2600 HI tone on the line: thus to finda free trunk. the CO equipment Simply checks for the presence of 2600 Hz. If itdoesn't find a free trunk the custllmer will recei\e a re-order signal (120 IPMbusy signal) orthe 'all circuits are b u s ~ .. " message. I it does find a free trunk. it'seizes' it-removing the 2fl()() HI. It then sends the called number or a specialrouting code to the other end or to II ottlce

The tones it uses to send thIS Inlormation are called multi-frequency (MF)tones. An MF tone consists of t"'o tones from a set of six mastertoneswhich arecombined to produce 12 separate tones. You can sometimes hear these tones inthe backgrQund when you make a call. but they are usually liltered out so yourdelicate ears cannot hear them. These are not the same as touchtones. To notifythe equipment at the tar end of the trunk that it IS about 10 receive routinginformation. the origin ating end first sends a Key PulsdKP) tone. At the end ofsending the digits. the originating end then sends a STart (ST) tone. Thus to call914-359-1517. the equipment would send KP + 9143591517 + ST in M F IOnes.When the customer hangs up. 2600 HI IS once again sent 10 Slgnlty a dist:onnectto the distant end. HistoryIn the November 1960 issue of the Bell System TechntcalJournal. an articleentitled 'Signaling Systems for Control of Telephone SwitChing' was published.This journal. which was sent to most univep;ity libraries. happened to containthe actual MF tones used In signaling. They appeared as follo",s:DIGIT ................... TONES

I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 + 900 HZ 2 . . . . . . . . 700 + 1100 HZ J .................... 900 + 1100 HZ 4 . . . . . . . . . 700 + 1388 HZ5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900 + 1388 HZ(, . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1100 + 1388 HZ7 ............ 700 + 1500 HZ 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 900 + 1500 HZ 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1100 + 1500 HZo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1300 + 1500 HZKP ............. 1100 + 1700 HZST . . . . . . . . . 1500 + 1700 HZII (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 + 1700 HZ12 (*) 900 + 1700 HZKP2I*) ....... 1300 + 1700 HZ1*) l'sed only on (,ClTT SYSTEM 5 for specialinternational calling.

Bell caught wind of blue boxing in 1961. when it caught a Washington StateCollege student using one. They originally found ou t about blue boxes throUl!hpolice raids and informants. In 1964. Bell Labs came up with scanning equipment. which recorded all suspicious calls. to detect blue box usage. These unitswere il1litalled inCO's where major toll fraud existed. AT&T security would thenlisten to the tapes to see if any toll fraud was actually committed. Over 200convictions resulted from the project. Surprisingly enough. blue boxing is no tsolely limited to the electronics enthusiast: AT&:T has caught businessmen. filmstars. college students. doctors. lawyers. high school students. and even amillionaire financier (Bernard Cornfield) using the device. AT&:T also said thatnearly half of those that they catch are businessmen.To use a blue box. one would usually make a free call to any 800 number or

distant directory assistance (NPA-555-1212). This. of course. is legitimate.When the call is answered. one wnllid then s",iftly press the button that wouldsend 2600 Hz down the line. I hiS has the effect of making the distant COequipment think that the call was terminated. and it leaves the tnmk hanging.Now. the user has about 10 seconds to enter in the telephone number he wishedto dial-in MF. that is. The COequiprnent merely assumes that this carne fromanother office and it will happily process the call. Since there are no records(except on toll fraud detection devices!) of these MF tones. the user is Rot billedfor the call. When the user hangs up. the CO equipment simply records that hehung up on a free call. DetectionBell has had 20 years to work on detection devices: therefore. in this day andage. they are rather well refined. BaSically. the detecti on device will look for thepresence 01'2600 HI where it does not belong. It then records the calling numberand all activity after the 2600 Hz. If you happen to beata fortress f9ne. though.and you make the call short. your chances of getting caught are significantlyreduced. Incidentall\'. there have been rumors of certain test numbers that hookinto trunks thus avoid ing the need for 2600 HI and detection!

Another way that Bell catche, boxers is to examine the C AMA (CentralizedAutomatic Message Accounting) tapes. When you make a call. your number.the called number. and time of d a ~ ar e all recorded. The same thing happens'" hen you hang up. This tape is then processed for billing purposes. Normally. alltree calls are ignored. But Bell can program the billing equipment to mak e noteof lengthy calls to directory assistance. rhey can then put a pen register lakaD"IR) on the line or an actual full-blown tap.-This detection can be avoided bymaking short-haul (aka local) calls to box of f of.It IS interesting to note that NPA + 555-1212 originally did not return answer'iupervision. rhus the cal" were not recorded on the AM A CAMA tapes.A T& r changed thi, though for 'traffic studies"('CIS

Besides detection dey ices. Bell has hegun to gradually redesign the netwo rkuSing out-of-hand "gnallng. ThIS is knl""n as Common Channel I n t e r ~ f f i c e Signaling(CCIS). Since thi' S1gnaltng method sends all the signaling inf ormat ionover separate data lines. hlue boxing is impossible under it.While being implemented gradually. this multi-billion dollar project is stillstrangling the line art of blue boxing. Of course until the project is IOtallycomplete. boxing will still be possible. It IIL though. In areas with CCIS. one must lind a directoryassistance offlice that doesn't have CCIS vet. Area codes in Canada andpredominantlv rural states are the best bets: W ATS numbers terminating innon-CnS cities are also good prospect..Pink Noise

Another "'av that may help to avoid detection is to add some 'pink noise' tothe 2600 HI toneSince 2600 HI tones can be simulated in speech. the detection equipment mustbe careful not to miSinterpret speech as a disconne ct signal. Thus a virtually pure2600 HI tone is required for disconnect.Keeping thIS in mind. the 2fl()() HI detection equipment is also probablylooking for pure 2600 HI or else it would he triggered eve", time someone hitthat note (highest E nn a plano =26.17 HI). This IS also the reason that the 2000HI tone must be sent rapid Iv: sometimes. it 1II


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trashing alaska style by The Gel Guy dumpster with a look of triumph in his eyes.We left that Friday night with no idea that we would end up at ourlocal CO. A group of computer enthusiasts and I usually go cruise andlook for trouble in our car properly named The Lead Sled. It is namedthis because it is an extremely old Monte Carlo that is painted fivedifferent shades of gray.

fhere was nothing happening on the local drag and that is when Iremembered something I had seen on a BBS the night before."Let's go trashing," I said with hopes ofan answer. But alii got was agrumble from the back seat and a question thrown at me from thed river. I explained to them what trashing was and the whole car seemedto like the idea of looking through someone else's garbage, especiallyour local CO's.Now the thing that I really hate about our CO is that they have a'mas cot' color, baby blue. They paint their repair trucks, representatives, and main building all this same color.We carefully turned the engine off when we approached the babyblue monster and coasted behind a group of trees. We had to run abouta mile to the dumpsters and I think tha t this was our biggest mistake.But what can you expect from first time trashers?

The CO has a 'protective' fence around their lot. So we picked asmall, thin phreaker to slide under the gate. He then dived into the

We waited for him to emerge with a bag when suddenly a man inbaby blue overalls appeared. I yelled for everyone to blow and that'swhat we did. The skinny phreaker slid under the fence and we werehistory.I ran fast, the fastest I think I ever ran. But with the CO's securityguards afte r you, you had to. We ran back to the Sled but found tha t itwas surrounded by men in baby blue overalls. This is where we madeanother mistake-we split up, hoping that maybe we wouldn't be

caught if we weren't a large group."They've been caught!"was the only thing that ran through my mindas I ran for an abandoned shopping mall. Me and about two otherphreakers hid out there for about two hours until we thought the coastwas clear. But we were wrong.As we were making our way back to the Sled, we were stopped by asecurity guard who asked us alot of questions. Luckily we were able toB.S. him. But when we got back to the Sled, it was gone.I panicked. No Sled, no ride, and no trash. Then suddenly I heard ahonk and it was the Sled.Since that unfortunate experience we have made countless trips tothe CO and have retrieved bags and bags of trash. Learn by yourmistakes.

SURVEYING THE COSMOS by FiremongerCOSMOS is Bell's computer for handling infornation oncustomer lines, special services on lines, and orders to changeline equipment, disconnect lines, etc. COSMOS stands forComputerized System for Mainframe Operations. It is basedon the UNIX operating system and, depending upon theCOSMOS and upon your access, has some, many, or no UNIXstandard commands. COSMOS is powerful, but there is noreason to be afraid of it. This article will give some of the basic,pertinent info on how users get in, account format, and a fewother goodies. Password IdentificationTo get onto COSMOS you need a dialup, account, password,and wire center (WC). Wire centers are two letter codes that tellwhat section of the COSMOS you are in. There are differentWC's for different areas and groups of exchanges. Examplesare PD, SR, LK, etc. Sometimes there are accounts that have nopassword; obviously such accounts are the easiest to hack.Checking It OutLet's suppose you have a COSMOS number which youobtained one way or another. The first thing to do would be tomake sure it is really a COSMOS system, not some other Bell orAT&T computer. To do this, you would call it and connectyour modem, then hit some returns until you got a response. Itshould say: ';LOG IN:' or 'NAM E: '. If you enter some garbagehere it should say: 'PASSWORD:'. If you hit a return and itsays 'WC!', it is a COSMOS system. If it says something like'TA%' then you're in business. If it doesn't do any of the above,then it is either some other kind of system, or, if you're notgetting anything at all, the dialup has probably gone bad.Getting InCOSMOS has certain accounts that are usually on thesystem, one of which might not have a password. They consistof ROOT (most powerful and almost always on the system),SYS (second most powerful, still many privileges), BIN (a littleless power), PREOP (a little less), and COSMOS (hardly anyprivileges, like a normal user). The way to tell if they havepasswords is by entering the accounts at the ';LOGIN:' or'NAME:'prompt,and ifitjumps staight to 'WC! ',al l you needis a WC to get in. But suppose all of the accounts havepasswords? YoU" have two choices. You can try to hack the

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password and WC to one of the above accounts. I won't dealwith this method, as it is self explanatory. Or you can dosomething I find much easier-call the COSMOS duringbusiness hours and hope that someone forgot to log off. Keepcalling until when you connect and hit return until you get a'WOfo' prompt. 'WC' is the WC that the account you found iscurrently in. You are now in!What to Do While OnlineThe first thing you want to do is write down the WC you arein. The command 'WCFLDS'(!) should list all WC's. On yourfirst login it is a good idea to print everything or dumpeverything to a buffer. 'WHO' should print everyone currentlylogged on the system, giving some accounts. 'TTY' tells whatterminal port you are on. 'WHERE' should tell the location ofthe COSMOS installation. 'WHAT' tells what version ofCOSNIX, COSMOS' operating system, it is. 'LS ' prints allthe files you have access to. 'CD / dir'connects you to directory'dir'. 'Cat I filename' prints file 'filename '. Typing the name of afile runs it. 'ED filename' edits file 'filename'. 'Q ' quits theeditor. If you've got privileges, you can try to print thepassword file. To do this, type 'CAT I ETC; PASSWD'. If youhave access, it will print the password file out. The passwordsare almost always encrypted, but you get a list of all theaccounts. I f you are lucky, one ofthe lines will have two colonsafter the account name. This means there is no prompt from the';LOGIN:'or'1\JAME:'prompts when you enter that account. Ifyou can't print out the password file, you're going to have tohack a password for an account or call again until you get in theway described above. To logoff, type CTRL-Y. 'TAT'sometimes print a little help file. To do a check on sometelephone line, type 'ISH' at the COSMOS 'WC%' prompt.Then type'HTN XXX-XXXX'(J-1untTelephone 1\Jumber)totell you about the local number you are interested in. When thesystem gives you a ' - ' , you typea '.', and it will type all kinds ofinfo on the phone number you entered (in Bell abbreviations, ofcourse). If it is not a good exchange, it will say something to thateffect. You type a period to end the ISH.If you wish to learn more information about COSMOS, findyourself a COSMOS manual or look at future issues of 2600. AUNIX manual would also be helpful for standard UNIXcommands.


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Phreak RoundupsUnited Press InternationalThree teen-age computer experts face charges that they used their homecomputers to cheat telephone companies out of hundreds of thousands ofdollars of service.Officials of lllinois Bell Telephone Company, who have not finished addingup their losses, speculate the youths began by tapp ing into long-distance lines oflocal businesses. From there. they started using computers to bypass telephonebilling systerilS.

The youths also raided the American Telephone and Telegraph Company'steleconferencing network [watch futu re issues for stories on this], permitting upto 59 parties to communicate, as well as other long distance carriers.The young computer experts, all 15 years old, face juvenile theft charges.

Court hearings are scheduled to begin next month.Toronto Globe and MallSeven St. Thomas teenagers have been arrested in Bell Canada's crackdownon the hundreds of Ontario computer buffs who use an illegal softwear [ sic]program to place long-distance pho ne calls for free.

The teenagers, two of whom are juveniles, were charged last week with theft oftelecommunic ations services, and possession of illegal equipment. Police raidedtheir homes and seized computers and softwear valued at $7,000. Unpaid ph onecalls were placed to points as far away as Florida, police said. In Windsor,Ontario, police charged four youths with telecommunications theft early inJanuary. In December, five University of Waterloo students received absolutedischarges after a judge found them guilty of the offense.All of the charges were laid after compl aints from Bell Canada, which is ableto detect and identify telephone pirates with its own computer equipment. ~ W e want people to know that there are ways and means of finding out who'scircumventing the tolls," said Superintendent William Lawson of the St.Thomas police.

The illegal sof twear is a low-i:ost, high-t echnology version of the "blue boxes"built by electronic hobbyists in the sixties [and described in full on page 2-7]. ~ I t ' s a relatively new pl1enomenon." said James McPeak , a Bell Canada spokesman.~ T h e s e kids don \ know what they're doing. They think it is fun to beat the phonecompany"TRW Breached By Non-HackersLong Island N C \ \ ~ a y

The records of TR W Information Services, which says it holds credit data on120million Americans. have been invaded and compromised on a far-reachingscale by adult criminals --not just a handful of teenage hackers according tolaw enforcement officials.

On Long Island alone, nearly 30.000 TR W reports were allegedly pilfered byphone in 1982, a figure based on discrepancies in billings between TRW and twobanks, a consumer loan firm and two department stores. While three creditcollection agencies were separately suspected in the thefts, only one- said to beresponsible for the theft of 3,000 reports-will be prosecuted, law enforcementsources said.The FBI is continuing the investigation. it has been learned, and indictmentsare said to be imminent.The collection agency is reported to have used its pilfered data to locate assets

of debtors it had been hired to investigate. 'They [the collection agencyintruders1had a right to subscribe; they just chose to steal t h service."said TR Wspokeswoman Delia Fernandez. A spokesman for one of the :'>lew York-baseddepartment store, said his firm had received refunds of about $10.000 fromTR W because its password had been used by unauthorized individuals.

This Month's Mischief and MayhemL o ~ Angele!o Time!.A series of phony University of Southern California degrees may have beensold for up to $25.000 each and backed by transcripts illegally placed in theschool's computer system.Thirty USC studenb are already under investigation for allegedly paying tohave unauthori7ed grade changes made on their transcripts. "Our investigationhas widened beyond grade changes." lISC Vice Provost Sylvia Manning said."We are now investigating the possibility that someone may have created entiretranscripts as well."

Fans trying to call television star Tom Selleck to wish him a happy birthdayreached a Honolulu morgue instead after a Boston radio station announced thewrong phone number.The snafu started when d isc jockeys of WROR-FM came up with the idea of

having their listeners call Selleck in Hawaii and congratulate him on his 40thbirthday. The DJ's called directory assistance for Selleck's home phone numberbut were apparently given the number for the Honolulu medical examiner'soffice. By Wednesday afternoon, the medical examiner's office reportedreceiving mor e than 1,000 calls.~ T h e office was out of control," said Joyce Fujimoto, morgue attendant.~ W h e n people found ou t it was the medical examine r's office, they thOUght To mSelleck had expired . All these hysterical girls kept calling .. there were males,too."

On Friday, Lorna Ozmon, WROR program director, read a statement on theair apologizing for the confusion and saying listeners would be reimbursed forany calls made to the Honolulu number on January 29.ASSOCiated PressBecause of a computer mix-up, the Middle Atlantic district office of theInternal Revenue Service has lost the records of more than $300 million inpayroll withholding tax payments made by about 10.000 companies last fall.

The businesses have been told by compute r-gener ated notices from the I.R.S.that their property and bank accounts will be seized if they do not make thepayments within 10 days. The companies are gathering official records of banktransfers to the government so they can convince the I.R.S. that they havealready paid.

An I.R.S. spokesman said the agency was trying to reconcile Its recordsmanually.The New York TimesPlain brown envelop es full of$IOO bills are turning up in residents' mailboxesin central Florida, according to Federal agents, who say the money iscounterfeit.

"The bills are all being mailed ou t of Inglewood, California," said Donald A.Stebbins. of the Orlando office of the United States Secret Service. "Theycontain no advertising literature, no note, no return address, nothing!"2600 Bulletin Board Onlinel600 N .. . SerYIct2600 Enterprises, Inc. now has an official computer bulletin board system(BBS) operating 24 hours a day, 7 daysa week. Operatinlout of New Jersey, theboard is called The Private Sector. Hobbyists from allover the country use thesystem to converse on telecommunications toples. Now, subscribers and nonsubscribers will be able to send articles, letters, or questions to 2600 instantly.

The system supports300 and 1200 baud. At present, the maximum length perarticle sent t02600 is 100 lines. At command level, users can type "2600" to enterthis section. The access number is 2013664431.According to 2600 co-founder Richard Petrovicht the bulletinboard is partora steady expansion. "We recently acquire d 5167512600as the2600 Hotline. Nowwith tbe board, we'l improve and add to our communications even more. Andthat's not the end. We'Fe looking into all kinds of networking possibilitiesoverseas bureaus, that kind of thing. What's closest on the horizon richt nowthough is ou r plan for a publishing center for lengthy articles and tutorials onphones and computers, phreaking and hacking. We've found quite a fewtalented writers and this would be a way for them to have theil words read infull."Full details on the publishing/distribution center will be anounced in tbefuture, Interested writers are urged to call us. Donations will, of course, makethings happen faster.

"We have every intention of becomingas big as Exxon," Petrovich said .. Andthink what thllt could mean to the hackers of the world. "AT&T Keeps "800" Data To ItselfThe judge who ordered the breakup of American Telephone and TelegraphCo. has ruled that AT&T does not have to share its sophisticated 800 databasewith the competition.U.S. District Judge Harold H. Greene has turned down a request from theJustice Department asking that portions of AT&T's "Common ChannelInteroffice Signalling" data be made available to other phone companies. new

and old. until they can develop their own systems.All telephone companies are entitle d to use the 800 prefix on phone numbersdesignated for calls paid for by the receiver.In 1981 AT&T developed a more sophisticated system so that numbers in thesecond "field" - . the three afterthe 800 prefix {;ould be any three numbers andthe computer would still be able to find the right p hone in the right city to ring.This allows for numbers with verbal significance. like 800-CAR-RENT.The non-AT&T companies are using a less sophisticated database whichdoesn't have all of the extras of the AT&T system.

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~ I " I I I rlOM YOtJ Dear 2600:I recently got a notice in the mail from Mountain Bell. Meand 4 other guys roomed together in this apartment and oneskipped town after he disconnected his phone. Hedidn't pay hisfinal bill, so Ma Bell is threatening to have our phones cut offbecause of what he did.The lady at Ma Bell says it's cause this guy left his final billingaddress as ours, so as far as Ma Bell's concerned, he still liveshere and gets phone service by using our phones. Can youbelieve it?!! Mad as HellP.S. We are now having to pay $20 a month extra to keep ourphones connected. People! If you're living with someone andare going to disconnect your fone, give Bell a fakeJinal billingaddress so this doesn't happen to you!Dear Mad:

It would be amusing if someone were to give a largecorporation's address as their final billing address. Theoretically, everybody there would get a threat similar to yours.Realistically, it probably isn't quite that easy. But this isnothing new for telephone companies. We've heard manysimilar stories and a good deal of them have to do with collegestudents. The telephone company gets away with murder whenit comes to dealing with students in dormitories.Dear 2600:My alias is The Crazy Man. I run the board called ThePhreak Show. It can be reached at 3039797992.Your magazineis a kick in the ass. Keep up the good work!Dear 2600:Please help me settle something I've long wondered about.Do telephone employees get free phone service or discounts ontheir phone bill?

SJDearSJ:From what we've been able to find out, free telephone serviceis given to management employees and also to those employeesthat have been around for thirty years or longer. Usually there'sa usage allowance of around $35 which includes service chargesand local calls. Any charges above that allowance get billed tothe employee. Anyone who works for the phone company formore than six months is entitled to a 50 percent discount. Theserules, though, probably vary greatly throughout the country.Dear 2600:I recently purchased a TI -99/4A console. I am having troubleproducing multi-frequency hertz tones in BASIC. Could youhelp me? Another HackerBinghamton, NYDear 2600:As a novice hacker I have a great deal to learn. I have recentlypurchased an Apple Cat and am currently using "Joshua" forcarrier detection and retrieval.My question is: "What do I do now?"Is there software or hardware available to hack thepasswords and 10 numbers or does one just connect and playmusical fingers on the keyboard until you get lucky?Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! KCScottsdale, AZDear Folks:There are many many programs out there to do just what youwant to do. Unfortunately, we don't have programs for thesespecific computers. But we know many of our readers do. Wehope to receive programs in the future so that we can printlistings. In the meantime, musical fingers is a method that has

proven effective in the past and is still known to work more than a few times. Dear 2600: To start out I would like to say thank you. I have been getting

2600 for a year almost. I stopped phreaking about 8 monthsago. At one point in my life phreaking was very important. So ifyou guys need any info let me know. I will try and get it for you.Anyways here is a real short story. I was talking with my dadabout a year ago when I got into all this stuff. He told me to becareful and watch what I was doing. Then he told me about thisnew way in which it would make it impossible for someone likeyou or me to use another person's Sprint code. This would be tomake a device that would change the code each and every timeyou called the number. Your device would make up half and therest would give you the other half of the code.Do you know about any books or other good sources forphreaking information? I f so, please let me know. I am doing areport for my history class.00 you have any info on the NSA? Also could you somehowlet me know about boxes? Do you know or .have any goodphreaking board numbers? I feel like a fool asking you for all

this stuff. But for now, you are the only ones who can help meout.Also, if you want info on companies like AT&T, ITT, etc.,just let me know. I would just send it all but that would be onehell of a pile. DBSan Jose, CADear DB:Almost all ofwhat you're looking for can be found right herein2600. We have an article on blue boxes this month and in thepast we've focused on other kinds. Wfre also constantlyprinting titles of reference materials. There's no reason to feellike a clown for asking questions. Just think of all the otherswho don't. You've actually heard of the NSA! And you don'tseem to think it's another soccer league, as many do. (Well havelots of info about them soon.)The device you mentioned sounds interesting. But howwould your little device know which numbers to spit out to themain computer? Also, how would it stop hackers from guessinga one-time code anyway?As far as info on other companies, please send it. We get a lotof mail and we read all of it. All of the information we get iseventually conveyed to ou r readership, so everybody benefits.Dear 2600:How can I make calls to ships at sea?Do they each have theirown phone number? Is there a directory? JamesDear James:We went right to the folks at AT&T on this one. Here is theirreply: "The procedure for placing long distance calls to ships onthe high seas are handled in the following manner. [sic] Youfirst must dial the operator and ask to be connected to the highseas operator. The only information you have to provide is thename of the ship and a call letter. The high seas operator thensignals the ship. It sometimes takes hours for the ship to returnthe call. When the ship operator reaches the high seas operator,the call is then connected to the original caller. All calls going toships on the high seas must be placed thisway-calls cannot bedirectly dialed. There is at this time no printed list indicatingship 10 numbers or ocean codes."As always, 2600 will be more than happy to compile such alist. Keep in mind, also, that failed attempts at reaching a ship(real or imagined) don't cost anything but time.

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The 2600 Information Bureau ACRONYM LIST - Directory Assistance!iC cOlguterized, '" - "icrof- Digital Access Cross Connect Systel------- A-------- - Digital Over VoiceABHe - Aver aoe Busy- Hour Call s . - Digita! Over VIDeo9 ~ V - Attendant Busr Verification - Da{a Comtunications EquiplentHLD - A ~ t o r n a t i c Cal Distributing system Dimension Custom T e l ~ p h o n e ServiceACS - Advanced Communications Srstea - Direct [;stance DialingACTS - Autotatic Coin Telephone Service - D ~ t a p h o n e Digital ServiceACU - Alarm Control Unit - Distributed Data eXchangeAD:! - A u t o ~ a t i c Display Call Indicator - I ~ a g n e t i c l Dram Information Asselbler I DispatcherAnc - Advanced ~ a t a Processing - Defense Autolatic Intearated System

A R ~ - Autclatic VOice System - Direct InMard Dialing ~ 5 i - Asumaetric Data eXchange - Distributed Inforlatlon SystelAFRDS - Auiomatic Force Adjustment Data Systea - Data In VoiceAIC - Automatic Intercept Center - D i ~ l Lon" Line equiplentAIQD - A u t o f f i a t t ~ id?ntiflcation D u t ~ a r d Dialing - D'iueic ~ o n - H i e r a r c h i c a l RoutingAIo - AUtOma.ll .ntercept Systes - Dialed Numbef RecorderAM A - Automatic Message Accounting . - Data Network Identification CodeAMARC - Hutomatic Message Account!ng Recording Center - Dvnamic Overload Control' M P ~ - Advanced Mobile Telephone Service - Di"l Pulse~ W C - All Number Callin" - Direct:Jnal Reservation Equipment~ ~ { F - ""tr.." t - N"ilIher ~ o r ~ a r d i " ' 9 - Dial System ASSistanceANI - ~ ~ t ; ; ~ t ; ~ ~ ~ m ' e ~ ~ d e n t i f i ~ a t i o n - Direct'Station Selection lor Digital Switching SystemAI: Points Data T e r m i n a t l n ~ E q J i p ~ e n t4 R P A ~ E T - ~ d v a n c e d Research Projects Agency Network - D ~ a l T Q ~ e F ~ r ~ t payphcneARQ - Automatic Repeat reQuest - DIrect :rl.Jir: b ~ O U pA"A Autoffiatlc Trbuble Analysis - Dual Tace M ~ l t l FrequEncvATM A ~ t c f f i a t i c Teller Machihe - Domestic T r a n s ~ i s i o n SvslelAiR - Alternate T r ~ n \ RoutIng - D a t ~ ~ n ~ r VoiceATT - A ~ e r i c a n Telephone and Telegraph - D e s ~ i n a t i o n VocoderArTIS - ~ ~ e r i c a ~ Telephone and Telegraph Information Systems - Digital yoice eXchangeA U T G ~ ~ N - AUTOmat!c VOite Netewcrk . 4CTOD!N- AUTDlatic DIgital Network - E ~ g i n e e r i n Q and Adminisfrative Data AcquiSition Syste------- B ------ - Extended Afea Servicelor Engineering Admin. Systel!Rrp - Byte C o n t r D l l e ~ Prctocals - E x t e n d ~ d Binary Coded Decimal Interchange CodeBDT - BllliGg Data Transmitter - Electronically Controlled A u t o ~ a t i c Switching SystelBELCORE- BELL C O m l 1 l ~ n i c a t i o ~ s REsearch - Electronic C ~ ~ i u r i t y Dial OfficeBHC - peak Busy H ~ u r Calls . - Electrcnic Central OfficeBles - B ~ i l d i n g Industry ConSulting Services - Electronic Communications SystelsB!DC - Break Into Other Computers - Electroni: Data Trans3issioh Central CommunicationsHIS - Business I n f o r ~ a t i o ~ Svstel - Electronic Funds TransferB ~ F - Bj5V lllE Field . - End ~ a r ~ e d NetKorkBD - B u s ~ Cverr:de - ~ l e c t r o n i [ MessagE SystemBDC Bell G ~ e r a t i n g Company. . - tnd Otf:ceEORSCHT- Battery, Overvoltage, ~ l n g l ~ g , S u ~ E r ~ l s l a n , CodIng, - E ~ d DfficE Tal! TrunkingHybrid. ~ ~ d Teltlng lnG, 1 ~ : d ~ t mate thiS one uP! - Electronic Systems Assistance Center - Btis!ne;s QttlCe ~ u p e r v l s o r - Equal Access Acces; Service Date - Bell P o i ~ t Cf Contact - Emergency Ser1iceBureau 1911 exchangel- B ~ n a r v S v [ h ( o n o ~ s C o ~ m u n l c a t i o n - E l e c ~ r c ~ l c S ~ i t : h l ~ " System- B ~ s i n ~ ; s ' S e r v l c e Instructor - tt.per!mental Solid State EXchange- Bell Systere PractiCES - Electronlc Toll Fraud Device- Bell T e l e p ~ o n e Laboratories - Electronic Translation System. ------- C------- - Electron:: V ( l l C : _ : ~ : ~ ~ n ~ e ______ _cAMA - Centralized Automatic Message Accounting~ I S - CrossBar Switshina .. . - F o ~ i e " ~ Area Customer Dialingt - Full .CCESS Network~ E S F = ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~ ~ ~ s l g ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t l ~ ~ e t ~ r d l - F c r i e ~ n Area Translation .SCI - Computer Carrier Interupt . . - Frequency DIVISion MultipleXingrryc - ~ Q I m O r r ~ a n n 2 1 InteroffIce SIgnalIng - Freeze rra]E Systels~ E j f ~ - I n t e r ~ d t l : n a ! T e l e p ~ a D e and. Telegraph C c n s u ~ t i v e - Field ReplacabJ2 UnitsC 2 f f i ~ l t t e e (In trench) - FrequencV Shift Pulsing- ~ i n a ! T r u ~ k G r Q ~ p-~ ~ ~ f ~ ; 3 ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ! : ~ , r r [ ~ f ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ a ~ ~ ~ ; e G t - Federal r e l e ~ h : n e S y s t e ~ - F o r l e ~ ~ e X c ~ ~ ~ ; 2 : C i ! i f ~ ~ : . : ~ ' ; ' :'iial Sf-fiee - - - - - - - - b - - - - - - - = C 0 ~ J n E j J i p ~ e n ~ Voltage Indicatar G ~ E - Genera: ~ e ! e D ~ J n e Electronics- :::0 First gayphcne ------- ------- = J ; ~ J f f i e r I ~ f o ~ m a t l c n Control S y s t e ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ! c 6 ! t ~ i r ~ ~ ~ ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ D I= ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t a ~ ~ c ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - Hcie N u m b e r ~ n ; Fla" Area- : e ~ t r ~ l i Z 2 ~ MessaQe DistrIbution - HCte: B : l l l n ~ l ~ f J r m a t i o n Svster- ::rcLit M a l n t E ~ a n E e System - H:;h U s a ~ e TfJ1k Group- : ~ ; t 3 I D 2 r N a ~ E Adjres5 - - - - - - - T ------1 1 ,- ~ e - I t r a l Jf-hct: Intern2tianal Direct C l ~ t a n : 2 DialingIf::"' - I r t e r ~ 2 j l a t e D l s t ~ i b u t l n g Frame! ' ! ' , . ,

~ : : I n t e g r ~ ~ ? ~ ! Q f D r m a t ; o ~ S y s t e ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ f ~ ! i ~ ~ ! e ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ : ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A : : ~ ~ : : : r a t i c n Systel I ~ ' ~ W ~ T ~ _ - I n . a r ~ _Ice H(ed TElephcne Service- 2 1 a s ~ :f Ser','i:e r l A D ~ - ! N ~ t i a ! ! z a t i c n d n ~ A D ~ l n l s t r a t l Q n System: ~ m f f i J ~ S\3tem Mair : n t e r C c n ~ e c t i r o iraffiE T 1"'I,"'r. .; ..... ! n t e r r 3 ~ : o n a l C ~ e r s e a s Completlon C ~ n t e r ! " ' - , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t ~ J ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : a l i n g .r n t E r n a ~ i J ~ ~ l S ~ : t : h l G g CenterI ~ ~ "

! T 5 ~ I r t 9 r ~ a t I D ~ a l SWlt:hed Interface System! r ; t ~ r , : a t I Q n a l Telecolllunications Unionilt;:'_ rtol ------- J ------J I ~ - Job I n f o r l a t l J ~ M e m D r i ~ d u m ------- K ------~ i ~ = ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ; ~ i ~ l ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ! ~ i : : t j D n : ~ : ~ Displaj Call Inclcator.. , PulseC ~ G L.J5Ed user broup - :'e0 Service Unit: ~ V I - C J m ~ Q n ~ n : t Voltage IndicatDr 2-11 _ Teleohone System. ~ . T e l e p ~ : o n e Urllt
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- Local A u t o . a t i c - ~ e s s a g e L A c c o u n t r n Q ( C - COlputerized)- Local Area NetNork .- Lost Calls Cleared- Lost Calls Delaved- ~ o s t Calls Held'. - Local Digital Distribution- Limited Distance Modem- Long Distance Service- LJoG Distance eXtender- Line Interface Unit- Lon'' Li nes- L i n ~ Link NetlrtOrk Line Link Pulsing- Line Maintenance Operations Systel- ~ O G P SNitching Systel '------- ------- a i n t e n a r . c e And Admistration Pane!- Master Control Console- Microwave C D . I ~ ~ i c a t i o n s Incorperated- Magnetic Drum Auxiliary Sender- "aln r i s t r b u t i ~ g Frale- "ulti-Frcguencv- ~ E t a l l i c "acility Frale- Mllitarv NETNork- ~ e a n T i ~ e BetNeen Failure

- ~ a g " E t i c Tape Recordino- !'Iooile ;elerhone S ~ i t c f i i n g Office------- N ------- Net.ork Build aut- Netwcr. Control Analvsis- ~ e t N o r k Cperator Tro6ble I n ' o r l a t l ~ n Systel- ~ u . ~ e r P!ar. Area- N e t ~ c r k Problem Determination Application- Nordi: Fub:ic Data Network- Sech Number------- 0 ------- Out of City Indicator- Dgerator DIstance Dialing- effice Information System- Office Interface Unit- Operator NUlber Identification- Originating Register- Open Systea Inferconnection- O p e ~ a t l o n Support SystemOUTward Wide Rrea Telephone Service- Order WIre - - - - - - - P - - - - - - - Private Autolatic Branch eXchange- Pulse Amplification "odulation- ProgriiJ for Adllistrative Traffic Reports On Line- Private Branch Exchange- Prilark Center- Panel ~ a l l Indicator- P ~ l s e Code "adulation- P ~ a n e Line TeleVision- Fo:rt Of Sale- Flain Old TeleQhoneService- Primary PGint (or dial Post Pay paYDhone)- Person'to P e r s o n ~ Collect, Special""- Pulse Postltlon nodulation- P r o i ~ c t } r G g r a i l ! i I l e \ ~ u m b e r ,- P ~ b ! ! ~ ~ w l t [ h e d DIgItal Service- Pu h , Ie ~ ~ , . c h ' n g netN"rk- e u ~ b , p ~ a ; ~ ~ i ~ ~ ! ! t e ! e ~ h c i n e , and Telegraph acthorities- P a c ~ ~ t Voice between facket Radio- Pulse W i d t ~ Modulation------- Q ------- Quasl-Ra;:com S:gnal Source------ R ------- Rindom Access and Correlation for Extended Performance- ResidenCE A c [ o ~ n t Service Center- R e ~ i c n a : Center- ~ a ~ l c C o . ~ o n Carr:er- Real Enqu@h T i ~ E - RemJte ~ : ~ Entry- R e l ~ t e MaintenahcE Admlstration and Traffic S y s t e ~

- Remote Office ie;t Line- Rotarv Out ~ r J n k s 5 e l e c t o r ~- Reverfi,e P ~ ! s e - Rate Quote Systes- Route Relay- Rate and Rbute Operator- RereDte Switching System- Remcte'Switchina Unit- Rea: Tir,e .- Remote Trunk ArrangEmEnt- ReQICna! Technical Assistance Center- Recei ve Uni t

------- S ------SA - Service AssistantSAC - Special Area CodeSA"A - Step-by-step Auto.atic "essaqe AccountingSARTS - S ~ i t c h e d Access Relote Test SystemSBS - Skyline Business Systelsse - Sectional CenterSCAN - Switched Circuit Autolatic NetworkSCC - Switching Control Center (or Specialized COllon Carriersor Saterlite CO.lunications Controller)SCOTS - Surveilance and Control Of Trans.ission Systelsr p c - Single Channel Per CarrierD ~ , r ~ - S a t ~ : l i t e D O e ! p y Cglpensatipn UnitD ~ ~ - S ~ l t c h e d laltal Data ServiceSOLe - Svchronous Data Link Control2DM - S ~ a c E Division MultiplexingSDX - ~ t e l l i t e Data eXchangesr - Single FrequencyN - Service Link NetNorkSijA - Svstels NetNork ArchitectureSOTUS - Sequentially Operated Teletypewriter Universial SelectorSPADE - Silple channel Per Carrier Assignlent by Deland EquipllentSPC - Stored Program ControlSRCC - Silplex Resote Comlunications CentralSSB - Single Side BandS ~ T D M A - Spacecraft S ~ i t c h e d Tiae Div. Multiple Access(theoreticallSiP - SIgnal Transter POIntSTS - Space-Tile-Space s N i t c h i ~ g architectureSV - Scurce Vocoder5XS - Step-by-Step SNitching e q u i p . e ~ t ------- T ------TAC - Technical Assistance CenterTACACS - TAC Access Control Syste,7AP - ;ect:nological Alerican Party(or Tech. Assist. Progrill)TASe - Telecommunications Alarm Surveillance and Control systellASI - T i ~ r a 5 s i ~ n ~ e n t ~ p ~ e ~ ~ InterP9lation~ C . - - !o; I c e ~ t > t ~ lor , e l e ~ o r . f e r e n C l n 9 ) -,:.b Fho,'e, \.oll!pany Engl neered, ~ i - !esc ard Code Treatlent fraleT ~ D - T ~ ! e c o ~ ~ J n i c a t i Q n s Device for the DeafTD " - T ~ ~ D 2 M , ( ~ r , T i l e pivision "ultiHlexingl "TDMA!DA- Tile DIVISion ~ u l t l p l e Access! Deland AssignlentT:RS - Traffic Recording SystelTEAf.'S - Traffic Enaineerlng"for Autollatic ROllte SelectionTELr.O - TELephone COr.panyTELSAM - TELephDne Service Attitude MeasurelentTS - Trunk GuardTSUE - T r ~ n f Group Usage EquipmentTLN - TrJnk Link NetworkTLP - Test level Point- J ~ r . i n a ! ~ a n a g e m e n t , T ~ S - ,1r.e Multiplexed S ~ l t c h - TeleNormiNDS - :Jtal Nehork Data SysteliNOP - Tota; Network Operations PlanTOC - T f U ~ k Operating CenterTuRC - TraffiC n v e ~ l o a d Reroute ControlH -T011PCintTPU - T r ~ n k p ~ o c e s s i r : g Uni t- TIle SharinQTS! - T i ~ e Slot InterchanQe!ES - Traffic S e ~ v i c e Position Systel; ,I - ; ~ l e T Y p e w r l t e rTU - 'ran;mlt UnitTUR - Traffic Usage Recorder! ~ X - TeletypeWriter network ,UNICOM - UNiversal I n t e g r a t e ~ C Q R m u ~ l ~ a t i o n s systeillUSJC - Uniform SercjcE Q ~ d e r CadeUSP - U s a Q ~ Sensitive PricingUT - ~ ~ i ~ e r s a l T r u ~ ~ ------- V------- V a l ~ e Added Carrier - ~ a : u e Adced Network- iJeriFy BuSYVOlcE'Message System- UGiCE MessaaE e l c h a ~ i j e

Va;:e Storaije Servic. ------- W------- Wide Area T e l ~ ; h c ~ E Service Wire C e n t e ~ , - Work 8rder - W c r ~ Order Record ard Details------- X ------lEAR - crossBAR S W 1 ~ C ~ ~ ~ ~ _ ~ ~ ~ i ~ i ~ ~ ! ___ _~ ! P L - Y J ~ t ~ : ~ t 2 r ~ a t i o n a l ? a r t ~ ~ i n e
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Documents

2600: The Hacker Quarterly (Volume 2, Number 2, February 1985)