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Computer Crime in the 90's
It's the weekend, you have nothing to do so you decide to play around on
your computer. You turn it on and then start up, you start calling people
with your modem, connecting to another world, with people just like you at
a button press away. This is all fine but what happens when you start
getting into other peoples computer files. Then it becomes a crime, but
what is a computer crime really, obviously it involves the use of a
computer but what are these crimes. Well they are: Hacking, Phreaking, &
Software Piracy.
To begin I will start with Hacking, what is hacking. Hacking is
basically using your computer to "Hack" your way into another. They use
programs called scanners which randomly dials numbers any generating tones
or carriers are recorded. These numbers are looked at by hackers and then
used again, when the hacker calls up the number and gets on he's presented
with a logon prompt, this is where the hacking really begins, the hacker
tries to bypass this anyway he knows how to and tries to gain access to
the system. Why do they do it, well lets go to a book and see "Avid young
computer hackers in their preteens and teens are frequently involved in
computer crimes that take the form of trespassing, invasion of privacy, or
vandalism. Quite often they are mearly out for a fun and games evening,
and they get entangled in the illegal use of their machines without
realizing the full import of what they are doing" , I have a hard time
believing that so lets see what a "hacker" has to say about what he does
"Just as they were enthraled with their pursuit of information, so are we.
The thrill of the hack is not in breaking the law, it's in the pursuit and
capture of knowledge." , as you can see the "hacker" doesn't go out to do
destroy things although some do. It's in the pursuit of knowledge. Of
course this is still against the law. But where did all of this start, MIT
is where hacking started the people there would learn and explore
computer systems all around the world. In the views of professional
hacking is like drugs or any other addictive substance, it's an addiction
for the mind and once started it's difficult to stop. This could be true,
as hackers know what they are doing is wrong and they know odds are they
will be caught. But as I mentioned some hackers are just above average
criminals, using there skills to break in banks and other places where
they can get money, or where they can destroy information. What a hacker
does at a bank is take a few cents or even a few fractions of a cents from
many different accounts this may seem like nothing but when all compiled
can be alot. A stick up robber averages about $8,000 each "job", and he
has to put his life and personal freedom on the line to do it while the
computer hacker in the comfort of his own living room averages $500,000 a
"job". As for people destroying information, this is for taking some one
down, destruction of data could end a business which for some is very
attractive. It can cost a company thousands of dollars to restore the
damage done.
Now that you have an understanding of what a "hacker" is, it time to
move on to someone closely associates with a hacker. This is a Phreak, but
what is that. For the answer we turn to the what is known as the
"Official" Phreakers Manual "Phreak [fr'eek] 1. The action of using
mischievous and mostly illegal ways in order to not pay for some sort of
telecommunications bill, order, transfer, or other service. It often
involves usage of highly illegal boxes and machines in order to defeat the
security that is set up to avoid this sort of happening.
[fr'eaking] v. 2. A person who uses the above methods of destruction and
chaos in order to make a better life for all. A true phreaker will not go
against his fellows or narc on people who have ragged on him or do
anything termed to be dishonourable to phreaks.
[fr'eek] n. 3. A certain code or dialup useful in the action of being a
phreak. (Example: "I hacked a new metro phreak last night.")
The latter 2 ideas of what a phreak is, is rather weird. A Phreak like the
hacker likes to explore and experiment, however his choice of exploring is
not other computer but the phone system as a whole. Phreaks explore the
phone system finding many different ways to do things, most often make
free calls. Why do they do this, " A hacker and phreaker will have need to
use telephone systems much more than an average individual, therefore,
methods which can be used to avoid toll charges are in order. " . A
phreak has two basic ways of making free calls, he can call up codes or
PBXs on his phone and then enter a code and make his call or he can use
Electronic Toll Fraud Devices. Codes are rather easy to get the phreak
will scan for them, but unlike a hacker will only save the tone(s) number
instead of the carrier(s). Then he will attempt to hack the code to use it,
these codes range from numbers 0 - 9 and can be any length, although most
are not more than 10. Electronic Toll Fraud Devices are known as Boxes in
the underground. Most are the size of a pack of smokes, or than can be
smaller or bigger. I will not go too deep. They are electronic devices
than do various things, such as make outgoing calls free, make incoming
calls free, simulate coins dropping in a phone, etc. People who "Phreak"
are caught alot these days thanks to the new technology.
Software Piracy is the most common computer crime, it is the illegal
coping of software. "People wouldn't think of shoplifting software from a
retail store, but don't think twice about going home and making several
illegal copies of the same software." and this is true because I myself
am guilty of this. The major problem is not people going out and buying
the software then making copies for everyone, it's the Bulletin Boards
that cater to pirating software, that really cause the problem. On anyone
one of these boards one can find an upwards of 300 - 1000+ of pirated
software open for anyone to take. This is a problem and nothing can really
be done about it. Few arrests are made in this area of computer crime.
I will now devote a brief section to the above mentioned BBS' , most are
legal and do nothing wrong. However there are many more that do accept
pirated software, pornographic pictures, animations , and texts. As well
as a trading area for phone codes, other BBS', Credit Card numbers, etc.
This is where a majority of Hackers and Phreaks come, as well as those who
continue to pirate software come to meet and share stories. In this is a
new world, where you can do anything, there are groups that get, crack,
and courier software all over the world some of them are called: INC:
International Network Of Crackers, THG: The Humble Guys, TDT: The Dream
Team. As well a number of other groups have followed suit such as
Phalcon/SKISM (Smart Kids Into Sick Methods), NuKE, and YAM (Youngsters
Against McAfee) these are virus groups who write and courier their work
anywhere they can, they just send it somewhere, where anyone can take it
and use it in any manner they wish, such as getting even with someone.
All of these activities are illegal but nothing can be done, the people
running these boards know what they are doing. As it stands right now, the
BBS world is in two parts Pirating and the Underground, which consists of
Hackers/Phreaks/Anarchists/Carders(Credit Card Fraud)/Virus programmers.
All have different boards and offer a variety of information on virtually
any subject.
Well from all of this reading you just did you should have a fairly
good idea of what computer crime is. I didn't mention it in the sections
but the police, phone companies are arresting and stopping alot of things
every day. With the new technology today it is easier to catch these
criminals then it was before. With the exception of the BBS' the police
have made some major blows busting a few BBS', arresting hackers and
phreaks. All of which were very looked up to for knowledge in their areas
of specialty. If I had more time I could go into these arrests but I must
finish by saying that these are real crimes and the sentences are getting
harsher, with alot of the older people getting out the newer people are
getting arrested and being made examples of. This will deter alot of
would-be computer criminal away.
Francis, Dorothy B. "Computer Crime", New York
Lodestar Books, 1987
Mentor, The "The LOD/H Presents: A Novice's Guide To Hacking"
Phoenix Project Productions, 1989
Frog, Zap the, "Reach Out And Touch Someone"
ZenCor Technologies, 1992
Parker, Donn. "Fighting Computer Crime" New York: Scribners
1983
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