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 ...
