History of MOD

Hey thought some of you guys might enjoy a bit of history I found.~ Lucy

MoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0d
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ The History of MOD ]


BOOK ONE: The Originals

In the early part of 1987, there were numerous amounts of busts in the
US and in New York in particular.  For the most part, many of the so-
called "elite" had gone underground or had just gotten scared out of
hacking.  Many people, as always, thought hacking would die because of the
raids.  It was right before these raids that MOD had formed.

It came about when Acid Phreak, then using another handle, had been running
a semi-private bbs off his Commodore piece of shit and 10 generic Commie
drives.  It was called KAOS, and it attracted hacks and phreaks from
across the country (as well as the usual amount of k0dez d00ds).  Nynex
Phreak had been co-sysop (having been AP's partner for about 2 years
before that) and the board started off with about 140 users but was weeded
to the best 60 or so.

On this bbs, Acid Phreak had gotten along with a few "kewl dewds" who
enjoyed the mischievous aspect of phreaking.  They were Silver Surfer in
California, and Quick Hack in Texas.  When the raids came however,
Silver Surfer got nabbed for using a PBX in 404 and therefore, retired.
Quick Hack and Acid stayed low and called each other less frequently
than usual.  Soon they had both stopped completely.

In early 1989, Acid had come back into the scene and had called a local
New York board with a somewhat "k0dez-e" attitude called ShadoWorld in
212.  Of course there were lots of neophytes eager to learn more about
hacking and how to call places for free.  Most of them had been in the
"does 950 trace?" stage, except for someone who went by the handle
Harry Hazardous.  Under the handle Phuck This (also Bell Bandit which had
originally been Nynex Phreak's other handle), he met with Harry.  Soon
they had gained enough respect for each other and decided to meet.
Harry turned out to be HAC, a cyberpunk to the "T".

In numerous conversations between the two, AP had mentioned the
sweetness of telephone company computers and how interesting their
intricate structures were.  HAC was a hardcore systems hacker himself,
but he had also been partners with someone who came across (and had
an impressive knack for) some telco computers.  He went by the name
Scorpion and he also lived in the NYC area.  Soon the three were
partaking in all sorts of mischievous pranks and under the guise of
numerous handles (ie. The Potent Rodent, Dream Master, Phuck This) they
took to knocking down the locals who thought "I know all there is about
hacking".  It was in the midst of all this fun that they agreed to form
an underground group called MOD (approx. June 1989).

About one month later, Acid had been on Altos (revisiting a chat that
was once, but never again, the heart of a lot of good hacker convos
since early '84 or so) when he came across someone asking for Unix
gurus.  His handle was The Wing, and he ran a Unix system from his
home in Pennsylvania.  Scorpion was always a Unix guru while Acid
had only come across it in college two years back.  The Wing offered
Acid an account on his system and soon he became "Phreak-Op" on
The Seventh Dragon, his bbs run off the Unix, using yet another old
alias "Depeche Mode".

Relaying the information to Scorpion on yet another good addition to
the group, they decided to recruit him into MOD.  The fun, it seemed,
had just started...

--EOF
  (end Book.One)



MoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0d
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ The History of MOD ]


BOOK TWO:  Creative Mindz

With the addition of The Wing, came a shitload of pranks and loads of fun.
He hadn't known much about telephone systems, but one thing he knew was
how to make Unixes do nifty things.  Of course, he and Scorpion had
undertaken the task of taking on some worthwhile projects and providing
the group with some healthy side-benefits (which cannot be mentioned or
commented on at this particular moment in time).

At this point, the group consisted of the 4 original founders (flounders??)
-> Acid Phreak, HAC, Scorpion, and The Wing.

Around this time, 2600 Magazine had 2 boards in operation.  The Central
Office, and The Toll Center.  OSUNY had gone down for some strange reason
a short time earlier.  It was on The Toll Center (Red Knight's bbs) that
AP had first met the next member of the group (and coincidentally Red
Knight which is the most recent member to the group).  He called himself
"Supernigger" and had much the same ideology as the rest of the group.
It was following his group's original "knock down those who think they
know everything" attitude that MOD also adopted the same mentality.
Supernigger was drafted and with him came hours of discussions on
REAL phreaking and Social Engineering.  There was also a loooong period
of time where MOD had a conference bridge set up by SN.  Hours of
enjoyment and fun for the whole family and kids of all ages...

Another hacker and telco computer specialist also seemed to be very
prominent and knowledgeable then as well.  He wasn't liked very much
because he seemed to have a rather large ego, which I may add, makes
it okay to have when you know so much as he did.  He went by two
other handles a long time before, and when AP had first called him up
he had an idea he was also those 2 other people, but he had refused
to admit so.  He declared he was "Phiber Optik of the LOD!" and asked
what AP wanted.  Scorpion, Acid and Phiber exchanged ideas on switching
theory for a long while, but then came the time when PO wanted to know
Acid Phreak's phone number since he found it "unfair".  AP mentioned
that he could prove himself by finding it for himself.  Armed with a
dialup, PO called Acid back on his real number and casually proclaimed
victory.  And so, Phiber Optik was "brought into" the group.  What was
different however, was the fact that he and AP had similar interests and
started "hanging" as friends "around the way" along with HAC and Scorpion
in the Village (NYC).

The Toll Center went down weeks later and PO, AP, and Scorpion found
themselves calling random "newjacks" to the scene.  In this way they
stumbled across Crazy Eddie and a "question and answer forum" among the
four of them ensued with Crazy Eddie proclaiming his eagerness to learn.
Coincidentally after a few calls to CE on his home line he challenged
the MOD crew to find his other number.  Sure enough they called it
but coincidentally enough, a few days later in the week, a rather nasal
sounding man had called him saying he was ITT security(?) and had tried to
convince him he was in deep shit for using codes and that he knows the
"numbers of the hackers that have been calling" him.  In a rather idiotic
fashion, the ITT person attempted to coax the 3 MOD members to call him
using 10488 (equal access, fgd).  He gave a bullshit number to where he
was at and waited by his little thermal printer for the phone numbers to
pop up.  Of course, they realized what a futile attempt to catch them this
was, and Crazy Eddie had replied that "they say they don't feel like using
equal access but they'll call the number anyway".  It turns out the number
wasn't even real and after meeting with the ITT man on a loop he declared
that they were smarter than he thought.

After a few months, Crazy Eddie was introduced to the group and so, he
had gotten to know the group very well.  Unfortunately, so had the
Secret Service...

--EOF
  (end Book.Two)


MoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0d
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ The History of MOD ]


BOOK THREE:  A Kick In The Groin

Well, suffice it to say, the fun couldn't last forever.  On January 24, 1990,
the Secret Service visited the homes of Acid Phreak, Phiber Optik, and
Scorpion.

The raid didn't come as a surprise since they had been somewhat weary of
Thomas Covenant's behavior as of late.  Acid Phreak had been away for 2
weeks (visiting relatives in a foreign country) and was *somewhat*
surprised to meet such unopportune guests a day after his arrival.
Phiber was equally amused at the "cleaning service" he found so
diligently working in his bedroom.  Scorpion on the other hand, extremely
*enjoyed* the thorough job they had performed at both his dorm and his
house and even saved some hardware they had left behind for the next time
they visit (which they did).

Days later, they had gone to meet The Wing, which wasn't able to talk for
too long since he was too busy.  He had been anticipating this little visit
for awhile though.  His dad didn't exactly like the idea of their presence
and kicked their lack-of-a-warrant asses out before they got a chance to put
to use their years of interrogation techniques classes.  Seems they think he
showed his teacher a credit report or something...

A few weeks go by, and MOD gets to know Seeker.  He sounds cool enough,
and he knows his electronics so he is a very valuable addition to the
group.  Seeker made his way in and so did the million-and-one MOD
stickers and funny-colored-little-box-thingies. The stickers, of which,
made their way to Ground Zero's big butt at a 2600 meeting.

Anyways, the MOD Unix went down, and 3 local hackers with much potential
caught attention to them.  They were:  ZOD (a Unix hacker), Outlaw (just
a general dude), and Corrupt (Vax king).  After days of getting to know
them, they were pulled in.  Countless weeks went by with what seemed like
a dozen MOD bbs's on 800s, packet switched networks, etc...

The group's popularity soared in such a short period of time, but many
hackers disagreed with the MOD style much in the same way Phiber Optik
had enjoyed humiliating those "in the know" publically.

ZOD was the last of the group to be raided (or at least the most recent),
but has since made much headway into the telecom world.  Outlaw has also
been somewhat adept with telco speak.  Corrupt, having been very active
before, doesn't have a working computer anymore and so..well, duh.

Two new members were introduced around the time of the writing of this
chapter.  The first was The Plague.  He had a professional attitude and
was certainly worth trusting.  Of course, with all the media attention drawn
to him and MOD in general, he has decided to remain low and not bring
any more to himself.

Red Knight was originally on trash runs with Acid Phreak in '89 but was
not brought in until July '90.  It seems RK has learned a lot about
telco ways since he first put up The Toll Center.  RK also seems to
enjoy reminiscing about the trash run days (of which there were quite
a  few).

As of August 1, 1990, there are 14 members.  These include:

Acid Phreak (r)
HAC
Scorpion (r)
The Wing (v)
Supernigger
Nynex Phreak (r)
Phiber Optik (r)
Crazy Eddie (r)
Seeker
ZOD (r)
Outlaw
Corrupt
The Plague
Red Knight

(v) signifies person was visited but nothing taken
(r) means either raided or retired, it's a pickem..

      - - ->  MOD is now *CLOSED* to membership.  <- - -

      This is the official (and most likely to be the final) list
      of dewds.  Of course, members may use a GROUP account or
      another handle, but the fact remains that these are the ONLY
      members in the group.  Unlike LOD, we know who is in and who
      isn't..

------------------------------------------------------------------------
We should also note Julian Dibbell (Dr. Bombay) for his work on "Rebel
Hackers" in The Village Voice on July 24, 1990.  He portrayed the
scene the way it really is and of course gave us the amount of coverage
we deserve.  And of course, we came out the way we really are and not
as criminals out to destroy the world.  Dr. Bombay was invited to the
MOD Unix right before the raid.  'lo and behold.. a front-page cover
story!

"We rule".

MOD/Forever We Hack


--EOF
  (end Book.Three)



MoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0dMoDm0d!
===============================================================================

MOD.book.FOUR [End of '90-1991]

        Two weeks before his bust, Lord Micro was introduced into the group.
Unfortunately he was busted for hacking FON cards off the 800/877-8000.  Sure,
he knew he was gonna get busted but he didn't listen, or care for that matter.
After hours (and hours, and hours) of community service, LM lived to joke
about his ordeal being that he IS a funny guy.  Don't ever get this guy drunk.

        For quite a long time now, MOD has come to realize what a bunch of
idiot posers the LOD was (with the exception of a few).  It just goes to show,
ANYONE can be a great hacker as long as enough people think so too.  Why
bother resparking interest in LOD?  Why bother keeping the damn thing going
when the new members aren't half as good as the originals?  I don't know, but
you can ask Erik Bloodaxe who is the self-proclaimed "leader" at this point
in time.  Jeez, and I thought bringing back TAP was stupid.

        Another poser that came out of the woodwork is Skandle (STAN), who
somehow decided he had power in DPAK (Supernigger's group).  After hours of
trying to figure this one out, we just had to conclude was just another
dumb Jersey hick.  Oh well.. so much for that.

        A new group, FORCE 1(ONE) Hackers led by Expose(which sounds fuckin gay
 if ya ask me), decided to declare war on MOD.  Assisted by Hellrat, he says:
"You guys (MOD) should stay out of the hackin' buziness 'cuz none of my fellas
are 'fraid of you.  I'll take all of you out myself." ...along with a lot of
other nonsense about 10-way billing and other ca-ca he's read in one too many
g-files.

        One thing that's cool is the addition of a lamer database online (on
wingnet now MODNET).  It's great when you're planning roll-ups and shit and
it's a great organizer that takes care of all that rummaging through papers
and shit.  Hundreds of losers for hours of fun!

        During the first week in February, LOD finally declared,"That's it!
It's official now.  LOD declares war on MOD!"  Oh brother..

eenie-meenie-minie-moe..I declare war on.....YOU!  Nyah-nyah.  Well, it is now
the second week of February and the only thing that has happened so far in the
"MOD-LOD War" is that there were about 5 invalid login attempts on modnet.  It
seems that "MOB" has decided to join in the war.  What a fucking joke, they are
tied with MCWS for lameness (which isn't hard to do).

The legacy of the underground "clandestine" network continues and so does the
war (and ridiculing) against all the self-proclaimed, so-called "elite".

--EOF (MOD.book.4)



MODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmodMODmod!
===============================================================================


MOD.book.FIVE: Who are they and where did they come from?
-------------

        Well, it's time again for another journal.  It's now the
        middle of summer 1991.  Lately we've heard a few good stories
        out of the mouths of people we don't even know.  There have
        even been a few funny occurances in the past few weeks.

        1) There are rumours that Phiber Optik was wasting his life
        away and not using his talents wisely.  Well, the truth of
        the matter is, he has been a speaker in many public debates
        and conferences on hacking in general and computer security.
        He is also working as a programmer/developer for a computer
        firm in NYC.  Also, he is working closely with the EFF (which
        recently have set up their own system for their organization).

        2) COMSEC is formed.  The *new* LOD (whose only member
        consists of Erik Bloodaxe) goes into the computer security
        business.  Nothing to date is documented on their services and
        we have yet to see what the hell they can provide.  EBA for
        one is an original member and he knows close to nothing
        (except for the things that he asked Phiber Optik to tell
        him).  Not to mention these guys are hardly corporate and have
        NO experience in the business end of computer security; which
        explains why they got caught misrepresenting themselves as
        Landmark Graphics to other well-established computer security
        firms.  Also, they have bragged about narking on a few members
        of MOD in their jealous rage.  This we can prove through
        insiders.

        MOD was never a textfile "how-to" group.  It was always based
        on a brotherhood type deal and everything done is secretive
        and has a purpose behind it.  LOD on the other hand, never
        made sense to any of us anymore.  It was good at first, when
        all the original (knowledgable) members were active, but
        lately it's become to be known as a group of guys with
        very sparce telecom knowledge riding on a name that once
        actually stood for something.

        Even Phiber Optik questioned whether LOD meant Legion of Doom
        or Lump of Doo-doo (on Gyrotechnic's private bbs).  He stood
        firm against all the other members on the system until finally
        they were dumbfounded and speechless.  Well, the board died.
        Now, PO and the rest of the MOD bunch take to them like a
        swatter to flies.  Give it up fellas.. it'll never work.

        3) Renegade Hacker (a NYC local) thinks he's cool.  He gets
        raided, starts talking, and when confronted by MOD, hides
        behind mommy.  Then he says he hates MOD (which is funny since
        he was sweating MOD's nuts since the day he first got a modem;
        those who were at the 2600 know what I mean..) The fact
        remains he is a real loser out to make a name for himself by
        trying to inspire those who have less contact with the better
        hackers in the community.

        NASTY (his group) = BIG Joke.
        (they write files..the National Enquirer of the h/p world)

        *Rent-A-Gay Hacker changed his phone #.. please note the new
        one in the database.*

        4) Lord Micro gets Xenix and creates what will be modnet 2.
        (The Wing is the administrator of #1 in PA)  Crazy Eddie
        plans to put up a bbs (open forum) in the 2600 Magazine
        format (like OSUNY, Central Office, The Toll Center).
        NO illegal shit...just theoretical discussion..what real
        hackers are made of.

        5) Vinny (The Technician) is "outed".  He is an admitted
        homosexual. I'm telling you.. watch out for these SSWC
        guys..they're a little funny, ya know?

        6) Mind Rape, or something like that, of NSA is a new pest.
        Gimme a break.  When will they ever learn?  Infiniti was
        another one, but I guess he's kept quiet..which is good.
        Let's just hope he doesn't ask Mind Dweeb for help.  Add
        Purple "no-show" Mustard (codez kid..see MOD/database for more
        info) to this catagory.  Also, there's another guy using
        Acid's handle in 216.  Wasn't home when we called twice.


Special thanks to Jack Hitt and Paul Tough of Harper's Magazine.
Great guys, good writers/editors..  damn that stuff was fun.

Hello to State Police Officer Donald Delaney.  Not such a bad guy,
just that he IS a cop and he DID bust some of us.  But he also got
those guys pirating cellular service in Queens, which really was a
major bust.  Nice tie.

===================
= Another MOD.duh =
= file..          =           "More eLiTenezz in one pinky
=                 =            than 2 cans of LOD!"
= All replies can =
= be sent to:     =
=                 =
= MOD@modnet.UUCP =
===================
-> kill r0dentz!!!

  eof.MOD.book.5