GENWiki

           HOUNDING TEENAGE HACKERS
           DON'T PLUG THOSE
           LEAKY COMPUTERS

         12/10/84

           THE PETULANT BOYS AND GIRLS WHO PLAY IN THE SANDBOX CALLED
        THE U.S. SENATE GOT INTO ONE OF THEIR TYPICAL TEMPER TANTRUMS
        IN THE LAST HOURS OF THE 98TH CONGRESS THIS FALL. THEY WERE
        SO BUSY SHOUTING AND CALLING EACH OTHER NAMES THAT NOBODY
        SEEMED INTERESTED IN PASSING ANY LEGISLATION.
           IN DESPERATION, THE SENATE LEADERSHIP DECIDED THAT THE
        ONLY WAY TO MAKE THESE MATURE, RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC SERVANTS DO
        THEIR WORK WAS TO HOLD AN ALL-NIGHT SESSION. A LONG LINE OF
        COTS WAS SET UP IN THE CAPITOL CORRIDORS. BETWEEN CATNAPS,
        OUR ELECTED LEADERS VOTED ON BILLS AND AMENDMENTS. IN THESE
        ABSURD CIRCUMSTANCES THE CONGRESS PASSED AN ABSURD PIECE OF
        COMPUTER LEGISLATION.
           THE NEW CRIMINAL STATUTE EMPOWERS THE TRW, WHICH
        PRESUMABLY HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO, TO SNOOP AROUND
        THOUSANDS OF COMPUTER "BULLETIN BOARD" SYSTEMS TO PROSECUTE
        COMPUTER "HACKERS" WHO ARE ALLEGEDLY ABUSING CORPORATE AND
        GOVERNMENTAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS FROM COAST TO COAST.
           THE PROBLEM, TO THE EXTENT IT IS A PROBLEM, IS THIS:
        THOUSANDS OF COMPANIES, SCHOOLS, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE
        TELEPHONE HOOKUPS THROUGH WHICH THEIR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYES
        CAN CALL A CENTRAL COMPUTER TO GET INFORMATION OR LEAVE
        MESSAGES.
           A COMMON EXAMPLE OF SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD BE A NATIONAL
        RETAIL CHAIN WITH HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK CITY. THE CHAIN'S
        DUBUQUE STORE CAN CALL THE COMPUTER IN NEW YORK TO PLACE AN
        ORDER, CHECK ADVERTISING COPY, OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
           EACH SYSTEM HAS SOME SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS TO FEND OFF
        UNWANTED CALLERS. TO GET INTO THE WASHINGTON POST'S NEWSROOM
        COMPUTER, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU NEED TO KNOW THE PHONE NUMBER, AND
        THEN TYPE IN TWO SEPARATE PASSWORDS -- KNOWN ONLY TO THE USER
        -- BEFORE YOU CAN BE CONNECTED.
           THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM OF COMPUTER HACKERS AROUND THE
        COUNTRY TRYING TO PENETRATE SOME OF THESE CENTRAL SYSTEMS.
        SOME HACKERS EVIDENTLY DISCOVERED A NUMBER AND A PASSWORD TO
        GET INTO THE TACO BELL COMPUTER, PRESUMABLY ENABLING THE
        INTRUDER TO ORDER 5,000 CASES OF HOT SAUCE OR SOME SUCH.
           THE MOST INFAMOUS INSTANCE TO DATE CAME EARLIER THIS YEAR
        WHEN SOME HACKERS OBTAINED A NUMBER AND PASSWORD ENABLING
        THEM TO RUMMAGE AROUND IN THE ELECTRONIC RECORDS MAINTAINED
        BY TRW INFORMATION SERVICES, A BIG CREDIT AGENCY THAT HAD
        NAMES AND CREDIT NUMBERS OF SOME 90 MILLION PEOPLE.
           ALARMED BY SUCH HAPPENINGS, OUR BENIGHTED CONGRESSPEOPLE
        ROSE FROM THEIR COTS AND PASSED A LAW MAKING IT A FEDERAL
        OFFENSE -- WITH UP TO A YEAR IN JAIL FOR FIRST OFFENDERS --
        TO GAIN "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS" TO ANY PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENTAL
        DATA BANK CONTAINING PERSONAL OR CORPORATE FINANCIAL RECORDS.
           THIS LAW IS A CLASSIC CASE OF SHOOTING AN ICBM AT A
        MOSQUITO -- AND FIRING WIDE. EVEN IF THE SITUATION WERE
        SERIOUS ENOUGH TO BRING ON THE G-MEN, THE STATUTORY SOLUTION
        CONGRESS HIT ON CANNOT WORK BECAUSE IT IS AIMED AT THE WRONG
        PEOPLE.
           GRANTED THERE ARE SOME BAD APPLES OUT THERE IN HACKERLAND.
        FOR THE MOST PART, THOUGH, THE PEOPLE MAKING THIS
        "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS" ARE 15-YEAR-OLD COMPUTER "PHREAKS" WHO
        ARE DOING IT SOLELY FOR THE INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE. IT'S A
        KIDS' GAME. BUT NOW CONGRESS IS DISPATCHING THE FBI TO TRACK
        DOWN THESE EVIL MISCREANTS AND SHIP THEM TO LEAVENWORTH.
           THE REAL PROBLEM WITH "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS" IS NOT THIS
        CORPS OF PRECOCIOUS KIDS TYPING AWAY AT THEIR COMMODORES BUT
        RATHER THE CORPORATE COMPUTER TYPES WHO DESIGNED THE LEAKY
        CENTRAL SYSTEMS THE HACKERS ARE INVADING.
           IT IS NO GREAT TRICK TO SET UP A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT
        CAN'T BE PENETRATED. IF YOU CREATE A SERIES OF PASSWORDS,
        PROTECT THEIR SECRECY, AND CHANGE THEM REGULARLY, YOU CAN
        FRUSTRATE JUST ABOUT ANY UNAUTHORIZED INTRUDER.
           MANY OF THE SYSTEMS OPERATING NOW, THOUGH, TREAT SECURITY
        AS A JOKE. TRW, FOR EXAMPLE, SAYS ITS CREDIT RECORDS ARE
        GUARDED AS CAREFULLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT INFOWORLD MAGAZINE
        REPORTED THAT A "SECRET" TRW PASSWORD MAY HAVE BEEN PRINTED
        ON CREDIT REPORTS ROUTINELY GIVEN TO PEOPLE APPLYING FOR A
        CREDIT CARD AT SEARS, AMONG OTHER PLACES. IT SAID THE SAME
        PASSWORD WAS PASSED AROUND FOR MONTHS, BUT THAT TRW DID NOT
        BOTHER TO ISSUE A NEW ONE.
           A GARDEN GROVE, CALIF., CONSUMER NAMED BURT MAZELOW HAS
        SUED TRW FOR FAILING TO PROTECT HIS CREDIT RECORDS FROM
        SNOOPERS. WITHOUT PREJUDGING THIS PARTICULAR CASE, ONE CAN
        SAY THAT MAZELOW HAS FOUND A MUCH MORE INTELLIGENT APPROACH
        TO THE PROBLEM THAN OUR SLEEPY SENATORS CAME UP WITH.
           IF THE PROBLEM OF "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS" IS TO BE STOPPED,
        IT'S PATENTLY OBVIOUS THAT CHANGES WILL HAVE TO COME AT THE
        CENTRAL-COMPUTER LEVEL. INSTEAD OF HOUNDING RAMBUNCTIOUS KIDS
        GIVING THEIR COMPUTERS A WORKOUT, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD
        ATTACK THIS PROBLEM AT THE SOURCE: THE CORPORATE AND
        GOVERNMENTAL BUREAUCRACIES THAT HAVE BEEN TOO DUMB OR TOO
        CHEAP TO MAKE SURE THAT PRIVATE INFORMATION IS REALLY
        PRIVATE.