BRITISH TELECOM SECURITY OFFICERS DISCOVERED A COM

BRITISH TELECOM SECURITY OFFICERS DISCOVERED A COMPUTER

HACKER HAD BROKEN INTO THE PRESTEL COMPUTER SYSTEM AND READ

‘THOUSANDS’ OF HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL PAGES OF INFORMATION,A COURT

HEARD TODAY (WEDS).

CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTER IDENTITY NUMBERS AND PASSWORDS FOR TWO

TOP OFFICIALS HAD BEEN LEFT ON THE FILE AND GAVE ACCESS TO PRESTEL

SUBSCRIBERS’ ACCOUNTS, SOUTHWARK CROWN COURT HEARD TODAY (WEDS).

THE FILE WAS STORED ON A COMPUTOR ONLY AVAILABLE TO BRITISH

TELECOM ENGINEERS AND PEOPLE PROVIDING INFORMATION ON THE PRESTEL

SYSTEM.

PRESTEL COMPUTER SECURITY MANAGER MR MICHAEL MITCHENSON TOLD

THE COURT HOW THE COMPUTER WAS AVAILABLE THROUGH A TELEPHONE LINK,

GUARDED BY AN EX-DIRECTORY NUMBER.

‘YOU WOULD THEN HAVE TO LOG ON WITH AN IDENTITY NUMBER

ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPUTER AND AN APPROPRIATE PASSWORD’, HE SAID.

THE TEST COMPUTER WAS USED TO TRY OUT NEW SERVICES BEFORE THEY

WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, HE ADDED.

MR MITCHENSON SAID HE DISCOVERED A SECURITY LEAK ON OCTOBER 23

1984 WHEN HE REALISED THE IDENTITY NUMBER AND PASSWORD FOR THE

SYSTEMS EDITOR AND MANAGER WERE LEFT ON THE FILE.

‘I SAW IT ON THE LOGGING ON FRAME.

THAT IS THE FIRST FRAME YOU

SEE WHEN YOU DIAL THE COMPUTERS NUMBER’, HE ADDED.

‘THE FUNCTION IS OPERATED BY A RESTRICTED NUMBER OF PRESTEL

STAFF.

IT IS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL.

‘

BUT THE COURT HEARD THAT 22 YEAR OLD ROBERT SCHIFREEN HAD

ALREADY HACKED INTO THE FILE.

MF

CENTRAL/HACKERS,,,2

MR MITCHENSON SAID BY HAVING THE TWO OFFICIALS’ PASSWORDS A

PERSON HAD ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON ALL PRESTEL CUSTOMERS.

‘ON THIS COMPUTER IT INCLUDED THE ACTUAL IDENTITY NUMBERS AND

PASSWORDS OF SUBSCRIBERS.

IN GETTING ACCESS YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO COPY

THIS’.

THE SECURITY MANAGER TOLD THE COURT A DATA MONITORING DEVICE

WAS ATTACHED TO SCHIFREEN’S HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER AND SHOWED PAGES OF

INFORMATION – CALLED ‘FRAMES’ – SENT FROM THE COMPUTER TO HIM.

HE DISCOVERED ‘SEVERAL THOUSAND RESTRICTED INFORMATION FRAMES,

WERE ON THE DEVICE ATTACHED TO SCHIFREEN’S HOME TELEPHONE BY BRITISH

TELECOM’.

THE PROSECUTION ALLEGE THAT SCHIFREEN SENT A MESSAGE ON THE

PRESTEL MICRO-NET MAILBOX – A LINK BETWEEN CUSTOMERS – GIVING HIM

ANOTHER SUBSCRIBERS IDENTITY NUMBER AND PASSWORD WHICH HE THEN USED.

SCHIFREEN, OF EDGWAREBURY GARDENS, EDGWARE, MIDDLESEX, DENIES

FIVE CHARGES OF FORGERY AND STEPHEN GOLD, 30, OF WATT LANE,

SHEFFIELD, DENIES FOUR CHARGES OF FORGERY.

THE CHARGES ALLEGE THEY MADE A FALSE INSTRUMENT BY USING A

DEVICE IN WHICH INFORMATION IS STORED ELECTRONICALLY WITH THE INTENT

OF USING IT TO INDUCE THE PRESTEL COMPUTER TO ACCEPT IT AS GENUINE

AND BY DOING SO WAS AN ACT PREJUDICIAL TO BRITISH TELECOM PLC.

THE TWO MEN BOTH FREELANCE JOURNALISTS ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE

HACKED INTO THE SYSTEM BETWEEN OCTOBER 1984 AND JANUARY 1985.

THE TRIAL CONTINUES TOMORROW (THURS).

ENDS

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CENTRAL NEWS, 33 GOODGE ST, LONDON W1

323 2899

QUERIES: 236 0116

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