Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!ucbvax!COVERT.DEC.COM!covert
From: covert@COVERT.DEC.COM.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: Programmable devices emulating blue boxes
Message-ID: <8607142300.AA01181@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Mon, 14-Jul-86 21:43:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.8607142300.AA01181
Posted: Mon Jul 14 21:43:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jul-86 00:36:42 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 23
Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu

>The Cat can generate all the tones phreaks love, 2600Hz, KP, MF tones.

Almost any computer with any sort of audio output (even just a driver
on a register bit) can be programmed to do this.

>I think that the POSSESSION of a Blue Box or any device that can be used
>as a blue box is illegal.  I am really not sure if its POSSESSION or USE,
>or perhaps even use with intent to defraud.

As usual, it depends on the state.  In some states, even the PLANS for a
blue box (such as were published in the ham magazine 73 some years ago)
are illegal to possess.

If there's any truth to the stories that Novation was successfully sued,
I would hope someone would post the details here.  Was it a criminal or
a civil suit?  My guess is that Novation was simply unfortunate.  I suspect
some phone phreak wrote the program to generate the tones and got it widely
distributed, leaving no trace as to his own identity.  Someone could probably
deliberately shaft a competitor (maybe anyone smaller than AT&T; that leaves
out IBM even though they have hardware that will do this) by the right phone
calls to AT&T security.

/john