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Phreaking Not Dead Yet

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the red-box-blue-box-beige-box-new-box dept.

santos_douglas writes "From Wired comes this article about an exploit involving weak voicemail passwords and automated voice recognition systems for accepting collect calls. The providers involved, SBC and AT&T, don't seem too concerned about their customers receiving tens of thousands in fraudulant charges from places like Saudi Arabia and the Phillipines."

15 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Thats not 'Real Phreaking'! by NETHED · · Score: 5, Funny

    Real phreaking is sneaking out of your parents house at ungodly hours to clip into your neighbor's line, or to build a BlueBox and scream 2600hz down the handset. Those were the days.

    --
    --sig fault--
    1. Re:Thats not 'Real Phreaking'! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yeah, one good thing about phreaking was that it got you OUT OF THE HOUSE! Unlike computer hacking (yeah, its called hacking not cracking. FOAD ESR!) that keeps you locked up indoors, although the invention of Wardriving is thankfully changing that...

    2. Re:Thats not 'Real Phreaking'! by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Funny
      Thing weighs like 25lbs and looks like the meanest bludgening weapon ever made.

      It was designed that way so that linemen could use it beat the crap out of teenaged punks who they caught trying to steal their equipment.

    3. Re:Thats not 'Real Phreaking'! by Pharmboy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, one good thing about phreaking was that it got you OUT OF THE HOUSE!

      Well yea, so does car jacking, volunteering for charity or skateboarding, but I don't think mom is gonna tell little Johnie to take his blue box, and go outside and get some fresh air....

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
    4. Re:Thats not 'Real Phreaking'! by Jason+Straight · · Score: 2, Funny

      Shit - I just took the wires and touched them together in succession to dial rotary style. ;)

  2. Not dead yet? by macshune · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's just a flesh wound!

  3. thank god !?!? by Brigadier · · Score: 4, Funny



    For a second I thought this meant all my friends with dialers would start calling me long distance. I hated that every five minutes.

    please insert more money
    hang on dude (holding dialer to hand set)
    waiting as dialer mimics the sound of one quarter at a time

  4. But here's the question by Chagatai · · Score: 4, Funny
    In the article, it discusses two individuals who failed to change their default password on their voicemail, leaving them vulnerable to a scam where people would make collect calls to their voicemail (after someone gained access to it), where the message was replaced by someone saying, "yes, I'll accept the charges". AT&T agreed that the individuals did not make the calls, but insist that the individuals (or their companies) still pay about two-thirds of the bill.

    Here's the real question-should the people be forced to pay the bill because they were too dumb to not understand the words, "change your default password immediately." I say that we have already made things in life enough idiot-proof and AT&T has every right to ask them for thousands of dollars. Call it a "Stupid Bill".

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    --Chag
  5. More on personal responsibility... by kerika · · Score: 3, Funny

    Let me get this straight. Person A orders voice mail. Said person: 1. never changes his password 2. never changes his voice message 3. never =listens= to his voice message 4. never gets told by his family/friends that he has an odd message, probably because he... 5. never receives calls May I ask why these people are ordering voice mail service in the first place?!

  6. Re:Old Voice mail exploit by Menkhaf · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wish I was born 10 years earlier. Then I could have been cool too. But unfortunately my parents weren't thinking of me at that time. Stupid bastards.

    --
    A proud member of the Onion-in-Hand alliance
  7. Re:An idea to improve the automated collect calls by mbstone · · Score: 2, Funny

    Another group that won't like your idea is: Lawyers. Some of us say "yes" on the outgoing greeting so as to be able to take voice mail from jail and prison inmates.

  8. Re:How is it Social Engineering? by Pharmboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did you even read the article?

    New here, huh?

    --
    Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
  9. Re:Old Voice mail exploit by Shant3030 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here is what I did once...

    I posted on a website how I scammed a large company.

    Then I got arrested.

    --
    100% Insightful
  10. Re:Before everyone starts talking.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    WHAT YOU SAY?

  11. Re:Old Sk00l Phreaking by hoggoth · · Score: 2, Funny

    > box attached to the exterior of houses
    > Just walk up, plug in, dial away...

    and get shot by the homeowner who figures you are cutting the phones before robbing his house.
    I hope you have a "Plan B".

    --
    - For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat /dev/random (may take some time)