The alt.2600/#hack FAQ (Section F: Miscellaneous)

# Section F: Miscellaneous

## Table of Contents

1. What does XXX stand for?
2. How do I determine if I have a valid credit card number?
3. What is the layout of data on magnetic stripe cards?
4. What are the ethics of hacking?
5. Where can I get a copy of the #hack FAQ?

(Italic indicates updated questions, while bold indicates new questions.)

1. What does XXX stand for?

    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