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Mysteries of the Las Vegas Telecom System
Reverend Raven writes "This is from Security Focus and deals with how some people believe a group of uber-hackers controls the Vegas telecom system. Interesting read, indeed." A follow-up to this old story. The case seems to be still winding its way through the bureaucracy.
This is exactly the kind of stuff they have been making movies about, uber hackers taking over stuff and causing trouble. This would make a kinda boring movie though, because its probobly not some glamish kids who talk funny and rollarblade around some big city, its probobly some old fat guys who drink too much diet pepsi.
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This sounds to me like systematic hacking of hotel telephone exchanges, so assuming Sprint isn't responsible for these (I don't see why it would be) I'm really not sure that this is Sprint's fault or problem.
Blaming GW Bush for the Iraq war is like blaming Ronald McDonald for the poor quality of food.
So lets get this straight, in a hotel in Vegas you may or may not get through when you dial out...
Next week "$5 on getting through on the 4th occasion at 3-2"
And "The Gamblers Suite, where even the phone has the element of chance, get through when the blue light is on and win a free meal for two at the Belagio"
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Nah, I don't believe those hackers are good enough too control the phonesys[beep]..[beep]..[beep]...[beep]...[beep].. .
It seems likely to me that the so-called uber hackers are really the police. Look at the the people involved in this: pimps and smut sellers and Gambino's [and somehow Kevin Mitnik]. The mobsters were caught in a sting when they tried to "muscle-in" on the phone racket. They could only have been caught if the Law knew what was going on.
Last time I went to Vegas, it was much cleaned up from several years ago. Almost no porn and fewer hooker adds. Used to be you couldnt see the sidewalk for them. I say the police did it by jamming the unsavory's phones.
" A man in the porno biz get's the shaft..."
Lemme guess...no pun intended?
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Prostitution in Las Vegas is illegal. Refer to Nevada State Law, Chapter 244, Counties: Government General Provisions, section 8 for more info (NRS 244,345):
8. In a county whose population is 400,000 or more, the license board shall not grant any license to a petitioner for the purpose of operating a house of ill fame or repute or any other business employing any person for the purpose of prostitution.
Since Las Vegas is in Clark County, a county that has a population that is indeed over 400k, we can plainly see that prostitution is illegal in the area. Laws won't stop the average criminal from committing crimes, so we must assume that there is a fairly profitable business in LV selling flesh for pleasure.
As far as I know, police would derive a greater benefit from simply arresting people who were breaking the law, other than jumping through some serious hoops to stealthily put people who derive their livelihood, directly or indirectly, upon the sale or aiding in the sale of illegal activities.
It's far more likely that some people with money are paying people with some knowledge to put some technological legerdemain on their competition.
Is this is some type of surprise? Hell, if I were a cop, I'd let the small fish get eaten by all the big fish, so I could catch and mount the big ones later.
...much later, it would seem.
And someone named Escobar is in charge of the Utilities Cartel. Er, commission.
Its not uber-hackers!!!
IT's PHREAKERS
Why can't anyone figure this out correctly?
so what was the 'authorised' call forwarding then?
Anyway as a previous poster says..
Sounds like the hotel's PABX's where hacked not Sprint's as it only effects calls from hotels not cell or other land lines..
Is it just me, or is it not surprising, that an ex-cop with no technical skills, knows of no way to hack into his ex-employer's network?
If on the other hand, they had purchased some white hat experience for a week or two and the hat said the same thing, I might just think the same statement carried some weight.
I wonder, if his car has never been stolen, does he belive that his car is un-stealable?
I for one, have never cut my legs off, but I still do believe that it is possible.
If nature abhors a vacuum, why isn't there more dust in the world?
I do not understand why more people/corporations in the USA do not take legal action against their electric power suppliers. You guys suffer brown-outs, interupptions, and so on. Why, one slashdot poll was "how many surge protectors do you own?" or something like that.
It's about time that we had more _even_ rights to complain (compare class action against ciggy manufacturers with lack of people complaining about electric power delivery.
Money implies poverty (Ian M. Banks)
This is what the plaintiff in the story is alleging - that Sprint's switches are being reprogrammed by uberhackers in the employ of the Mob or some other competing organizations.
I know of at least 3 major "organizations" that operate using phone hackers in LV. These 3 groups make hundreds of millions a year for escort services and provide substantial kickbacks to several regional heads and a select group if repair crews to keep it quiet. This is why Sprint never sees a problem with these small-fry operators' connections.
Unfortunately, the phreakers make VERY little compared to the top guys in this, but that will be changing very soon...
You mean, there's someone carrying out illegal activity in Las Vegas?
And the Police aren't doing anything to stop it?
And a large company appears to be in the hands of mobsters?
Whatever next?
Before you know it, there will be stories about corporations buying influence in the US Government...but that could never happen...
Okay folks, everyplace with a large mob influence has had it's phones tinkered with by the mob. This is old, but has not been talked about for a while, so it is a visit back to news.
Back in the day, New York City had a privat phone network for the "mob", created with "idle" equipment and bribes to phone workers. Result, FBI taps were tapping the known phone numbers and the mob guys were using the "secret" network.
Also, as far as rerouting disconnected numbers for fun and profit, lookup Poulsen's antics, plus other fun stuff.
I will have to say that it is about time that a Telco is getting called on the carpet for their lack of security, rather than just grebbing another Kevin Mitnic or whomever and blaming every problem on them, then discovering the problem still exists after you take away his access to communications.
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- If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat? - Steven Wright
This is pretty much common in *any* hotel. I stayed in a Radisson in Chicago in March and the ratecard for the phones charged some outrageous rate for long distance ($4-5 per minute), an equally ridiculous rate for the local calls ($1-2 per minute) and I think toll free calls over 10 minutes were charged a few bucks, too.
I can't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel that had "free" local calls. It might have been a Super 8 in Stumblefuck, Nebraska -- where are you going to call there?
I'm not a super world traveler (maybe 4-5 trips per year), but it seems that the biggest trend is the clampdown on toll-free calls. I'm sure the rationale is to (1) make a buck where they weren't before and (2) by charging, maybe limit the number of outbound trunks they need.
This is a standard bureaucratic coverup. "There's no problem here, but we're taking steps to solve the problem that we're sure doesn't exist in spite of the evidence to the contrary".
To admit that Ruebel is correct, the commission would have to admit that they were asleep at the switch (excuse the pun). It's far more politically prudent for them to belittle pooh pooh, and nay-say him, while at the same time, responding (or appearing to respond) to the publicity around his complaints.
In the meantime, Ruebel spends years of his life proving that Organized Crime (of some sort) is messing with the LA phone system but gets no compensation for his work, or his lost 'business' (I have a bit less sympathy for the latter).
Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
On the wall in my hotel lobby I saw this really cool "AT&T" slot machine with a phone attached. I kept putting in quarters and never won anything or got any money back. Phreakers have obviously hacked the slots too!
They're called Sprint engineers. Anyone who thinks that every single one of these folks is incorruptable is nuts- an extra $10k here and there and I bet you could get 20% to come to the dark side.
"Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
In Las Vegas, you might wait for an indefinite amount of time, but you will eventually be able to tell if the person you are calling is home or not.
In Monte Carlo, you can make the connection immediately, but you might get a spurrious busy signal a certain percent of the time.
- undoware.ca
"How about making the guy sound like some fanatical old cook talking about hackers. "
Hmm, a fanatical old cook eh? I think I know the one you're talking about, he's called the Swedish Chef.
Given how often my DSL line at work goes down, Sprint deserves to be lynched. (At least we also have a cable-modem line that we can use as a backup...)
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
You must have been mis-informed by the media. That happens. The only places in the USA that have power problems are the ones that haven't built any additional power capacity in the last 10 years due to environmentalist protests.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
I do not understand why more people/corporations in the USA do not take legal action against their electric power suppliers. You guys suffer brown-outs, interupptions, and so on. Why, one slashdot poll was "how many surge protectors do you own?" or something like that.
I'm not sure what media coverage of us is like over where you are, but don't get the wrong idea. I've never suffered through a brown out, or non-weather related blackout(Tornados and Thunderstorms destroying power lines really isn't their fault). Yes a certain section of the country did last year - mostly because they built no new capacity for years and compounded the problem with a regulatory cock up.
Anyway, as far as surge protectors go, they're nessecary. Really, it's not the power companie's fault that your electricity isn't 100% clean. Things are going to get a little messy when your neighbor fires up his arc welder for a little heavy duty car maintnance. Or for that matter, when the de-humidifier I have sitting in the corner kicks in and dims the light. Hence, we have surge protectors.
Why?
uh... no more like uber-sopranos. there have been many stories about this in the past - basically the mob has their people in the phone co - and they hijack calls to businesses (mostly call girls) from the hotels. then re-route the calls to their own call girls and take the business.
sometimes they dont even hijack the call they just tap it - then when the call girl shows up its too late and the "john" is already being serviced....
when the people who were losing out in this deal bitched to the fcc? the investigation showed that not a single call was lost. (basically the staff in the phone co were alerted to the investigation and stopped their hijacking while it was going on)
the thing was that the FCC gave the telco a WEEKS notice that they were going to investigate this... so the word got out and the mob held back.
this is BS and pisses me off. I would like to take a base-ball bat to the kneecaps of the idiots that gave the telco "notice of impending investigation"
free as in beer?
/. for about 5 and ahalf years now... and I see "free as in beer" a lot on here - but i dont know where the reference comes from. please humor me and lfill me in...
sorry but i really wouldlike an explanation of this. I have bee reading
thanks
I'm sure small motels have really minimalist phone systems that lack the accounting capability to charge for local calls. Minimalist may mean no phone system at all, relying on telco centrex capability with some crude reporting to charge you for long distance calls.
There's also the argument to be made that most people who stay in cheap motels don't make many phone calls, either because they're just sleeping or fucking there or because small motels are in the middle of nowhere and there's just no reason to call anybody.
Besides, Motel 6 and Super 8 have to advertise *something*..
I've lived in Vegas for 38 years off and on (mostly on). I grew up with people that now work for Sprint, and have seen first-hand how the adult industry operates here.
point 1 - Everyone in the outcall/adult business lies. A lot. About everything. The guy (don't know him) probably snorted all his cash, flaked out, and now wants to blame someone else.
point 2 - They systems guys at Sprint could easily redirect calls. They have access, and the office people / management don't know the difference. Nobody is paying attention.
point 3 - uberhackers? get real.
Could someone have phreaked the phones? -- Of course.
Did they? -- Who cares?
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The only places in the USA that have power problems are the ones that haven't built any additional power capacity in the last 10 years due to environmentalist protests.
I'm glad to blame leftist kooks for all sorts of dumbness, but they are entirely innocent in California's power crisis.
California's celebrated (and really pretty minor) brownouts happened during the winter, the time of lowest electricity demand. The problem wasn't capacity, it was a poorly constructed market regulated by the naive and gamed by many of the major power companies, Enron prime among them.
Oh, so California did build new capacity during the 10 years leading up to the shortage? Oh, they didn't? Darn, then I guess they're at the mercy of the market. Better regulate the market because California is too good to have to pay for its shortsighted ways.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Darn, then I guess they're at the mercy of the market. Better regulate the market because California is too good to have to pay for its shortsighted ways.
You seem to be missing the point. The "shortage" was artificially created by manipulating the market. There was no shortage of electricity during the crisis, and the recently exposed Enron memos prove that.
You'd be hard pressed to find an economist who doesn't think there should be rules against market manipulation. Take our stock market: it's widely regarded as the world's most successful, so much so that foreign corporations will list themselves here. Is that because we don't regulate it? Hardly. The SEC is one of the toughest regulators in the world; CEOs fear them universally. The tight regulation creates the level playing field necessary for a liquid market.
This isn't to say that California doesn't have a NIMBY problem, and it may yet come to bite them. But it hasn't yet, and claiming that the power crisis is an example of too much regulation is missing the point entirely.
No, this Super 8 was somewhere east of Grand Island, NE. Real small town, I think it might have had a mainstreet with the usual BS -- bars, implement dealers, gas station and a bad pancake joint by the interstate exit.
I will give Super 8s a lot of credit, especially in small towns. They're almost universally very clean and the people who work at them are usually pretty friendly. This particular one was actually "luxurious" and had won like the Super 8 of the year award or something.
We always bring our own towels when stay at them, though, as the towels provided are small and scratchy. Other than that, we stay at Super 8 almost exclusively when we travel on the road. We have one of their lodging directories and plan our driving around the Super 8 locations.