Date: July 8, 1991
From: Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen
Subject: Secret Service Pays Hacker Call (Reprint from Newsbytes)

 SECRET SERVICE PAYS HACKER CALL 07/08/91

 NEW YORK, NEW YORK U.S.A., 1991 JULY 8 (NB) -- According to a
 Pennsylvania teenage "hacker" known as "Wing", agents of the United
 States Secret Service visited his home and that of some friends
 asking questions about rumors they had allegedly received about the
 planting of "July 4th logic bombs".

 Wing told Newsbytes that the agents arrived at his home and requested
 to talk to him about "rumors that he had planted logic bombs or
 viruses to go off on the 4th of July." Wing said that, on the advise
 of his father, he refused to discuss the matter with the agents, "The
 last time that the Secret Service was here my father told them not to
 come back again without a warrant so, when they did, I didn't talk to
 them. The whole thing is ridiculous anyhow. There was obviously no
 July 4th bombs and I certainly didn't plant any."

 Wing also said that agents visited friends of his and "made one who
 is new to computers feel that he was doing something wrong by trying
 to log onto bulletin boards."

 A Secret Service official, speaking to Newsbytes, confirmed that
 agents had attempted to interview Wing in relation to rumors of a
 July 4th attack on computer systems. The official also said that,
 because of Wing's juneville status, his parents have the right to
 deny the agents' request for an interview. The agent further said
 that, to his knowledge, there were no cases of computer attack on the
 4th of July.

 Other law enforcement officials had told Newsbytes, previous to the
 July 4th holiday, that they had received rumors of such a planned
 attack but that they had little substantive material upon which to
 base an investigation. There have also been recent reports to
 Newsbytes from sysops of university and foundation computer systems
 in the Boston, MA area of attempted unauthorized access by an
 individual purporting to be Wing.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 09 Jul 91 05:56:11 CDT
From: Anonymous
Subject: Calling the kettle black

In an article in comp.org.eff.talk, David Turrell wrote,

>  Anyone caught using illegal copies of 1-2-3 who keeps on doing it
>  after being asked not to and at the same time expresses "utter
>  contempt" for Lotus' right should be made to wash lots and lots of
>  cars, and wax those that need it.

You'd be surprised who would have to come clean.  There's a very big
company that has provided technical opinions, albeit with a few
decimal places added, to Federal officials.  Would those Federal
officials turn on such a technical resource and accuse it of software
piracy?  Would they take the word of an ex-employee that the very big
company kept megabytes of pirated software on company computers?  That
managers within the company knew of those computers and used that
unlicensed software in furtherance of the company's business?  Would
it matter that a now-dead division of that very big company kept
archives of pilfered copies of (among other titles) Harvard Project
Manager, Microsoft Word, Procomm Plus, Lotus 1-2-3, and Word Perfect
for company use?  Within twenty feet of an ADAPSO/SPA anti-piracy
poster?  If there's one law enforcement official who wouldn't hesitate
to ask some hard questions of this very big company, I'd hope that
they'd come out of the electronic shadows in this forum, and declare
in front of all of us that Justice is for the Big as well as the
Small.

Sign me,
A Belated Whistle Blower

P.S. Bothered by my anonymity?  I am, too.  Truth is, I think that the
LE people who I'd hope to hear from will try and kick MY butt before
they'll go after the employer of so many "expert witnesses".  Wait and
see.


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End of Computer Underground Digest #3.25
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