{\rtf1\ansi\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Courier New;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue128;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\cf1\lang9225\b\f0\fs24 __________________________________________________________ \par GUIDE TO (mostly) HARMLESS HACKING \par Vol. 7 No. 1 \par Introduction to Hacker Wargaming \par ____________________________________________________________ \par Since we began running the Hacker Wargame in March 1988, so far (Oct. 1998) \par \par we have just two winners (blips and spagheti -- GALF doesn't count because \par they committed a felony to get in) -- and lots of questions about how to \par become a winner. "Please explain keystroke by keystroke," people ask again \par and again. \par Sorry, I can't do that for you. The problem is, when we made the Wargame \par easy to win, certain script kiddies came in and repeatedly erased key parts \par of the operating system of the Wargame computer -- which is a pain to fix. \par So we decided to set up the Wargame so it was harder to use script kiddie \par programs. The result, sad to say, was that winners became rare. \par It's pretty boring when only two people are able to not just break into but \par \par maintain control of one of our Wargame computers. (You aren't a winner \par unless you can maintain control.) So this Wargaming series is intended to \par teach you, the aspiring Uberhacker, how to rise above the level of the \par script kiddie. If this series is successful, you will learn how hackers \par such as blips and spagheti have become computer security experts instead of \par mere script kiddies. You will have the opportunity to follow in their \par footsteps by learning how to discover new computer vulnerabilities, and \par learning how to fix them yourself, without being told "keystroke by keystroke." \par ************************************************************ \par In this GTMHH you will learn: \par * What are script kiddies and why they are lame \par * Why setting up your own LAN (local area network) is the best way to become \par an Uberhacker \par * What kind of hardware you will need \par * How to get hardware cheap \par * How to get operating system software cheap \par ************************************************************* \par What Are Script Kiddies, and Why they Are Lame \par Want to know exactly what a script kiddie is? The Web site \par http://www.antionline.com carries some of the best news about computer \par break-ins. Its owner, John Vranesevich is a \par self-described hacker, and has interviewed and listened to thousands of \par hackers. With his permission, here we reprint his recent editorial "Facing \par the Age of the Script Kiddies" \par \par In the past, a hacker was an individual who literally had to spend \par years \par to learn the inner workings of computer technology, programming, and \par hardware. Only then could he begin to explore possible vulnerabilities, and \par \par develop, for himself, ways to exploit those vulnerabilities, and more \par importantly, ways to patch them. Through out these years of learning, the \par hacker would develop a certain respect for the technology that he was \par studying, and a certain level of maturity would inherently develop as well. \par \par Now, in present day society, with point and click utilities abound, a \par \par younger, less mature, less knowledgeable, and less respectful, generation of \par "hackers" have come to life. Individuals who haven't had to go through the \par years of learning, and study. Individuals, who because of the lack of \par experiencing this "learning process" have not developed the traits which \par once went hand in hand with the persona of \par "hacker". Kids who are at that age, where they have very little self \par respect, and even less respect for others. Kids who are insecure, and have \par a strong desire to feel that sense of belonging. The sense of being \par accepted as part of a group, and respected among their peers. The same \par emotional state which once led inner city youth to gangs, is now leading \par them to "hacking". Individuals who feel the ultimate sense of power in \par "hacking a webpage". Their words being read by thousands of others. Their \par ability to control something. The technology is not a love, but a tool to \par accomplish something much more in their eyes. A tool that can be used to \par gain them acceptance, a feeling of empowerment, belonging, and control. A \par tool to allow them to escape the ridicule of the kids on the bus, or the \par back of their parent's hand. \par Oh, and I can hear people screaming "stereotyping" right now. Well, \par call \par it what you may. I've talked to literally thousands of these so called \par "hackers" over the past 5 or 6 years. You'd be surprised at how clear of a \par mold many of them come from. I am really sick of hearing "we hacked that \par page to get a message out". Perhaps, in some very, very, rare cases, that \par is true. But, I submit to you, the vast majority of time a hack is done \par first, and a political agenda is developed after hand to help rationalize \par the crime. On top of that, one hardly has to "hack a webpage" to get their \par point of view told. \par That's the wonder of the Internet. Everyone is an equal. Everyone has \par the \par opportunity to post their views, and share their thoughts. Once again, \par these so called "hackers" avoid the developmental process. They don't want \par to spend the time and energy necessary to create a successful website of \par their own. So, they maliciously exploit the work of others that have. I'm \par 19 years old right now. I know what it is like being upset about something, \par and feeling that there's no way to share that with others. \par That's one of the reasons that I made AntiOnline. It's my forum. My way \par of \par expressing my views on things. To think of me, a 19 year old college drop \par out. Yet, my work is viewed millions of times every month. That, my little \par \par "hacker" friends, is power. That is what the Internet is about. That's why \par it works. That's why it's growing. \par Unless you change your ways soon, you will never be truly \par experiencing \par the wonder that technology is. To truly love technology, love how it is \par changing our society, bringing mankind together in a way never before \par experienced in the history of the human race. You'll never truly be \par experiencing the very thing that you feel you have ultimate control over. A \par \par true irony indeed. \par Of course, as with all things, there is hope. There are people out \par their \par hanging on tightly to the ways of old, and the true hacker identity. There \par are groups like L0pht, the distributed.net bovine group, and the kids down \par at your local high school learning visual basic. \par Those are the true hackers. A desire to learn, a desire to be the \par first \par to discover something new. A true hacker mentality is something that \par shouldn't be thought of as a dark, mischievous thing, but perhaps, more \par like that of a scientist. Study, learn, experiment, and share what you've \par found with others...... \par Yours In CyberSpace, \par John Vranesevich \par Founder, AntiOnline\par \par Why Setting up your own LAN Is the Best Way to become an Uberhacker \par OK, so you want to become more than a script kiddie? So do I. Here's what \par \par the best hackers I know say was their route to the top: wargaming on their \par own and friends' LANs (local area networks). This is a study technique used \par by the kind of people who can slide through computer systems like ghosts \par wafting through walls. \par "Wait! Wait!" some of you are saying. "I thought hackers learn by \par illegally breaking into the computers of strangers!" True, plenty of people \par you meet on hacker mailing lists and on IRC make out like they are computer \par security experts by day and computer criminals by night. There even are \par people who have been convicted of computer crimes who work as security \par experts. These guys probably are telling you the truth when they say they \par were foolish enough to learn their trade by committing crime. \par However, crime often leads to prison, and prison is no fun. Guess what \par happens when bad breath cellmate "Bubba" decides you're cute? Guess what \par happens when your name is Kevin Mitnik and Hollywood makes a movie full of \par lies about you? Besides, when you break into a computer illegally, you miss \par out on the most fun part, which is being the guy who is fighting back! \par So ... are you ready to learn about breaking into and defending computers \par the way the Uberhackers do it? Ready to learn how to run your own hacker \par wargames? \par You can get started with newbie wargaming by reading the GTMHHs on "How to \par Break into Windows 95 from the Internet." (See http://www.happyhacker.org) \par These show you how to set up your Win95 box so you and your friends can \par practice breaking into each others' computers over the Internet. This will \par give you a good start. But this approach has some problems -- such as you \par only learn newbie stuff, and strangers might find your purposely vulnerable \par Win95 or Win98 box connected to the Internet -- and do terrible things to it. \par If you want a wargaming technique that will take you all the way to the \par top, you need to set up a local area network in your home, and get your \par friends to set up networks, too. Then you can experiment with configuring \par firewalls and proxy servers, getting several computers with different \par operating systems working together, and trying out LAN networking techniques \par such as Netware, Microsoft Network, and TCP/IP; and much more. You can \par increase your fun by trading accounts on your network for accounts on your \par friends' LANs and get to freely experiment with many LANs. \par ************************************************************* \par Newbie note: If you are a kid, the FIRST thing you will probably want to do \par is make sure your parents understand why hacker wargaming will make you rich \par and famous instead of in jail and infamous. Here's how \par Paradox@kpservices.com won over his parents. \par \par "I wrote to you a while ago about how to get my parents to accept the \par fact \par of their son being a white-hat hacker... You gave me the advice to show \par them your article in the October issue of _Scientific American_ (which was \par a masterpiece, btw) and take it from there. Right after my dad read it ... \par All was well! Then, by coincidence, my best friend's Win95 box on a \par vulnerable cable connection was invaded as part of a dumb IRC war he had \par going on... The intruders... trashed my friend's box by using Back \par Orifice and then proceeded to mess with the \par server our business page was on (along with our other e-mail addresses). My \par \par parents ... are now security paranoid and want me to find out as much as I \par can about computer security. My Aunt (a Sun Microsystems employee) is \par getting me an Ultra 5 SPARC Workstation for Christmas too! My parents are \par \par also buying me a copy of Windows NT and System Commander so I can run Linux \par \par too! I'm also going to get a (secure) cable connection to the workstation \par in my room. \par THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!\par ****************************************************** \par What Kind of Hardware you Will Need -- and How to Get it Cheap \par "Wait! Wait!" some guys are saying. "I'm not rich enough to build my own \par hacker research laboratory!" Guess what, you can put together a really \par impressive lab for only a few hundred dollars. \par Have you visited the web page of our Wargame computer \par http://koan.happyhacker.org? The Web pages downloaded pretty fast, right? \par Did you get into the guest account and make merry with all the other guys \par who had shells on koan? (Hint: the password for the guest account is really \par stupid. Even a stupid person can guess it.) Did you give the netstat command \par and see how many people were browsing its Web sites, making ftp connections \par and logged into shells all at once? Did you know that koan is a mere 25 Mhz \par 486 box? \par Koan is so powerful because it runs FreeBSD, a Unix type of operating \par system, instead of Windows. (The RAM disk for the temp directory helps, \par too:) Almost any Unix type operating system can take an ancient Intel-type \par computer and make it run fast! The 200th fastest supercomputer in the world \par is a bunch of PCs running Linux and hooked together in parallel, in \par operation at Los Alamos National Laboratories. \par You can get a 25 Mhz PC, or even faster ones, for almost nothing. Because \par they are so common, you can find cheap used ones in the classified ads in \par the local paper, or buy them from computer stores that specialize in used \par equipment. Then install Unix type operating systems on them. \par Or, for major fun, buy ancient workstation computers. You will rarely see \par them for sale in the classified ads of newspapers. However, you can often \par pick them up at auctions. Of course you need to know a thing or two about \par the hardware you buy at auctions, because usually you won't get to try them \par out before bidding on them. Many people who buy workstations at auctions \par figure most of them have things wrong with them. So they buy a bunch of \par them and then use parts from some of them to fix the others. \par You would be surprised by what an ancient Sun can do. A Sun SPARC \par workstation running at 25 Mhz is surprisingly fast for the same reason a 25 \par Mhz PC is fast running some sort of Unix -- it's the Unix that makes it \par fast! In addition, if you want to have many simultaneous users, for example \par if you want to give shell accounts to many users, a Sun should be faster \par than a PC with an equivalent clock speed. \par If you don't feel you have the hardware expertise to piece together a cheap \par \par Sun workstation yourself, by paying a little bit more you can buy them from \par resellers who get them at auctions. If you can find a local auction that \par sells workstations, you best bet may be to go to the auction and introduce \par yourself to the people you see buying hardware that you want to own. They \par will probably be willing to resell to you as soon as they get the equipment \par working. \par If you can't find a cheap place to buy workstations nearby, there are two \par places in Albuquerque where you can get refurbished workstations: \par http://nmol.com/users/jcents (email jcents@nmol.com); or email Jake Garcia \par at jakeg@rt66.com. They pick them up at auctions of used equipment from \par places such as Sandia National Laboratories, where people design nuclear \par weapons and nanomachinery. Sorry, you won't find classified data left \par behind on these workstations! \par Your next step in getting ready to set up your hacker laboratory is the \par networking equipment. How do you get your computers talking to each other? \par For that I recommend a 10BaseT Ethernet. This is probably the easiest \par network you can set up. \par The hardware you will need for an Ethernet will consist of a hub, an \par Ethernet device for each computer you plan to network together, and either \par Category 3 or Category 5 Ethernet cables. The Ethernet cables look like \par oversized phone cables. \par You can usually find a used hub for $20 or so at a used computer store. \par Workstations usually have an Ethernet device of some sort already built into \par them. However, look to see whether yours has a connector on the back that \par looks like a slightly oversized phone jack. If it does, great. If instead \par your workstation only has a connector that looks like what you use for a \par cable TV (round with a wire in the center), and next to it a connector that \par looks like the serial port on the back of your PC, you have a slight \par problem. You will need to buy an AUI to 10BaseT transceiver. It is a \par little box with LEDs on it which hooks on one side to the thing that looks \par like a serial port, and on the other side has a thing that looks like a big \par phone jack. These are somewhat hard to find, and cost about $30 new. The \par electronic parts supplier Hamilton Hallmark sells them, as do many other \par electronics parts suppliers. You rarely will find these transceivers in \par computer stores because the average consumer doesn't run around networking \par old Unix workstations. \par For PCs you usually need to buy an Ethernet card. Even new, you can buy \par one for only $20. The cabling costs very little, and can often be gotten \par for free if you pay a visit to an office building that is being renovated. \par I've gotten several hundred feet of Cat3 cable that way. \par Once you have gotten this far, you have all the hardware you need for your \par hacker laboratory. \par How to Get Operating System Software Cheap \par Your next problem will be operating system software. One problem with \par buying old Unix workstations is that they generally have old operating \par systems for which there are many exploit programs floating around the \par Internet. While it may be fun for a while proving to yourself that within \par seconds you can break into these old boxes, pretty soon this will get \par boring. You will get the craving to upgrade to the latest versions of these \par operating systems. \par This is where you may get to faint, when you find out what this costs. \par There are exceptions, however. \par My favorite kind of used workstations is Suns. The reason I like old Suns \par is that you can either run them using whatever operating system it came with \par (either Sun OS or Solaris, which will probably be an old version and easy to \par break into) or you can upgrade cheaply to the latest version of Solaris, to \par Sun Linux, or Sun OpenBSD. Even a SPARC 1 can run the latest versions of \par all of these! To get the latest Solaris for almost nothing, see \par http://www.sun.com/developers/solarispromo.html. This offer includes the \par manuals as well as a set of installation CDs. Or, you can get a version of \par Linux that runs on Sun workstations (Red Hat) at http://www.redhat.com, or \par of OpenBSD from http://www.openBSD.org. \par For PCs, your best bet for cheap Unix, if you are a total beginner, is Red \par Hat. It is easy to install and tech support is great. There are at least \par two other Linux distributions that beginners find easy to use: Slackware 3.5 \par (http://www.cdrom.com) and Debian (http://www.debian.com). While they are a \par bit harder to install, they are easier to make secure. \par You can also get a version of Solaris that will run on PCs (see above URL). \par \par If Linux is new to you, check out http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/ldp.html for \par lots of beginner information. Or, start out with Trinux, at \par http://www.trinux.org, for a beginner's version that doesn't require you to \par repartition your hard disk (which the other Linuxes do). \par If you are already a power user of Linux, and want to build a really secure \par \par LAN, you may wish to move up to either FreeBSD (http://www.freebsd.org or \par http://www.cdrom.com) or Open BSD (http://www.openbsd.org). These operating \par systems, along with Solaris 2.6 and above, are designed to resist most of \par the buffer overflows that are the basis of many break-in techniques. These \par BSD operating systems are more difficult to install, however. \par I wish I could tell you how to get a cheap version of Windows NT Server \par 4.0. However, the only way I know of is not exactly legal. You may be able \par to obtain a free beta copy of Windows NT 5.0, however -- keep checking out \par the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com) for opportunities. \par How about LAN software? If you have decided to work with Windows only, and \par \par don't plan on connecting your LAN to the Internet, all you have to do is \par cable each computer to your hub, and point and click your way through \par networking. As for Novell Netware -- sorry, I don't know of a cheap way to \par get it. \par If you are serious about hacking, you will be connecting several different \par operating systems together on your LAN. For this I recommend using TCP/IP \par and making one of your computers a gateway to the Internet. This is a \par little harder than "Network Neighborhood" style networking. I know that \par because -- you will be shocked to hear this -- I am living proof that it is \par easy to make mistakes when setting up a TCP/IP network. Imagine that! So \par I'm going to devote the next Guide in this series to how to set up a LAN \par with an Internet gateway and both Windows and Unix boxes on it using TCP/IP. \par Maybe I can figure out how to explain it so it will be easier for you than \par it was for me. \par Thanks to keydet89@yahoo.com for reviewing and contributing to this Guide. \par _______________________________________________________________________ \par Where are those back issues of GTMHHs and Happy Hacker Digests? Check out \par the official Happy Hacker Web page at http://www.happyhacker.org. \par We are against computer crime. We support good, old-fashioned hacking of the \par kind that led to the creation of the Internet and a new era of freedom of \par information. But we hate computer crime. So don't email us about any crimes \par you may have committed! \par To subscribe to Happy Hacker and receive the Guides to (mostly) Harmless \par Hacking, please email hacker@techbroker.com with message "subscribe \par happy-hacker" in the body of your message. \par Copyright 1998 Carolyn Meinel. You may forward, print out or post this \par GUIDE TO (mostly) HARMLESS HACKING on your Web site as long as you leave \par this notice at the end. \par _________________________________________________________ \par \par }