The long awaited prequil to Phreaker's Guide has finally arrived.
Conceived from the boredom and loneliness that could only be derived from:
The Traveler! But now, he has returned in full strength (after a small
vacation) and is here to 'World Premiere' the new files everywhere. Stay
cool. This is the prequil to the first one, so just relax. This is not made
to be an exclusive ultra elite file, so kinda calm down and watch in the
background if you are too cool for it.
/-/ Phreak Dictionary /-/
Here you will find some of the basic but necessary terms that should be
known by any phreak who wants to be respected at all.
Phreak : 1. The action of using mischevious and mostly illegal
ways in order to not pay for some sort of tele-
communications 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 not go against his fellows or narc
on people who have ragged on him or do anything
termed to be dishonorable 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.")
Switching System: 1. There are 3 main switching systems currently employed
in the US, and a few other systems will be mentioned
as background.
A) SxS: This system was invented in 1918 and was
employed in over half of the country until 1978. It
is a very basic system that is a general waste of
energy and hard work on the linesman. A good way to
identify this is that it requires a coin in the phone
booth before it will give you a dial tone, or that no
call waiting, call forwarding, or any other such
service is available. Stands for: Step by Step
B) XB: This switching system was first employed in 1978
in order to take care of most of the faults of SxS
switching. Not only is it more efficient, but it
also can support different services in various forms.
XB1 is Crossbar Version 1. That is very limited and
is hard to distinguish from SxS except by direct view
of the wiring involved. Next up was XB4, Crossbar
Version 4. With this system, some of the basic things
like DTMF that were not available with SxS can be
accomplished. For the final stroke of XB, XB5 was
created. This is a service that can allow DTMF plus
most 800 type services (which were not always
available.) Stands for: Crossbar.
C) ESS: A nightmare in telecom. In vivid color, ESS is
a pretty bad thing to have to stand up to. It is
quite simple to identify. Dialing 911 for emergencies,
and ANI [see ANI below] are the most common facets of
the dread system. ESS has the capability to list in a
person's caller log what number was called, how long
the call took, and even the status of the conversation
(modem or otherwise.) Since ESS has been employed,
which has been very recently, it has gone through
many kinds of revisions. The latest system to date is
ESS 11a, that is employed in Washington D.C. for
security reasons. ESS is truly trouble for any
phreak, because it is 'smarter' than the other
systems. For instance, if on your caller log they saw
50 calls to 1-800-421-9438, they would be able to do
a CN/A [see Loopholes below] on your number and
determine whether you are subscribed to that service
or not. This makes most calls a hazard, because
although 800 numbers appear to be free, they are
recorded on your caller log and then right before you
receive your bill it deletes the billings for them.
But before that the are open to inspection, which is
one reason why extended use of any code is dangerous
under ESS. Some of the boxes [see Boxing below] are
unable to function in ESS. It is generally a menace
to the true phreak. Stands For: Electronic Switching
System. Because they could appear on a filter
somewhere or maybe it is just nice to know them
anyways.
A) SSS: Strowger Switching System. First
non-operator system available.
B) WES: Western Electronics Switching. Used about 40
years ago with some minor places out west.
Boxing: 1) The use of personally designed boxes that emit or
cancel electronical impulses that allow simpler
acting while phreaking. Through the use of separate
boxes, you can accomplish most feats possible with
or without the control of an operator.
2) Some boxes and their functions are listed below.
Ones marked with '*' indicate that they are not
operatable in ESS.
*Black Box: Makes it seem to the phone company that
the phone was never picked up.
Blue Box : Emits a 2600hz tone that allows you to do
such things as stack a trunk line, kick
the operator off line, and others.
Red Box : Simulates the noise of a quarter, nickel,
or dime being dropped into a payphone.
Cheese Box : Turns your home phone into a pay phone to
throw off traces (a red box is usually
needed in order to call out.)
*Clear Box : Gives you a dial tone on some of the old
SxS payphones without putting in a coin.
Beige Box : A simpler produced linesman's handset that
allows you to tap into phone lines and
extract by eavesdropping, or crossing
wires, etc.
Purple Box : Makes all calls made out from your house
seem to be local calls.
ANI [ANI]: 1) Automatic Number Identification. A service
available on ESS that allows a phone service [see
Dialups below] to record the number that any certain
code was dialed from along with the number that was
called and print both of these on the customer bill.
950 dialups [see Dialups below] are all designed
just to use ANI. Some of the services do not have
the proper equipment to read the ANI impulses yet,
but it is impossible to see which is which without
being busted or not busted first.
Dialups [dy'l'ups]: 1) Any local or 800 extended outlet that allows instant
access to any service such as MCI, Sprint, or AT&T
that from there can be used by handpicking or using
a program to reveal other peoples codes which can
then be used moderately until they find out about
it and you must switch to another code (preferrably
before they find out about it.)
2) Dialups are extremely common on both senses. Some
dialups reveal the company that operates them as
soon as you hear the tone. Others are much harder
and some you may never be able to identify. A small
list of dialups:
3) Codes: Codes are very easily accessed procedures
when you call a dialup. They will give you some sort
of tone. If the tone does not end in 3 seconds,
then punch in the code and immediately following the
code, the number you are dialing but strike the
'1' in the beginning out first. If the tone does
end, then punch in the code when the tone ends.
Then, it will give you another tone. Punch in the
number you are dialing, or a '9'. If you punch in
a '9' and the tone stops, then you messed up a
little. If you punch in a tone and the tone
continues, then simply dial then number you are
calling without the '1'.
4) All codes are not universal. The only type that I
know of that is truly universal is Metrophone.
Almost every major city has a local Metro dialup
(for Philadelphia, (215)351-0100/0126) and since the
codes are universal, almost every phreak has used
them once or twice. They do not employ ANI in any
outlets that I know of, so feel free to check
through your books and call 555-1212 or, as a more
devious manor, subscribe yourself. Then, never use
to your caller log, they can usually find out that
you are subscribed. Not only that but you could set
hack away, since they usually group them, and, as a
bonus, you will have their local dialup.
5) 950's. They seem like a perfectly cool phreakers
dream. They are free from your house, from payphones,
from everywhere, and they host all of the major long
distance companies (950-1044 <MCI>, 950-1077
<Sprint>, 950-1088 <Skylines>, 950-1033 <Us
Telecom>.) Well, they aren't. They were designed for
ANI. That is the point, end of discussion.
A phreak dictionary. If you remember all of the things contained on that
fileup there, you may have a better chance of doing whatever it is you do. This
next section is maybe a little more interesting...
Blue Box Plans:
---------------
These are some blue box plans, but first, be warned, there have been 2600hz
use a 2600hz tone for a few very naughty functions that can really make your day
lighten up. But first, here are the plans, or the heart of the file:
Stop! Before you diehard users start piecing those little tone tidbits
together, there is a simpler method. If you have an Apple-Cat with a program
like Cat's Meow IV, then you can generate the necessary tones, the 2600hz tone,
the KP tone, the KP2 tone, and the ST tone through the dial section. So if you
have that I will assume you can boot it up and it works, and I'll do you the
favor of telling you and the other users what to do with the blue box now that
you have somehow constructed it. The connection to an operator is one of the
most well known and used ways of having fun with your blue box. You simply dial
dial '0') and blow a 2600hz tone through the line. Watch out! Do not dial this
KP tone to start a call, a ST tone to stop it, and a 2600hz tone to hang up.
Once you have connected to it, here are some fun numbers to call with it:
0-700-456-1000 Teleconference (free, because you are the operator!)
(Area code)-101 Toll Switching
(Area code)-121 Local Operator (hehe)
(Area code)-131 Information
(Area code)-141 Rate & Route
(Area code)-11511 Conference operator (when you dial 800-544-6363)
Well, those were the tone matrix controllers for the blue box and some
other helpful stuff to help you to start out with. But those are only the
functions with the operator. There are other k-fun things you can do with it.
More advanced Blue Box Stuff:
Oops. Small mistake up there. I forgot tone lengths. Um, you blow a tone
pair out for up to 1/10 of a second with another 1/10 second for silence between
the digits. KP tones should be sent for 2/10 of a second. One way to confuse the
2600hz traps is to send pink noise over the channel (for all of you that have
decent BSR equalizers, there is major pink noise in there.) Using the operator
functions is the use of the 'inward' trunk line. That is working it from the
inside. From the 'outward' trunk, you can do such things as make emergency
'stacking'), enable or disable the TSPS's, and for some 4a systems you can even
re-route calls to anywhere.
All right. The one thing that every complete phreak guide should be without
is blue box plans, since they were once a vital part of phreaking. Another thing
that every complete file needs is a complete listing of all of the 800 numbers
All right, set Cat Hacker 1.0 on those numbers and have a fuck of a day.
That is enough with 800 codes, by the time this gets around to you I dunno what
state those codes will be in, but try them all out anyways and see what you get.
On some 800 services now, they have an operator who will answer and ask you for
your code, and then your name. Some will switch back and forth between voice and
tone verification, you can never be quite sure which you will be up against.
Armed with this knowledge you should be having a pretty good time phreaking
now. But class isn't over yet, there are still a couple important rules that you
should know. If you hear continual clicking on the line, then you should assume
that an operator is messing with something, maybe even listening in on you. It
is a good idea to call someone back when the phone starts doing that. If you
were using a code, use a different code and/or service to call him back.
A good way to detect if a code has gone bad or not is to listen when the
number has been dialed. If the code is bad you will probably hear the phone
ringing more clearly and more quickly than if you were using a different code.
If someone answers voice to it then you can immediately assume that it is an
operative for whatever company you are using. The famed '311311' code for Metro
is one of those. You would have to be quite stupid to actually respond, because
whoever you ask for the operator will always say 'He's not in right now, can I
have him call you back?' and then they will ask for your name and phone number.
Some of the more sophisticated companies will actually give you a carrier on a
line that is supposed to give you a carrier and then just have garbage flow
across the screen like it would with a bad connection. That is a feeble effort
to make you think that the code is still working and maybe get you to dial
someone's voice, a good test for the carrier trick is to dial a number that will
give you a carrier that you have never dialed with that code before, that will
allow you to determine whether the code is good or not. For our next section, a
lighter look at some of the things that a phreak should not be without. A
vocabulary. A few months ago, it was a quite strange world for the modem people
out there. But now, a phreaker's vocabulary is essential if you wanna make a
good impression on people when you post what you know about certain subjects.
/-/ Vocabulary /-/
phone -> fone
freak -> phreak
- Never substitute 'z's for 's's. (i.e. codez -> codes)
- NEVER use the 'k' prefix (k-kool, k-rad, k-whatever)
- Do not abbreviate. (I got lotsa wares w/ docs)
- Never substitute '0' for 'o' (r0dent, l0zer).
- Forget about ye old upper case, it looks ruggyish.
All right, that was to relieve the tension of what is being drilled into
your minds at the moment. Now, however, back to the teaching course. Here are
somethings you should know about phones and billings for phones, etc.
LATA: Local Access Transference Area. Some people who live in large cities
or areas may be plagued by this problem. For instance, let's say you live in the
215 area code under the 542 prefix (Ambler, Fort Washington). If you went to
dial in a basic Metro code from that area, for instance, 351-0100, that might
not be counted under unlimited local calling because it is out of your LATA.
For some LATA's, you have to dial a '1' without the area code before you can
dial the phone number. That could prove a hassle for us all if you didn't
realize you would be billed for that sort of call. In that way, sometimes, it is
better to be safe than sorry and phreak.
The Caller Log: In ESS regions, for every household around, the phone
company has something on you called a Caller Log. This shows every single number
that you dialed, and things can be arranged so it showed every number that was
calling to you. That's one main disadvantage of ESS, it is mostly computerized
so a number scan could be done like that quite easily. Using a dialup is an easy
way to screw that, and is something worth remembering. Anyways, with the caller
log, they check up and see what you dialed. Hmm... you dialed 15 different 800
numbers that month. Soon they find that you are subscribed to none of those
companies. But that is not the only thing. Most people would imagine "But wait!
800 numbers don't show up on my phone bill!". To those people, it is a nice
thought, but 800 numbers are picked up on the caller log until right before they
are sent off to you. So they can check right up on you before they send it away
and can note the fact that you fucked up slightly and called one too many 800
lines.
Right now, after all of that, you should have a pretty good idea of how to
grow up as a good phreak. Follow these guidelines, don't show off, and don't
take unnecessary risks when phreaking or hacking.
/-/ Credits /-/
To The Videosmith - for setting me straight on some shit.
To The Linesman - for telling me to upload it to his AE line.
To Modern Mutant - for making me into a phreaking freak.
To Jack the Nibbler- for the basis of the blue box plans.
Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253
