Terminal Compromise

by by Winn Schwartau

  Owned and Operated by the

  Information Freedom League

  (Non-profit)

  Are You a Member of the IFL? Y

  ID: XXXXXXXXX

  PASSWORD: XXXXXXXX

  Pause . . .

  WELCOME TO THE FREEDOM BBS, MF. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  FREEDOM FLASH!!!!!!!!!

  Another hacker has been convicted of a computer crime and

  has been sentenced to 1 Year in jail, a fine of $25,000 and

  2000 hours of community service!

  His crime? Larry Johnson, a respected hacker from Milwau-

  kee, WI, was a founding member of the 401 Group over 10

  years ago. Since then he has been hacking systems success-

  fully and was caught after he added $10,000 to his bank

  account.

  GOOD FOR THE SECRET SERVICE! Congratulations Guys!

  The IFL believes in a free exchange of information for all

  those who wish to be willing participants. We whole-heart-

  edly condemn all computer activities that violate the law

  and code of computer ethics. All members of IFL are expect-

  ed to heed all current computer legislation and use comput-

  ers exclusively for the betterment of mankind.

  Any IFL member found to be using computers in any illegal

  fashion or for any illegal purpose will be reported to the

  Computer Crime Division of the Secret Service in Washington,

  D.C.

  Remember, hacking is a crime!

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  A little thick, thought Miles, but effective. And a stroke of genius. He patted himself ion the back every time he saw how effective Freedom, his computer warfare distribution system was.

  DO YOU WANT THE MAIN MENU? No

  DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO REVERE? Y

  LET ME SEE IF HE IS HERE, OR IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE A MESSAGE.

  ONE MOMENT PLEASE. . .

  THE SYSOP IS WAITING. PLEASE ENTER YOUR PIN: XXXX-XXXX

  Pause . . .

  MF? IS THAT YOU?

  Betch'ure ass. Revere? How's trix?

  SAME OL' SAME OL'. YOU?

  Trying to make a profit. Hey, we gotta talk.

  OUT LOUD?

  No whisper.

  OK. LET ME SET IT.

  [CRYPT KEY SELECTION]

  Pause . . .

  [CRYPT KEY EXCHANGE]

  Pause . . .

  [TRANSMISSION ENCODED]

  MF?

  Still here.

  GOOD. SURPRISES THE SHIT OUT OF ME EVERY TIME THIS WORKS.

  Me too.

  WHAT CAN I DO? GOT ANOTHER PRESENT?

  Couple of days, sure. Some doosies.

  WHAT'YA GOT?

  A graphics program that kicks the living shit out of VGA Master and Paint Man. Deadly too.

  HOW?

  Copies portions of itself into Video RAM and treats it as a TSR. Next program you load gets infected from Video RAM and spreads from there. Undetectable unless you're running debug at the same time and looking for it. Then it stealths itself into all V-RAM applications and spreads outside the O/S.

  TRIGGERS?

  I forget the exact trigger mechanism, but it gives constant parity errors. Nothing'll run.

  OK! LOOKIN' GOOD.

  Also have a few Lotus utilities, a couple of games.

  THE GAMES ARE GOING GREAT GUNS. WE SHOULD BE SELLING THEM IN THE STORES.

  How many?

  AS OF A WEEK AGO, MORE THAN 240,000 PACK-LADIES HAVE BEEN DOWN LOADED. THAT'S OUR BEST SELLER.

  Anyone sending money?

  SURPRISINGLY, YES. WE'RE TURNING A PROFIT.

  Shit. That's not what we wanted.

  CAN'T KEEP A GOOD PROGRAM DOWN.

  Yeah Yeah Yeah. Need some info.

  THAT'S OUR MIDDLE NAME. WHAT DO YOU NEED?

  You hear about the First Bank hacker?

  SURE! I GOT A DOZEN PEOPLE TAKING CREDIT FOR IT.

  You're kidding

  NO! IT'S A GOOD ONE. BRING A BANK TO IT'S KNEES. STOP STOCK TRADING. SEC INVESTIGATION. A LOT OF OUR FOLKS WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD.

  Was it us?

  NO WAY.

  Then who, really?

  DAMNED IF I KNOW OR CARE.

  Care

  WHAT? SINCE WHEN DO WE CARE ABOUT THE AMATEURS?

  Since now. Things are heating up too soon. I need to know who pulled the job.

  I CAN GET A LOT OF PEOPLE TO ADMIT IT, BUT I CAN'T VERIFY IT.

  Whoever did it is not likely to advertise it openly. We may need to pull him into the open.

  GOTCHA

  Here's my thinking. Assume the hack is just a kid. He's getting no credit and receives a shitty allowance. So, we offer a re- ward. Whoever can prove that they are the one's who broke into First Bank, we'll send them a new 386. Whatever, use your imagi- nation.

  THINK HE'LL BITE?

  If it's a pro, no. But this doesn't ring of a pro. The news- papers know too much.

  AND IF WE FIND HIM?

  Just get me his number and shipping address. Make sure he gets the computer too.

  OK BOSS. ANYTHING ELSE?

  Keep up the good work. Oh, yeah. I need the estimates.

  NO PROBLEM. THEY LOOK GREAT. IN JUST OVER 2 YEARS, WE HAVE GIVEN AWAY OVER 1,300,000 INFECTED PROGRAMS AND NONE HAVE GONE OFF YET. ACCORDING TO PLAN.

  Love it. Peace.

  BYE, YOU MF.

  [[[CONNECTION TERMINATED]]]

  * * * * *

  Monday, December 7

  New York City

  The phone on Scott Mason's desk had been unusually, but grateful- ly quiet. Higgins had been able to keep the First State lawyers at bay with the mounds of information the paper had accumulated on MacMillan's doings. The bank's stock was trading again, but at a dilution of over 75%. Most individual customers had cashed out their accounts, including Higgins, and only those long term portfolios remained. Scott's stories on First Bank had won him recognition by his peers. No awards, but an accolade at the New York Journalists Club dinner. Not bad, he thought.

  Now the hard work continued for him. The full background analy- ses, additional proof, more witnesses now that Sidneys was under Federal indictment and out of work. MacMillan was in trouble, but it was clear to Scott, that if the heat got turned up too much, there was a cache of millions offshore for the person with the right access codes.

  His phone rang.

  "Scott Mason."

  "Hey, Scott this is Kirk. We gotta talk, I'm in trouble." Kirk sounded panicked.

  "Damn Klingons," Scott cracked.

  "Seriously, I'm in trouble. You gotta help me out."

  Scott realized this was no prank. "Sure, sure, calm down. What happened?"

  "They found me, and they got into my computer and now it's gone . . .shit, I'm in trouble. You gotta help me."

  "Kirk!" Scott shouted. "Kirk, relax, ground yourself. You're not making sense. Take it from the beginning."

  Kirk exhaled heavily in Scott's ear, taking several deep breaths. "O.K., I'm O.K., but should we be talking on the phone?"

  "Hey, you called me . . .," Scott said with irritation.

  "Yeah, I know, but I'm not thinking so good. You're right, I'll call you tonight."

  Click.

  * * * * *

  Nightline was running its closing credits when Scott's home computer beeped at him. Though Kirk had not told him when to expect a call, all other communications had begun precisely at midnight, so Scott made a reasonable deduction.

  The dormant video screen came to life as the first message appeared.

  MASON

  That was unlike Kirk to start a conversation that way.

  wtfo

  ITS ME. KIRK.

  Now it was Scott's turn to be suspicious.

  Prove it.

  AW CMON

  Prove it.

  I CALLED YOU TODAY

&
nbsp; So did half of the crack pots in New York

  I'M IN TROUBLE

  So were the others.

  OK. WE WENT THROUGH THE BANK AND HAD SOME FUN WITH PRESSED RAT AND WHARTHOG, INC.

  Good enough. You sound as scared here as you did on the phone. I thought computers didn't have emotion.

  I DO.

  OK, what's up.

  THEY FOUND ME

  Who?

  THE PEOPLE FROM FIRST STATE BANK.

  How? What?

  I RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON MY COMPUTER, E-MAIL. IT SAID, STAY AWAY FROM FIRST STATE BANK. YOUR HACKING CAREER IS OVER. OR ELSE.

  What did you do?

  CALLED A FEW FRIENDS WHO THINK THEY'RE FUNNY.

  And?

  HONOR AMONG THIEVES. IT WASN'T THEM. SO I FIGURED IT WAS FOR REAL.

  You sure?

  AS SURE AS I CAN BE. MY ACTIVITIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SECRET. NO ONE KNOWS. EXCEPT YOU.

  And you think I did something.

  THE THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND MORE THAN ONCE, I'LL TELL YOU. BUT, I THINK I HAVE ELIMINATED YOU

  Thanks, Why?

  NO MOTIVATION. I'M MORE USE TO YOU ALIVE THAN DEAD.

  Excuse me?

  AS LONG AS MY IDENTITY AND ACTIVITIES REMAIN SECRET, I'M ALIVE AS A HACKER AND CAN CONTINUE TO DO WHAT I DO. AS SOON AS I'M FOUND OUT, IT'S OVER. BUT THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM.

  What is?

  I CAME HOME THIS MORNING AND FOUND THAT SOMEONE BROKE IN AND TRASHED EVERYTHING. COMPUTERS, PRINTERS, MONITORS, THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX. AND THERE WAS A NOTE.

  What did it say?

  WE KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE. STAY OUT OF OUR COMPUTERS OR YOU WILL BE SORRY. IT WAS SIGNED FIRST STATE BANK.

  That doesn't make sense.

  WHAT DOESN'T

  Nobody except terrorists leave their calling card, and then only when they're sure they can't be caught. I would bet dollars to donuts that First State had nothing to do with it.

  ARE YOU SURE?

  No, I'm not sure, not 100%, but it doesn't add up. You've stepped on somebody's toes, and it may or may not have anything to do with First State. They're just trying to scare you.

  AND DOING A DAMNED GOOD JOB OF IT

  Have you called the police.

  NO. NOT YET. I'M NOT IN THE LINE OF WORK THEY PROBABLY APPROVE OF.

  So I see. Who else knew about your trips through the bank, other than me. I will assume I'm not the guilty party.

  A COUPLE OF HACKER FRIENDS, MY GIRLFRIEND, THAT'S ABOUT IT.

  No one else?

  NOT THAT I CAN THINK OF.

  Let me ask you. If you wanted to find out who was hacking where, how would you find out? Let's say you wanted to know what your friends were doing. Is there a way?

  NOT WITHOUT A LOT OF EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT. NO. YOU WOULD HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE.

  And you told no one? No one?

  WELL, THERE WAS FREEDOM.

  What's Freedom?

  FREEDOM IS A NATIONAL BBS SYSTEM. IT'S FAIRLY NEW.

  What do they do?

  LIKE MOST BBS'S, IT'S AN OPEN FORUM FOR EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, PROGRAMS, ETC. IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY. THEY HAVE BBS AFFILIATES IN 50 OR 60 CITIES. THEY ALSO RUN A SHARE- WARE SERVICE.

  Is that significant?

  MOST SHAREWARE COMPANIES SELL THEIR SOFTWARE ON OTHER PEOPLE'S BBS'S. THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE. THEY GIVE AWAY THEIR SOFTWARE FOR FREE. IF YOU LIKE IT, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SEND IN A FEW DOLLARS AS A REGISTRATION, AND THAT'S HOW THEY MAKE MONEY. IT'S PART OF THE CULTURE, DON'T BECOME RICH ON SOFTWARE. FREEDOM WRITES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SOFTWARE AND THEY PUT IT ON THEIR OWN AS WELL AS OTHER BBS'S. IT'S REAL SMART. THEY BASICALLY HAVE THEIR OWN METHOD TO DISTRIBUTE THEIR SOFTWARE.

  Do they make money?

  WHO KNOWS. IT LOOKS LIKE A BIG OPERATION. VERY FEW SHAREWARE PEOPLE MAKE MONEY, AND FREEDOM SAYS ITS NON-PROFIT.

  Non-Profit did you say? Are you sure?

  THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY.

  What's their number?

  I ONLY HAVE THE LA NUMBER.

  So you are from the Coast.

  SHIT. YEAH. I'M FROM THE COAST.

  That was an accident. I really don't care.

  I KNOW. IT MAY NOT MATTER. I MAY GIVE IT UP. I DON'T NEED MY COMPUTERS BEING BLOWN TO SMITHERINES TO TELL ME I'M BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.

  Maybe it is the right tree.

  WHAT?

  Never mind. So, you said you told them?

  WELL, KIND OF. YOU SEE, THEY ARE VERY MUCH AGAINST HACKING. THEY ALWAYS TALK ABOUT PROSECUTING HACKERS, HOW BAD WE ARE. AFTER THE FIRST STATE ARTICLES YOU WROTE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE CHAT LINE CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE THE JOB. NOT THAT WE REALLY DID ANYTHING. WE JUST LOOKED AROUND. ALL THESE GUYS ADMITTED TO HAVE DONE IT, SO I ADDED MY TWO CENTS AND SAID I DID IT. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT ADD TO THE CONFUSION.

  Apparently it did.

  WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  Let's say I had something to hide, and let's even say I was First State.

  SO

  So, a bunch of people claim to have wrecked havoc on a computer. What easier way to cover all the possible bases than to threaten them all.

  YOU MEAN EVERYONE WHO ADMITTED IT? OR CLAIMED IT?

  Right. Get to them all.

  BUT HOW WOULD FIRST STATE KNOW ABOUT IT?

  I'm not saying they did. Do you know any of the others who claimed responsibility?

  NOT PERSONALLY. ONLY ONE GUY NAMED DA VINCI I'VE TALKED TO.

  Can you call him?

  SURE, HE'S ON FREEDOM ALL THE TIME.

  Don't use Freedom. Is there any other way to contact him? On another BBS?

  IT WOULDN'T BE HARD TO FIND OUT, BUT WHY NOT FREEDOM?

  Look. This BBS may be the only link between the First State hack you and I were in on, by the way, did you use my name?

  DIDN'T NEED TO. YOU WROTE THE ARTICLE. YOU'RE GETTING VERY WELL KNOWN.

  Thanks for the warning. HA! At any rate, you check it out with this Da Vinci character and once you know, just call me at the office, and say something like, the Mona Lisa frowned. That means he got a message similar to yours. If the Mona Lisa smiles, then we can figure out something else. OK?

  SURE. HEY, QUESTION.

  Answer.

  SERIOUSLY.

  I'm serious.

  WHAT DO YOU THINK'S GOING ON? YOU BELIEVE IT'S HACKERS, DON'T YOU?

  bLet me ask you a question. How many surrealistic painters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

  I GIVE. HOW MANY

  A fish.

  I DON'T UNDERSTAND

  That's the point. Neither do I. Yet. But you can help. Accord- ing to what you're saying, there may be some weirdness with Freedom. What do you recommend so I can dig a little deeper? Into the whole cult of hacking. And don't worry. I don't hang sources. Besides, I think we may need each other.

  HOW DO YOU MEAN?

  I think you should talk to the authorities.

  NO WAY

  Wait. I have a friend, ex-friend, who knows about this kind of thing, at least a little, and he might be of some help to you. I just don't think it should go unreported. Would you talk to him?

  LIVE OR MEMOREX?

  He probably would want a face to face, but I can't say for sure.

  FORGET IT. BUT I CAN HELP YOU WITH MORE SOURCES. AT LEAST I CAN TELL YOU WHERE TO GO.

  So can a lot of people.

  REALLY. NEXT WEEK, THERE'S A CONVENTION OF SORTS FOR HACKERS.

  A convention?

  WELL, IT'S MORE LIKE AN UNDERGROUND MEETING, A LARGE ONE. WHERE HACKERS FROM ALL OVER GET TOGETHER AND COMPARE NOTES. IT'S A GREAT DEAL OF FUN, AND FOR YOU, MIGHT BE A SOURCE OF LEADS. GENERALLY SPEAKING OF COURSE. YOU CAN'T BE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP.

  In other words, reporters are taboo.

  KIND OF. YOU'LL NEED AN INVITATION, I CAN PROBABLY SWING THAT. BEYOND THAT, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN. IT'S A VERY PRIVATE CLUB.

  Where is this meeting?

  IN AMSTERDAM.

  Holland?

  YUP.

  Why there?

  SIN CITY I
S AS GOOD FOR HACKERS AS IT IS FOR DRUGS AND SEX. SO I'M TOLD. HA HA. THE POLICE DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU DO.

  What goes on?

  BESIDES THE USUAL AMSTERDAM ANTICS? A COUPLE OF HUNDRED OF THE BEST HACKERS IN THE WORLD SHOW UP TO OSTENSIBLY SET CODES OF ETHICS FOR THEMSELVES, JUST LIKE FREEDOM DOES. IN REALITY, THOUGH, WE STROKE OUR EGOS AND PARADE AROUND WITH OUR LATEST CLAIMS TO FAME AND INVASIONS OF COMPUTERS. WAR STORIES OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR. NEW CRACKING AND HACKING TECHNIQUES ARE SHARED, PEOPLE LIE TO EACH OTHER ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AND TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WILL ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT YEAR. PROGRAMASTERBATION.

  Some name. Is that really what they call it?

  NAH, JUST A TERM WE USE. I WENT LAST YEAR AND HAD A BALL, LITER- ALLY. IN FACT, THAT'S WHERE I LEARNED HOW TO GET INTO FIRST STATE. IT WAS SECOND RATE INFORMATION, FIRST STATE IS NOT EXACT- LY YOUR HIGH PROFILE BANK TO CRACK.

  Understood. How do I get in, what's it called?

  IT'S CALLED THE INTERGALACTIC HACKERS CONFERENCE, I-HACK FOR SHORT. ONLY THE BEST GET TO GO.

  You're kidding. So what do you do to get me in?

  I CALL YOU AGAIN. LEAVE YOUR BOX ON. I'LL GET YOU AN INVITE.

  That's great, I really appreciate that. Will you be there?

  NOT THIS YEAR. CAN'T SPARE THE TIME. DON'T ACT LIKE A REPORTER. PARANOIA RUNS RAMPANT.

  Will anyone talk to me, as a reporter?

  THAT'S UP TO YOU. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND SHOW SYMPATHY FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES. IF YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'LL MEET THE RIGHT PERSON WHO CAN GIVE YOU A HANDS ON CRACKING LESSON. FAIR ENOUGH?

  Again, thanks. I'll expect your call. And, I'll let you know what my Fed-Friend says about your problem.

  TA.

  [[[CONNECTION TERMINATED]][E]]

  * * * * *

  Tuesday, December 8

  Vienna, Austria

  Vienna is not only the geographic center of Europe for 45 years it has been the geopolitical center as well. A neutral country, as is Switzerland, it contains the highest concentration of KGB and CIA operatives in the world. Perhaps that is why Martin Templer chose to meet Alex Spiradon there a week after his meet- ing with Tyrone Duncan at P Street.

  Situated by the Danube of Strauss fame, Vienna, Austria is an odd mixture of the old, the very old and nouveau European high tech. Downtown Vienna is small, a semi-circle of cobblestone streets and brash illuminated billboards at every juncture.