- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Need Now! Product, software, book reviewers. Keep all titles.
by artigh82012＠coltelesales.com 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

1 0

Fw: The Internet's Zen Pirates
by Vitaly Osipov 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

> oh my god :) > > one more example of how the Western media writes about Russia and > Russians... I knew this "Arvi the Hacker" a bit when he tried to earn some > media attention at 1999. Sorry to disappoint the author of the article, but > that guy is no hacker at all. He likes to be a teens leader - so he has a > very eclectic philosophy - Zen, martial arts etc. At least a year ago there > were no talks about real hacking - he stressed that he wanted to teach real > programmers, and all hacking was to be old good MIT stile. The problem is > that this approach is not very popular - so his courses are called "hacker > school" and here comes the general blahblah about Yahoo outages by the media > etc. They also supported the "Free Kevin" movement... etc. I can assure you > that no of the types who steals card numbers from CDnow were studying at his > "school"... Also the "Hacker" magazine mentioned there is nothing more than > very funny popular thing from which you may learn nothing harmful to you or > anybody else... > > So there is NO hacker schools in Russia, and things happen exactly as in US > or everywhere else > > W. > > P.S. maybe it looks like rant, but the thing that offended me most was the > mention of Zen... > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alex Shirado" <shirado(a)m-net.arbornet.org> > To: <cypherpunks(a)einstein.ssz.com> > Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2000 6:58 PM > Subject: CDR: The Internet's Zen Pirates > > > > > > Toronto Globe and Mail > > December 6, 2000 > > > > The Internet's Zen Pirates > > > > A guru preaching moral cleanliness develops a breed of crime-fighting > > hackers > > > > By Geoffrey York > > > > MOSCOW -- They call themselves the Viper Brothers, the Software > Underground > > Empire, and Armageddon in Russia. > > > > They borrow their philosophy from martial arts and Zen Buddhism. They > study > > at the feet of a bearded guru known as Arvi the Hacker, or simply the > > Teacher. > > > > They are the teenaged students of Russia's first school of computer > hacking. > > And while their skills and bravado might seem dangerous, they say they are > > the good guys, defending their clients from an international war of > viruses, > > hack attacks and computer crime. > > > > The Civil Hackers' School, operating from a shabby little Moscow > apartment, > > is helping shape the new generation of Russian computer whiz kids who have > > provoked fear and anxiety in the West. > > > > Russian hackers are blamed for a series of spectacular feats in recent > > years. These include stealing the secret Microsoft source codes; > ransacking > > the Pentagon's computers; hacking into Web sites of the North Atlantic > > Treaty Organization; posting thousands of credit-card numbers on the > > Internet; and stealing millions of dollars from Western banks. The > country's > > post-Soviet economic collapse, combined with its rampant software piracy > and > > its prowess in mathematics education, has created a breeding ground for > > aggressive young hackers. U.S. commentators have described the hackers as > > "perhaps the most talented in cyberspace." > > > > In Moscow, the Hackers' School sees itself at the forefront of a > revolution. > > > > > > "A hacker can do something that influences all of mankind," says the > > school's founder, 27-year-old Ilya Vasilyev, a former software pirate who > is > > better known on the Internet as Arvi the Hacker. > > > > "Every country, every company, needs hackers now," the long-haired teacher > > tells his students. "You have a feeling that you can do anything. You > don't > > have that in any other job." > > > > Several hundred have studied at the hacker school since 1996, earning > > bracelets with ranks similar to judo belts. (The highest honour is a black > > bracelet, known as "guru level.") > > > > The school, preaching an altruistic moral code, says it trains students > for > > legitimate jobs in computer security, defending employers against viruses > or > > hack attacks. > > > > "I won't take students when I see they have a criminal tendency," Mr. > > Vasilyev says. "A hacker must be a wise person, like a samurai or a karate > > master. You have to use all of your wisdom not to harm people." > > > > But the temptations are constant. The first lesson for freshmen students > is > > a stern warning against illegal hacking. > > > > "Many people read about hackers in the newspapers and they think how great > > it is," Mr. Vasilyev tells the teenagers. "But they don't read to the end > of > > the article, where the hacker gets sentenced to jail." > > > > The students sit at the guru's feet on the floor of his cramped apartment. > > When he asks them to name the school's goals, 15-year-old Kirill Boldyrev > > replies, "To break into things." > > > > The teacher quickly corrects him, but later the teenager acknowledges he > > sees hackers as heroes. "They have achieved a very difficult thing, a very > > unusual thing, so they are admired by a lot of people. Maybe it proves > that > > we aren't stagnating in Russia, that we are progressing." > > > > The latest hacker exploit was the daring raid on Microsoft, in which the > > secret source codes for the latest Windows program were taken. The raider > > was traced back to Russia's second-biggest city, St. Petersburg, which has > > become a hotbed of hacking. > > > > Russian hackers first captured the world's imagination in 1994 when a > young > > mathematician, Vladimir Levin, hacked into the computers of Citibank and > > transferred $12-million (U.S.) to the bank accounts of friends around the > > world. He conducted the entire operation from a computer in his St. > > Petersburg apartment. > > > > He was eventually arrested and jailed, but others were inspired to similar > > feats of cybercrime. Ilya Hoffman, a brilliant viola student at the Moscow > > Conservatory, was arrested in 1998 on charges of stealing $97,000 (U.S.) > > over the Internet. He served a year in jail. > > > > Another group of Russians stole more than $630,000 by hacking into > Internet > > retailers and grabbing credit-card numbers. Banking-fraud specialists have > > warned that Russian hackers are the greatest single threat to security at > > European banks. > > > > Crime has become institutionalized in Moscow's outdoor markets and street > > kiosks, where about 90 per cent of the computer software is pirated. The > > widespread acceptance of piracy has made it easier for hackers to ignore > the > > law. > > > > "Piracy is prospering, and nobody is fighting it," said Sergei Pokrovsky, > > the 25-year-old editor of Khaker, a hacker magazine that has built a > > circulation of 50,000 in just two years of operation. > > > > "Pirate software is for sale everywhere. People get used to the idea that > > piracy is normal. Computer crimes aren't seen as very serious. The police > > have so many other problems on their hands. A lost credit card is seen as > > nothing, compared to murder and all the other crimes in this country." > > > > Because of the shortage of high-paying computer jobs in Russia, even > skilled > > specialists can be limited to salaries of just a few hundred dollars a > > month. > > > > Hacking is a tempting alternative. By stealing a password, they can use > the > > Internet for free. And by cracking programs or doing pirate software jobs > in > > the evening, they can boost their incomes considerably. > > >

1 0

Re: An "A" to "Z" G U N R E F R E S H E R C O U R S E
by Peter Capelli 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

I followed your 'argument' until "w", "enforce the existing gun laws, don't make new ones" So apparently the currently unconstitutional laws are okay with you? -p "Those who would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 keyser-soze@hushmail.com@cyberpass.net on 12/21/2000 01:36:54 PM Please respond to keyser-soze(a)hushmail.com Sent by: owner-cypherpunks(a)cyberpass.net

1 0

An "A" to "Z" G U N R E F R E S H E R C O U R S E
by keyser-soze＠hushmail.com 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

An "A" to "Z" G U N R E F R E S H E R C O U R S E a. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject. b. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone. c. Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface. d. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control. e. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords? f. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words. g. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms. h. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any. i. Those who trade liberty for security have neither. j. The United States Constitution (c)1791. All Rights Reserved. k. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand. l. The Second Amendment is in place in case they ignore the others. m. 64,999,987 firearm owners killed no one yesterday. n. Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Politicians. o. Know guns, Know peace and safety. No guns, no peace nor safety. p. You don't shoot to kill; You shoot to stay alive. q. 911 - government sponsored Dial a Prayer. r. Assault is a behavior, not a device. s. Criminals love gun control - it makes their jobs safer. t. If Guns cause Crime, then Matches cause Arson. u. Only a government that is afraid of it's citizens tries to control them. v. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for. w. Enforce the "gun control laws" in place, don't make more. x. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves. y. The American Revolution would never have happened with Gun Control. z. "....a government by the people, for the people....." PLEASE PASS THIS 'REFRESHER' TO -10- FREE CITIZENS.

1 0

CPRM - Cryptome
by mmotyka＠lsil.com 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

Found this on Cryptome. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/15620.html I kinda prefer more passive storage devices that do exactly what they're told to do. Anyone know of sources for technical details? The dvd/flash CPRM spec is available here ( hardcopy only ). Anyone got an on-line version? http://www.dvdcca.org/4centity/tech/cprm/ I suppose it'll be easier to get when it hits the ATA spec.

1 0

Netscape versions
by Jim_Drewniak＠pictel.com 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

Do you know where I could get a list of released versions of the Netscape browser and the versions of the components within ? Regards, Jim Drewniak

1 0

[Fwd: Re: "The End of SSL and SSH?"]
by sunder 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: "The End of SSL and SSH?" Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 13:47:56 -0500 From: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry(a)PIERMONT.COM> Reply-To: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry(a)PIERMONT.COM> To: BUGTRAQ(a)SECURITYFOCUS.COM References: <20001218101802.J26453(a)naughty.monkey.org><877l4w5lzq.fsf(a)snark.piermont.com><005901c069ea$3f73eec0$ca00030a(a)seifried.org> "Kurt Seifried" <seifried(a)securityportal.com> writes: > It is also incredibly difficult for users to ascertain whether the > key is legit or not. Generally, if a key is already in use, it is very likely legitimate. If a key comes up as having changed, it is probably not legitimate. This does leave the question of how do you get keys in the first place. In most organizations, however, systems administration is capable of maintaining such things reasonably well. We could perhaps make that problem a bit better with mechanisms such as on-line key lookup (using a sort of public key version of what kerberos provides for private key protocols), but PKI qua PKI won't improve the situation, and in practice you can (somewhat cumbersomely) get 90% of the benefits right now simply by being systematic about key management. > Most users will happily accept SSL certs that > have expired, point to the wrong site or are self signed (all of > which could be a man in the middle attack or a lazy admin). And yet, SSL certs are based on the X.509 PKI architecture. You claim a PKI will fix things, but obviously it hasn't in this instance. > I used to religously sign email's with PGP until I realized that > no-one probably checked, how did I know this? I started modifying > the email after signing so that it wouldn't verify, no-one ever > complained. I'm hardly surprised. The tools to check are hard to use and the need is rarely obvious. > SSH and SSL are in my opinion poor implementations of security > protocols, they also lack a lot of things such as > repudiation/etc. To believe they are the best we can do makes me > very sad. I suspect in 5 years we'll talk about ssh/ssl like we talk > about telnet right now. I doubt it. SSH and SSL are fine protocols, but are dependent on key management mechanisms. What you are noting is that key management is a hard problem. Well, so it is -- but that doesn't mean that if we change the way we do key management that SSH and SSL would go away. The protocols themselves are fine. In general, PKI is probably not the answer. Among other things, the fact that it requires revocation infrastructure in the first place gives one pause. CRLs do not work in practice. Perry

2 1

vmware 2 Beta (with support for OS/2 as a guest OS)
by Mario Grieb 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

Hallo Joe Cypherpunk, I have read in http://www.shmoo.com/mail(cypherpunks/mar00/msg/00133shtml a Mail from VMware Team to you. Can you mail me the Beta of VMWare 2 with support for OS/2 as a guest OS? I can't find it on www.vmware.com. Thanks Mario ---------------------------------------------------- Mario Grieb Informationstechnik GRIEB GmbH / http://www.grieb.de EMail: mario.grieb(a)grieb.de Tel : 06054 / 911911 Fax : 06054 / 6334 63633 Birstein, Langgasse 31 ----------------------------------------------------

1 0

PUK CODE
by paul adjutor lacaron 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

Dear Sir, Mabuhay! Greetings from Philippines! I'm one avid readers in your website. Finally,I'm curious upon knowing about the PUK CODE of the SIM CARD. Do you have a knowledge how to UNLOCK THE PUK CODE of the SIM CARD if your SIM CARD asks enter PUK CODE??? And if you really don't know the PUK CODE because you forgot it or you lost it. Sir,is there an a HARDWARE or a SOFTWARE to help to UNLOCK the PUK CODE of the SIM CARD??? In a way, thanks for your kind consideration. I'm hoping you can do a favor regarding my request. GOD SPEED AND MORE POWER TO YOU!!! Sincerely Yours, Paul Lacron __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/

1 0

Tapping cellphones for National Security
by Bill Stewart 21 Dec '00

21 Dec '00

Total Telecom is a free (registration-probably-required) news-clipping service covering telecom issues. This lovely article is about the FBI's current hypocritical pretenses of protecting "national security" and "privacy" by increasing their wiretapping abilities, using laws that were written to prevent hostile foreign domination of (ok, and competition with US firms for) critical national infrastructure. (Mind you, I think the laws are bogus, but the FBI is increasing the bogon density around them considerably.) http://www.totaltele.com/view.asp?ArticleID=35057&pub=tt&categoryid=0 U.S. works out security issues with VoiceStream & DT By Jeremy Pelofsky, Reuters 20 December 2000 U.S. law enforcement authorities are working to address national security concerns about acquisitions of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Powertel Inc. by Deutsche Telekom AG , which is partially owned by the German government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the companies filed a joint petition made available on Tuesday asking the Federal Communications Commission, which has to determine whether the combinations are in the public interest, to hold off ruling until the parties reach an agreement. VoiceStream , based in Bellevue, Wash., agreed to be acquired by the German telecommunications giant earlier this year in a $34 billion deal. VoiceStream also agreed to acquire Powertel for about $6 billion in August. Law enforcement agencies "have concerns that the merger could, absent an appropriate agreement, impair the ability of authorized governmental agencies in the U.S. to satisfy their obligations to preserve the national security, enforce the laws and protect the public," according to the petition. Germany's 44 percent stake in DT, which the government has pledged to divest, has raised concerns among some in the U.S. Congress about the impact the German government backing could have on competition and U.S. national security. The agencies are seeking assurances of the ability to conduct lawfully-authorized electronic surveillance of domestic calls and those that begin or end in the United States, the petition said, a copy of which was filed with the FCC. The FBI and U.S. Justice Department also said they are seeking to prevent as well as detect foreign-based or other illegal surveillance that could risk U.S. security and the privacy of the nation's telecommunications system. "The parties are currently and in good faith working diligently working toward such an agreement," the filing said. A VoiceStream spokeswoman declined to comment on the petition. The company in the past said it expected to have to address concerns raised by U.S. law enforcement authorities but did not anticipate any problems reaching an agreement. The merged company would represent a "substantial U.S. wireless service provider" offering near nationwide personal communications service (PCS) coverage as well as in Europe using the global system for mobile communications standard (GSM), according to the petition. Sen. Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat, has urged the FCC to block the VoiceStream-DT deal because he says U.S. law prohibits a telecommunications company that is more than 25 percent owned by a foreign government from acquiring U.S. firms. ~~~~~~~~~` Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, bill.stewart(a)pobox.com PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639

1 0