PHRACK Final

lbolla writes ""...a glorious era comes to an end. #63 will be _our_ last PHRACK RELEASE -- ever... Phrackstaff is pleased to bring you _our_ last ever call for papers for the final release of phrack. We are preparing for a hardcover and ezine release at a major hacker convention near you! We ask everyone to submit a paper. Great care will be taken to ensure that only the best articles make it into PHRACK FINAL.""

Comments

Uh...

[Malevolyn]

Didn't they do a final call for papers a few months ago?

_their_ last release

[SimonShine]

Considering their emphasis in the official announcement, one is likely to think that they expect another body to take over the release, but haven't found any suitable. It is a common pattern to announce the end of something, then to discover this great possibility for a sequel. I have no doubt they're different.

Who?

[Grendel Drago]

I faintly remember something about them, in the days of blueboxing and greedily awaiting the newest cDc release.

But, uh, isn't it a little past their time? What has Phrack done, y'know, since people started using the internet instead of phone lines?

No, I'm really asking, because my workplace proxy blocks phrack.org.

--grendel drago

Re:Who?

[EZmagz]

I totally agree. Phrack used to be THE e-zine when it came to anything related to computer security and the like. As you mentioned, their buffer overflow in issue 49 is hands-down one of the best explanations of how stack overflows work, and is usually referenced in any current article dealing with the subject.

One thing that turned me away from Phrack a while back (around Y2K-ish?) was the total lack of editing and their focus on newbish-related topics. Older copies of the e-zine contained a plethora of articles on advanced computer security topics, and were very well-written. Looking through the last few issues of Phrack it's painfully obvious that's not the case anymore. Current articles are geared towards script kiddies and are written in broken english.

Of course maybe I'm just biased because I fell out of the "underground" scene around the time that the accessability of Phrack-related information became magnitudes easier to obtain and the scarcity factor was lost.

Re:Who?

[noahm]

I totally agree. Phrack used to be THE e-zine when it came to anything related to computer security and the like. As you mentioned, their buffer overflow in issue 49 is hands-down one of the best explanations of how stack overflows work, and is usually referenced in any current article dealing with the subject.

I think a big part of the problem is that computer security research has gone mainstream. It's now very common to see Usenix's ;login: or the ACM's Communications packed full of new research. Between that and the fact that the blackhats have moved a bit further underground, it's not surprising that Phrack is filled with content that would only appeal to a script kiddie.

noah

"Rumored" return? I don't know about that.

[XorNand]

PHRACK FINAL (#63) scheduled for JULY 2005 (...rumors of a PHRACK RESURRECTION in 2007 can be neither confirmed nor denied...) Placing the "rumor" at the top of your website kinda officially acknowledges it, don't ya think? It's not like there's a massive drone of speculation buzzing about the 'net. ::rolls eyes::

SummerCon

[Anonymous Coward]

Summercon, http://www.summercon.org/ once run by the folks at Phrack is this week in Austin, TX. I wonder if any of the Phrack alumni will attend and what they will say about the final Phrack.

Gone....for the moment

[Red Moose]

Phrack has been on a "final issue ever" several times. There's very little going on these days in it and the main contributors seem to be idiots with very little l33t sk1llz. Gone are the days of VAX hacking, the best techniques for trashing and how to make petrol bombs. These days everyone has open access to all of this information and more with google and basic internet. I wonder what happened to Taran King and Knight Lightning .......

Re:Gone....for the moment

[Zocalo]

I wonder what happened to Taran King and Knight Lightning

"Operation Sundevil", an attempt to crackdown on the Legion of Doom cracking and phreaking group, happened. Craig Neidorf (Knight Lightning), was indicted, subjected to search and seizures by the US Secret Service, brought to a jury trial and finally had all charges dropped by the prosecution. He's kept a pretty low profile ever since, or at least has been a lot more careful with covering his tracks. Taran King appears to have been spooked and dropped out of the scene around the same time, or is also being a lot more careful.

In any case, there doesn't seem to be much on the pair since the end of the crackdown started by Operation Sundevil in the early 1990's. Perhaps this "final" issue of Phrack should include a "Where are they now?" article on past editors and other once prominent members of the Phrack community. Then again, given the number of convictions that were successful, that's not very likely to make for a very upbeat article about hacking to go out on, is it?

Re:Gone....for the moment

[Lew Payne]

You're not kidding... I wonder what happened to Stan Cisneros (LOD kiddie from the 80's) who messed with COSMOS and RC-MAC one time too many, Jude Saucie [sp] of 8BBS, Bob West L.A. (aka Robert Lipman, concert pianist), Mike West Hollywood (aka Michael Williamson, pipe organ repairman), Mark Van Nuys (aka Mark Ross), Lenny DiCicco, Steve Pasadena (aka Steve Rhoades), and Roscoe (aka Lewis DePayne).

If you know how to get hold of any of the above, please let me know!

Re:Acetylene Balloon Bomb

[fv]

the poster spells out a recipe for an acetylene balloon bomb.

Pshaw -- everyone knows to ignore their bomb making advice. It is Phrack's Blackjack advice you should follow:

Bet big when you want to win big. Lose a big hand? Double your bet. Lose again? Double it again. Lose again? Goto 1 ... Eventually, odds are, you will win all your money back, AND THEN SOME!

But in all seriousness -- Phrack rocks. I released my Nmap Security Scanner in P51 and OS detection in P54. I wish they wouldn't call P63 Phrack final, as I expect it to flourish again under more capable/interested hands. That may even happen soon if they select the next editor(s) well. Let us all hope so. The underground and hobbyist researchers deserve a voice. It is rather refreshing and nostalgic to see portions of the security community that haven't yet sold out.

-Fyodor (Insecure.Org)