
                 The Ocean County Phone Punx Presents 
		         alt.phreaking Faq
                            version 1.4   
                       created-August 11, 1997
                       updated-April 1, 1998

	The alt.phreaking Faq is maintained and edited by the OCPP.  It
is for informational purposes only and is posted on alt.phreaking, at the
1st and 15th of every month  This file can be downloaded at the 
OCPP-http://ocpp.home.ml.org
 
Comments or questions can be mailed to XOCPPX@aol.com

	If you think anything should be added/deleted/corrected let
us know.  If you would like to submit your zine, webpage, or 
whatever to be included in the FAQ just email us with the info.  



1. What is alt.phreaking for?
     
Alt.Phreaking is a newsgroup for the discussion, and exchange of Phreaking 
information, hints, tips, and general knowledge.  It is supposed to be a way
for people to discuss phreaking without feeling like a moron, whether asking
or answering questions.  It is also a good way for phreaks around the world 
to communicate easily.


2. What is a phreak?

Phreak is short for phone phreak, a hacker of the telephone system.  A 
phreak, (or a phreaker) is someone who want's to learn about the telephone 
system. A phreak is not someone who destroys phone property if it's not 
necessary for the advancement of their knowledge of said system.  Boxing and 
other ways of hacking the telco does not make someone a phreak.  Being a 
phreak is a way of life.  There are many different views on what is a 
phreak, so two people may call themselves "phreaks" yet have two totally 
different view points.  




3.  I'm a newbie please help


The first mistake newbies make is assuming that everyone will 
jump to spoon feed them answers. Lots of us really DO want to help you, 
but we have better things to do than tutor you non-stop. First and 
foremost, you should try and learn as much as you can about all 
aspects of phreaking.  Visit as many phreaking webpages as possible.  
The more you know, the better you'll be able to choose what you want to do 
and don't want to do, and the more useful you will be to others who need 
help. 
Before you ask for help, think of exactly what you want to learn about. 
Then if you know what you want to learn about and have questions do a 
search on what that is, you should be able to find a ton of info on 
that subject. Then, do the homework. Read, read, read, and then, read 
some more. Then, if your questions still aren't answered, ask someone. 
If you just leech off of someone else's research and hard work, then 
you aren’t really learning anything at all.  If you really want to 
learn about phreaking, you're gonna have to sacrifice some time.  
Also, don't get discouraged if you get flamed and everyone
calls you a lamer.  Keep with it and you will get better.





4. I need help with phreaking in a foreign country

It's tough to find phreaks in the same state, let alone the same place 
in a foreign country.  There aren't too many places for phreaks to get 
their info in thier country because most phreaking takes place in the US.
One place to look is in 2600's meeting section to see if there are any 
meetings in your area.  Check question 23 for foreign phreak websites.

Try the UK's phreaking newsgroup @ alt.ph.uk 
and Germany's phreaking newsgroup @ de.org.ccc 



  

5.  What is a red box?

A red box is a device that generates or plays back the tones that bell pay 
phones generate when a coin is deposited.  The red box allows calls to be 
placed free from bell co. owned telephones by mimicking the tones of coins 
being dropped.  The most common redbox is a modified radio shack 33 number 
memory pocket dialer.  


6.  Where do I get the 6.5536 crystal for it?

The best place to get crystals is from a place called DigiKey.1-800-digikey.  
They sell them for about 2 bucks each, and the crystals are the smallest 
you can find.   Some people like to use a 6.5 MHz crystal because the actual
frequency is 6.49MHz, and obviously 6.5 is closer to it than 6.5536 is.


7.  Do they still work?

Redboxes work on Bell telephone only, they do not work on COCOT’s.  On 
some phones, there is a bandpass filter or a cut-off handset when you 
dial, so you can't enter redbox tones.  Redboxes are slowly becoming 
extinct and it all depends on how big the redbox problem is in your area.
You'll just have to try it on a phone and see if it works or not.


8.  What is a COCOT?

COCOT  is an acronym for Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone.  This is a
phone that is owned by a private business or person.  Even though they look
like phones that are owned by your local telephone company they are very 
diffrent.  COCOT's are known for thier high security.  For instance, you
cannot redbox off a COCOT.  They are also known for their high rates. Calls
from a COCOT are often more expensive and some even charge for 411.  In 
the good old days COCOTs were connected to normal POTS (home phone) lines, 
but there is a growing trend of connecting them to specially leased lines 
from the phone company that allow for greater fraud protection 
(blocking 900/976 and international calls) and services (coin supervision 
and extended operator services).


9.   Does *67 block *69?

In some areas *69 now has a feature that reads back the number of the person
that called you and then gives you the option to call them back.  In some 
places that have that feature, *67 will block your number from being read 
back but they can still call you.  However is some areas it is said that 
*67 will block it all altogher but he best way to check is to spend the 
75 cents and try it yourself.


10.  What is an ANI?

ANI stands for automatic number identification.  It is a service feature 
in which the directory number or equipment number of a calling station
is automatically obtained.  Enhanced 911 systems make the most use out 
of this feature.  ANI is often mistaken for ANAC. 



11.  What is an ANAC?

ANAC stands for Automatic Number Anouncement Curcuit.  An ANAC number 
refers to a number that you call that tells you what number you're 
calling from.  This has a variety of uses.  Lineman call them to find 
out the number of the line they are working on. Phreaks use them when 
they are beigeboxing for the same reason.  



12.  I need an ANAC number for my area.

ANAC numbers are different in all areas.  Try to find your local ANAC and 
use that one.  If you can’t use a national one like 1-800-487-9240.  
National ANAC numbers come and go so don’t use it a hundred times a day to 
impress your friends because they’ll shut it down if it’s used too much.



13.  What is scanning?

In phreaking terms, there are two diffrent types of scanning.  The first 
one is called exchange scanning.  This is where you scan an exchange in 
hopes of finding a certain type of number.  Most of the time exchange 
scanning is done with a wardialer, or a program that scans that exchange 
for you and saves the numbers for you in a seprate file to review the 
results later.  

Scanning can also be done my hand which called manual scanning.  Most of
the time people scan exchanges for terminal numbers, but text numbers, 
voice mail and other such numbers are often scanned for.

Another type of scanning is frequency scanning.  This type of scanning 
is the same type radio frequency scanning that Ham radio buffs do using 
scanners that you can get in Radioshack and other electronic places.  The 
phreaking purpose of this is to pick up cordless and cell phone 
conversations.   Some use this just to hear other people's conversations 
but others use it to get credit card numbers and other personal 
information that people carelessly say on wireless phones.  Visit the 
PLA at http://www.phonelosers.org  for more information on frequency 
scanning.





14.  I need a  war dialer, program, dial up, etc. 

First off, search for things your self.  Do an Internet search on what your 
looking for.  Wardialers are a good way to get the phone companys attention.
They have equipment that notifys them of your suspicous dialing.  Most 
programs are full of bugs and virii and if you don't know what your doing
you can cause a lot of problems for yourself.  To find phreaking programs
do a web search for "hacking phreaking wardialer" or whatever type of
program your looking for.  If you use a program than you aren’t learning 
much.  If someone gives you a number or a program than you really aren’t 
learning anything.  You learn a lot more when you find something yourself.  
 


15.  How do I find my local central office?

Cental Office locations differ from state to state.  Most of time there is 
one in each county, often located in the county seat (main town).  Some 
people have said that they're CO is a huge brick building with no windows, 
however, I have seen CO's that have windows all around them.  Chances are, 
your not just gonna stumble on your CO.  The best way to do it, is to ask
a bell employee.  Most of the time, they'll get real suspicious and ask
you a bunch a questions.  The best thing to say is "I have a uncle from
another town and he said that he was getting transfered to the CO down here.
Can you tell me where it is so I can just see if his car is there?"  They'll
be happy to help you.  Once you know where it is put on your bathing suit
and do some dumpster diving.

However if you are rich and lazy check out CO Finder for windows
at www.stuffsoftware.com/cofinder.html  I'm just amazed that this
program even exists.


16.  I saw X in the movie (select appropriate) Wargames, Hackers, 
The Net. How do I do it?

When you watch a H/P type movie you may see them do certain things and 
then you think you can go out and do that too.  However most of the time
the movies will use the real name of a technique but do it totally diffrent.
This is so they don't wind up in court for teaching millions of people
how to commit fraud.  Another thing movies might do, is just make something
up.  For instance, in the movie "hackers" they talk about a Gibson computer
when in reality there is no such thing as a Gibson.  



17.  Is phreaking (or any method of or related to) legal?  

What is and isn't legal is still very vague when it comes to
hacking and phreaking.  Weather you get in trouble depends on where 
you live, who your pissing off, and what your doin.  For example,
I have seen kids get kicked out school for just having certain
texts in there possesion.  If you respect property and just 
keep a bunch of text files on your comp than you should be fine.
If you go out and tap someones phone you could get in a lot of
trouble.  Like I said you never know.  Your local police will 
probably just tell you to stop, mainly cuz they don't know what your
doing.  However, the secret service can just make stuff up and 
charge you with anything.  Some states actually have laws making
some methods of phreaking illegal.  For intance, there are trashing
laws in certain areas and scanning has been outlawed in Colorado.





18.  I need 31337 warez d00dz

Wrong news group.  Try alt.2600, they are crawling with warez lists.



19.  What does XXXX Box do?  &  What is my ringback number for my area?


If you are too caught up in meaningless crap like this, go read the 
2600  FAQ.


20.  What is a CNA number? 

CNA stands for Customer Name and Address. The CNA number is a phone 
number for telephone company personnel to call and get the name and 
address for a phone number. If a telephone lineman finds a phone line 
he does not recognize, he can use the ANI number to find it's phone 
number and then call the CNA operator to see who owns it and where 
they live. 

Normal CNA numbers are available only to telephone company personnel. 
Private citizens may now legally get CNA information from private 
companies. 

Two such companies are: 

Unidirectory    (900)933-3330
Telename        (900)884-1212

Note that these are 900 numbers, and will cost you approximately one 
dollar per minute. 

If you are in 312 or 708, AmeriTech has a pay-for-play CNA service 
available to the general public. The number is 796-9600. The cost 
is $.35/call and can look up two numbers per call. 

If you are in 415, Pacific Bell offers a public access CNA service at 
(415)705-9299. 

If you are in Bell Atlantic territory you can call (201)555-5454 or 
(908)555-5454 for automated CNA information. The cost is $.50/call. 




21.   Where can I get a lineman's handset?

For more info on handsets and other telco tools visit Lineside's Telecom 
Site -
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/linesidetelco/index.html


Contact East
335 Willow Street
North Andover, MA 01845-5995
(508)682-2000

Jensen Tools
7815 S. 46th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85044-5399
(800)426-1194

Specialized Products
3131 Premier Drive
Irving, TX 75063
(800)866-5353

Time Motion Tools
12778 Brookprinter Place
Poway, CA 92064
(619)679-0303




22.  What are some phreak IRC channels?


Keep in mind that many of these chatrooms follow the same rule that most 
chatroom follow.  No one talks about the subject that they are suppose 
to talk about.  If you want to have a <gasp> intellectual discussion try 
to find some telco personel chatrooms.


#2600
#cellular
#hack
#rock
#phreak
#realhack
#root
#npa
#off the hook





23. What are some other newsgroups that deal with phreaking?



alt.phreaking is your best bet as far as general phreaking is concerned.  
I would only advise the other newsgroups if you live in another country 
or if you want to do some research.


alt.ph.uk                 - UK Hacking and Phreaking

alt.2600                  - Filled with warez d00dz

alt.2600.phreakz          - Still more warez

alt.hackers               - Hacking 

alt.hack.nl               - Hacking

alt.hacker                - Hacking

de.org.ccc             - German H/P newsgroup run maily by the Chaos 
                         Computer Club


24.   What are some good phreak websites?


Linenoise
http://www.linenoise.org/

Purgatory
http://soli.inav.net/~dustinm/

The Library
http://www.sonic.net/~theruler/txt/index.html

Gold Matrix's webpage
http://pages.prodigy.com/Zachs

Soldiers of Misfortune
http://som.hypermart.net/

JadeDragon's Phreaking Page 
http://free.prohosting.com/~jadedrgn/

Digital Misfit's Syndicate
http://roo.unixnet.org/~dms/



-Foriegn phreak websites-


Canadian Phreak House
http://mypage.direct.ca/z/zepka/main.htm

Dake Zone
http://www.omedia.ch/pages/dake/idxang.htm

Chaos Computer Club
http://berlin.ccc.de/





25.  What are some good phreak ezines?



Phone Losers of America
http://www.phonelosers.org


Ocean County Phone Punx (OCPP)
http://ocpp.home.ml.org


System Failure
http://www.sysfail.org


TFP
availible from the OCPP's website


THTJ
availible from the OCPP's website


Security Breach
availible from the OCPP's website


Phrack
http://www.phrack.com



26.  What are some good phreak print zines?



2600

www.2600.com

subsciption info-

2600 Subscription Dept
PO Box 752
Middle Island, NY  11953-0752

subscrition fees:  United States: $21/yr individual, $50 corporate.
               Overseas: $30/yr individual, $65 corporate.







Root zine
http://www.openix.com/~mutter/


Subscription info


Regular Subscription    U.S. Resident     Non-U.S.    Corporate

1 Issue Sampler         $2.00             $2.50       $10.00
2 Issue Subscription    $4.00             $5.00       $20.00
           

Back Issue
Each                    $2.50             $3.00       $20.00
Volume                  $9.00             $10.00      $70.00


to: root zine
    PO Box 1178
    Maplewood, NJ
    07040

(please make checks payable to "root zine")




Blacklisted 411

Subscription info

Yearly subscription:  U.S.  $20  Canada  $24  Foreign  $35
Pay be credit card, check, or money order
send to:  Blacklisted! 411  Subsciption Dept.,  P.O. Box 2506,
Cypress, CA 90630
or call 714-899-8853   FAX  714-899-9283



27.  I need to Research X, where do I go?

There's no point in repeating ourselves; read Mr. Seuss' article 
"Resource Bin" in Issue 7 of the OCPP (ocpp.home.ml.org)





Editor:   Mohawk and the OCPP
Writers:  Mr. Seuss, Checkmate, Redbox111, MR.Sonik, MMX KiLLa, and the OCPP 

Ocean County Phone Punx
http://ocpp.home.ml.org
<732>

