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Hackers Run Wild and Free on AOL
(Christopher Null, WiredNews, February 21, 2003)
Using a combination of trade tricks and clever programming, hackers have thoroughly compromised security at America Online, potentially exposing the personal information of AOL's 35 million users. . . . Most at risk are screen names that hackers covet, like Graffiti, or single-word names like Steve. Also at risk are internal AOL accounts like TOSGeneral, which is used to monitor abuse reports. . . . While many of these hacks utilize programming bugs, most hackers are finding it far easier and quicker to get access or information simply by calling the company on the phone. . . . These so-called social engineering tactics involve calling AOL customer support centers and simply asking to have a given user's password reset. Logging in with the new password gives the intruder full access to the account. . . . In a telephone interview, two hackers using the handles Dan and Cam0 explained that security measures (such as verifying the last four digits of a credit card number) can be bypassed by mumbling. . . . Hakrobatik later proved he could compromise any AOL account armed only with its screen name. . . . "You can basically get any account information from AOL by just calling and pestering," hakrobatik said. . . . Of the latest AOL attacks, Adrian Lamo, renowned hacker and founder of disbanded watchdog site Inside-AOL, said: "It's unprecedented in the history of AOL. AOL employee education is centered around fake online communication. There's very little effort to guard against voice scams." . . . Why hasn't AOL let users know about the site's rampant security problems? "Every now and then something flashy happens, but AOL keeps it quiet pretty effectively," Lamo said. . . . They tend to employ technical countermeasures and otherwise ignore intruders," he said. "There's an oft-stated perception that no one has ever been busted for hacking an AOL account."

posted by Lorenzo 2:30 PM