Zines/phrack/31/8.txt

                              ==Phrack Inc.==
               Volume Three, Issue Thirty-one, Phile #8 or 10
            PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN
            PWN              Phrack World News              PWN
            PWN             Issue XXXI, Part One            PWN
            PWN         Compiled by Phreak_Accident         PWN
            PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN PWN


Operation "Sun-Devil"
=====================
     May 9th and 10th brought on two day thats would be marked in every hackers
history book.  The reason we assume these days will be important to many, is
that maybe it's time we opened are eyes and saw the witch hunt currently in
progress.
     In less than 48 hours, 150 Secret Service men and other law officials
served 30 search warrents in 14 cities around the nation (This thing was hudge).
     Operation "Sun-Devil" (As the Attorney General in Phoenix called it), was
a success on their part. "The investigation though is not over,  and there are
more warrents to be executed.", said Jim Folwer of L.A's Secret Service.
     Any details of the investigation are not being given out at this time.
The Asst. Attorney General of Pheonix told Phrack Inc. that there were other
problems involving the investigation and that it was an ongoing investigation
for the last TWO years.
     It is my understanding that Gail Thackeray and the Secret Service are not,
taking this lightly.  She told Phrack inc. that they are not distinquishing
pirates, hackers, or phreakers.  Basically, it's any kid with a modem that calls
a BBS with an alias.  Yes, we are the witches, and we are being
hunted.
     The following are Two news releases obtianed via fax through the U.S.
Secret Service for Phrack Inc.

                  N E W S     R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             CONTACT:  Gail Thackeray
------------------------          Assitant Attorney General
May 9, 1990 @ 11:00 A.M.          (602) 542-4266

     Attorney General Bob Corbin announced today that in
connection with an eighteen-month joint investigation into
computer crime conducted with the United States Secret
Service and the United States Attorney's office, the Arizona
Attorney General's office has executed seven search warrants
in which computers, electronic bulletin boards, telephone
test equipment and records have been seized.
     The Organized Crime and Racketeering Division
investigation involved complaints by Arizona and out of state
victims of substantial financial losses resulting from credit
card fraud and theft of long distance telephone and data
communications services, and by victims of attacks on
computer systems operated by government agencies, private
corporations, telephone companies, financial institutions,
credit bureaus, and a hospital.
     The Arizona Attorney General's office received
information and technical assistance from the Glendale,
Arizona Police Department's Computer Crime Unit, and from
many private sector sources, including Bellcore (Bell
Communications Research), American Express, Communications
carriers U.S. Sprint, AT&T, MCI, Com Systems, MidAmerican
Communications, LDL Communications, and Shared Use Network.
Without the cooperation of these companies and of numerous
federal, state and local law enforcement agencies around the
country, this investigation would have been impossible.
     The privacy of our citizens and the health of our
economy depend upon secure, reliable computer systems.
Computer fraud and attempts to compromise senstitive public
and private computer systems will not be tolerated.
Individuals who commit these offenses in Arizona can expect
to be prosecuted.

.end.
                 P R E S S     R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        Contact:  Wendy Harnagel
Wednesday, May 9, 1990       United States Attorney's Office
----------------------       (602) 379-3011
     PHOENIX -- Stephen M. McNamee, United States Attorney
District of Arizona, Robert K. Corbin, Attorney General for
the State of Arizona, and Henry R. Potosky, Acting Special
Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Office in
Phoenix, today announced that approximately twenty-seven
search warrants were executed on Monday and Tuesday, May 7
and 8, 1990, in various cities across the nation by 150
Secret Service agents along with state and local law
enforcement officials.  The warrants were issued as a part of
Operation Sundevil, which was a two year investigation into
alleged illegal computer hacking activities.
     The United States Secret Service, in cooperation with
the United States Attorney's Office, and the Attorney General
for the State of Arizona, established an operation utilizing
sophisticated investigative techniques, targeting computer
hackers who were alleged to have trafficked in and abuse
stolen credit card numbers, unauthorized long distance
dialing codes, and who conduct unauthorized access and damage
to computers.  While the total amount of losses cannot be
calculated at this time, it is estimated that the losses may
run into the millions of dollars.  For example, the
unauthorized accessing of long distance telephone credit
cards have resulted in uncollectible charges.  The same is
true of the use of stolen credit card numbers.  Individuals
are able to utilize the charge accounts to purchase items for
which no payment is made.
     Federal search warrants were executed in the following
cities:

     Chicago, IL
     Cincinatti, OH
     Detroit, MI
     Los Angeles, CA
     Miami, FL
     Newark, NJ
     New York, NY
     Phoenix, AZ
     Pittsburgh, PA
     Plano, TX
     Richmond, VA
     San Diego, CA
     San Jose, CA
     Unlawful computer hacking imperils the health and
welfare of individuals, corporations and government agencies
in the United States who rely on computers and telephones to
communicate.
     Technical and expert assistance was provided to the
United States Secret Service by telecommunication companies
including Pac Bel, AT&T, Bellcore, Bell South, MCI, U.S.
Sprint, Mid-American, Southwestern Bell, NYNEX, U.S. West,
and by the many corporate victims.  All are to be commended
for their efforts for their efforts in researching intrusions
and documenting losses.
     McNamee and Corbin expressed concern that the improper
and alleged illegal use of computers may become the White
Collar crime of the 1990's.  McNamee and Corbin reiterated
that the state and federal government will vigorously pursue
criminal violations of statutes under their jurisdiction.
Three individuals were arrested yesterday in other
jurisdictions on collateral or independent state charges.
The investigations surrounding the activities of Operation
Sundevil are continuing.
     The investigations are being conducted by agents of the
United States Secret Service and Assistant United States
Attoryney Tim Holtzen, District of Arizona, and Assistant
Arizona Attorney General Gail Thackery.

.end.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Virus mania
===========
     Robert T. Morris started it all.  Who cares, it's over and done with.
Never the less, it's being dragged out in every national paper.  It's old news
so we won't cover it here, but we will tell you about something the Army has up
its sleeve.
                    Army is Looking for a Few Good Viruses
                             By Rory J. O'conner
                           Knight-Ridder Newspapers
                    ______________________________________
     The U.S. Army is looking for help to develop the seeds of a new-age germ
warfare: It wants business to help it turn computer "viruses" into military
weapons.
     Experts predict the viruses, if sucessfully developed, could be used to
wreak havoc on the increasing number of computers in the battlefield.  The
destructive computer programs which have increasingly damaged commercial and
research computer systems in the past four years, could be used to disrupt
military communications and feed misleading data to enemy commanders.
     The viruses could aslo be used to alter the programming of crucial
communications satellites serving combat units, the experts said.
     The Army is soliciting bids from small businesses to determine the
feasibility of using computer viruses in warefare.  And it is willing to pay up
to $550,000 to a company that comes up with a plan for creating the programs -
and figures out how to use military radio systems to introduce them into enemy
computers.
     A computer virus is a kind of program designed to disrupt normal operation
of a computer system or damage data ont hat system by altering or destroying
it.  The rogue programs are most effective when introduced secretly into the
computer system of an unsuspecting user and when their damage is subtle or
hidden fromt he user for some time.
     Viruses are also self-duplicating and can spread undetected from an
infected computer to other computer systems they contact.
     So far, more than 60 computer viruses have been identified, most of them
attacking poorly guarded personal computers used by businesses, universities
and inividuals.  The Army's virus would have to be more sophisticated than
those programs.
     But some detractors of the concept say the Army could wind up with the
same problem it has with biological weapons:  Creating destructive elements
that might get loose and cause widespread damage to its own forces as well as
civilians.
     "This stuff is very dangerous, and most people involved in creating
viruses are not aware of the threat," said a Bay Area virus expert who asked ot
to be named.  "You can't spread anthrax around the world and not have it come
back around to you.  And the enemy is using the same kind of computers and
software that we are."
      Many experts who are fighting the explosion in virus activity by amateur
programmers are especially angry at government efforts to develop the programs
for the military.  Some say it is particulary troubling in light of the
sentencing of Robert T. Morris Jr. (Ed -Ick), convicted in federal court of
sending a similar program through a government sponsored network in 1988.
      "It bothers me that the government says in one breath (viruses) are bad
and illegal and then asks for someone to develop them," said Glenn Tenney, a
San Mateco, Calif., programmer and organizer of the annual Computer Hackers
Conference.  "If Morris had done the same thing for the Army, they'd have paid
him hundreds of thousands to do it.  But he did it on the wrong side and got
punished."
       Computer experts say creating a virus to the Army's specifications is
possible with current technology - although some of the Army's requirements
could make developing it more difficult than creating an ordinary personal
computer virus.
       First, military computer systems are usually designed with far more
security features than commercial systems, making it much harder for a virus to
enter the systems.  Second, the Army is emphasizings the use of radio
communication to inject the virus into enemy systems.  Normally, computer
viruses spread through the exchange of floppy disks that contain the rogue
program or along wires connecting several computers.  Using complex military
radio signals instead would require expertise that mose programmers don't have.
.end
_______________________________________________________________________________
RIPCO    May 8th, 1990
-----    -------------
     Operation Sun-Devil claimed more than just a few "Codelords" around the
states, it claimed one of the oldest and more popular boards.  Nobody knows
when or if RIPCO shall return.
     Reportedly, Dr. Ripco was charge on a hand-gun violation after his house
was searched.  Phrack inc. can't comment on this.
     The following is the exact transcript of the message left on RIPCO's
answering maching after Operation Sun-Devil.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This is 528-5020.
As you are probably aware, on May 8, the Secret Service conducted a series
of raids across the country.  Early news reports indicate these raids
involved people and computers that could be connected with credit card and
long distance toll fraud. Although no arrests or charges were made, Ripco
BBS was confiscated on that morning.  It's involvement at this time is
unknown. Since it is unlikely that the system will ever return, I'd just l
say goodbye, and thanks for your support for the last six and a half years.
It's been interesting, to say the least.
Talk to ya later.
  {Dr. Ricpo}
                       *** END OF VOICE MESSAGE ***
_______________________________________________________________________________