FREQUENCY: Inside the Hacker Mind
April 2001
Freq8


1.	Introduction: “Cartoon Crime”
2.	“Good” Hackers in the Media:  by Nanogeist
3.	Mainstream: by Unrea1
4.	Hackers: Community vs. Individual Progress & Enlightenment: by Nanogeist
5.	Why I Love Operators: by Screamer
6.	Revolution: by The BlueGiant
7.	Letters
8.	Closing Arguments
9.	Crew


1.  INTRODUCTION: “Cartoon Crime”
	March 2001 will forever be remembered by our friend D4sh as one of the
scariest months of his life.  As explained on Hackermind, D4sh drew a
cartoon depicting violence towards a stick figure that represented a real
person. Even with no deaths in the cartoon, and a humorous overtone, D4sh
was still sent to juvenile detention for four days.  There he had to sleep
on concrete, before being moved in shackles to a mental hospital where he
remained for a week.  After pleading not guilty, he was put on “pre-trial
conditions” which prevents him from talking to his friend.  He now has a
curfew (for using his computer, he’s forced to stay indoors…genius) and is
subject to random drug tests.  His “crime” had nothing to do with drugs,
but because of what he did our court system would have us believe it’s
justified. 
	Undoubtedly, had D4sh made the same cartoon fifteen years ago we never
would’ve been in this position.  The internet provided him with a way to
put his cartoon out before the world.  Some may say this shows he had
nothing to hide, but because a anonymous tip came in to his local police
D4sh was forced into a week and a half of pure hell.  What do we get when
we express ourselves on the internet?  If this is any indication, you
should be very careful in this cautious world.  Youth violence must be
prevented before it happens, but this is not a signal to start arresting
those that think, say, or draw the wrong things.  I remind you of Pearl
Harbor, and the acts that followed.  America rounded up those of Japanese
decent and placed them into detention centers very similar to
concentration camps.  Yes we needed to prevent further American’s from
being killed…but was what did the correct answer?  No.  And this was later
admitted by the USA when it paid 20,000 dollars to Japanese civilians as
retribution.
	Still, others may argue that D4sh had no business creating such a
cartoon.  They will say that he deserved to get an even worse punishment.
To those people, I say this.  Tomorrow the police will wake you up, pull
you from your home, and place you in prison.  You will then be placed in
shackles as though you were a killer and sent to a mental hospital.  For
what reason?  Remember that picture you drew when you were nine?  The one
of you stabbing your teacher because she gave you a D?  You pose a threat
to that woman, and now you must be punished.
	With all this going on, I’ve had little time to play around with my
computer.  I’ve learned a few things here and there, and found a few cool
tricks, but nothing major.  The same with my phone, as my quest to become
every operator’s nightmare continues.  Speaking of phones, we hope you all
enjoyed the first episode of Line Noise on April 6, 2001.  Also, be on the
lookout for the 800 directory we’re working on.  We’ve promised you
numbers, and numbers is what you’ll get.  But we need your help!  Choose
an exchange in the 800 area code and start scanning!  Send your results to
screamer@hackermind.net  And now, I hope you enjoy Freq8.  –screamer


2.  “GOOD” HACKERS IN THE MEDIA: by Nanogeist
“Good” Hackers in the Media
by: «nanoG롧†»

	There are many complaints about the way hackers are portrayed in the
media, but not all fictional hacker characters are shown in such a
stereotypical manner.  Some almost seem noble at times.  Here are a few I
have noticed on TV:

» Wiz Kids: From the early 80's (and I'm not 100% sure the name is
right...), this show, in my opinion was trying to cash in on the
popularity of WarGames.  It had a group of young hackers that were shown
as hero-types and was kind of like the A-Team with modems.  I honestly
don't remember much about this show (except that I liked it when it was on
and that it wasn't on for very long) so I personally can't go into much
more detail.

» Bryce Lynch and Theora [Max Headroom]: My personal favorites.  Bryce was
always interested in whether it COULD be done, but rarely thought about if
it SHOULD be done (to paraphrase Goldblum from Jurassic Park).  But he
could come thru when his friends needed him.  [This does not include the
way he was portrayed in the UK movie or the 1st episode -- he was more of
a mercenary-type in those).  While Theora was ample at accessing camera
systems and building security, she rarely did so maliciously.  Each time
it was used to assist Edison Carter in his quest to reveal the truth to
the world (even if the truth bit his own network in the @ss...).

» The Lone Gunmen [X-Files & The Lone Gunmen]: These three (while only one
is a "typical" hacker) have been portrayed in a pretty benign light.
While occasionally comedic and sometimes bumbling, they are definitely
cast in a heroic mindset.  Yes, they hack the Government, but only to
expose conspiracies within and their motives are pure.  In the spin-off
series, there is another "hacker-type" who is not as heroic and quite
mercenary, but I think this just exhibits the reality that not ALL hackers
are the same.

I don't know how long the Lone Gunmen's spin-off will last, but the other
two didn't last long.  Maybe it was poor ratings... or maybe "pressure"
was applied to have them removed, but at least an attempt was made.  Max
Headroom is still shown occasionally on Bravo (including episodes never
aired during its network run) and the Lone Gunmen can be seen on Fox.  If
anyone has the rights to Wiz Kids, they haven't told anybody else about
it...


3.  MAINSTREAM: by Unrea1
	
	  As hackers, phreakers, etc., we are often picked on by the government
for 
things that we do. Often, these things that we are arrested and sued for
are 
completely idiotic. Take the recent problem with D4sh; he drew a cartoon!
But, 
why is it that we are picked on so much? The truth: it's because the 
government is terrified of what we know, and what we could do. Therefore,
our 
basic constitutional rights are taken away to keep us silenced. 
The U.S. gov't (and others for that matter) claim to be free societies
where 
people can say and do what they want within reason. Well, have you read
the 
first amendment lately? It says that we have the right to say what we
want, 
and write what we want. Sounds nice doesn't it? Well, it looks nice on
paper, 
but it doesn't work in the real world. Here's an example for you: at the 
Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention,
there 
were protesters outside. It was totally peaceful until the so-called 
"authorities" showed up. From what I remember, (and correct me if I'm
wrong), 
police beat and drove away the protesters as if they were criminals. In 
Washington D.C., I saw with my own eyes a group of peaceful protesters 
arrested. Can you believe that? Arrested. Arrested for exercising their 
rights. It's sad. 
So, we now see the real picture. We see that the U.S. gov't is just a big 
conformity machine. Take a look at the schools. They bring you in, and
spit 
you out as what we would call the "American Mainstream." Students are
taught 
(with subtlety) that conformity is good, and free speech is bad. Dare I
use 
the word "brainwash"? It sure seems as though this is the case. 
Sticking with the analogy of a factory (I'm sorry, I just think it's
really 
good), we, as hackers were missed by that big "stamp" of conformity, and
we 
see the world as it really is; a world of oppression and constraint. It
seems 
that the movie "The Matrix" is closer to reality than we originally
thought. 
So, what are we to do? I really don't have the answers to that. But, one
thing 
is certain: we can't sit back and watch our freedoms go down the tubes. We 
must keep free speech alive, even if it only exists on the internet. We
must 
hold our ground, not giving in to the oppressors. The FBI may come after
us 
with their little project "Carnivore" (or whatever they're calling it
now), 
but we must hold fast to the true ideals of the human race. 
unrea1 
4. HACKERS: COMMUNITY VS. INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS & ENLIGHTENMENT
Part I: Potentials and Mistakes
by «nanoG롧†»

The hacker "community" has a chance to rise to a new level of potential,
but is trapped in an unending cycle of elitist, solitary views and
(mis)conceptions.  Like any other sub-culture, the hacker phyle seems more
concerned with who is the "true" hacker and who is just a play-time
hobbyist than with the actual pursuit of their self-proclaimed ideals (in
the case of hackers: the pursuit of knowledge and the destruction of
popular misconceptions).  If the hacker community as a whole were actually
interested in forwarding their "cause" they would realize the accumulated
knowledge-base they have acquired is their own greatest tool to furthering
their individual and communal growth.

Too often the emphasis is put on the individual starting from scratch,
perusing technical manuals, books, and philes to gain the rudimentary
knowledge possessed by the community.  This may sort out the "true",
devoted hacker wannabes from the hobbyists, and be beneficial to the
individual but is detrimental to the community.  A lesson can be learned
from the society around us: to advance, we need to build upon what we have
or eventually, we will reach a plateau and stagnate.  An individual only
has a limited lifetime to advance, and in that time, only a limited amount
of things they can learn without building blocks to start upon.

For example, let's examine our own (sadly pathetic) education system:  How
far would any of us get if we had to teach ourselves how to read, write,
perform basic math, etc... by studying dictionaries, college texts, and
calculus books without guidance?  We might learn to read and write by the
time we're 10-15 years old, then we could start working on the calculus
(since you would need to be able to read before you could hope to
understand the calculus books).  Since calculus is a major step (or two or
three) from basic math, it would probably take another 2-3 years to
decipher enough from it to be able to understand simple equations.  So to
compare: It would probably take each of us 12-18 years to learn the things
most of us knew well by the time we were 5.  We might have a stronger
command of our knowledge, along with a more real sense of accomplishment,
but the community would suffer because of the delays in our advancement.  

It's been said the systems are getting harder to hack due to the increase
of knowledge among the sysadmins, but no one looks much deeper to see the
real reason.  The sysadmins, be they gifted or not, are on an accellerated
learning curve because they are learning from each other, institutions,
AND all the documentation the hackers view in a biblical sense.  Their
individual knowledge is increased higher than it ever was before BECAUSE
their community's knowledge has increased with it.  The hackers, on the
other hand, are still more advanced than most of the sysadmins (at least
the "elite" ones are), but their learning curve has become slower than
that of the admins.  You could almost say their individual knowledge has
increased IN SPITE OF their community's progress (or lack thereof).  The
admins' increasing success has come from their "ablity" to build upon
those who have gone before, while the hackers' have damned themselves to
repeating the same exercises over and over again, making only small
advances.

(part 2 next month)

5. WHY I LOVE OPERATORS: by Screamer
	You know them, you despise them.  You pick up a receiver, press 0 and
boom…there she is.  With a voice that sounds like she needs coffee, a tone
that sounds as though you’re the worst person she’s ever dealt with, and a
personality similar to a brick wall.  Your local operator.  The backbone
of the telephone system, the controller of the lines, the master of her
realm.  
	Why is that so many people, myself included, get a knot in their stomach
when they know they have to call through an operator.  Is it because we’re
really trying to do something we’re not supposed to, and that we’re afraid
she’s going to catch on?  Sure I’ve used operators to try and do things
that would teach me something interesting, but usually it’s just to
complete a phone call in the most efficient (albeit expensive) way.  The
reason you get this feeling is probably because of the hassle.  Does
anyone really want to talk to someone that sounds that miserable?  I
seriously doubt it, at least I don’t.
	So why is this article titled the way it is?  As much as I hate dealing
with them, and as much as they cost, I can’t stop loving the idea of a
person connecting me to another part of the world.  Just like in the olden
days, when people would call the operator every time they wanted to
complete a phone call.  Aside from that, it’s the learning experience.
Every single time I call through an operator I’m bound to find something
new.  Whether I come right out and ask a question, or beat around the bush
and social engineer information from them.  They’re people.  Real live
people.  And personally, I would rather deal with the snobbiest operator
than the friendliest operating system.  That’s not to say that operating
systems are bad, or that I don’t enjoy having my internet connections
placed through routers.  Only that actually having a live, flesh and blood
person there to dispense information is priceless.
	Operators are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  And
while they may sound depressed when you call, take comfort in the fact
that the friendlier you are…the friendlier they are.  Here is a brief list
of things you should, and should not do to/with your local operator (or
any op for that matter).

DO:
A.	Use your friendliest voice, as though you haven’t a care in the world.
B.	Plan what you’re going to say ahead of time.  Operators don’t like it
when you have no idea what to ask for.
C.	If you’re social engineering information, use a payphone.  If you
can’t, play dumb if she questions you.  
D.	This is the most important rule of all.  SAY THANK YOU!!! Operators
love this.

DON’T:
A.	Prank call them…they can make it so you can’t hang up your phone.
B.	Be pushy.  While they’re supposed to know how phones work, they’re
human like you and I and don’t have all the answers.
C.	Talk about things you don’t understand.  If you’re new to the phone
network you’ll sound dumb if you try and act smarter than you are.
D.	Hang up without saying “Thank you”

With these few notes you should find your experiences with operators to be
pleasant ones.  Of course you’ll always reach that one that doesn’t want
to help, or sounds like she needs anti-depressants, but hey…you would too
if you had people yelling at you all day.  The operator is a great tool,
as any phone phreak knows, and should be treated as such.  Treat your
operator with respect and you’ll find that there’s a lot to be learned.
But remember, this does not mean you need to settle for incompetence.  If
you have a question that you want answered, you have a right to that
answer if it’s covered by the number you’re calling.  If you dial 00 for a
long distance operator, you have the right to ask how much a particular
call will cost you etc.
	Be sure to tune into future episodes of Line Noise, where we will provide
more information for your phone phreaking needs.  As well as general
information for the general population as well. 


6.  REVOLUTION: by The BlueGiant
	 Revolution 
Every revolution has been marked by two things. 
A drastic change of thought and the rise of a new 
(sub)culture. Think about it, Middle Ages to 
Renaissance. The 60's. The Internet. Sure they've all 
carried over remnants from the end or a previous 
revolution. The Renaissance still had oppression and 
starvation, the 60's still had oppression and high 
drug use. What will the Internet have when its 
revolution is over? 
Before answering this question though you have to ask 
yourself, "Is the Internet a true revolution?" It has 
been marked by no wars, not even true cyberwars. There 
are no messiahs or leaders for this revolution. We 
have no Luther, not even a Martin Luther King. No one 
has stood up to the government, to the world, and said 
"This is the end, things change NOW." Some, in fact 
most, hackers fight the battle, trying to make things 
change, to keep the Internet truly free of everything. 
Of corporations, or government, or oppression, racism, 
in fact the very idea of race and skin color. And yet 
we still have no savior, no person to rally to. To a 
select few, skin color has been abolished, it doesn't 
mater who you're talking got, where they're from, what 
religion they are, if they're black, white, or 
anywhere in between. It just doesn't matter, as long 
as you get along. The same goes for those we flame, 
it's not because of WHAT they are, but rather WHO they 
are. 
But things have changed, the Internet, we, have made 
a difference.(This is starting to sound frighteningly 
close to a sermon)Governemt has changed, maybe not to 
a great extent, but finally it is being admitted that 
they're not omnipotent, that one teenager can bring 
their very existence on the Internet to the edge of 
oblivion. And that scares them. It scares everyone. 
They have been forced to change, to become more 
liberal, more radical, merely to survive. Business has 
surely been altered because of it. We have 
Amazon.com., yahoo.com, places like these that exist 
SOLELY ON THE INTERNET. OF course, recently yahoo 
fired their CEO do to financial losses, and amazon is 
having the same problem. Even if they go out of 
business, as they surely will if things continue at 
this rate, they were there, and they scared the hell 
out of Borders and Barnes & Nobles (coincidentally, 
both of which now have online stores) 
Then there's Napster. THE most controversial item in 
recent years next to Eminem. It's cause is all but 
lost now, as very heavy guns were brought to bear 
against it, but that alone shows how much the 
recording industry feared it. They may have made a 
bigger impact on this revolution than amazon and yahoo 
combined. Shawn Fanning (its 20 year old creator) has 
been on the cover of just about every magazine there 
is. He's become very rich, very hated by many 
musicians, very loved by others. Hundreds of thousands 
of dollars have been spent trying to shut napster 
down. It's destroying their business the recording 
industry says. It's making you millions of kids 
thieves the recording industry says. it will put out 
hardworking musicians out of work the recording 
industry says. Record sales have gone up in the last 2 
years. Shawn Fanning was 19 when he created it. 
It does seem like the end though. Yahoo is losing 
money. Amazon is losing money. Napster is closing 
down. We, the hackers, the new culture our revolution 
created are still here though. The new thought, the 
freedom, the 'free love' so to speak that we have 
created, that we believe in, is out there. The 
government has changed, the business has changed, the 
world has changed. Every revolution has people left 
being in it's closing. Every era has those that make 
it so. Where will we be? Let the revolution die, but 
fight hard to bring, and keep, a new age, a new 
thinking, to the world. To the beginning of the next revolution

7. LETTERS
	I thought it would be good to hear a couple of emails that were submitted
to me recently so that I could reply.  If you would like to reply to these
emails, I ask that you send your response to me at screamer@hackermind.net
and I will forward it to the proper person.  Thank you.

From: “zahar”
	Hi man!...hmm...*better say screamer since man sounds too much 
familiary*...Hi Screamer!:) 
So...your show is great...i really like it!...i have downloaded almost all 
the .mp3s of the previous episodes cos i want to listen everything from
the 
1. before start listening to the latest. Right now i am listening to the
23. 
November`s episode and francly i think i will have to replay this cos i am 
paying more attention to this mail instead of the mp3:). 
Anyway...for not being one of those "oh i really love you show" and dont 
tell you anything about why i like it, i am gonna tell you why i do. I do 
like it because first of all you and d4sh sound as two really nice guys. 
Well...d4sh doesnt really talk that much but i like his voice...now dont
get 
this "i like this voice" in a strange way:)...its like i said...i can
assume 
he is a nice person by his voice...he is like the guy full of knowledge
who 
instead of talking about it he preffers to use it. And i like your
ideas...i 
mean...i think almost everybody who listens to the show like them. The 
problem is that the ppl in charge doesnt give a damn thing about those 
ideas..its like..."why the hell would we go against the ideas of the 
majority of the ppl out there?!...just lets keep saying so and dont think
if 
that what we are saying is right or not"...i really wanna see one day what 
will happen if an ex hacker would get in charge...i am thinking about how 
things would change if this would happen. Because now its like you said in 
one episode about that Jane Reno (i am not sure if its written this way -
im 
not from the USA you know)..they dont know a thing about this side of the 
world!. 
I hope that you will go on with this show for a long time. Cos if i would
be 
in you i really wouldnt know how to keep the show going...i mean...where
to 
get new ideas...i think i am more like d4sh, just waiting that someone
calls 
me to participate into something cos i dont like to be in charge. Now to 
think about your show...i think is better to talk with someone by voice 
instead of just typing to eachother. It makes all more real you know...it 
would be great if all the ppl would have such a connection to afford such 
thing...and thats the best thing about hackermind...you HEAR the person so 
you can make yourself an idea about if he really thinks what he is saying 
and such...i am sure many ppl who listens to hackermind thinks the same... 
Ok...that was all i think:)...keep broadcasting and good bye! 
zahar 
-REPLY-
	While I’ve replied to zahar personally, I wanted to publicly acknowledge
my thanks for this kind email.  To comment on his idea that an ex-hacker
should be in charge of political affairs, I would like to remind people of
the Legion of Doom catastrophe.  For those of you that don’t remember, the
Legion of Doom was a rather large hacker group back in the 80’s.  What
happened was that two members of this particular group found jobs as
security professionals and wound up making money by turning hackers in!
So you see, “ex-hackers” by definition are people that have given up the
hacker ethic and only seek to make money by giving their skills to
businesses.  If anything, I suggest a hacker be in charge.  Perhaps then
we’ll get a unique viewpoint on both privacy and security issues.  Thanks
again for writing in.  –screamer
-END-


From: “you know”
Can u tell me what kind of books i can read to try to learn some more 
hacking. 
Thanks 
-REPLY-
	I suggest www.informit.com to start.  There you can find books on C, C++,
networking, and all sorts of useful information.  Ask yourself what you
want to learn about, and then go find books on it.  For example, if you
love networking, find a book that explains protocols such as TCP/IP.  You
should be able to find good ones at your local library, or bookstore if
you must.  -screamer
-END-


From: “John Does”
Hello. I hear you talking about your cable modem. I want to get dsl or 
cable. I live in NY and I have budget of $60 a month. What should I get
and 
what should I not get.

-REPLY-
	I’m not familiar with New York’s cable/dsl line up myself as far as
providers go.  But if you need to choose between the two I suggest you
consider a few things.  While both are equally fast (some may argue
technicalities in actual speed), both have dedicated connections, and both
connect you to a network, there are many differences.  Perhaps my
experience was a bad example, as cable modem services are usually better
than the ones sold by Optimum Online.  If I had to suggest one to you, I
would have to say that you should go with DSL if you can get a dynamic ip
address and a reasonable price.  Whatever you do, DO NOT let them install
your NIC (Network Interface Card).  Most companies will charge 250 dollars
(Can you say SNET?)  If you want an easier setup, go with a cable modem.
That’s basically plug and play, and shouldn’t give you too much trouble in
the installation.  At 60 dollars a month both will be available to you.
But remember, if you sign up for DSL with the phone company you currently
have, or a cable modem with the cable company you currently have, you may
be entitled to a discount of some sort.  Good luck with your decision.
-screamer
-END-


8.  CLOSING ARGUMENTS
	The world is becoming a very frustrating place, or perhaps it always has
been.  When you’re asked for your social security number everywhere you
go, your best friend is facing prison time for a cartoon, and the people
that are supposed to be helping you don’t have a clue, you tend to get a
little upset with how things work.  Personally, I think this is the reason
why so many hackers like finding holes in security.  It goes against the
system, and shows those in charge that they’re not as secure as they
thought.  This isn’t the same as saying that the hackers commit crimes
with these vulnerabilities as a form of revenge, rather a great majority
just enjoy the power trip obtained from showing that something can be
done…when everyone said it couldn’t.  For me, places like the Rivendell
Psychiatric Hospital (who promised D4sh a letter of praise, but stabbed
him in the back and only said he wouldn’t take his medication…even though
it was never prescribed to him) and SCSU (my university for those of you
that haven’t figured that out) fill me with enough anger that I sometimes
want to lash out at the world.  Rivendell screws over D4sh, and SCSU has,
on numerous occasions, shown that they care more about money than a
student’s education (not all professors are bad however, I must give
credit where credit is due)  I don’t do any damage of course, but as I
said before…finding vulnerabilities in their systems sure is a lot of fun.
	Rivendell Health Services
	100 Rivendell Drive
	Benton, Arkansas 72015
	Telephone: 501 - 316 – 1255

	Southern Connecticut State University
	scsu.ctstateu.edu  (VAX/VMS 7000-630)

	Shout Outs: 
	A big thanks to everyone who’s supported D4sh throughout this difficult
time.
	Soundview Public Access
	Nahog – M&M 4-L!
	Professor Crooks – thanks for treating us like human beings
	Professor Olney – thanks for lookin’ good and going easy on us
	

	Mad Shouts:
	SCSU (they’ve pretty much reserved this spot)
	Rivendell – stop screwing people over, and maybe then I’ll believe you
care for your patients like you claim to
	Professor DiSano – We’re not little kids, please don’t treat us that way


9.  CREW
	Screamer Chaotix: Editor-in-Chief
	D4sh: Webmasta
	The BlueGiant: Frequency Writer
	DamienAK: Switch Hook Writer
	Contributing Writers: Nanogeist, Unrea1


Tune into Hackermind every half hour Thursday by using WinAmp or Real
Player to open location 166.90.148.114:9474 
NOTE: This address may change in the coming weeks due to a server
relocation at live365, keep visiting www.hackermind.net for updates.
  Articles for freq9 due May 9, 2001!



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