-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- = = - WELCOME TO THE THIRTEENTH ISSUE OF - = = - -=>PHANTASY<=- - = = - A PUBLICATION AND NEWSLETTER OF - = = - THE - = INTERNATIONAL = - INFORMATION - = RETRIEVAL = - GUILD - = = - Hacking,Phreaking,Anarchy,Survivalism,Commentary - = = -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Volume Number Three,Issue Number Thirteen Dated 12/26/92 Editor is Mercenary : mercenar@works.UUCP Article Submissions: The Mercenary/IIRG 862 Farmington Avenue Suite 306 Bristol,Ct 06010 Phantasy Headquarters BBS: The Rune Stone 14.4K HST Invitation Only All H/P/A, 2500+ Files (203)-PRI-VATE IIRG World Headquarters BBS: Dark Shadows 19.2/9600 Baud HST 1.2 Gigs Online (203)-PRI-VATE Table of Discontents: [1] Dark Shadows Information By: Mercenary [2] USR Information By: Knight Hack [3] [TDT VS SOD] Whats the Story ? [4] Fairlight Members Quit and Form Sinister [5] FOR THE PEOPLE Supplied By: Bulletin Boards Across the Country Edited by: Mercenary 1. Blitzkrieg BBS Information 2. Chaos Communication Congress 1992 3. Steve Jackson Games 1993 Calendar [6] The Rumor Mill (Unconfirmed rumors from the Underground) Edited By: Mercenary 1. CDC's 200th Phile Released 2. Sub-Lamer Alert [7] PHANTASY TIDBITS: News and Views of Interest 1. `Genius' Plagues Cable TV 2. Is It Illegal to Defend Against Hackers 3. The Secret Service Strikes Again 4. Hacker is Charged with Espionage [8] Listing of IIRG Distribution Sites [9] Listing of PHANTASY Distribution Sites -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- OFFICIAL DISLAIMER... All information in PHANTASY is from USER contributed material The Publishers and Editors of PHANTASY and THE IIRG disclaim any liability from any damages of any type that the reader or user of such information contained within this newsletter may encounter from the use of said information. All files are brought to you for entertainment purposes only! We also assume all information infringes no copyrights and hereby disclaim any liability. PHANTASY is (C) 1990 by The IIRG IIRG and INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION RETRIEVAL GUILD is (C) 1982 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [1]: Dark Shadows Information By: Mercenary The Dark Shadows BBS is currently down at this time. Anubis has had a slight disagreement with SNET, mainly he didnt pay his old account off and they cross referenced it to him at the BBS. He apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused some of you, but such are the misfortunes of the underground. For some time now, Anubis has wanted to change the boards number and weed out some of the userbase. So for those of you wanting Access to Dark Shadows and the boards new phone Number, Please contact me via E-mail at, mercenar@works.UUCP There may be some delay in Dark Shadows going Back up, so after Jan 1rst the Rune Stone BBS will be accepting New Users and the Number will be posted hopefully in the next issue of Phantasy if all goes well. So if your dialing finger gets itchy and you cant find a H/P/A library large enuff to suit your tastes, drop me a note at My address above and I'll get The Rune Stones Public Line Number out to you as soon as its installed. Mercenary/IIRG -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [2] USR Information By: Knight Hack --------------------------------------------------------------------------- USR PRESS RELEASE ----------------- "IMPORTANT WARNING TO BULLETIN BOARD USERS:" It has recently come to our attention that some bulletin board operators and other third parties have been improperly distributing copyrighted firmware that will add USR's proprietary "HST" protocol to USR "Sporster" modems without having to compensate USR for the conversion. Some of these persons have further been telling customers that if such a conversion is made, it will not adversely affect the customer's right to warranty service from USR. USR has not authorized the dissemination of this firmware. The company considers any such attempts to improperly incorporate copyrighted "HST" features into non-HST modemd to be a clear infringement of USR's rights under Federal Copyright Law. Persons contemplating such action should be aware that the Copyright Act of 1976 provides stiff remedies for acts of copyright infringement, including the impounding of all infringing copies,monetary damages,special statutory damages,costs,attorny fees,and even potential criminal liability. (17 U.S.C. Secs 502-506) USR will take whatever steps it deems necessary to protect its copyright rights. In addition, USR's warranty will not extend to products that have been tampered with in this manner. .......................................................................... ALSO: Please note that it has aslo come to our attention that versions of this firmware being disseminated contain disguised code (Trojan Horse) that may inflict irreparable damage to the hard drive of the computer utilizing the programs. ........................................................................... We regret the necessity of having to post this warning. Please Understand that USR has spent considerable time,effort,and money to research and develop the software embodied in its products. Like any manufacturer, we cannot simply sit back and tolerate attempts to misappropriate our copyrighted programs in this manner. U.S. ROBOTICS INC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IIRG NOTE: Here we see a company trying to cover its ass. They use the same mother board in 2 versions and disable some features in the ROM's. Now the word has gotten out and they're trying to make up for possible lost revenue. Too bad, what a shame. Isnt't it a coincidence they just cut the list price of the HST line By $200.00? Any sysop can get an HST for 449.00 the sporster runs about $290.00. Thats only a saving of $159.00 The real piss-em off anyway is the modification of the 14.4 to 16.8 anyway. I see Boardwatch magazine picked up this story too, so you might want to read their article. They do not have a clue about what USR means though. Ive seen copies of the complete EPROMS online, and they're talking about some share ware utility that just saves you some keystrokes. As for modifying the code, yes there IS a bad copy floating around that will trash your FAT. So just watch where you grab your code. L8r, Knight-Hack -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [3]:[TDT VS SOD] Whats the Story ? The Following files are Currently circulating amongst the Pirate Community Apparently the First File is a flame by SOD, and the Second is TDT's response. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FED BUSTS -*- TDT TEMPORARLY DISBANDED This will not be written with grammer or anything in mind. This is Pepsi Man, The sysop of CARBON NATiON. CN [Carbon Nation] was a TDT Member Board, TRWS Member Board, Skid Row Site, and Genesis Project Site. Well things were going great with all the 0 day files coming in from the couriers. Even calls from Sweden were coming in. Well the trouble came up when I decided that 1.4 gigs weren't good enough. Even though The Grim Reaper gave me some awesome deals on HD's before, I just couldn't get enough money together. I decided I would just card the Drive and thats all.. no more.. Eveyone would be happy.. So Well I called up the company.. [Western Digital] and ordered a 660 Meg HD with a Card Number I got from The Grim Reaper. SO I went to pick it up at the post office, and everything was great.. I installed and was running off 2 Gigs. After making many conference calls between Myself, Grim Reaper, and Soultaker, we decided that we could really make some money of this.. Enough to double or releases by having constant cash flow to give to the suppliers. So I ordered 5 80 meg Maxtor HDs with this same Card. The Grim Reaper picked them up.. by this time the Feds are into the picture. THe fucking Feds figured out the Card was bad on teh first order when the company called to tell them that they suspect fraud when the owners of the card number I was using did not make any purchases regarding computer shit. So they got intouch with Western Digital and said to notify them next time an order came in with this card number. SO they did this and the call was traced back to my house. My phones have been tapped for a week or 2 now.. Hope no one important called.. I did not know about any of this fucking shit and when The Grim Reaper came to pick the drives up he was busted. The stupid fuck was so selfish he turned in all active members of TDT and gave them his accounts on many of teh largest BBS's across the known pirate world. Well after the Fedz logged on my BBS they checked it out and came to my house the next day.. full of warrants and all this fucking shit. Well my BBS has been down for about 4 days now. The Feds are logging on as me on many BBS's and checking them out. My phone is off the hook for my BBS. The fedz have my user list and the phone tap has about 2 weeks worth of calls logged on it. Now to everyone who knows me, you know I could give to shits. I am a minor still and don't think they will do shit but confinscate all my Computer shit and thats it. THe main reason I am saying this: DO NOT CALL EITHER OF MY BBS LINES! ALSO DO NOT CALL ME VOICE. EVERYTHING IS TAPPED AND BEING RECORDED. I have a feeling that many sysops will be receiving some voice calls. I encourage to quit the scene now. Not forever.. just till this shit clears up. THe Fedz have me on Piracy, Mail and Creidt Fraud, Phone fraud.. all this bullshit. Also Sysops: DELETE ME OFF YOUR BBS's. THE FEDS WILL LOGON AS ME AND FUCK YOU UP! Also I hope this will convince you guys: Get out now. Some of you guys have a wife and kids. Grim Reaper fucked us over big time. Take your BBS's down at least for a week or 2.. Don't be stupid. I admit getting the newest and hottest shit from the best Groups is awesome but its not worth prison. You gotta draw the fucking line somewhere. Well I've said my share.. Hope you will heed my warning.. I speak from experience. Pepsi Man -*- THE DREAM TEAM -*- Well a Few Final Words: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Grim Reaper: Man you were an incredible supplier. Too bad you were too fucking lame to go down alone. You'll always be a fucking loozer. Lord Thinker: You were right man.. I guess I did have my Priorities fucked up. Good Luck in Razor. Looks like they will rule the scene now eh? Too bad we got fucked up in the end. I'm sorry about teh shit I pulled. Hope you accept the apology. Don't call voice. You don't need Fedz showing up at your door. Just know I am sorry. Soultaker: Thanks for all the shit you did for CN. I really appreciated it. THanks man. Call you when all this shit cools.. Hard Core: You run an amazing group. Hope it can survive the shit Grim pulled on us. Good Luck in the future. Stay away form this though.. you got kidz. S.S: Get out of it man. You were a great friend who actually cared. I should have taken your warning. Sought After: Busts going on everywhere eh? You were cool to talk to.. Wish it could go on. Thanks for all. To all I forgot: I have no more time. I gotta run.. I hope you understand the problems. Stay outta the heavy shit. I really have no more time. I love you. You made it worth the risks. Thanks for the good times. To Sysops: DELETE MY ACCOUNTS OFF YOUR BBS'S. FEDS WILL BE UNDER THEM. I WARNED YOU. I'll write another file after we are arrained and tell you what the fuck is going on. I just hope it all goes well. Keep fucking pirating. TDT won't die. -Pepsi Man -Sysop: CARBON NATiON -TDT Member -TRWS Member -Genesis Project Site -Skid Row Dist. Site -Retiring Pirate - (Till the Fedz are off my case that is) :*) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- TDT WAS NOT BUSTED ---------------------------- As you all know 708/312 has a gigantic problem with a group called SOD, Stormtroopers of Death. They are an anti-semetic group of hackers who prank, trash, crash, and destroy sysop's hd's and boards. They've been harassing people like Pepsi Man (Carbon Nation), Mr. Goodwrench (Mechanical Resistance), and Dray (The Slow Zone) for many weeks now. They have released many trojan fakes (like X-Wing). This time SOD seems to have hit very hard. Today at approx. 10:00 pm on Tuesday, the 22nd, a user named 'DOOMSDAY' uploaded a file named TDT-BUST.NFO The file was supposedly written by Pepsi Man about TDT getting busted. I personally found out about this when a Razor 1911 Member called me to check out whether or not it was true (thinking I would know before anyone else, since it seems I'm pretty friendly with Pepsi Man) He told me to call up The BoG and get the file, and look at it, so with him online I picked it up and read it. It was classically mispelled just like Bernard, but the notes to me didn't make much sense, priorities? It made no sense. Anyways.. a little later I get called back by the one razor member and he asked if I had talked to Pepsi. By then I had called the bog and Unlawful back and forth 4 times checking out the user Doomsday and whether or not he could have gotten the .nfo from there. I talked to Mr. Goodwrench, and after deleting everything off my HD (hehhehe) he mentioned SOD.. then it all made sense. SOD hated Pepsi as well as a few other people in the area code. I told the RAZOR member that it was bullshit, and then after pretending to hang up I was clicked into a conference (they had been running one behind my back). I listened to them for about 10 minutes then Pepsi called me up. I talked to him and he verified that it was bullshit. He said he talked to Grim and that Grim said it was Pyradical, which would make sense knowing Zelnik, but overall SOD is the obvious choice. SOD is the guilty party. They did it. The Leader of SOD called Pepsi's Qmodem about 10 minutes after I talked to him and Pepsi told him sarcastically, "Nice textfile asshole." Sargent Death thanked him, "yeah, I thought it was pretty k-RaD Elite myself. Merry Christmas Bernard, it's my Christmas present to you, I was kinda bored tonight.. had nothing better to do." -Lord Thinker/The Spindoctor -RAZOR 1911- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [4]: Fairlight Members Quit and Form Sinister The Senior Members of Sinister have written their own accounts of what happened with Fairlight. Fairlight is spreading a lot of rumors about what happened so they felt they should provide some information. IIRG NOTE: This Information was provided to us by a third party, and not directly by Sinister. 1. Shadow Angel's Story 2. Con Artist's Story 3. Silent Stalker's Story -- Shadow Angel's Story -- Welp, it's been a few days now since Fairlight's massive reorganization, and a lot of people are hearing different stories from different people. I've gotten more phone calls than I can count from people asking me just what the heck happened. So, I've decided to answer everyone at once. First of all, I had hoped that when this whole thing came about,that there wouldn't have been any hard feelings between anyone in Fairlight and those of us that weren't in the group anymore. Guess that didn't happen. More on that later. Yes, I was kicked out of Fairlight,and yes Silent Stalker was kicked out as well. The reason was because we had talked about quitting Fairlight. See, I had been in Fairlight for almost a year and had been through some really good times, and through some really shitty times. I stuck it out, and never became a group jumper. I did a lot of work in and for Fairlight, as did a lot of other people. But ever since the major setback that happened with Mournblade/Grim Reaper situation, Fairlight hasn't been the same. Certain people thought they could do as good of a job, or better as Grim did, but let's face it, Grim is an incredible supplier. He works harder at it than anyone else I've ever known. And when he was no longer in the group, and we were short $2000 somehow or another, it put Fairlight in debt. Major debt. I think we could have gotten out of it if we played it smart, but continuous fuck ups in supply such as ordering games, and then turning them away, or the pickup person not showing up, or whatever, started to cost the group. There weren't any releases, our supplier fucked up continuously and it didn't seem like anyone cared. The Fairlight senior staff seemed to be more interested in consoles than they did their jobs in the PC world that they bestowed upon themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I could have done their job better, and I know it's not an easy job, but there's no excuse for Fairlight to have missed everything it did. Another problem was the fact that certain senior staff members were doing things to the group without either getting the rest of the senior staff votes, or even telling the rest of senior staff. Things like adding members, adding dist sites, removing members and sites, etc.. It got pretty damn ridiculous. We had members that no on in the group even knew. Then it happened. All of the sudden one day, we all hear that Ford Perfect (The appointed FLT president) jumped back into the world and started kicking people out, lowering members, removing members, etc. He kicked out all but seven dist sites. Yes, that's right, seven distribution sites were all that was left. Then Silent Stalker found out (On accident no less) that he was being lowered out of senior staff. We're talking about one of the hardest working people left in Fairlight. And why? Because someone else said they wouldn't join the group unless Silent Stalker was dropped from senior staff. To me, that's bullshit. Silent Stalker had been in the group for awhile. And had done a LOT of work. He took the courier system, and along with Con Artist, made it work. So needless to say, SS started to seriously consider quitting. I on the other hand, was still unaffected by all the changes. But, I didn't like the way that Ford just 'popped' in and did all these sudden changes without consulting senior staff first. It was my belief that we ended the dictatorship when Grim Reaper left the group. Guess not. Anyway, while talking with Silent Stalker one night, we started to seriously consider starting another group. We hadn't decided to quit yet because Silent Stalker hadn't been told about being lowered yet. He wanted to make sure what he heard was true first. So we decided to wait, and find out. The next day there was a small conference call with Silent Stalker, Con Artist, Beach Bum, and I. It's my assumption that Silent Stalker found out for sure that he was being taken out of senior staff because Con Artist kept telling us to give Fairlight another two weeks to see if it would get better. Since Silent Stalker was such good friends with Con Artist, we agreed. Mistake. Apparently Ford Perfect was on someone's call waiting, and that someone kept clicking over and letting Ford know what was going on. I don't know for sure who it was, but I think I know. Anyway, later that day Ford kicked me and Silent Stalker out. He told us that we had been trying to go around getting people to quit Fairlight. Which wasn't true in any way. He also told Silent Stalker that Venom, Orion and Blade Runner told him that Silent Stalker started a conference to get him (Ford) kicked out of Fairlight. Another lie. I've talked with Orion, and he nor any of the other two people mentioned, said anything like that. Ford also lied to Con Artist. He told Con that Silent Stalker quit the group, which of course pissed Con Artist off. (Remember, Con was still under the impression that we were going to give Fairlight another two weeks) Anyway, so now that Con Artist found out the truth, he decided to quit Fairlight also. Another good Fairlight person, gone. So where does this leave Silent Stalker,Con Artist,Me and Fairlight? Well, Silent Stalker, Con Artist, and I have started a new group called Sinister. At first,we were worried about the response,but honestly it's been surprising. The number of Fairlight people that were unhappy and ready to quit, has been unbelievable. I'm not saying that they're all coming with us, but for a lot of them that aren't, they aren't staying with Fairlight either. The purpose of the new group will be to have fun. Not to rag on other groups, and not to stab our members in the back just to get something done. We're psyched about it, and hopefully, a lot of other people will be too. As for Fairlight, I don't know. Since the breakup, they've been harassing couriers that have come with us, and yelling at their parents. How mature. They've threatened others in Sinister as well. How macho. The amount of lies that Pete's told to everyone is incredible. And it's also incredible that anyone would believe him. On more than one occasion, we've proven them wrong, and will continue to do so in the future for anyone that really wants to know the truth. As for their future? Who knows. I don't know who's staying and who's not. I don't know how they're going to get the money to pay off their debts and still have money to release stuff. I hope they do, though. Even if I'm not in the group anymore, I still would like to see them become what they once were. They've got a lot of work to do if they want to do it, but then again, we have a lot of work to do if expect to be successful. But I wish both groups the best of luck, and hope that there's no hard feelings that won't go away. -- Final Words -- I know this has been lengthy, and I'm sort of sorry. But I know that there's been a lot of curiosity about what's been going on in Fairlight ever since Grim lefty. I hope I've cleared everything up, and I hope I've been objective and not too one sided. The events above are as I've seen them from the member standpoint. I know there's things in the group that have happened that I don't' know about, and I know that the group didn't evolve around me. But I do think I've heard and been told enough to know what's been going on. I know that from this file, there's probably going to be a few people pissed off, and I'm sorry. I just told it like I believe it is. I had a lot of fun in Fairlight, and I hope I can have the same amount of fun in the new group I'm in. Peace to all. Greets: ------- Silent Stalker - Grab that sax boyeee.. Let's jam! Orion - Congrats on the new senior staff position, I hope they utilize it better than they have in the past. Blade Runner - I appreciate what ya did for both me and Mike. It took guts. VenoM - Congrats on getting your position back. Shouldn't have left in the first place. Strider - Too little too late guy. Grim Reaper - For once, you could have been right. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Con Artist's Story-- Ok the reason I am writing this text file is so that people will be informed what is going on and so there are no rumors floating around. It all started when Ford Perfect called me up and told me that he was thinking about booting Silent Stalker out of Senior Staff status. I did not agree with that decision because he had worked his ass off for 2-3 months on the couriers and the dist sites and many other things and as far as I know neither did another Senior Staffer Blade Runner. Ford Perfect then said he would not kick Silent Stalker out of Senior Member status for now. On the other side of the coin Silent Stalker finds out about this and thinks about just leaving and starting a new group with Shadow Angel and a group of other members. He had been thinking about just leaving the group because of the lack of releases and the no quality releases that was being put out from FLT. I convinced Silent Stalker to stay another 2 weeks to see if I could somehow help out and get the suppliers to start suppling so Silent Stalker would not quit. Silent Stalker agreed. The next day I come home from school to find a message on the VMB that Silent Stalker had quit FLT. Of course I was mad because he had given me his word that he would stay another 2 weeks and see what would go on. I call Gank Master and Beachbum the 2 people I talked to alot to find out what had happened. Neither knew what was going on so I called Ford Perfect and he told me that he had kicked out Shadow Angel and that Silent Stalker had an attitude and he was also kicked out of the group. Ford wanted my decision wether I was going with them or to stay with FLT. I chose FLT without talking to Silent Stalker to hear his side of the story. Couple hours later Silent Stalker calls me up and tells me that Ford had kicked out Shadow Angel and when he heard about it, he also quit. He said he called Ford Perfect to quit but before he could say that he got booted. I was in a jam. Ford Perfect has been a great friend over the years starting when I was in INC. Silent Stalker also has been a great friend starting when I got into the VMB scene. So I decided just to drop the scene for an indefinite amount of time. So for 3-4 days I was outta a group and I started missing it, I guess after 8yrs of this you can't just let go of it. So I decided to come back. I looked at my options on which group to pick and I looked at FLT and said why would they take me back I had just quit the group. So I figured I had 2 other choices that being Razor or the "new group". I looked in Razor and I don't know any of those people there except Witch King. I looked at the "new group" and saw my old buddies over there having a good time. So I decided to join the "new group". They could've put me as a courier for all I cared, just as long as I was having fun. I became a senior staff member and I accepted the offer(who wouldn't?). The next day my phone doesn't stop ringing getting calls from people asking me if this was all was true, I said yes it was. They all got pretty mad at me for some reason. I had an intention of calling Ford Perfect myself to tell him but instead I was put into a FLT conference and they called Ford for me. They also got Silent Stalker on the line. So Ford came on and started saying I was an "asshole" and "backstabber". I did not really care what he said becuase I could some what understand why he was pissed. So I told him and everybody on the confernce from FLT, "You guys can hate me all you want, you can rag on me, but I can't hate you back cuz you guys have not really done anything to me." So to me there was no hard feelings, to FLT there where. So later in the day I find out that Ford Perfect and couple more FLT people called up one of our couriers, Fugazi. They had rude remarks to his parents, both mom and dad. We have a tape of it and probably put it out to show you what was said. I myself do not think that was a right thing to do. I can understand if Fugazi had answered the phone and they ragged on him, but when they bring the parents into it then they go a little bit to far. I have not talked to anyone about this but have heard the tape and will hopefully talk to Ford Perfect about it. I am not here to bash on FLT, cuz as far as I know they're still my friends. I am here to have fun whether I be a courier or Senior Member it does not matter. I am hear to support my new group called 'Sinister'(SIN). If I have to get couriers then I will try my best to get couriers to support my group. People can say all they want about us not gonna release and all that stuff, but I'll tell you now we may not be #1 in the group scene maybe not even #2 or 3 but WE WILL BE HAVING FUN IN THE GROUP, COURIERS INCLUDED! So I end it here, I hope somethings have been cleared up. If you have any questions you can find me on quality boards around. Peace -Con Artist- Sinister Senior Staff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE DEATH OF FAIRLIGHT -/- THE BIRTH OF SINISTER Silent Stalker There has been a lot of rumors going around as to what happened with FLT so I'm going to tell the WHOLE story. I'm not going to lie because I don't need to. I will try to make this short and leave out a lot of the bullshit that has transpired over the last week. FRIDAY 12/11/92 Con Artist and I talked and both agreed it just wasn't fun any more. FLT wasn't releasing anything and the group was dying. We talked to Ford Perfect and discussed the group. During the conference we found out that a game was released without anyone notifying CA or myself which meant the couriers would not know about it. The packager read "THE HAWK" so we assumed he was responsible. The .nfo file was incorrect also, which really pissed us off because CA told Hawk it was wrong and not to use it. For a little background, Hawk hates Shadow Angel with a passion and replaced SA's board with Body Count as the board to call to apply for FLT. This also pissed us off for two reasons: Body Count was always busy and we felt is was not fair for SA to have to war dial Body Count every day to see if anyone applied for FLT. I and everyone else agreed Hawk should not make any changes to the .nfo form. In fairness to Hawk, he did not package the game (the real packager just left his handle there) but he did screw up the .nfo file. Ford Perfect kicked Hawk out of Sr. Staff and left a paragraph ragging on him. I do not recall if he kicked out VenoM that night or the next, but that is irrelevant. SATURDAY 12/12/92 I learned Ford Perfect was going to remove me from Sr. Staff also. I was offended that anyone would even consider removing me because I did more work for FLT than anyone. When I say "I" I also mean Con Artist because we almost always work together on everything. EVERY one of the dist sites that paid FLT for December were sites that I made. I also totally redesigned the courier system and for a first time the dist sites we had were happy. I had also established several contacts for supply for FLT. Anyway, I simply said if I was removed from FLT Sr. Staff I'd quit. Later that evening I was read the Sr. Member list and my name was missing. To be fair to Ford Perfect, he later claimed his laser printer just "didn't print your name" for some reason. I was on a conference when this was read and I thought about it. How could someone (it was not a Sr. Staff decision as was supposed to be) dick me over so bad? I asked all of those on the conference if they'd stay in FLT if I left or leave with me. Shadow Angel said he'd leave with me. Nuclear War & Beach Bum said they didn't know. It was an open question to anyone on the conference. I never secretly called people as Ford claims. SUNDAY 12/13/92 After everyone disagreed with Ford removing me from Sr. Staff I found out he changed his mind. All was well and I agreed NOT to leave FLT. Then someone told Ford I was going to leave with Shadow Angel. Next thing I know SA called me up and told me Ford kicked him out. I told SA if he was gone I was gone because it was my idea in the first place (even though we were not going to leave) so I called Ford up to tell him I quit. Ford said what's up and I said Keith just called me. He said he kicked us both out of the group and accused me of trying to have him overthrown. Now this is complete bullshit. Ford is the one who got me into the scene and made me an INC member. My loyalty has always been to him. When he left INC for FLT I was the first to go with him. I even organized the Cool Hand Coup so Ford would come back to INC. I was the most loyal person to Ford there was. He claims I "rode his shorts", while in reality I worked my ass off for two months while he did absolutely nothing as president. I would NEVER even think about kicking Ford out, I'd simply leave the group first. This is how it happened. THE LIES 12/14/92 Ford lied to various members of FLT, telling them I tried to have him kicked out and that I was forming my own group. Ford even told Hawk I tried to have him kicked out. The truth is when Ford removed Hawk from the Sr. Staff I disagreed and called for a Sr. vote. It never happened. The whole idea of organizing FLT with a Sr. Staff was so NO ONE person would be in charge. If it were not for Ford & his president position we'd all be in FLT right now. If Hawk had even asked the other people on the conference like Con Artist, Dr. Bombay, Fourth Reich, & Always Dangerous he'd know the truth and how I stuck up for him. I only wish I had it on tape. But if Hawk is going to believe them over me then I guess he isn't the friend I thought he was. CA QUITS 12/15/92 After I told Con Artist the truth, he quit FLT so he wouldn't be in the middle of it. We had both agreed months before that when one of us quit we both would. We also agreed FLT would be our last group, but neither of us saw this coming. NEW GROUP 12/16/92 I began assembling my new group. Since CA, SA & I added every one of FLT's dist sites, they were eager to come with me to my group. Lame releases on FLT's part over the past two months helped them make their decision even more. Since I had made the courier system what it is now, almost every courier came with me. When I say "I", I couldn't have done it without Con Artist, and since he was not in FLT the couriers had no reason to stay. So now I had a good friend since I joined FLT (Shadow Angel), a lot of dist sites, and 3/4 of the courier system. Most of the people in FLT (sites & couriers) had never talked to anyone in FLT besides CA, SA, or myself. Thus we had "half" of FLT. The good half. Our friends were with us. CA JOINS 12/18/92 Con Artist refrained from joining my group because he was friends with Gank Master, Beach Bum, and Ford. After he saw for himself how they were being dicks he decided he would join the group, which we then called Sinister. Now I had all of my friends with me. Ok, now to discuss Fairlight. 1) For the past two months FLT hasn't released anything of substance. Scrabble, Vanna White, Commander Keen, etc. I can't remember a file over 1 meg that they've released. 2) FLT's dist sites have been VERY unhappy. Most of them feel as if they've been ripped off. I feel as if they have too. 3) They are severely in dept. Some of their suppliers have quit supplying until they are paid off. With one or two dist sites in January this is NOT going to happen. They owe Night Ranger UK $250, Nuclear War $200, Flashback $500 minimum probably around $700. And most important, they owe their dist sites 2 months worth of quality releases that were promised. 4) They lost their reputation as a good group. Dist sites are not going to pay to be a site any more. 5) They lost 90% of their couriers. If they do get any sites, they're not going to get the releases in a timely manner. And most important.. 6) They lost the two people who did more for them than anyone else: Con Artist & Myself. This is not meant to rag, just to inform people as to what's really going on. Everything I've written here can be confirmed by the couriers and dist sites. If you have any doubts about what I'm saying, DON'T take my word for it! Call a couple dist sites and ask them yourself. Dist sites are the heart of the group. Without them, there is no group. Now to discuss Sinister. Con Artist, Shadow Angel, and myself are the three Sr. Members. We've all been friends for a while now and work great together. We totally trust each other. We've vowed never to screw over anyone in our group and we vowed Sinister is our last group. If it weren't for the courier system CA & I made in FLT and all the time we put into it, I would have just quit the scene. But I spent over 2 months of devoting hours each day, every day to FLT. I just can't let it go to waste. Neither can CA. We're going to do everything we can to make this group work. We've got more accomplished in the past week than FLT has in the past month. The most important thing is WE'VE BEEN HAVING FUN!!! I've had more fun this past week than I've ever had since I got into the scene. CA told me something I haven't heard him say in months, "That conference was fun!" Fun is our main objective. I'm not going to let it become a job, like FLT was for the past 2 months. Our couriers have had fun. Our dist sites have had fun. And we haven't even released one thing yet! We're not out to be number 1 right away, that takes time. We just want to give our dist sites quality releases. One thing we will NOT do is participate in rag wars. We're going to leave that to the other groups. It's always been my dream to start a cracking group, to be one of the original founders, and to see the group doing well years later and say "I started that group!" Well the time has come. Fairlight's motto was "When Dreams Come True" and mine sure have. Now you're probably wondering what we've got going, so let me briefly mention some things. We have approximately 20 sites, including HQs & Member boards. We have THE best courier system of any group, which can be attributed to THE best couriers in the whole scene. After 2 months of 1 meg releases from FLT, the couriers are eager to spread. Having more couriers than sites will ensure every site getting our releases within 24 hours. Two of the best crackers in the scene will be cracking for us, although they will be independent. We are looking for a cracker that can dedicate himself to the group. Now for the killer.. Supply. I have several connections at several key companies, including some inside connections. For obvious reasons I cannot list who our suppliers are. I will be honest, we are working on setting up some more accounts and will continue to do so throughout the rest of the year. By January we should be in good standing and ready to officially start the group. FLT will say we do not have any suppliers. If FLT had released much of anything then maybe it would be credible, but they haven't. For now our list of members, couriers, and dist sites will be kept private. If you are interested in joining Sinister, please contact one of us on a major board or you can call the Sinister vmb at 1-800-877-8055 *203. Leave your info and we'll get back to you. Everything I said was not meant to degrade Fairlight, but rather to inform everyone. They have been lying about us and our group and we think everyone should know the whole story. Everything I wrote was the truth and can be confirmed by a number of people. I could have lied to make FLT sound worse or Sinister sound better, but a group based on lies will fall apart once those lies are discovered. Fairlight will realize this very soon, and they will be in more trouble than they are now. This is my story, Shadow Angel has already wrote his and Con Artist is working on writing his story also. Although our stories will be from different views, I'm sure they'll have the same basic idea. To everyone who got in the middle of the whole thing - I'm sorry it had to be this way. This is the last thing I wanted to happen, but I found out who my true friends are. To the people who I thought were my friends, including those who I brought into the scene and made members of Fairlight - I suppose I was too trusting and too nice. It's in my personality, I can't help it. Someone in Fairlight said "When people leave the group, those who stay move up in rank." Well for those who stayed just for this reason, a title after your name doesn't mean shit any more. It's what you do for the group, and what you do for your friends who got you there that counts. PEACE! - Silent Stalker Thank you for reading our stories. Since these stories were written, we've added even more suppliers to Sinister. We will be fully operational in January so watch out! Until then, enjoy the holidays and have a Merry Christmas. Con Artist -=- Shadow Angel -=- Silent Stalker -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [5]: FOR THE PEOPLE Supplied By: Bulletin Boards Across the Country Edited by: Mercenary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blitzkrieg BBS Information 12/07/1992 The current NUP is: SAMHAIN Please post this on the boards you call so we can get some new callers and maybe some of the older ones back. Since the FBI rumors some people have been scared away. I was not raided! Tell them it's safe. If anyone would like to help TAP get rolling again in 93 and you have access to a lazer printer we are in need of cover art and space fillers. Anything relating to computers, phones, electronics, etc, or maybe some original stuff. I could also use some borders on the edges of a paper and fill the insides with an article. Those who send in something that is used will receive a free issue and their handle will be included in the credits if you want it there. Also if you have some articles you want to see in print start sending them in. Those who have already subscribed will get an extension for the free issue. Those who have subscribed and never gotten anything if you have moved please mail in your NEW address. Do not leave it in feedback. I hope to have TAP going strong once again and i'm sorry for such a long delay... shit happens. Blitzkrieg Bbs, Post Office Box 20264, Louisville Kentucky, 40250-0264 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaos Communication Congress 1992 "Es liegt was in der Luft" "There is something in the air" From December 27 to December 29 1992 the Chaos Computer Club organizes the 9th Chaos Communication Congress. In parallel to the old features of the Congress ("Hack-Centre",Workshops) there will be some new topics. One of these new features is about cellular networks and other topics of cordless telecommunication.... This topic is going to be more important in the future. Cellular networks get bigger and bigger, the frequency range is rising up to gigahertz range. Do we get contamined by these high frequency networks ? How do these networks operate? What will happen if they crash or get hacked ? Should it be allowed to tap this networks (not allowed in the FRG now), If not, why not ? To these and other questions there will be diskussed answers and alternative possibilities of the old style to answer to these questions. Since two years ago there rised a scene of computer-freaks which have the possibility to use the international phonelines without payin' the bill. This possibility appears - not only to us - as a commitment to all people all over this planet (for now). There will be discussions on how to realize this civil-right, and if it's too hard to realize now, how to realize it in the future. Other topics at the Chaos Communication Congress 1992 are: Feminine computer usage - WOMEN ONLY ! How to use networks - Beginners How to live with Networks - Semi-Professionals How to live in Networks - Maniacs Chip-Cards - Could you eat them ? What happened if you eat them with acid blobs ? What happened if you smoke them? Prices: All three days: 36 DM (Members 26 DM) One day each: 15DM (Members 10DM) Contact: Chaos Computer Club e.V.e Schwenckestr. 85 2000 Hamburg 20 Tel.: +49-40-4903757 Tue. &. Thu. 16.00 - 22.00 Uhr, Otherwise VMB To get information about where to sleep if you come to visit the CCC 92, please contact: sleep@drdhh.hanse.de (Internet Mail) or call +49 40 490 37 57 (Voice-Box System) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Jackson Games 1993 Calendar Convention / Trade Show / Business Trip updated 12/4/92 ............................................................................. CHRISTMAS Dec. 25 PAID HOLIDAY HOLIDAY Dec. 28-31 OFFICE CLOSED NEW YEARS DAY Jan. 1, 1993 PAID HOLIDAY OFFICE OPEN AGAIN Jan. 4, 1993 HIA (CRAFTS) Jan. 16-20, 1993 Dallas, TX JC, DB TNNA (CRAFTS) Jan. 22-26, 1993 Anaheim, CA JC, DB WARCON Feb. 5-7, 1993 College Station, TX LB=SpecG GAMA March 8-11, 1993 Las Vegas, NV SJ,LB,DB,JC CALCON 8 March 19-21, 1993 Alberta, Canada SJ=GOH DEFCON V April 16-18, 1993 Somerset, NJ SJ=GOH WIZARD'S CHLLNGE XI Apl. 30-May 2, 93 Saskatchewan, CANADA LB=GOH BRAZIL (?) May 20-30, 1993 Brazil SJ CAP CITY OPEN HOUSE May 1-5, 1993 Madison, WI DB DIAMOND COMIC-CON June 4-9, 1993 Atlanta, GA DB ORIGINS '93 July 1-4, 1993 Fort Worth, TX SJ,LB,DB JC,JK,CM DRAGONCON July 16-18, 1993 Atlanta, GA SJ=SpecG DB? SEYG (CRAFTS) July 28-Aug.1, 93 Charlotte, NC JC,DB GENCON Aug. 17-23, 1993 Milwaukee, WI SJ,LB,JC DB,JK,DP CONTRAPTION September 1996 ENGLAND SJ=GOH ............................................................................ GOH = Guest of Honor SpecG = Special Guest SJ=Steve Jackson LB=Loyd Blankenship JC=Jill Cunningham DB=Dana Blankenship JK=Jeff Koke CM=Chris McCubbin DP=Derek Pearcy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section [6]: The Rumor Mill (Unconfirmed rumors from the Underground) Edited By: Mercenary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _ _ _ _ ((___)) ((___)) [ x x ] cDc communications [ x x ] \ / presents... \ / (' ') (' ') (U) (U) The cDc #200 Higgledy-Piggledy-Big-Fat-Henacious-Mega-Mackadocious You-Can't-Even-Come-Close-So-Jump-Back-K-B00MIDY-B00MIDY-B00M File by Swamp Ratte' In April of 1989, cDc communications became the first telecom group to release one hundred files. Since then, cDc has become the longest-lasting group in telecom, in addition to the most prolific. Now cDc brings you its 200th release, another first in the computer underground. By far cDc's most eagerly awaited work, this mega-file is packed with so much flavor your brain is sure to explode. If not, read it again. MR. T says: "Hey, fool! If I were you, I'd grab cDc's #200 B00MIDY file right now! You just can't get a better file! Take it from me - Mr. T!" Be Sure to grab it from your Favorite H/P BBS Today! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-LAMER ALERT From: PARACHUTING LLAMA Subj: WARNING Here's a big time l00zer for ya. Anybody have a "Mickey Mouse", or A. Albano on their board? He goes with the following stats: Handle: Mickey Mouse Name: A. Albano Address: [EDITED] City, State: Mahopac, NY Age: 23 His REAL age is about 15 or 16, He has already been locked out of several boards in my area. He usually calls in the 914 area code. If he calls your board, LOCK HIM OUT!! he is persistantly annoying, and does things like: renaming files and uploading them over and over again, leeches files at the slightest chance, persistantly tries to hack other people's passwords, and many other things. This is a just a simple warning! He will also threaten to have Law-Enforcement visit you. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Section [7]: PHANTASY TIDBITS: News and Views of Interest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * `GENIUS' PLAGUES CABLE TV [ Industry back to drawing board as Winnipeg pirate breaks code ] by Paul Wiecek, Police Reporter Cable industry officials in the U.S. have gone back to the drawing board after a local man described as an "electronics genius" cracked the sophisticated computer code that scrambles pay-TV signals. Police believe the man cracked the code some time in the past year and then produced more than 1,100 home-made descramblers that he sold in local bars and as far away as Vancouver for $220 each. Crime Insp. ron Dawon said the man's basement factory is believed to be the largest of its kind ever uncovered by police. It has forced industry officials to rethink the technology cable companies use to protect their pay-TV signals. Sgt. Arnie Wolochatiuk -- one of the two officers who worked on the complex six-month investigation -- said the man's arrest last summer had reverberations as far away as Chicago. Wolochatiuk said an official from Zenith, which manufactures descramblers for Winnipeg's two cable companies, flew to Winnipeg after the man was arrested to "marvel" at his craftsmanship and try to figure out what went wrong. "He's got to be some sort of electronics genius to dream up this scheme," said Const. Mike Kuzma, Wolochatiuk's partner in the case. Local cable companies charge $15-$18 a month for the channels the man's descramblers were picking up for free. "It's very discouraging," said Hans Schmidt, general manager of Greater Winnipeg Cablevision, noting the current descrambling technology was supposed to be almost foolproof. Schmidt said Zenith officials are now looking at new designs for their descramblers. Police making a routine call to a Springfield Road house last June noticed some high-tech electronics equipment in the basement along with a large number of television converters, and passed the information to District 4 detectives., 'q' to quit.] Kuzma said the man was arrested and 44 of the illegal converters were seized over the summer. The rest are unaccounted for. James Ernest Millar, 31, who has since moved to Vancouver, is facing a variety of charges under the telecommunications provisions of the Criminal Code. Kuzma said the man somehow managed to replicate the computer boards that make up the descramblers and had them mass-produced by a company. He then assembled them with the necessary computer chips and installed them in ordinary television converters. Operations manager Charron Kerr said Videon has already taken steps that make the descramblers useless for par-per-view stations and the movie channel. She said the remaining channels in the pay-TV package will be reprogrammed in the coming months. * * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IS IT ILLEGAL TO DEFEND AGAINST HACKERS The following excerpt from CERT Advisory CA-92:19 suggests that it may be a federal crime in the U.S. for computer system administrators to take certain actions to defend their systems against a hacker. The risk described here is not entirely about computing: it is mostly a legal risk created, I think, by legislators and administrators that are insufficiently aware of computing technologies and practises. A cynic might suggest other reasons for these kinds of legal opinions. are insufficiently aware of computing technologies and practises. A cynic might suggest other reasons for these kinds of legal opinions. Lines marked with > are direct quotes; see two other comments by me later. John A Lloyd (enough to distinguish me from others, I hope!) Supervisor, Technical Support MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd Richmond BC Canada jal@mda.ca > >CA-92:19 CERT Advisory > December 7, 1992 > Keystroke Logging Banner > >The CERT Coordination Center has received information from the United States >Department of Justice, General Litigation and Legal Advice Section, Criminal >Division, regarding keystroke monitoring by computer systems administrators, >as a method of protecting computer systems from unauthorized access. > >The information that follows is based on the Justice Department's advice >to all federal agencies. CERT strongly suggests adding a notice banner >The information that follows is based on the Justice Department's advice >to all federal agencies. CERT strongly suggests adding a notice banner >such as the one included below to all systems. Sites not covered by U.S. >law should consult their legal counsel. > > The legality of such monitoring is governed by 18 U.S.C. section 2510 > et seq. That statute was last amended in 1986, years before the words > "virus" and "worm" became part of our everyday vocabulary. Therefore, > not surprisingly, the statute does not directly address the propriety > of keystroke monitoring by system administrators. > > Attorneys for the Department have engaged in a review of the statute > and its legislative history. We believe that such keystroke monitoring > of intruders may be defensible under the statute. However, the statute > does not expressly authorize such monitoring. Moreover, no court has > yet had an opportunity to rule on this issue. If the courts were to > decide that such monitoring is improper, it would potentially give rise > to both criminal and civil liability for system administrators. > Therefore, absent clear guidance from the courts, we believe it is > advisable for system administrators who will be engaged in such > monitoring to give notice to those who would be subject to monitoring > that, by using the system, they are expressly consenting to such > monitoring. Since it is important that unauthorized intruders be given > that, by using the system, they are expressly consenting to such > monitoring. Since it is important that unauthorized intruders be given > notice, some form of banner notice at the time of signing on to the > system is required. Simply providing written notice in advance to only > authorized users will not be sufficient to place outside hackers on > notice. In other words, you must "give notice" lest you be convicted of snooping (and, of course being a victim of unauthorized monitoring your attacker will go free.) How do you ensure that snoops, crackers and disgruntled employees are guaranteed to view a message when you ca 2400-300 Baud, 24 Hours a day 4. Pipers Pit BBS 19,200-9600 HST ONLY!! 24 Hours a Day THG Distro Site 1300 Megs (203)PRI-VATE [2 Nodes] 5. Blitzkrieg BBS Blitzkrieg Bbs (502)-499-8933 Post Office Box 20264 The current NUP is: SAMHAIN Louisville Kentucky 40250-0264 6. The Dickinson Nightlight (713)-337-1452 Der WeltanSchauung Distro Site (World View Magazine) Phantasy Distro Site PHANTASY is also available on: 1. RIPCO BBS (312)528-5020 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- PHANTASY(C) IIRG 1991,1992,1993 May Odin Guide Your Way! Merry Christmas From All of Us at The IIRG -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-