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AT&T Concerned About H2K2

Posted by michael on from the as-well-they-should-be dept.

An anonymous submitter forwards this possibly-authentic note about today's H2K2 conference. If you're in the New York area and you love computers and nice hotels, come on down. Anonymous writes "So I get into work, and what do I find in my mailbox? Why, nothing less than a warning cautioning me to be very careful talking to people from July 12 to July 14. (Not me specifically, you understand, it went out all over). Full text follows."

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AT&T Network Fraud Advisory
July 11, 2002
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Possible Hacker Social Engineering Attempts
Friday July 12 - Sunday July
14, 2002
===================================================
Caution:
------------
Be careful about giving information to anyone you don't know and those making unusual information requests by claiming to be an AT&T employee or customer. The H2K2 (Hackers on Planet Earth 2002) Hacker Conference will take place this weekend, Friday, July 12 to Sunday to July 14, 2001, [ed. note: 2001?] in New York City. This conference will be a gathering of over five thousand computer hackers, guest speakers, and computer enthusiasts. http://www.h2k2.net In 1994, 1997 and 2000 at the previous Hope (Hackers on Planet Earth) Conferences, live demonstrations of "social engineering" techniques were performed in front of thousands of hackers and other attendees. The hacker panel dialed live into AT&T offices and centers and demonstrated how to get proprietary information by pretending to be an AT&T employee and customer. These calls were recorded and videotaped by the hackers and are sold as instructional material at future hacker conferences. There is a very high likelihood that AT&T will be a target again this weekend. The social engineering contest is scheduled for Sunday July 14th, at 4 P.M. ET, (1 PM PT). During this period hackers may be dialing into AT&T to get information. AT&T Network Security would like to warn our employees to be on guard this entire weekend for any unknown person calling and claiming to be an AT&T employee to request proprietary information or claiming to be an AT&T customer with unusual requests. Remember, if anyone, who is unknown to you calls for proprietary information or make unusual requests, please follow your procedure by requesting additional information to ensure the person is who they say they are before giving out any information. If the person is claiming to be an AT&T employee, please request name, callback and HRID #. Then verify through POST or the email global address list if the information is correct and even request to call the employee back at their contact number. If the person is claiming to be an AT&T customer verify this by requesting additional info on their account like address and SS# and even request to call the person back at their contact number listed on the account. Please be on guard for any unusual requests. Verify the person is an AT&T employee or a legitimate customer and if they have a need to know the information they are asking. If you can't verify employment or number, don't give out the information. If you are still in doubt regarding the legitimacy of the caller, then speak to a supervisor regarding the situation before proceeding further and inform the caller you will call them back. If you still have questions you can call the Security Hotline 1-800-822-9009. Remember you do not want to be the lucky guest of honor on a telephone call from the hacker conference this weekend with thousands of hackers listening to you and attempting to scam AT&T out of proprietary information. Please be on guard.
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Source: AT&T Network Security
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7 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. WOOOT!!! by MemeRot · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    No more karma for me...... no more karma for you...... suck the fart from my asshole editors

  2. seems to me.. by laurentr · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    that AT&T has themselves a beowulf cluster of morons :]

    --
    ----- I took the blue pill. Ignorance is bliss. ----- eof
  3. Re:Hah by No2Gates · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Microsoft's hotline # is 1-800-clueless

    --
    Every time you call tech support, a little kitten dies.
  4. Re:Hah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Which is why Slashdot will never be a mainstream newsite that is taken seriously. It'll always be CmdrTaco's used spermnapkin. They should have the editorial sense to blot out parts that are not relevant or are potentially damaging.

  5. Re:Hah by the_machine · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Furthermore, why doesn't Microsoft have a security hotline?

    They couldn't afford it.

  6. Re:Hah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    work for a living.

    Ha! This is slashdot, buddy! These fuckers don't work for a living, they live in their mom's basement where they bitch about microsoft and corporate greed from their mama's Compaq running Windows ME.

  7. Re:So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Sorry, society has deemed that hacker is a malicious person who breaks into systems and does malicious things. Repeating this won't change a thing. Time to find a new word.

    Moderators don't bother moderating this. It is already at 0 that is why I posted as AC. It isn't worth wasting your mod points on this give them to someone who deserves it.