------------------------------ Subject: The Hermetic Underground From: Dark Adept Date: Wed, 28 Nov 90 2:15:52 CST ******************************************************************** *** CuD #2.15: File 7 of 7: The Hermetic Underground *** ******************************************************************** Reinforcing the cloak of the Underground... The Hermetic Underground by The Dark Adept Greetings! This phile will take a different twist than the previous ones. In the past few philes, I have given security (common sense) advice to the members of the "real" world. The purpose was to try and build a rapport between industry and computer society. However, there is a question as to whether computer society will survive or not. In an effort to keep the Underground alive, I will be relating some ideas for survival during the "witch-hunt." ---------------------- | Modern-day Wizards | ---------------------- A long time ago in a place far, far away there were once many wizards. Now wizards did not really raise the dead or turn gold into lead. What they did do was to try and learn about and explain the universe as best as they could. They delved into dark territories such as death, alchemy, and mechanical engineering in order to improve the world they lived in. From these evil doings, two things were produced. Science, including Philosophy, Logic, Math, Chemistry, Physics, etc. And witch-hunts. They weren't witch-hunts as one may see by looking at Salem. The effect was much more devastating. Not only were wizards wiped from the face of the earth, but the way they viewed life was also removed. You see, a wizard was a jack-of-all-trades. The wizards believed that everything was interrelated. Physics was actually related to Philosophy, and Alchemy was a form of religion. So, the wizards studied everything possible so as to see how the ideas interrelate. (Sort of a twisted Unified Field Theory). There was also another reason why wizards tried to master everything. This was because they could not come together and form a wizards guild. They were not liked or trusted by society since they had access to information that society did not. If they had come together they would have been wiped from the face of the earth. Yes, I lied. In the previous paragraph I said that wizards no longer existed. The fact is that they do and always will. A wizard is a person who believes everything is interrelated and attempts to find the interrelation and control his universe by it. One such branch of wizardry is known as the Computer Underground. (To read about a real wizard who lived in ancient times, pick up John Dee by Peter French. You will see everything I have said is true). So, what can we modern-day mages learn from the wise wizards of yesteryear? -------------------- | Atomic Particles | -------------------- The worst thing the underground could do now is organize on a mass level. Our strength is to be found in that we are a mass of atomic entities operating against a concerted effort. The attacks on the Underground by the witch-hunters may smash a few individuals here and there, but the overall body lives on. Just as the United States Army failed to fight effectively against a dispersed phantom force like the Vietnamese, so too will the onslaught fail against a patternless weaving of hackers. What the opposition is trying to do is like trying to shoot gnats with a shotgun. As long as the Underground remains dispersed and loosely organized, there is no way they can search out and destroy the entire bunch of us. If we band together, then, of course, they have a much larger target. ---------------------- | As Above, So Below | ---------------------- The Underground is shaped by the events that occur in the "real" world. If Company ABC gives a grant to University XYZ to add a node to the Net, then the Underground is expanded. If there are laws passed banning cross-state telecommunications, then the Underground is diminished. The topics of discussion in the Underground are also determined by "real" world events. For this reason, the battle must be fought in the "real" world and in the "real" world alone. The only way to conclusively affect the existence of the Underground is to affect society. This means to affect society in the Courts, Congress, and Senate. There are already legitimate and capable vehicles for doing so: the EFF, for example. These organizations need your support. Support them, but as citizens of the United States, and not as hackers. The only way to decisively defeat our opponents is to defeat them in their own lairs, and by using their means. To win the fight to get the Constitution to protect the rights of the computer user, we must fight intelligently, morally, and ethically. We must not succumb to the temptation to use terrorist tactics in order to extort rights from the opposition. To do so would just anger potential supporters. To do so would be to lower ourselves to the level of our antagonists. We must fight with honor, with dignity, and with tenacity. ----------------------------------------------- | Of the Bloody Sacrifice and Matters Cognate | ----------------------------------------------- We have lost a few valuable members during the Computer Revolution. We should not let their "deaths" be in vain. Let us learn from their mistakes in order to better ourselves. One example is security hacking. Yeah, it's fun. Yeah, it's better than the last Zork (tm Infocom, Inc.) game that came out. But it's illegal. It gives the Underground a bad name. It causes problems, and things get real ugly real fast. Way back when security hacking first started, there were no problems since no one caused any real trouble. Then came the few idiots who tried such things as mercenary work, extortion, and a couple of other assorted nasty dealings that caused corporations to RIGHTFULLY fear and dislike hackers. We caused the problem ourselves. The blame cannot be laid on people who are trying to protect their own property. I am therefore asking that we all cease and desist from hacking into private computers from this point on. There are plenty of things we can do without inciting death threats from telephone companies. Why not set up our own networks? A decent Unix system can be built for under $8,000. If we can get a bunch of people together to donate some money (hey, you big businesses, here's a hint!), then we can have our own "playground" so that the "adults" won't be bothered by us snot-nosed (Cyber)punks. Slap together a couple of nodes, and we can send worms and hack all we want LEGALLY. Again, there are other methods that can be used to gain the free flow of information than illegal system entry. Laws could be passed that require detailed descriptions of systems to be made public if the use of those systems directly affects the public. An example is the infamous 911 info. The 911 system is paid for by the public, services the public, and the public is now dependent on it. Yet, the public knows nothing about it. Does it make sense that something upon which human lives depend should be classified as a "trade secret"? Should not the public be made aware of its limitations so as to know whether it is feasible? This obviously does not require disclosure of the source code, but it does require the disclosure of specifications, limitations, testing data, and all instances of failure. It would also require the general algorithm so as to prove the value of the method. The whole point of this section is that the day of the security hacker is dead along with that of the Blue Boxer. Let them lie peacefully. We can still hack code, transfer messages across the country, access tons of information, and many other things. Is it worth risking that in order to get into some TSO system? --------------------- | Forbidden Secrets | --------------------- The final icing on the cake is the fact that the people persecuting the Underground are incompetent for the task at hand. After reading the SJG affidavit, I am positive that they are excellent purveyors of law enforcement, but don't know beans about computers. The belief that Kermit was some type of illegal information is, obviously, ridiculous. When all of this explodes, it is they who will have egg on their faces, and not we. While doing research on the events, I came across a statement by someone in law enforcement who said that when the results of Operation Sundevil are made public, Mitch Kapor will be embarrassed since he is defending common criminals. No, in reality I think it is they who will be embarrassed. They are the ones who destroyed private property and valuable data. They are the ones who destroyed lives and businesses with incompetence, not hackers. -------------------- | And finally..... | -------------------- To sum up: Stay dispersed and unorganized. Help out the EFF. Fight for your rights using legal means in court. Don't hack security, but start building public access systems. Expose the truth every chance you get. My next article will once again deal with security issues in general. Specifically, I will begin talking about the problem of copyrighting and patenting things other than source code. Keep up the faith, people. We can't lose. I chose the handle The Dark Adept because I believe that out of darkness comes light. Out of the darkness of lies and oppression comes the light of truth and freedom. One just needs to be Adept enough to catalyze the reaction. So, as always, I remain.... The Dark Adept 11/26/90, Chicago, IL E-Mail: Ripco BBS (312)-528-5020 ******************************************************************** ------------------------------ **END OF CuD #2.15** ******************************************************************** Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+