COMPUTER PIRATES
(C) ALEXANDER KAKOTKIN
Belated passers-by watched in amazement as about their
hruschoby home in a quiet area of Moscow circles
stroll strong guys in flak jackets, talking on
walkie-talkies. Periodically, the house appeared patrol cars.
"Nothing drastic bandits are caught," - thought the aborigines.
And it is very very wrong.
And the guards and the police actually engaged in steep
bandits, but they are not caught, but rather - to protect
against possible excesses by the Federal Security Service and
Interpol. Meanwhile in the apartment, removed for a front name,
the most well-protected paid-up enthusiasm broke into a
computer network solid European bank to drive back the virus.
Squeaked modems cracked phone from standing on the table along
with the radio callsigns and reports came a matrix peremat.
Among the mountains and aparatury beer cans roamed ochumevshie
assistants and security guards. And over all these economies in
the clouds of tobacco smoke, with the powerful computer as it
hovered unflappable protagonist - Classic Russian hacker.
Future storm winning the West and defeated Russia's last hope.
Americans complain
The word "hacker" comes from the English verb to hack -
crack. So for twenty years is called "Curious"
bullies, using computer networks climb into the base
data from various reputable institutions and steal from there
all that bad lies. Recognized as a pioneer and living legend to
hacking is still an American programmer Kevin Mitnick, who
in 1974 managed to climb into the top-secret computer
Network Defense homeland. Then was a huge scandal, and
attacker escaped severe punishment only because of the absence
of U.S. law articles on computer
crimes. This nadostatok was quickly corrected. But the lesson
is not Mitnick went in store. A year ago he was caught trying
to hack database of a single powerful firm. Now the attacker is
awaiting trial.
It is clear that with the advent of computer networks in
Russia immediately appeared hackers own "filling", and in
large numbers. But to turn around here, they were nowhere: the
network underdeveloped, poor database ... But with the advent
of the famous International Internet hungry Russian natives
were able to enter the international arena. The West and had
the first blow powerful Russian hacker fist.
Until two years ago in an interview with BBC FBI Director
Louis Freeh complained that Russian hackers in the year to
organize thousands successful attacks on U.S. bases only
dannyh. That is already then carried out on three break per
day. Louis Freeh specifically visited Moscow and tearfully
asked to establish a joint corporation to combat this scourge.
We have responded to the request, and a year ago in St.
Petersburg they had discovered a Vladimir Levin, who managed to
several techniques to pump through his computer in Israel about
three million dollars from the American "City Bank" included in
the ten largest banks in the world. Since we do not was
"antikompyuternyh laws," Levin had to entice friends in
England, where he was arrested right in London airport.
Shoot down a satellite? Easy!
It just so happens that this writer was one of the
the few journalists who go into Moscow hacker circles.
Now it is a whole class, very closed, with their
secrets and regulations, rankings and classifications. Prizannye
Clan experts explained to me that although the "City Bank" and
is included in the top ten, with its famous hacker is not
included even in first hundred Russian hackers. They openly
laughed discussing the details of the work of Levin, sent them
to Petrograd "Colleagues".
As it turned out, from St. Petersburg made by breaking a lot
of errors, decent amateur. He entered into the database of the
bank through Internet instead of the much less illuminated a
new network of X25, repeatedly carried out hacking with the
same phone Rooms, with the same network password ... Finally,
Levin managed to compile and run the following program hacking
program "Sweeping trace. That's been caught.
Meanwhile, I definitely know a few people
who for several years regularly penetrated, such as network
NASA (National Aerospace Agency of USA) and steals
out of the program. One even managed to enter the management
program spy satellites and has access to work. He possessed
relevant knowledge, satellite it was possible to drive to the
devil for horns, or even drop out of orbit. Another Russian
hacker during burglary was similar to notch automatic computer
security service. On the monitor, he had the inscription:
"Sir, you have unauthorized access to classified
information and so flagrantly violated U.S. laws. Immediately
disconnect and go to surrender to the nearest police station.
"Do not devoid of a sense of humor pirate immediately replied:
"Sir, I would glad it did, but the nearest police station
located away from me in five thousand miles. "Such geographical
News was unable to comprehend the computer and shut up ...
Odanzhdy I bet a box of cognac with friends on a hacker
penetration into the database of NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Disbelief in the possibility of Russian hackers auknulos me
dearly and quickly. For right there in front of me, saving
esprit de corps, programmer from his home 386 computers over
twenty (!) Minutes pumped and brought to monitor the protocol
schedule visits of foreign delegations in Brussels. Information
was kidnapped by an ordinary Internet server (central
internal network computer), the Office of the NATO
headquarters, and some terrorist organizations would pay for it
a lot of money. But such cases are relatively rare. Hacker must
very strongly "uest" that he decided to break such
office. But to get to a computer of some firms and
to steal a new toy or another program - it's alright
things.
PS: At the beginning of the investigation, we talked about
with What precautions Moscow hackers "bomb" viruses
an Austrian bank. For the curious, to present technical
details of this unique operation.
The equipment ground breaking:
586-th computer IBM, autonomous power supply, telephone
avtootvetchokom and anti-AONom, modem, two so-called
mirror monitor, car field station, 5 radios
"Alan" to protect.
Peripheral resource support:
Nine cars of Class 486 and 586, 28 radiobuykov throughout the
city, 12 operators (three - as stand-ins).
The protection and safety net:
2 police crew, 5 own security guards, its people
MGTS and the bank. Preparing for surgery - 25 days. Time for
itself operation - to 9 hours.
Payment:
Hackers - $ 5000, operators - there are no data, the police -
at $ 200 per Rights Protection - to 40,000 per capita. Total
costs - approximately 40000 $.
The effectiveness of hacking:
Computer systems of the bank put out of action for a day. Direct
damage - about $ 100,000, a moral - in the form of smeared
reputatsiiotsenit difficult.
What are hackers
There are four main types of computer pirates.
Romance. This single, cracking the database out of
curiosity. One of my friends got into the Louvre and the
computer now regularly scans the exposure, to join the global
culture. In Overall they are safe and unselfish, but also the
most talented.
Pragmatics or the classics. Steal that have: games,
software, databases, operating systems, electronic versions of
various editions ... Since last September in Moscow firm
Microsoft with a huge fanfare represented her, while the latest
opertsionnuyu system Windows-95. The Western press reported
that the advertising of its new product the company has spent
300 million dollars. And firmachi long could not understand
why, in Russia this system is sold out so bad. But in the
spring of our hackers cracked the base of Microsoft, downloaded
from there then classified "Ninety-fifth, and quickly
established its pirated production at affordable prices.
Scouts. Today, any self-respecting company is available at
the content of your own hacker designed, for example,
programmer. Its mission - to break into networks and databases
competitors to obtain confidential information. From them
already suffered Petrovka 38. Some craftsmen have stolen from
her server, telephone and address database for all of Moscow
and put it was a real CD. Today it can be purchased for
few tens of dollars.
Kibergangstery.Eto already professional computer criminals.
They still are not many, and they work on large mafia
structure. They act almost always groups, sometimes 10-15
people. Here the specific problem: blockage or collapse of
computer networks of various "undesirables" of Russian and
Western firms, as well as stealing money from bank accounts.
Expensive business and unsafe, but the most highly paid.
"EkspressGazeta"
