SUELETTE DREYFUS JULIAN ASSANGE _ _ _ _ ____ _____ ____ ____ ____ ___ _ _ _ _ ____ | | | | \ | | _ \| ____| _ \ / ___| _ \ / _ \| | | | \ | | _ \ | | | | \| | | | | _| | |_) | | _| |_) | | | | | | | \| | | | | | |_| | |\ | |_| | |___| _ <| |_| | _ <| |_| | |_| | |\ | |_| | \___/|_| \_|____/|_____|_| \_\\____|_| \_\\___/ \___/|_| \_|____/ http://www.underground-book.com/ Hacking, madness and obsession on the electronic frontier ‘Gripping, eminently readable.. Dreyfus has uncovered one of this country’s best kept secrets and in doing so has created a highly intense and enjoyable read’ -- Rolling Stone By Suelette Dreyfus with Research by Julian Assange First Published 1997 by Mandarin a part of Reed Books Australia 35 Cotham Road, Kew 3101 a subsidiary of Random House books Australia a division of Random House International Pty Limited Copyright (c) 1997, 2001 Suelette Dreyfus & Julian Assange All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. Typeset in New Baskerville by J&M Typesetting Printed and bound in Australia by Australian Print Group National Library of Australia cataloguing-in-publication data: Dreyfus, Suelette. Underground: tales of hacking, madness & obsession on the electronic frontier Bibliography. ISBN 1 86330 595 5 1. Computer hackers--Australia--Biography. 2. Computer crimes--Australia. 3. Computer security--Australia. I. Assange, Julian. II. Title. 364.1680922 ___________________________________________________________________ READER AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM ___________________________________________________________________ ‘...I hold your book ‘I have never before read a responsible for destroying my book this good, literally!’ social life for the last two -- [email protected] days...I bought it Friday afternoon, and then finished ‘I just finished the book.. it at lunchtime today! and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Sunday) *grin*. Excellent Dreyfus showed an amazing reading!’ -- [email protected] insight into the world of electronic exploration. I am ‘A few pages into this book I sure it was in no small part found it to be different to due to [the researcher’s] any other book I have ever excellent technical read on the subject. Dreyfus assistance. Good Job!!’ -- treats the people she writes [email protected] about AS PEOPLE not just "computer junkies" or "cyber ‘I loved the book - couldn’t geeks"’ -- [email protected] put it down!’ -- [email protected] ‘A real pleasure’ -- George Smith, Crypt News ‘I wanted to say how much I liked your book Underground’ ‘A tale of madness, paranoia -- Prof. Dorothy Denning and brilliance among Australian computer hackers - ‘I was blown away’ -- and how they nearly brought [email protected] NASA undone’ -- The Weekend Australian Magazine ‘I’m grateful to Ms Dreyfus for introducing me to a ‘Adventure book for the brain’ number of first-rate -- Sarah McDonald, JJJ subversives’ -- Phillip Adams, Late Night Live ‘After reading the extract of Underground in The Age I ‘Joy knew no bounds’ -- couldn’t wait to read it. Phillip Adams, Late Night Finally it came out in the Live shops and I finished it all within a few days. I wasn’t ‘Just thought that I would disappointed for a second.’ -- say great job on your book [email protected] very nice piece of work and very informative!’ -- ‘Amazing insight’ -- Anonymous hacker [email protected] ‘Keeps the reader glued to ‘Backed up by..detailed the page’ -- Danny Yee, Danny technical research’ -- Trudie Yee’s review of books MacIntosh, The Australian ‘La descripcion de las ‘Best hacker book I’ve read’ detenciones, registros -- Jim Lippard yprocesos legales es especialmente interesante’ -- ‘Brillant read - will rest Cripto, Spain safely next the rest of my Gibson, Sterling and ‘Let me say how much I Brunner...’ -- enjoyed Underground. I really [email protected] thought it was fascinating and a great read.’ -- ‘Brillant’ -- [email protected] (Editor, [email protected] Network World) ‘Compelling reading for those ‘Loved it’ -- of us who want more than just [email protected] salacious and hyped snippets’ -- Trudie MacIntosh, The ‘Makes the esoteric world of Australian the hacker accessible’ -- Australian Bookseller and ‘Compelling’ -- David Nichols, Publisher The Big Issue ‘Matt Piening told me about ‘Contains enough technical it and showed me the article information to impress anyone in The Age.. consequently.. who can appreciate it’ -- we bought it, we read it, we [email protected] loved it. :)’ -- [email protected] ‘Couldn’t put it down’ -- Trudie MacIntosh, The ‘Meeslepende book’ -- Australian Digiface, The Netherlands ‘Depth of character and rapid ‘Meticulously researched’ -- pacing’ -- Ed Burns, IBIC Australian Bookseller and Publisher ‘Displays a level of research and technical understanding ‘Meticuously researched not matched by other hacker psychological and social books’ -- Jim Lippard profile of hackers’ -- Australian Bookseller and ‘Dive into the Underground and Publisher be swept into a thrilling elite realm’ -- ‘Most brilliant book I have [email protected] ever read’ -- [email protected] ‘Dreyfus does not attempt any sleights of hand with jargon’ ‘Nice work’ -- -- David Nichols, The Big [email protected] Issue ‘Powerful’ -- [email protected] ‘Dreyfus has clearly done her research well’ -- Danny Yee, ‘Reads like Ludlum.. I love Danny Yee’s review of books the book.. The style of writing is the clincher..’ -- ‘Dreyfus hat hier Abhilfe [email protected] geschaffen’ -- iX, Germany ‘Reads like a thriller’ -- ‘Dreyfus is one smart cookie’ The Age -- Ed Burns, IBIC ‘Riveting’ -- Australian ‘El libro tiene como fuentes a Bookseller and Publisher varios grupos de hackers australianos y todas las ‘Riviting read’-- The sentencias de los casos de Adelaide Advertiser asaltos informaticos de esa epoca’ -- Cripto, Spain ‘Several cites to it in my own book on information ‘Enjoyed the book!’ -- Jake warfare’ -- Prof. Dorothy Barnes, The Face (UK) Denning ‘Entirely original’ -- Rolling ‘Skall du la:sa Underground’ Stone -- Mikael Pawlo, Internet World, Sweden ‘Especialmente interesante’ -- Cripto, Spain ‘THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!’ -- [email protected] ‘Excellent insight’ -- [email protected] ‘Thank you for such an AMAZING and informative book’ ‘Excellent reporting’ -- -- [email protected] Editor, IBIC ‘The reader is readily drawn ‘Excellent.. Compared against forward into the eddies of Bruce Sterling’s text (the the underground by the thrust most obvious comparison), it and parry of the hackers and makes for much better their pursuers’ -- Ed Burns, reading.. Commendable’ -- IBIC [email protected] ‘The true stories of ‘Extraordinary’ -- Rolling Underground are simply Stone compelling’ -- David Nichols, The Big Issue ‘Fascinating piece of investigative journalism’ -- ‘There is much to admire in Jim Reavis, Network World the doggedness with which Dreyfus follows her subjects’ ‘Fascinating’ -- Ed Burns, -- Gideo Haigh, Australian IBIC Literary Suppliment ‘Fiercely independent thinking ‘Thoroughly enjoyed’ -- found on every page’ -- Lew Suzanne Pratley, Frugal Films Koch, ZDNET ‘Thoroughly researched’ -- ‘For those sick of bullish Jim Reavis, Network World cyberpiffle, Underground contains any amount of ‘Those inclined to seek the counterintelligence.." -- unvarnished truth will find Gideon Haigh, Australian Underground an excellent Literary Suppliment read’ -- George Smith, Crypt News ‘Genuine perception’ -- George Smith, Crypt News ‘Totally recommended’ -- Matthew Green, NetBSD ‘Genuinely fascinating’ -- Security Officer, author IRC David Nichols, The Big Issue II ‘Great real life thriller’ -- ‘Very good, very accurate.. [email protected] makes for an interesting contrast with books like ‘Gripping Account’-- The Cuckoo’s Egg, and Takedown’ Adelaide Advertiser -- [email protected] (Codex Surveillance List) ‘Gripping, eminently readable’ -- Rolling Stone ‘WOW! What an incredible read! Your book captures ‘Highly intense and enjoyable exactly what it was like for read’ -- Rolling Stone me...’ -- Anonymous Canadian hacker ‘Highly original investigative journalism’ -- Gideo Haigh, ‘Well done and thanks’ -- Australian Literary Suppliment [email protected] ‘Highly recommended’ -- Jim ‘What is most impressive, Lippard however, is the personal detail she has managed to ‘Will Surprise’ -- Darren garner about her subjects: Reed, author, ipfirewall more than anything else, it is this is which gives ‘Wonderful Book’ -- Underground its appeal’ -- [email protected] Danny Yee, Danny Yee’s review of books [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________ PREFACE TO THE ELECTRONIC EDITION ___________________________________________________________________ Why would an author give away an unlimited number of copies of her book for free? That’s a good question. When ‘Underground’’s researcher, Julian Assange, first suggested releasing an electronic version of the book on the Net for free, I had to stop and think about just that question. I’d spent nearly three years researching, writing and editing the nearly 500 pages of ‘Underground’. Julian had worked thousands of hours doing painstaking research; discovering and cultivating sources, digging with great