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          _____________       _/_/     | | \ \          _/_/     _____________
         |  ___________     _/_/       | |  \ \       _/_/       ___________  |
         | |              _/_/_____    | |   > >    _/_/_____               | |
         | |             /________/    | |  / /    /________/               | |
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         | |                                                                | |
         | |      c   o   m   m   u   n   i   c   a   t   i   o   n   s     | |
         | |________________________________________________________________| |
         |____________________________________________________________________|

      ...presents...         The Journalist's Cookbook
                                   Version 1.0
                                                             by Reid Fleming
                                                             7/15/1998-#360

                 __///////\ -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc- /\\\\\\\__
                   \\\\\\\/  Everything You Need Since 1986  \///////
      ___    _   _    ___     _   _    ___       _   _      ___    _   _      ___
     |___heal_the_sick___raise_the_dead___cleanse_the_lepers___cast_out_demons___|

    [Editor's note: This is a living document.  It will be updated from time
    to time, and its version number incremented to reflect major and minor
    changes.]

    Eventually it happens to everybody.  The producer asks you to put
    together a segment on computer crime or the hacker subculture.  Sounds easy
    enough.  You already have a couple ideas.  And luckily you have that
    friend-of-a-friend who knows that hacker who went to jail.

    But once you start actually writing, you realize that your script is
    sounding as trite as anything you've ever seen.  No matter how much you
    try to jazz it up, it looks like every other hacker spot you've seen.
    Pretty soon you're downright desperate for ideas.

    Here's a suggestion: don't agonize over what will end up being just
    another derivative news piece anyway.  Instead, let this document help
    you produce yet another mediocre story about computer hackers.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    TITLE
    TOPIC
    IMPENDING THREATS
    STATISTICS
    THE LEAD
    MOVIE CLIPS
    DEFINITIONS
    MONEY SHOTS
    ANIMATIONS
    INTERVIEWS
    SHOOTING YOUR SUBJECTS
       Computer Hackers
          Settings
          Inserts
       Law Enforcement Officials
          Settings
          Inserts
       Security Experts
          Settings
          Inserts
    The Closing

    Appendix A: Statistics
    Appendix B: Interview Subjects
    Appendix C: Vernhackular

    TITLE

    Start by selecting the working title of your piece.  In many news
    organizations, the title isn't even chosen by the producer of the piece,
    so it's often a waste of time to come up with something good, just to
    have it retitled at the last minute.  And even if you DO get to choose
    your own title, it doesn't matter.  Nobody remembers them.

    Regardless, it's easier to avoid writer's block once you have a title.
    Here are some examples to get you thinking.  (Of course, if you're really
    short on time, just crib one without modification.)

      - The Cyberwarriors
      - At Your Digital Doorstep
      - The Digitally Depraved
      - Hacking The Planet
      - How Secure Are You Really?
      - Is Your Data Safe?
      - Dialing for Mayhem

    TOPIC

    Now choose a topic corresponding to a recent computer crime.  This can be
    very easy.  Just check out the AntiOnline web site for recent hacker
    news.  The site is written for the layperson with some understanding of
    vernhackular.  <http://www.antionline.com/>

    If AntiOnline doesn't help, then this can be hard.  Check the newspapers,
    magazines, chat boards... ferret out some recent computer crimes.  If you
    can find a fresh event falling into one of these categories, write it
    down (if you don't have time for that, then just pick one that sounds good):

      - Banking systems/ATM network penetration
      - Cryptography
      - Cyber terrorism/electronic pearl harbor
      - Hacktivism
      - Identity theft
      - Military or Fortune 100 systems penetration
      - Online privacy
      - Personal data theft
      - Proliferation of Increasingly Sophisticated Hacking Tools
      - International Hacker Gatherings

    IMPENDING THREATS

    The phrase "electronic Pearl Harbor" has crept into the national
    consciousness.  It encompasses the commonly-cited worst case scenarios in
    the computer hacking sphere.  This set of impending cataclysms includes
    the disruption or obliteration of any the following computer systems:

      - Military sites protecting nuclear, biological, or chemical agents
      - Air Traffic Control systems
      - Communications satellites
      - Interstate power grids
      - 911 systems
      - Metropolitan mass transit systems
      - Hospital systems (patient record databases)
      - National credit databases
      - The Internet backbone itself

    STATISTICS

    You know the deal with statistics: no one can verify them, so don't worry
    about quoting your sources.  They're just guesses anyway.  Well, this
    wisdom is ESPECIALLY true in the case of computer crime.

    So grab a useful statistic from a print story, or use one of those
    provided in Appendix A.  In a pinch you can just make something up.  No
    one will have any idea.

    THE LEAD

    If you don't have time to write your own, try this sure-fire intro.

    "[CYBER TERRORISM].  With the recent [SHUTDOWN OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
    SYSTEM], it's been on everybody's mind.  We've all heard stories of
    computer hackers [DISRUPTING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL COMPUTERS] and
    [DISABLING 911 SYSTEMS], but just how big a problem is this?  According
    to statistics, [20 MILLION HACKS ARE PERPETRATED EACH YEAR].  With odds
    like that, it makes you wonder: how safe are we really?"

    MOVIE CLIPS

    Consider the use of a movie clip to hook your audience right away.  At
    least some of these films are familiar to most of your audience, even the
    ones who don't have computers.

    Grab a suitable sequence from one of the following flicks and open your
    story with it.

      - Goldeneye
      - Hackers
      - Lawnmower Man
      - The Net
      - Terminator 2
      - Real Genius
      - Sneakers
      - Speed 2
      - Superman III
      - Wargames
      - The Armchair Hacker
      - Tron

    ABOUT DEFINITIONS

    Explain the technical jargon to your audience as each term arises.  Your
    intro may require the use of one or more terms, but resist the urge to
    explain everything at once.  It's boring, and it won't work anyway.

    Ask your interview subjects to explain any jargon they use.  While
    they're at it, ask them to explain the jargon used by anyone you
    interviewed previously.  Someone else may be better at explaining
    something than the person who actually used the term.

    If an explanation differs substantially from that offered in Appendix C,
    use the one offered by your source.  Things change so rapidly on the
    Internet that words are often redefined.

    MONEY SHOTS

    These are the clips of hackers sharing the fruits of their labor.  Your
    story should have at least one of these.

      - Hacked web sites (FBI, CIA, DOJ, NASA, etc.)
      - Purloined data scrolling across monitor
      - Screenful of cracked passwords

    ANIMATIONS

    If you need them, here are some tried-and-true ideas for CG elements.

      - Packets served across the Internet
      - Satellite hacking
      - Virus infecting files
      - Files being deleted
      - Calls being traced

    INTERVIEWS

    There are just three categories of subjects worthy of on-camera
    interviews: computer hackers, law enforcement officials, and security
    experts.

    Whenever you interview any of these subjects, you must determine their
    credentials.  By this we mean the following:

            * number of years in their respective roles
            * famous exploits
            * membership in appropriate organizations
            * authorship of any books or articles on the topic
            * relevant jail time
            * whether the subject has been featured in any previous interviews

    ABOUT SHOOTING YOUR SUBJECTS

    Just four simple rules, all of which you should already know.

    Rule number one: always shoot the subject working at a computer.  This is
    absolutely crucial, never omit it.

    Rule number two: conduct the interview in the subject's habitat, but away
    from the computer.

    Rule number three: get lots of closeups.  Room decorations, computer
    systems, keyboards, bookshelves, anything visually appealing.  You will
    need these for cutaways.

    Rule number four: get full coverage on the subject.  This can mean more
    than closeups and reverse shots.  Shoot ECUs of prominent jewelry,
    t-shirt logos, badges, holsters, ID tags, whatever.  More cutaway material.

    computer hackers
    ----------------

    SETTINGS

      - hacker in his habitat
        - anti-Microsoft propaganda (posters, bumper stickers, etc.)
        - pro-UNIX propaganda
        - 2600 magazine
        - Phrack

      - anonymous hacker in nondescript hotel room
        - features obliterated
        - silhouette against scary backlight
        - mosaic face

      - hacker conventions
        - Defcon
        - Hohocon
        - HOPE
        - Summercon

      - dumpster

      - bank of payphones

    INSERTS

      - offbeat grooming & wardrobe
        - unusual hairdos
        - body piercings
        - tattoos
        - 2600 t-shirt
        - leather jacket

      - equipment
        - computers, plural
        - keyboards
        - CRTs
        - misc. gadgetry

      - software tools
        - L0phtCrack
        - Satan
        - Back Orifice

      - internet chat rooms
        - #hack
        - #cDc

    law enforcement officials
    -------------------------

    FBI agents, Secret Service agents, local police officers, anyone from the
    Department of Justice, local district attorneys, etc.

    SETTINGS

      - server room
      - cubicle

    INSERTS

      - building entrance
      - nametag
      - badge
      - gun
      - bookshelves

    security experts
    ----------------

    These come in two flavors: computer security consultants, and computer
    privacy advocates.

    Security consultants (usually themselves former hackers or law
    enforcement) are paid consultants who sell their insight into the
    methodology and ideology of the typical hacker.  Usually self-employed.

    Computer privacy advocates are private individuals who speak out publicly
    regarding threats to personal liberty in cyberspace.  Favorite topics
    include: export restrictions on certain cryptographic materials, the
    validity of various data encryption schemes, and the potential
    vulnerability of critical information systems.

    SETTINGS

      - server room
      - telephone equipment room
      - cubicle

    INSERTS

      - storefront / sign
      - bookshelves

    THE CLOSING

    Nothing special here.  Just a few sentences that re-emphasize the topic.
    Remember that no matter the precise issue, the general message should be
    to fear the relentless and unstoppable legion of computer hackers.

    Perhaps you could close with an epigram.  In which case, you should crack
    open Bartlett's Quotations.  Try one of these topics: COMPUTER, DANGER,
    MENACE, PERIL, RISK, THREAT, TREACHERY, VULNERABLE.

    APPENDIX A - STATISTICS

    <http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9804/06/computer.security/>
    Nearly 80 percent of U.S. businesses have been victims of computer crimes.
    58 percent of Fortune 1000 companies have experienced computer
    break-ins. 18 percent of that group suffered more than $1 million in losses.

    <http://www.defcon.org/TEXT/5/larrylange-eetimes-winn.html>
    According to the FBI, 122 countries across the world currently have
    online hacking capabilities.

    We know that in the neighborhood of 20 million hacks a year are occurring
    worldwide.

    <http://www.technopolitics.com/scripts/tp06-06-97.html>
    The average cyberheist nets $250,000 with a less than one
    percent rate of conviction.

    Only 17 percent of the major corporations and financial institutions that
    have been intruded actually report it.

    75 percent of the Fortune 500 companies have been successfully penetrated.
    The average loss that they concede is about $100,000.

    The FBI estimates that the total losses from these electronic rip offs
    range from a rock bottom figure of $500 million a year up to $10 billion.

    cDc Media List
    _Rocky Mountain News_, August 18, 1996, "Air Force battles computer hackers",
    pg 42A.  Hundreds of thousands of times a year, the Cyberwarrior
    [the U.S. Air Force Information Warfare Center] defends the nation's secrets
    from the members of the Legion of Doom and the CULT of the DEAD COW in a
    battlefield that spans the globe.

    APPENDIX B - INTERVIEW SUBJECTS

    Try these organizations' web sites for up-to-date contact info.

    HACKERS

      - 2600 Magazine
        <http://www.2600.com/>

      - Chaos Computer Club
        <http://www.ccc.de/>

      - Cult of the Dead Cow
        <http://www.cultdeadcow.com/>

      - L0pht Heavy Industries
        <http://www.l0pht.com/>

      - New Hack City
        <http://www.newhackcity.net/>

      - Phrack
        <http://www.phrack.com/>

      - r00t
        <http://www.r00t.org/>

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

      - Federal Bureau of Investigation
        <http://www.fbi.gov/>

      - Secret Service
        <http://www.treas.gov/usss/>

      - San Jose Police Department
        <http://www.sjpd.org/>

    SECURITY EXPERTS

      - Cypherpunks
        <ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/cypherpunks/Home.html>

      - Electronic Frontier Foundation
        <http://www.eff.org/>

      - Bruce Schneier
        <http://www.counterpane.com/>

      - Tsutomu Shimomura (tsutomu@sdsc.edu)
        <http://www.takedown.com/>

      - Cliff Stoll (stoll@ocf.berkeley.edu)
        <http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~stoll/>

    APPENDIX C - VERNHACKULAR

    These are some of the more common vocabulary items.

    ATTACK: a specific tactic designed to generate some kind of malfunction,
    usually to grant or deny computer access -- syn. EXPLOIT

    BACK DOOR: Leaving behind a hidden or nonobvious method to regain system
    access during subsequent visits

    BLACK HAT: a malicious hacker who defies the Hacker Ethic -- ant. WHITE HAT

    CARDING: credit card fraud, typically for mailorder goods

    CRACKER: contemptuous term for hacker, or abbrev. for password cracker

    DENIAL OF SERVICE: an attack designed to prevent the productive use of a
    computer system, by overworking the computer beyond its operational limits

    DUMPSTER DIVING: looking through the garbage for discarded equipment,
    useful information, or other materials -- syn. TRASHING

    EXPLOIT: see attack

    HACKER: a person skilled or expertised in methods of hacking computer
    systems

    HACKER ETHIC: an informal code of conduct designed to preserve the
    integrity of a hacked computer system and its contents, the terms of
    which generally prohibit the contamination or destruction of valuable
    data or other resources

    HACKING: the process of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system

    HACKTIVISM: a term first coined by THE CULT OF THE DEAD COW to describe one
    brand of activism practiced by the HONG KONG BLONDES; a policy of hacking,
    phreaking, or creating technology to achieve a political or social goal

    HANDLE: a hacker's chosen alias, or nom-de-hack

    MAN IN THE MIDDLE: an attack wherein a malicious agent seeks to intercept
    communications between two computers and rewrite certain message contents

    OWNED: a computer whose security has been entirely neutralized by a hacker

    PACKET SNIFFER: a computer program designed to reveal the contents of all
    network traffic within earshot of the computer, not just the data bound
    for that particular system

    PASSWORD CRACKER: a computer program designed to extract the passwords of
    a given system's user database, usually employing a method of brute force
    or dictionary comparison

    PHREAK: a person skilled or expertised in methods of phone phreaking

    PHREAKING: manipulating the telephone system in order to reroute phone
    calls, avoid billing, or otherwise defraud the phone company

    SECURITY THROUGH OBSCURITY: the tactic of protecting something by keeping
    secret all its details

    SNIFFER: abbrev. for packet sniffer

    SOCIAL ENGINEERING: any means of convincing someone to willingly furnish
    information which is unavailable to the general public, usually by posing
    as someone with a legitimate need

    SPOOFING: making it appear that data originating from an untrusted
    computer is actually coming from a trusted one

    TRASHING: see dumpster diving

    TROJAN HORSE: any piece of software intentionally infected with a virus,
    and purposely provided to others

    VIRUS: a small computer program devised to be undetectable and duplicate
    itself

    WAREZ: illegally-duplicated computer software products

    WHITE HAT: a mediagenic hacker who adheres to the Hacker Ethic -- ant.
    BLACK HAT

        .-.                             _   _                             .-.
       /   \           .-.             ((___))             .-.           /   \
      /.ooM \         /   \       .-.  [ x x ]  .-.       /   \         /.ooM \
    -/-------\-------/-----\-----/---\--\   /--/---\-----/-----\-------/-------\-
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               \   /         `-'         (U)         `-'         \   /
                `-'              the original e-zine              `-'    _
          Oooo                    eastside westside                     / )   __
     /)(\ (   \                       WORLDWIDE                        /  (  /  \
     \__/  )  /  Copyright (c) 1998 cDc communications and the author. \   ) \)(/
           (_/     CULT OF THE DEAD COW is a registered trademark of    oooO
              cDc communications, PO Box 53011, Lubbock, TX, 79453, USA.      _
      oooO              All rights reserved.  Edited by Omega           __   ( \
     /   ) /)(\                                                        /  \  )  \
     \  (  \__/       Save yourself!  Go outside!  Do something!       \)(/ (   /
      \_)                     xXx   BOW to the COW   xXx                    Oooo

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