188 DEAR HACKER
188 DEAR HACKER
have a base memory of a measly 64k, but the 64 can be upgraded also, just like my 486. Furthermore, millions of people can’t be wrong about the 64; you don’t hear much about it today, but rest assured, the 64 users are still out there.
Just one slight correction: Commodore 64 can be had from $20 to $40 from most sources, and Vic 20s are all but impossible to find used.
All in all, it was a very good article, and I would like to see more done with this “toy computer.”
By the way, this letter was composed with my 486... what a bargain.
I spent $1200 on a machine to do this, while my $30 64 can do just as good a job. Commodore Hacker
So why didn’t you use it?
Dear 2600: Came across this article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The system
was compromised on August 13, 1994—the same day as the HOPE Conference in New York. Somebody’s work that weekend did not go unappreciated. There was also an article back in August about “a mission” to hack the new New York subway toll machines made by Cubic here in San Diego. Keep up the good work.
Mr. Pink San Marcos, CA
The Metrocard system in New York has been meeting stiff opposition from the public. Not only has there been no expansion of the system to more than a frac- tion of subway stops, but the Transit Authority has barred the use of the cards by more than one person per trip. So, in other words, if you have a card with $2.50 on it, you’re not allowed to use it for yourself ($1.25) and then let someone else use it for the remaining $1.25. Seems there was some kind of security problem....
A while back, I was with a friend of mine in his car. We were deliver- ing a package in some old guy’s driveway. I waited in the car and my friend’s garage door opener was just sitting in front of me. The thing looked very tempting, so I picked it up and pointed it to the old guy’s garage door. Just to see what would happen, I pushed the button. To my surprise, the garage door opened! Well, I quickly pushed the button again so it would close the garage door. I just wanted to know if you guys could maybe do a section on garage doors.
The Laughing Cow It’s quite simple really. The devices come with a default code. Many people never
change the code so there are lots of us with the exact same code. A little common sense would make this security hole a lot harder to find.
Dear 2600: Hi, I’m an 11-year-old hacker who loves this mag. OK, to the point:
there’s a trick where I live where you dial 984 plus your last four digits, wait to hear the dial tone, hang up, then pick it up again. You hear a high pitched whine, hang up once again, and the phone rings. What the hell is this?
Vitamin X Bethlehem, NH
It’s called a ringback and they’re quite common although the first three digits are often different from place to place. It’s for phone company testing which means you’re not supposed to know about them. But we know of nobody in the history of the world who’s ever gotten into trouble for using one, except for maybe annoying people inside their house by constantly ringing the phone.