Terminal Compromise

Hens

e phone on his highly polished black marble desk.

ohn Fullmast

asked abse

hn Full

a Fullman do

r, sir, and he sa

k in the plush leather chair. A brief perplexed look covered his face and

ed the calls, or referred them to his capable and copious staff. Upon occasion, though, he would amuse himself with such calls by putting the caller through salesmen's hell; he would permit them to give their pitch, actually sound interested, permit the naive to believe that their

a command as a question. From the 46th. floor SW corner office, Henson

ty. "I am calling in reference to the proposed merger you are arranging between Second Boston Financial and Winston Ellis Services.

t in his chair and g

l is this?"

r." The cheeky caller paused. "

are, nor what you want, but all filings made with the SEC are public an

d. "All the same, I am sure that they would be quite interest- ed i

you talking about

y burying certain write downs and deferred losses. I be- lieve you a

round his spacious and opulent office as though someone might be listening.

what you're

you do, M

ant?" Henson a

right now, that the figures were fal

Nothing." Henson

his haste he misdialed the first time

end of the phone re

here. We go

*

ickfield since the mid 1960's as an aide de campe, a permanent fixture in Rickfield's national success. Ken preferred the number two spot, to be the man in the background rather the one in the public light. He felt he could mo

tary and the two junior aids shoul

listen carefully, a

n. I don't tal

. They had worked together long enough to afford

look he gave his senior aide. Within a few seconds the puzzlement gave way to open mouthed silent shock and then, only

azes did he know about the deal with Credite Suisse? Only you, me and

I have as much

arm just like they did Nixon and I'm not playing to lose. Besides, I'm the one the public knows while you're invisible.

kly interjected to defle

That was the plan. But this son of a bitch knew

l, calm

what would happen if anyone, and I mean anyone finds out about . . ."

up. Remember?" He approached Merrill Rickfield and touched the Senator's sh

f time as soon as possible. Even sooner. And make damn su

*

to the office. As Executive Vice President of California National Bank, with over twenty billion in assets, he could pick and choose his hours. This Tuesday he chose to read by the pool and enj

Los Angeles banking required a social presence and his face, along with his wife's, graced the

k is nuked, or I die" which when translated meant, "Don't call me, I'll call you." His wife was

sed to receive calls. The warble surprised him so, that he let it ring three times before suspiciously p

e asked su

with me." Faulkner itched to identify the voice behind the well educated British ac

his? What

millions you have embezzled from your own bank to cover your gambling

wered by a timid sounding gentleman. Sir George began his fourth pitch of the day. "Mr. Hug

cryptic to him. But it didn't take him long to realize that every call was some form of veiled, or not so veiled threat. But his in- structions had been clear. Do not threaten. Just pass on the contents of the messages on his list to their designees. Do not leave any message unless he had confirmed, to the be

y and reflected on his good fortune. If he hadn't been stuck in Athens last year, wondering where his next score would co

of the eternally drizzly commonness of Manchester, England and assume a new identity. It was one of the few ways out of the dismal existence that generations before him had tolerate

iverpuddlian with a bag of marbles in his mouth - totally unintelligible when drunk. But his royal speech was now that of a Gentleman from the House of Lords. Slow and precise when appropriate or a pra

the Royal Gardens and the imposing Hotel Grande Britagne styled in nineteenth century rococo elegance. As he enjoyed the balmy spring Athens

The visitor of

aware that his guest had no reas

ex?" The accent was trans European. Internationally cosmo- polita

use me, I was lost in thought, you know. Sir Ge

nk, and perhaps took a few minutes of your valuable time?" The man smiled genuinely

who worked in the outdoor cafe. "Metaxa, parakalo!" Greek waiters are not known for their graciousness, so a brief grunt and nod was an acceptabl

Last names, are so, well, so unnecess

s, quite. Alex then, it i

ontinue your, shall we say, extended sabbatical. Would that be a fair appraisal?" The Metaxas ar

e. This stranger had either keen insight into George's current plight or had heard of his escapades across the

hat exactly can you do for me

p his Metaxa. "Simply put Sir George, I have the need for a well spoken gentleman to represent me for

o, take a sabbatical from my sabbatical if

compensated to take time away

hire, you understand, it's just that . . .". Al

Sir George. I do thoroughly recognize the exorbitant costs associated with your st

't feel the discom- fort that one should in such a situation is that he was in desperate need of money. And,

orm of representation have you in mind?" He might as well

, first class and all ex- penses to which you are accustomed, you will be handsomely paid." Alex loo

s the catch. As George ruminated his go

ransmit them to me in the strictest of confi- dence. You and I will have no further personal contact, either if you accept or do not accept my proposition. If we are able to reach mutually agreeable terms, monies will be wired to a bank account in your name." Alex opened his jacket and handed George an envelop. "This is an adva

he envelope. America. He had a

estion. Is this legal?" Geor

really

N

then. And

*

eri- can tourists with his invented pedigree and his construed impor- tance. What fun. After the virtually nonexistent custo

, and flight attendant friendly. "Please check into the San Francisco Airport Hilton. You will receive a

no longer in service. Please check the number or call the operator

in America and for the first time in years, he felt abandoned. What kind of joke was this? Fly half way around th

e phone in Sir George

jet lagged from his

ones. The Eggs Benedi

something about tea.

lly pick

sterday. The paper and pen were right there at the phone so he waited through 14 seconds of silence. "Very good. Please check out of the hotel and p

ne returned. What a

was to have a notebook and pens he might need to write for a while, so he u

't that the way when you can't respond. The voice continued. "Catch the next flight to New York City. Stay at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Grand Central St

ordPerfect I and II. Lastly, and most importantly you will take all three classes on Tele-Communica- tions. They call it TC-I, TC-II and TC-III. These eight class- es will take you ten days to complete. Do not forget to pay in cash. I will now pause for ten seconds." Alex was

nitor. Also purchase, and have them install a high speed modem, M-O-D-E-M. Do not, I repeat, do not purchase a printer of any type. No printers Sir George. You are never to use a printer. Ever. Lastly, you will purchase a copy of Word

comprehending a thing. It was all

no one, I repeat, no one, of the nature of your business, the manner in which you receive instructions, or why computers

Yes!" before seeing the lun

or you will need the knowledge to perform your tasks. Until we s

Amsterdam or the Hamburg they weren't, so midnight antics with the Mario Brothers prevailed most evenings. Besides, there was a massive amount of homework. Bloody hell, back to school. He excelled in his studies which pleased George a great deal. In f

of the class members had good reason to study hard. M

*

, Sept

, San Diego

T

borrowed from the military for What The Fuck? Ove

nals are over. Eve

R, MAD MAX, ALPHA, SCROLLER, MR. MAGIC . . .W

starts . . .Has anyone got t

K INTO AMEX, THOUGH. CLEANED UP A FEW DEBTS FOR UNSUSP

AOS? A

F. HIGHLY POTENT VARIATIONS OF JERUSALEM-B. THEN

the code send

EEMS HE BEEN UP TO A LOT OF SUCCESSFUL NO GOOD. WE'RE A

! Remem

EST IRS X.25 SIGN-ONS, 2 MILNET SUPERUSER PASSWORDS AND, DIG THIS

do, boy? In the

BENEFITS TO SOME NEEDY GI'S

Lori's on the

ECTION TERM

hour and Steven Billings was tempted to dial another couple of numbers before his date with Lori. But if he found so

ckers, had finished his midterms at San Diego State University. The ritual l

ttention from Steve as she did. Yet, she also understood that computers were his first love, and they were part of his life long before she was. So, they ca

computer courses. Rather than flaunt his skills to his teachers and risk extra assignments, he was more technically qualified than they were, he kept his mout

ls to turn their heads. He loved the outdoors, the hot warmth of the summer to the cooler warmth of the winter, surfing at the Cardiff Reef and betting on fixed ja

the mammoth super computer center. The Cray Y-MP is about as big and bad a computer as money can buy, and despite Steve's well known skills, the head of the S

is hours there perusing through other people's computers. Now there was a feel- ing. Hacking through somebody els

possible, either at a newsstand, borrowed from yesterday's Times reader or from the library. Nice to get a real perspective on the world. Th

heard about a hacker who had invaded and single handedly stopped INTERNET, a comput

*

Halted by Hacker by Scott

y on charges that he infected the nationwide INTERNET network with a computer virus. This latest attack upon I

red group, if Mr. Chase had not left his name in the source code of

amage. A virus attaches itself to other computer programs secretively. At some time after the parasite virus pro

nd over and over, either filling the computer's memory to capacity or slowing down its operation to a

d the Worm into Internet in early August with a detonation date of S

versities and defense contrac- tors all over the country. Chase said he learned how to access th

l operation. It has been estimated that almost $100 Million in damage was caused by Mr. Chase's Worm. Mr. Chase said the Worm was experimental, a

l aspects of the case and it is expected that Mr. Chase will be tri

the Pentagon doesn't shoot worms i

*

ou are recip- rocally expected to donate software into the Public Domain. Con- ference Halls or Conversation Pits on the BBS are free-for-all discussions where people at their keyboards can all have a 'live' conversation. Anyone, using any c

ings

XXXXX

s a brie

/BBS. STEVE BILLING

e (12) for

orks around the country. From one single entry point with a small computer, anyone could 'dial up' as it's ca

WINDOW ON

SERVIC

in Los Angeles. Many of the Universities have

Billi

D: XXXX

nu of options, and a list of other widely dispersed computer networks. He requested the SUNYNET computer, the State University of New York

total of 45 seconds

e price of a lo

ry into the exclusive domain of hacking. NEMO was born into this world by Steve and a few of his friends while they w

esigned for the p

HO'S NEW? 6. PHREAKING 7. CRYPTO 8. WHO ELSE? 9. U.S. NETWORKS

as 'on- line' now. He wanted to talk about this Chase guy

A CREME, RAMBO. DO

he fall term. RAMBO, 'I'll get through any door' was the same age as Kirk and Creme, but chose to study at Columbia in New York's Harlem. Hackers picked alter- ego m

n a 'Y' and t

ARE

g for an addit

i

pause, and the comput

ERSATION PIT, KIRK.

interrupt any conversation

de

MS GO? <<

. Ready to

ILL GO. PICK ME UP?

EM

orris copy cat? Some phreak

IS REALLY GONNA SCRE

d? I read the Times. Said th

PURPOSE MAYB

ENSE NETWORK? ONE THAT I KNOW OF. YOU PUT THE

by the code. Must be some spoiled little

DID IT TO IMPRESS HI

OTE, TOO. HE WANTED T

LIKE A HERO WITH A

THE ANTIDOTE, IF THER

AD, COMPUTING CAME TO

ED OUT THE PROVERBIA

A PUBLICITY GAG

ne else be

TRA CAREFUL SINCE. A

O SQUARE ONE ON A BUN

RKEY DOWNLOAD WILL

th. Any word on CHAOS

sad

OS VIRUSES, EVERY DICK AND JANE IS WRITI

t a rubber on your big

T SAFE COMPUTING? IF

TROUBLE. TAKE A LOOK

CHAT. <<

y American stored in one computer. All of their personal data, ripe for the pi

OM THE INTERNET GATE

AND THE FBI STILL HAS

N EASY OPEN ONCE WE

S AND WE SHOULD KNOW

AMB

! Keep m

*

across the country. These were the most valuable and revered types of files in the underground world of hackerdom. T

itute of Heal

stein PASS

er9 PASSWO

S

ER: B64

nsacola, Fla

r101 PASSW

al22 PASSWO

stall PASS

dvanced Resear

1 PASSWORD

2 PASSWORD

3 PASSWORD

cross the country. Another reason NEMO was so secret. Didn't want just anybody climb

Predictable passwords, like 'secret' were about as kinder- garten as you could get. And everyone wonders why folks like us parade around their computers. He had in his hand a list of over 250 up

1% of computer users classified themselves as hackers, that's well over 100,000 people breaking into computer

, (Steve's first long distance call) he could reach the computers of several corresponding banks. He read through the new loan files, saw th

ng back twenty years, and he had had a taste of it, once. Then, one day, someone inside of NASA got smart a

only meant a local call, through the SDSU/BBS to Cal Tech then into

e stu- dents, preferred a free exchange of information between all scientists, so their computer security was extraord

cum hacker, it was great reading. The leading thinkers from the most technical- ly demanding areas in science today put down their thoughts for the everyone to read. The Livermo

pub- licly acknowledged. He discovered that the last 3 underground nuclear test explosions outside of Las Vegas were

iter into orbit around the Earth would make love

tion, available to anyone with

*

George and his other subjects care

sionally performed extracurricular activities for special interest groups throughout Europe. A little information to the IRA in Northern Ireland, a warning to the Red Brigade about an impending raid. Even the Hizballah, the Party of God

s own agency had had him under surveillance for years, waiting for him to slip up. He hadn't, and with predictable German Go

k much. He could pick and choose his clients as he weighed the risks and benefits of each potential assignment. With his network of inte

g. No guns, no dang

t was the intelligence assignment of a lifetime, one that insured a peaceful and pros- perous retiremen

number he had been given. He half expected a live person to congratulate him, but also realized that that was

your class- es?" George nearly answered the allurin

encil and paper. I have a message for you in 15 seconds." That damned inf

ed. George made an obsce

ken care of as is the phone bill. Your new phone number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-6-3-6-1. When you get settled, dial the following number from your comput- er. You should be well acquainted with how to do that by now. The number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-0-0-1-5. Your password is A-G-O-R-A. Under the mattress in the bedroom is

e voice he had come to both love and hate. Bloody hell, he thought. I'm down to less

tech modern, it offered every possible amenity; bar, jacuzzi, telephone in the bathroom and full channel cable. Some job. But, he kept wondering to h

the second bedroom on a table tha

cd

TALK

hen asked the computer to remember it for future use. He omitted the area code. Why had he been given an area code if

His screen went momentarily blank a

NECT 2400

TO SPEAK TO

enter

SWO

reen. He hoped he had typed then correctly. Apparently h

e PRG into the computer. There was

GE

IT IS SO GOOD TO

D STATEMENTS TO BE MADE TO EACH PERSON YOU CALL. THERE IS TO BE NO DEVIATION WHAT- SOEVER. I REPEAT, NO DEVIAT

LED SG.DAT. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS OR

, EXACTLY. KEEP AN EXACT LOG OF THE

ACE BAR F

pace bar. The scree

ATEVER YOU ARE TOLD BY THE PEOPLE YOU

UR FILE, CALLED SG.TOD. YOUR COMPUTER WILL A

ABLE TO REACH ANYONE ON THE LISTS, JUST INDICATE THAT IN YOUR DAILY REPORTS. D

iting a response.

S QUITE SIMP

YOU CAN HAN

F PRINTER D

o

YOU

YOU B

OU INTEREST

r George, the reaso

CKS FROM YOU. THERE IS $25,000 IN IT. EACH MONTH OF SUCCESSFUL WORK FOR ALEX WILL BE

JOB OR ITS NATURE WITH

UNDER

that mean? I guess the ans

AKE. GOOD LUCK SIR GE

CTION TERMI

could tell, but the tone of the conversation he just had with the computer was worrisome. Was he being threatened? What was the

s San Francisco, and I have a three days off in a new city. Might as well find my w

*********************