alt.2600 FAQ Revision 2003-02-05 - Part 1/1

Questions (and their answers) about hacking. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post to the alt.2600 newsgroup or use the IRC channel #hack.

Archive-Name: alt-2600/faq
Posting-Frequency: Random
Last-Modified: 2003/02/05
Version: 2003-02-05

Welcome to the alt.2600/#hack FAQ!

The purpose of this FAQ is to give you a general introduction to the topics covered in alt.2600 and #hack. No document will make you a hacker.

If you have a question regarding any of the topics covered in the FAQ, please direct it to alt.2600. Please do not e-mail me your questions; I do not have time to respond to each request personally.

If you do not have the entire FAQ, find it on the worlwide web at http://www.hackfaq.org

Section A: Computers

A-01. How do I access the password file under Unix?
A-02. How do I crack Unix passwords?
A-03. What is password shadowing?
A-04. Where can I find the password file if it's shadowed?
A-05. What is NIS/yp?
A-06. What are those weird characters after the comma in my passwd file?
A-07. How do I access the password file under Windows NT?
A-08. How do I crack Windows NT passwords?
A-09. How do I access the password file under VMS?
A-10. How do I crack VMS passwords?
A-11. What can be logged on a VMS system?
A-12. What privileges are available on a VMS system?
A-13. How do I break out of a restrictive shell?
A-14. How do I gain root from a suid script or program?
A-15. How do I erase my presence from the system logs?
A-16. How do I change to directories with strange characters in them?
A-17. What is this system?
A-18. What are the default accounts for XXX?
A-19. What is a trojan/worm/virus/logic bomb?
A-20. How can I protect myself from viruses and such?
A-21. Where can I get more information about viruses?
A-22. What is Cryptoxxxxxxx?
A-23. What is PGP?
A-24. What is Tempest?
A-25. How do I defeat copy protection?
A-26. What are some available debuggers and disassemblers?
A-27. How do I defeat a BIOS password?
A-28. What is the password for <encrypted file>?
A-29. Is there any hope of a decompiler that would convert an executable program into C/C++ code?
A-30. How does the MS-Windows password encryption work?
A-31. What is an Intrusion Detection System (IDS)?
A-32. What is an SQL Injection Attack/Vulnerability?
A-33. What is a format string vulnerability?

Section B: Data Networks

B-01. How do I send fakemail?
B-02. How do I fake posts and control messages to Usenet?
B-03. How do I hack ChanOp on IRC?
B-04. How do I modify the IRC client to hide my real username?
B-05. What is sniffing?
B-06. What is an Internet Outdial?
B-07. What are some Internet Outdials?
B-08. What port is XXX on?
B-09. What is an anonymous remailer?
B-10. What are the addresses of some anonymous remailers?
B-11. What is 127.0.0.1?
B-12. How do I post to a moderated newsgroup?
B-13. How do I post to Usenet via e-mail?
B-14. What is a firewall?
B-15. How do I attack a remote network across the Internet?
B-16. What is a TCP sequence prediction attack?
B-17. What is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?

Section C: Wireless Networks

C-01. What kind of wireless data networks are there?
C-02. What is CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data)?
C-03. What is HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data)?
C-04. What is PDC-P (Packet Data Cellular)?
C-05. What is GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)?
C-06. What is Bluetooth?
C-07. What is IrDA?
C-08. What is LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution Service)?
C-09. What is MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service)?
C-10. What is 802.11?
C-11. What is a SSID?
C-12. What is WEP?
C-13. What is MAC Address Filtering?
C-14. What is a rogue access point?
C-15. Where can I get some really cool 802.11 antennae?
C-16. What are some interesting 802.11 tools?
C-17. What is SMS (Short Message Service)?
C-18. What is WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)?

Section D: Telephony

D-01. What is a Red Box?
D-02. How do I build a Red Box?
D-03. Where can I get a 6.5536Mhz crystal?
D-04. Which payphones will a Red Box work on?
D-05. How do I make local calls with a Red Box?
D-06. What is a Blue Box?
D-07. Do Blue Boxes still work?
D-08. What is a Black Box?
D-09. What do all the colored boxes do?
D-10. What is an ANAC number?
D-11. What is the ANAC number for my area?
D-12. What is a ringback number?
D-13. What is the ringback number for my area?
D-14. What is a loop?
D-15. What is a loop in my area?
D-16. What is a CNA number?
D-17. What is the telephone company CNA number for my area?
D-18. What are some numbers that always ring busy?
D-19. What are some numbers that temporarily disconnect phone service?
D-20. What is a Proctor Test Set?
D-21. What is a Proctor Test Set in my area?
D-22. What is scanning?
D-23. Is scanning illegal?
D-24. How can I make a lineman's handset?
D-25. Where can I purchase a lineman's handset?
D-26. What are the DTMF frequencies?
D-27. What are the frequencies of the telephone tones?
D-28. What is the voltage used to ring a telephone?
D-29. What are all of the * (LASS) codes?
D-30. What frequencies do cordless phones operate on?
D-31. What is Caller-ID?
D-32. How do I block Caller-ID?
D-33. How do I defeat Caller-ID blocking?
D-34. What is a PBX?
D-35. What is a VMB?
D-36. What are the ABCD tones for?
D-37. What are the International Direct Numbers?
D-38. What are some telephone switches?

Section E: Mobile Telephony

E-01. How many types of mobile telephone systems are there?
E-02. What is a MTSO?
E-03. What is a NAM?
E-04. What is an ESN?
E-05. What is a MIN?
E-06. What is a SCN?
E-07. What is a SIDH?
E-08. What are the forward/reverse channels?

Section F: Radio

F-01. What are these radios I see all of the hacker types carrying around?
F-02. Do I need a license to use one of these radios?
F-03. What about modifying ("modding") these radios?
F-04. What are better radios for scanning?
F-05. What is trunking?
F-06. What is pirate radio?
F-07. What frequencies are used for what purposes?

Section G: Television

G-01. What kinds of satellite television networks are there?
G-02. What is VideoCipher II RS (VCII RS)?
G-03. What is DigiCipher II (DCII)?
G-04. How do I get free DSS programming?
G-05. What kinds of DirecTV access cards are there?
G-06. What do DirecTV and Dish Network do to stop signal theft?
G-07. What software is there to experiment with access cards?
G-08. What are the different types of access card hardware?
G-09. Where can I purchase hardware to experiment with access cards?
G-10. What is this extension DirecTV is telling me to call?
G-11. What can I do with a TiVo?

Section H: Resources

H-01. What are some World wide Web (WWW) sites of interest to hackers?
H-02. What are some FTP sites of interest to hackers?
H-03. What are some newsgroups of interest to hackers?
H-04. What are some IRC channels of interest to hackers?
H-05. What are some books of interest to hackers?
H-06. What are some videos of interest to hackers?
H-07. What are some mailing lists of interest to hackers?
H-08. What are some print magazines of interest to hackers?
H-09. What are some e-zines of interest to hackers?
H-10. What are some organizations of interest to hackers?
H-11. What are some radio programs of interest to hackers?
H-12. What are other FAQ's of interest to hackers?
H-13. What are some conferences of interest to hackers?
H-14. Where can I purchase a magnetic stripe reader/writer?
H-15. What are the rainbow books and how can I get them?

Section I: 2600

I-01. What is alt.2600?
I-02. What does "2600" mean?
I-03. Are there on-line versions of 2600 available?
I-04. I can't find 2600 at any bookstores. What can I do?
I-05. Why does 2600 cost more to subscribe to than to buy at a newsstand?

Section J: Smart Cards and Magnetic Cards

J-01. What is a Smart Card?
J-02. What are some common Smart Cards?
J-03. What is the layout of data on magnetic stripe cards?
J-04. How do I determine if I have a valid credit card number?

Section K: Miscellaneous

K-01. What does XXX stand for?
K-02. What's inside my PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)?
K-03. Can I hack my Palm Pilot?
K-04. What are the ethics of hacking?
K-05. Why did you write this FAQ?
K-06. Where can I get a copy of the alt.2600/#hack FAQ?