How to Hack UNIX System V

UNIXSYSV.HAK


UNIXSYSV.HAK - File on hacking Unix System V's



                    From THE HACKER'S GUIDE TO W.S.U. comes
                     the ultimate in weekend entertainment



                                 ------------
                           How to Hack UNIX System V
                           -------------------------
                      includes the INTRODUCTION TO HACKING
                           and HOW TO NOT GET CAUGHT
                           -------------------------
                                 ------------



                           Last Revision: 1-18-89
                                 Version: 2.0



INTRODUCTION TO HACKING
=======================
    Hacking is the art of attempting everything until something finally works.
The average hacker is usually only armed with educated guesses.  Why hack?
Generally, you have some reason.  My favorite reason being that it's fun.  But
these days are getting pretty suspicious and you have to watch yourself when
hacking even if you don't have malicious intents.  Hacking is lots of work and
is also dangerous.  So be careful and don't get caught!

HOW TO NOT GET CAUGHT
=====================
    Okay great, how do I avoid getting caught?  That depends on what you are
doing.  In this file I will be discussing UNIX System V and therefore my
suggestions should only be taken as pertaining to that.  Even if you follow
my suggestions, you can still get caught.  Some operators are extremely
persistant and will stop at nothing to nail you.  If modems start answering
when you pick up a phone, or you become known as the "human carrier" by your
friends, then I suggest you lay low for awhile.
    Here are some obvious things to be aware of when you are hacking by modem,
I thought I'd include them in case you overlook them.  You should always be
on the lookout for these types of suspicious activity.
    1] Excessive line noise in an area that usually has none.
    2] You hear other voices simultaneously on the phone line.
       This occasionally happens normally with the old analog FDM
       multiplex equipment.  But it also can be caused by a wire tap,
       so try to be careful here!  * See the note on wire taps.
    3] Any van or minivan parked next to:
        a] A telephone pole.
        b] An underground steam vent hole.
        c] Also watch for cloth tee-pees with MA BELL symbols on them
           near poles or steam vents.
       This is a *DEAD GIVAWAY*!!!  If you see this, cease all hacking
       for at least a month!  (An make sure that the vans are GONE,
       --NOT-- just moved to another location!)
       >> Check for wires going to the van from the pole, or vent.  And
          check to see if the van is white (FBI uses these alot) or a
          phone co. van.
    4] Watch the abandoned rooms in your building, if they suddenly have
       lots of equipment in them, take note here!
    5] Anything unusual about the way your phone service operates that
       the neighbors don't seem to have going on!
That's all I can come up with right now.  But I'm sure there are more.

WIRE TAPS
=========
Belive it or not, this is still one of the most commonly used methods
of nabbing a hacker.  The above list is a good guide to detecting an active
wire tap.  If you can afford the equipment, you can do what is know as a
"sweep" of the phone line every now and then.  Another thing you can do is
build a device which monitors the phone line voltage.  If the voltage suddenly
drops during use, you either have a wire tap or someone picked up an extension.
Here are some specs for monitoring line voltage:
    Ringer voltage:90V at 20-30Hz
    On-Line:30-50V
    Clear voltage:600V (Watch out!  This will toast any MOV you have
                        in your modem!  Usually this is used to fuse noisy
                        phone lines shut.)
The average cops don't have the equipment to properly implement a wire tap,
much less a data tap.  However, I have heard of data cops in Seattle and
Chicago.

TRACING PHONE CALLS
===================
    Here is yet another way you can get your butt caught.  It is getting
easier and easier for the average person to trace phone calls.  I just
found out a few days ago that dialing 33 on an on-campus phone will trace
the last call to that phone.  Rest assured that an operator will use this
to nab you if he can.  This however, only affects remote dial-ups, and not
the on-campus links.  Remote dial-ups used to be so safe, but no more...
-- more --A good place to hack from is a nearby terminal room.  *NOT* in the same
building that you live in!  Do it at night, so if there is a system operator
at all on duty late he will probably be sleeping.

RFI READING
===========
    This is a fairly new method of catching hackers, and I really don't think
the average hacker has much to worry from it.  It is too complex to implement
and doesn't even work most of the time.  Especially if you're in an area that
has lots of TV's or computer monitors.  The device used basicly reads the
faint radio frequencies created by your monitor and translates them back into
a video signal.  When it actually does work the guy running it can see exactly
what you are seeing on your monitor.  Pretty tricky, but he has to be able to
pick out your signal first.

ESS -- IT'S BAD
===============
    Alright boys and girls, on top of everything else in the world we now are
bless with the wonders of Electronic Standardized Switching.  Or otherwise
known as ESS.  Remember that sharp increase in your phone bill about a year
ago?  "It's a new computerized system designed to allow quicker routing of
your calls".  Bullshit.  It sole purpose is to catch phreakers.  That's all
it does, and it does it well.  With this, the phone co. can trace a call in
-- more --.55 seconds to anywhere.  It keeps records on all calls, including local!
And just about every phone box in the books will not only refuse to work,
ESS will notify the cops when you try to use it!
    Have some faith.  ESS is not exactly the end of the world either.  Like
every system ever come up with, people will hack it.  And eventually it will
be just as easy to hack ESS as it was to do on the old phone system.






                    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                       Okay!  Enough beginner's stuff!
                      Onward to hacking UNIX System V !
                    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Not much here:  I just started this paper, and am still looking for
                anything I can add to it!
Remember:  The operator can see what you are doing at all times!  But
           usually they don't care or the information scrolls by so
           fast they don't have time to read it.
Note:  If you flub up your password or try to access secured files, the
       system will automaticly record everything that you do!  And on
       some systems, the system will record everything you do anyway!


HOW TO LOG ON UNDER ANOTHER USER'S NAME
=======================================
    This is the heart of hacking a UNIX system.  You don't want to do any
hacking under any ID that can be associated with you.  And you don't want
to use another user's ID more than once if at all possible.

    There really is no way to get a name and password without first having
some level of access to the system.  How do I get in then?  I rely on the
fact that our GANDALF data switch is extremely unstable.  1 out of 5 logins
will drop you under someone else's name *NO QUESTIONS ASKED*.  Just change
parity (8N1 to E71) alot while GANDALF is loading UNIX.  Eventually, you
will get in this way.  This happens because a user hung up on the phone
line without loggig off!  So be sure to log yourself off the system when
you finish with *ANY* work.

    They saw.  A couple of days ago I was doing this and somehow I was
logged off of the system.  The words "LOGOFF" just appeared on my command
prompt and entered themselfs.  I suspect the guy whose number I used was in
-- more --the terminal room monitored by a superuser.  And he just told the SU that
there appeared to be two of him.  (Probably used the WHO command).

THE LOCK OUT
============
    Believe it or not, UNIX will actually allow you to lock out other
users from the system.  First, you select a target person.  Then you place
the file VI.LOGIN in their default directory (the one that UNIX automaticly
loads them into when they log onto the system).  You set up VI.LOGIN like
this:

          VI.LOGIN   (Just the file name!)
          logout

So VI.LOGIN only contains one command.  VI.LOGIN is automaticly executed
when a person logs onto the system.  So as soon as your pigeon gets onto the
system he immeadiatly gets logged off!

Suggested Uses:  On a Prof a few days before your assignment is due.
                 Someone you really don't like (wait a few weeks so they
                    don't figure it out right away!)
                 It might work on the ROOT (The SuperUser's name)

GETTING NEW NAMES
=================
    Here is yet another way to gather SEVERAL users names AND PASSWORDS.
First, (the hard part) wait until the beginning of a semester.  Now,
somehow you have to get a list of the ID numbers for students in UNIX-
oriented classes.  You can usually find one of these lists posted outside
a professor's office (try the computer science building) or one of many
other places.  Anyways, you have a list of student ID numbers.

    Now, preferably on the first day of class, start logging in as a few
(maybe 3-4) students.  I prefer to use ID's from low-level (100's) classes
as the students will just think that they've screwed up.  Log into the
system, and if the student hasn't been on the system before, you will
be prompted for a password!  And viola!  You not only have access but also
you have the password of your choice.  This happens because the computing
faculty is too lazy to pass out customized passwords to thier students.
New students are expected to select their own passwords, but that means
that the system won't be able to tell who is who!

Suggested Uses:  Most likely your access won't stay good for more than
                 a few days.  You might want to take full advantage of it
                 and really cause some havoc.  For one thing, you could
                 lock out an entire computer class!  (See LOCK OUT
                 described above).  If you're really good, and can crack
                 the coded passwords in the PASSWRDS file, then you can
                 get the Super-User (SU) password and have all the fun
                 you want!





                                  =========
                                   THE END
                                  =========

                                And Remember!
            This paper was provided for educational purposes only!

                              Special thanks to:
                              ==================
                              The Mad Phone-Man
                              The Grey Sorcerer
                               The Sneak Thief
                               Harry Hackalot