Phreaking

The blue box era came to an end with the ever-increasing use of digital telephone networks which allowed telecommunication companies to discontinue the use of in-band signaling for call routing purposes.

By the 1980s, most of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in the US and Western Europe had adopted the SS7 system which uses out-of-band signaling for call control (and which is still in use to this day), therefore rendering blue boxes obsolete.

[2] Phreaking began in the 1960s when it was discovered that certain whistles could replicate the 2600 Hz pitch used in phone signalling systems in the United States.

[3] Phone phreaks experimented with dialing around the telephone network to understand how the phone system worked, engaging in activities such as listening to the pattern of tones to figure out how calls were routed, reading obscure telephone company technical journals (often obtained through dumpster diving),[3] social engineering, building electronic devices called blue boxes, black boxes, and red boxes to help them explore the network and make free phone calls, hanging out on early conference call circuits and "loop arounds" to communicate with one another and writing their own newsletters to spread information.

It is done by rapidly pressing and releasing the switch hook to open and close the subscriber circuit, simulating the pulses generated by the rotary dial.

Engressia had perfect pitch, and discovered that whistling the fourth E above middle C (a frequency of 2637.02 Hz) would stop a dialed phone recording.

[11][12] While single-frequency worked on certain phone routes, the most common signaling on the then long-distance network was multi-frequency (MF) controls.

The journal was intended for the company's engineers; however, it found its way to various college campuses across the United States.

Each conducted their own independent exploration and experimentation of the telephone network, initially on an individual basis, and later within groups as they discovered each other in their travels.

Both Bernay and Evan received fame amongst today's phone phreakers for internet publications of their collection of telephone exploration recordings.

[14] In October 1971, phreaking was introduced to the masses when Esquire magazine published a story called "Secrets of the Little Blue Box"[15][16][17] by Ron Rosenbaum.

[18][19] 1971 also saw the beginnings of YIPL (Youth International Party Line), a publication started by Abbie Hoffman and Al Bell to provide information to Yippies on how to "beat the man", mostly involving telephones.

Specifically, YIPL will show you why something must be done immediately in regard, of course, to the improper control of the communication in this country by none other than bell telephone company.

[22] TAP developed into a major source for subversive technical information among phreaks and hackers all over the world.

A controversially suppressed article "Regulating the Phone Company In Your Home"[24] in Ramparts magazine (June 1972) increased interest in phreaking.

This article published simple schematic plans of a "black box" used to make free long-distance phone calls, and included a very short parts list that could be used to construct one.

These BBSes became popular for computer hackers and others interested in the technology, and served as a medium for previously scattered independent phone phreaks to share their discoveries and experiments.

This was also at a time when the telephone company was a popular subject of discussion in the US, as the monopoly of AT&T Corporation was forced into divestiture.

Computer hackers began to use phreaking methods to find the telephone numbers for modems belonging to businesses, which they could exploit later.

[26] In the early 1990s, groups like Masters of Deception and Legion of Doom were shut down by the US Secret Service's Operation Sundevil.

[citation needed] The 1984 AT&T breakup gave rise to many small companies intent on competing in the long-distance market.

At the time, there was no way to switch a phone line to have calls automatically carried by non-AT&T companies.

Using this method, code hacking programs would turn up hundreds (or in some cases thousands) of working calling card numbers per day.

While there was some advancement in tracking down these code hackers in the early 1990s, the problem did not completely disappear until most long-distance companies were able to offer standard 1+ dialing without the use of an access number.

Victimized small businesses were usually required to foot the bill for the long-distance calls, as it was their own private equipment (not phone company security flaws) that allowed such fraud to occur.

[citation needed] In addition to communicating over BBSs phone phreaks discover voice mail boxes and party lines as ways to network and keep in touch over the telephone.

[30] In 2015, Pakistani officials arrested a prominent phreaker who had amassed more than $50 million from PBX hacking activities.