                                 Pirates' Cove
                                   Issue One

               A New Regular Column Appearing In Phrack Magazine
                                   By Rambone


1) Introduction

     Well first off, I'd like to introduce myself.  I go by the handle Rambone,
and I run a board in the Midwest area.  I'm sure a column like this is a shock
to a lot of reader's, but after talking to Dispater, many readers, and people
in the hacking and pirate world, we came to this conclusion: Piracy and *Warez
Dudez* have come a long way in the last five years, and are a definite part of
the underground.  Whether you read the magazine for information about hacking,
phreaking, or even those great PWN stories, I think this column will be a
welcome part of Phrack Magazine.


2) Virii

     Some poor unsuspecting fool downloads a program, unzips it, and instead of
checking it for a virus, starts the program up.  After deciding it's a lame
game, he deletes it and turns off his computer, going to sleep without a worry
in the world.  The next day he wakes up and tries to turn on his computer, but
it tells him, "Bad or missing COMMAND.COM" or something of that nature.

     This is just an example of what's happened to countless people in the
pirate world, not expecting what is soon to be hours of frustrating
reconstruction of his hard drive.  Even though virii have been a common problem
for many years, it hasn't been until recently that they have made an impact in
the Pirate world.

     Whether it's bickering between groups, or even a lonely individual who has
absolutely nothing better to do than beat his meat and put out a trainer with a
fucking virus in it, it is wrong.  The people responsible for it that play a
roll in the distribution of the software are, in my opinion, the biggest
culprits; they know what they are about to do, and have no conscience in
sending it out.  Just the mere fact that the only way they think they can get
back at another group is by distributing a program with a virus or a Trojan is
moronic.

     I'm not preaching the fact that groups should or should not bicker.  That
is always going to happen.  What I an saying is that there is a responsibility
by the groups to be cool and stop the distribution of programs with virii or
Trojan's.  On the flip side of the coin, most sysops do not intentionally send
out these infected programs.  They are sent up to the BBS, and by the time they
are caught, it's too late, and they are already all over the country.

     My main concern is for the user.  If all one group was doing was giving
another group problems, then there wouldn't be one.  But to irresponsibly
release a program containing a virus has to be one of the lowest retaliatory
responses that can be done in the pirate world, and needs to be stopped to
bring piracy back to a higher level it once had before the rash of bombs began.

*Note to user*

     Most virii are in the form of trainers and cracks, so be wary of every one
you have or get.  The best way to check is with PKUNZIP -T and McAffee's Virus
Scanner; I've found it to be the most reliable.  If anyone is having trouble
with being able to temporarily open a .ZIP, .ARJ, etc., I have a sharp .BAT
file to do this and will type it up in a future issue.  DO NOT use a program
without at least scanning the directory you unzipped it to, even though
scanning the zip is much safer.


3) Nets

     Some issues here will be the discussion of up and coming nets, as well as
established ones.  Let me first explain what a net is:  a net is a group of
messages sent out over the networks via modem.  They are then received by a BBS
and sent to the appropriate message subs for the sysop and users to read.  One
up and coming net in particular that would be appealing to a wide variety of
sysops is called "CyberCrime."  This net is looking for boards that are Fido
compatible, i.e.:  LSD, Telegard, WildCat, Tag, Remote Access, Omega, QBBS,
Paragon, Infinity, Revelation, Cypher, etc.  This net is heavy into P/H/C/A as
well as pirate discussions.  They are also hooked into TSAN general discussions
and are working on sysop's connections with other nets.  If you are interested
in joining this net, apply at Infinite DarkNess, (305)LOOK4-IT, log on as
Cybercrime and password=Death, and follow the instructions.  Fill out the
CyberCrime node application.  MidNight Sorrow will call your BBS (must be a
full-time system), login, and upload CYBER.ARJ, the CyberCrime official
start-up kit.  After that, you're in.


4) BBSes

     Because of NSHB/USA/TGR busts, I have decided to hold off on any reviews
of BBS's.  Hopefully the paranoia over these busts will subside, and we can
pick this area back up.


5) News Update

     Well, as we all know by now, The NotSoHumble Babe and The Grim Reaper,
sysop of The Void, got busted for carding.  This has been written up and talked
about in every magazine out, so all I'm going to say is that it's brought a lot
of paranoia to the pirate community, and some good boards have gone down as a
result.  Since I have not spoken to Amy or Mike about this I will not go into
specifics.  Amy (NSHB) was a member of USA (United Software Association) and
Mike (TGR) ran a BBS called The Void, and was an INC Distro Site.  But until I
hear back from a certain person at USA, I'm not going to talk about some 3rd
party gossip, so this will be continued in the next issue.

6) New Warez

     Game of the Month:

                          Star Trek:  25th Anniversary


     Graphics     [CGA/EGA/VGA]
     Sound        [ADL/SNB/PCSPK]
     Controls     [Mouse/JS/KYB]
     Cracked by   [EMC/USA/Razor?]
     Supplied by  [?]
     Cracked by   [Separate Crack]
     Protection   [Dox Check]

     Three cracking groups claimed to put this out first.  Since I saw it
released by EMC first for a few hours, this is who I'll go with.  This is one
of those games that, whether you are a Trekkie fan or not, you'll love.  The
opening screen depicts the Enterprise screaming across your screen, and the
music from the original soundtrack blares through your speakers (if you use a
soundcard).  You then are thrust into a mock battle with another ship, and your
adventure begins.  You are then directed by Star Fleet to go on your first
mission, where you will try and save a planet.  The graphics are excellent, and
remind me a lot of the new Sierra-type games, with the backgrounds painted in.
This game has an adventure theme as well as several space combat scenarios, and
a mouse is recommended to be able to get around as quickly as you can in combat
scenes.  The puzzles involved are very hard, and there is both a walk-through
and cheat out on your local BBSes.  So if you cannot get through some of the
puzzles, there is help out there; you just have to find it.

*Note*

     Well that's it for now.  I had to take out 60% of this article because
many people are laying low for a couple of months, so look for more in-depth
coverage in the future including interviews, BBS reviews, profiles, and
cracking tips.
