(Italic indicates updated questions, while bold indicates new questions.)
TLA Three Letter Acronym ACL Access Control List PIN Personal Identification Number TCB Trusted Computing Base ALRU Automatic Line Record Update AN Associated Number ARSB Automated Repair Service Bureau ATH Abbreviated Trouble History BOC Bell Operating Company BOR Basic Output Report BOSS Business Office Servicing System CA Cable COE Central Office Equipment COSMOS Computer System for Main Frame Operations CMC Construction Maintenance Center CNID Calling Number IDentification CO Central Office COCOT Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone CRSAB Centralized Repair Service Answering Bureau DID Direct Inbound Dialing DDD Direct Distance Dialing ECC Enter Cable Change LD Long Distance LMOS Loop Maintenance Operations System MLT Mechanized Loop Testing NPA Numbering Plan Area PBX Private Branch Exchange POTS Plain Old Telephone Service RBOC Regional Bell Operating Company RSB Repair Service Bureau SS Special Service TAS Telephone Answering Service TH Trouble History TREAT Trouble Report Evaluation and Analysis Tool LOD Legion of Doom HFC Hell Fire Club TNO The New Order ACiD Ansi Creators in Demand CCi Cybercrime International FLT Fairlight iCE Insane Creators Enterprise iNC International Network of Crackers NTA The Nocturnal Trading Alliance PDX Paradox PE Public Enemy PSY Psychose QTX Quartex RZR Razor (1911) S!P Supr!se Productions TDT The Dream Team THG The Humble Guys THP The Hill People TRSI Tristar Red Sector Inc. UUDW Union of United Death Workers
2. How do I determine if I have a valid credit card number?
Credit cards use the Luhn Check Digit Algorithm. The main purpose of this algorithm is to catch data entry errors, but it does double duty here as a weak security tool.
For a card with an even number of digits, double every odd numbered digit and subtract 9 if the product is greater than 9. Add up all the even digits as well as the doubled-odd digits, and the result must be a multiple of 10 or it's not a valid card. If the card has an odd number of digits, perform the same addition doubling the even numbered digits instead.
3. What is the layout of data on magnetic stripe cards?
A standard card may have any of three tracks, or a combination of these tracks.
Track 1 was the first track standardized. It was developed by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and is still reserved for their use. It is 210 bpi with room for 79 characters. It includes the primary account number (up to 18 digits) and the name (up to 26 alphanumeric characters).
Track 2 was developed by the American Bankers Association (ABA) for on-line fincancial transactions. It is 75bpi with room for 40 numeric characters. It includes the account number (up to 19 digits).
Track 3 is also used for financial transactions. The difference is its read/write ability. It is 210bpi with room for 107 numeric digits. It includes an enciphered PIN, country code, currency units, amount authorized, subsidiary account information and other restrictions.
For more information, read the ANSI/ISO 7811/1-5 standard. This document is available from the American Bankers Association.
4. What are the ethics of hacking?
An excerpt from Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy:
Access to computers -- and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works -- should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On imperative. All information should be free. Mistrust Authority. Promote Decentralization. Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position. You can create art and beauty on a computer. Computers can change your life for the better.
5. Where can I get a copy of the alt.2600/#hack FAQ?
Get it via FTP:
ftp.rahul.net /pub/lps/sysadmin/ rtfm.mit.edu /pub/usenet-by-group/alt.2600/ mirrors.aol.com /pub/rtfm/usenet-by-group/alt.2600/
Get it on the World Wide Web at:
www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts/hack-faq