Forbidden Zone, in Detroit, is offering ammunition for a hacker civil war
...tips on crashing the most popular bulletin board software. There are also
plans for building red, black, and blue boxes to mimic operator tones and get
free service. And here are the details for "the safest and best way to make
and use nitroglycerin," compliments of Dr. Hex, who says he got it from "my
chemistry teacher."
Flip through the "pages." You have to wonder if this information is
accurate. Can this really be the phone number and password to Taco Bell's
computer? Do these kids really have the dialup numbers to dozens of
universtiy computers? The temptation is too much. You sign off and have
your computer dial the number to Yale University Computer. Bingo -- the
words Yale University appear on your screen. You enter a password. A menu
appears. You hang up in a sweat. You are now a hacker.
Punch in another number and your modem zips off touch tones. Here comes
the tedious side of all this. Bulletin boards are popular. No vacancy at
Bates Motel (named for Anthony Perkins' creepy motel in the movie "Psycho");
the line is busy. So are 221 B. Baker Street, PhBI, Shadowland, and The
Vault. Caesar's Palace rings and connects. This is a different breed of
board. Caesar's palace is a combination phreak board and computer store in
Miami. This is the place to learn ways to mess up a department store's
antishoplifting system, or make free calls on telephones with locks on the
dials. Pure capitalism accompanies such anarchy. Caesar's Palace is
offering good deals on disk drives, software, computers, and all sorts of
hardware. Orders are taken through electronic mail messages.
"Tele Trial": Bored by Caesar's Palace, you enter the number to
Blottoland, the board operated by one of the nation's most notorious computer
phreaks -- King Blotto. This one had been busy all night, but it is pretty
late in Cleveland. The phone rings and you connect. To get past the blank
screen, type the secondary password, "S-L-I-M-E." King Blotto obliges,
listing his rules: you must leave your real name, telephone number, address,
occupation and interests. He will call and disclose the primary password,
"if you belong on this board." If admitted, do not reveal the phone number
or the secondary password, lest you face "Tele-Trial," the King warns and
dismisses you by hanging up.
