Lprint #04 30 мая 1997

Hacker - computer pirates.

 Computer Hacker --==< pirates >==-- 06



WW: This cautionary tale is not about ordinary burglar game 
software ... 

 In August 1986, a 35-year-old Clifford Stoll, a former hippie 
and promising student, and then gifted astronomer, was the 
system administrator Information Network Laboratory name 
Lawrence Berkeley / LBL / University of California at San 
Francisco. Her twelve supercomputer, costing $ 6 million - one 
of the largest computing centers in the world engaged in 
solving problems and forming a data bank in the field of 
theoretical physics. It is the basis of the information network 
LBL-Net, which stretches across the country.  New prestigious 
office of Stoll began, seemingly, with contempt of prose. On 
the day after admission to the state it like some kind of 
accounting auditor, had to seek the cause of shortages in the 
75 cents charged for computer time. The aggregate amount for 
the previous month did not meet the cost of computer time. And 
although the difference was only 75 cents, was the principal 
concern. The network LBL-Net, an hour worth of work with TSEVM 
$ 300. Special programs fix the date, time of entry and exit 
from the network, become client name, code and address of the 
subscriber terminal. The point here was not about the money, 
and possible failures of programs, and even malicious 
interference.  After reviewing the list of requests to the 
LBL-Net, Stoll immediately discovered a surprise. Program has 
registered a certain Hunter, who is connected to the system is 
literally a few seconds / those same 75 cents / using someone 
else's code. At the same time, he managed to order machine does 
not register an account / In principle, it is possible for an 
experienced programmer. Stoll knew that the deal with computer 
pirates, and decided to "calculate." Then, Stoll has no idea of 
​​what the "game" all this will evolve. Main Problem is caught 
by the arm and specific offender to prove his guilt, or simply 
do not sense to go to court.

 The main goal was to find the terminal, which runs a pirate.
In principle this is possible, but the problem is much more 
complicated if he steals someone else's computer through many 
intermediate networks and communication lines. Must find time 
to trace the entire chain, while it remains on the line - or to 
wait for the next "conversation."  Realizing that the offender 
may operate under different names, Stoll interested in 
communication with the opposite end of the country, from the 
Atlantic coast. Someone by the name Swiatek, tried to gain 
access to classified information of military computers in the 
state Marilend codenamed Dokmaster. But the University of 
California, Joe Swiatek knew as one of the aces of programming. 
It is incredible that such a well-known specialist got involved 
in an illegal game with a military Computing tsentrom.A so if 
he really tried to "hack" Dokmaster, certainly managed to would 
leave no traces. And anyway, as immediately found a great 
programmer at that time was on vacation in England, in the 
village, a dozen miles from a little bit decent computer.

 Thus, the code explicitly set Swiatek someone drugoy.I Stoll 
immediately thought of Hunter. To catch a pirate created a 
special program and put in not officially connected to the 
network computer. Program to decode all incoming signals into 
it and covertly recorded the names of the users during their 
treatment and the like, and so that no one outside her job to 
check but could not. The program monitors the two names - 
Hunter and Swiatek.  Trap tripped on Tuesday, September 2. At 
12:33 Swiatek name appeared on the control terminal. But this 
time the offender entered into the system in seconds, so it was 
useless to hope to pinpoint the address of his terminal. In 
response, the administrator-hunter armed with an arsenal of 
laptops, printers and telex systems, borrowed at various 
departments of the university. Turning his office at the 
central position of counter-espionage, he spent the night here 
in a sleeping bag among blinking, knocking devices. Now, Stoll 
could fix the first step an attacker. 

                   Continued in the next issue ...