Introduction (original) (raw)

                          ==Phrack Inc.==

            Volume 0x10, Issue 0x48, Phile #0x01 of 0x12

|=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=| |=-------------------------=[ Introduction ]=----------------------------=| |=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=| |=----------------------=[ Phrack Staff ]=-------------------------=| |=-----------------------=[ [email protected] ]=--------------------------=| |=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=| |=----------------------=[ August 19, 2025 ]=-------------------------=| |=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=|

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| : /////:|/////\_|////\/. \://///\_/ |___/ e-zine /////: //////| //// ///// ////// //// . : x0^67^aMi5H^iMP!

–[ Hacker Evolution

For 40 years, Phrack has published papers that have reflected and shaped hacker culture. The knowledge shared in Phrack has laid the foundation for many fields of study, providing insight, a shared language, resources and tools, as well as context and history. Phrack is written by hackers, for hackers, and offers a glimpse into the world just beyond what most people see.

Phrack is both a technical journal and a cultural document. Like all zines, it represents a snapshot of the scene at the time. We share not just our discoveries, but the stories of how we came to know things and the context in which we existed. We share our triumphs, failures, and lessons learned. By fostering a culture of communal idea sharing, we learn how to solve problems creatively, and make the most of our current situation.

Over the past 40 years, hacking has evolved, splintered, and mutated into a variety of forms. Phrack has documented many of the key innovations in hacking since its first issue: From showcasing ways to manipulate the phone system and other large computers, to pioneering vulnerability scanning, to generalizing security concepts such as buffer overflows, ROP, and heap exploitation, to bringing it all together within complex ecosystems that seemed like just a fantasy in years past. Each generation builds off the previous and offers us new perspectives, remixing with older ideas and demonstrating how they can be reapplied to new situations. When Phrack was first published in the mid-80s, our relationship with technology was quite different. Many of our challenges involved simply getting and staying online. Today we face entirely new challenges based on what is, what was, and what will be.

The hacker ethos remains the same - be curious about your world, make do with what you have, and show how things can be better.

What was done before us, and the knowledge shared, provides the base for us to build off of and evolve from. As hackers, we pass on our best characteristics by teaching others. We document how and why we did things based on what was available at the time. We expand on previous generations' work and piece together our own understanding, informed by our own personal experience. The reward is the beauty of what we discover and create, and the joy of sharing and inspiring others. Over time, all of our most beloved and reliable techniques and tools become common knowledge, and new permutations pop up. As circumstances change, so do our needs. What's old becomes new again, new ideas recontextualize the old. The cycle continues.

Knowledge is the hacker DNA. Our instincts and curiosity are complimented by the stories of how things were accomplished before. Like hackers and humans before us, we adapt to our environment, and figure out how to meet our needs and achieve our goals. As technology becomes more optimized and abstracted, it can be easy to lose track of the fundamentals. Just because tech has evolved doesn't mean the foundation has changed. We still use AT commands to control our modems. We still activate the A20 line to access memory beyond 1MB on x86 CPUs. In-band signaling is still a pathway into the toughest systems. Weird machines still manifest throughout it all, waiting to be discovered by a hacker like you.

Everything is in a state of flux, and the only constant is change. Yet, if we position ourselves correctly, our actions can influence the future. Things mutate. There are happy accidents. The world is chaos, and out of chaos emerges hackers.

Hacking has no choice but to evolve, and hacker zines like Phrack evolve with it. We look back at our foundation for inspiration, while we also look forward towards uncharted territory, unafraid of going beyond. We venture into the deepest darkest rabbit holes that few dare to tread, where we see the light that leads us to the most amazing treasures. We address the needs of our communities, find ways to grow together, and encourage each other to keep exploring. We maintain projects like Phrack because it gives a platform for the unadulterated voice of the hacker.

Humans are hackers. We were put here to figure things out. Hacking is an innate skill to be tapped into and developed. The hacker spirit guides us through situations once thought hopeless. Hacking is a way to answer your own burning questions, a way to discover your own potential, and a way to create a world you want to live in.

There is a hacker born every day. It's our duty to share things that can inform them of the past and present, and give them hope for a better tomorrow. After all, we're all alike.

–[ Welcome to Phrack #72

This edition is not just a milestone but a testament to the relentless curiosity, stubborn brilliance, and uncompromising spirit of a global community that refuses to be silenced. A tribute to the old school and the new blood. To the legends who paved the way, and to those just starting to carve their path. It’s held together with tape, sweat, late nights, fried brains, and that twitchy love for the broken and beautiful mess of systems.

Huge thanks to every author who contributed their knowledge, tools, exploits, vision, and war stories. Your work keeps the scene alive and sharp.

To the reviewers and editors who read between the lines and asked the hard questions. You pushed for clarity without dulling the edge.

To the artists who dropped visuals, raw pixel filth, and clean design. You gave this issue texture. You made it feel.

To the layout crew who made this beast look like something worth printing in blood. Your work is proof that style and substance can coexist.

To everyone who tested drafts, pointed out typos, suggested better payloads, or tighter phrasing. You know who you are. We see you.

To the donors who pitched in to fund the printing of our anniversary edition. You helped keep this thing afloat, independent, and untamed.

And to the scene. The real one. You’re the reason we’re still doing this. This is yours.

A scream in a world that wants silence. A spark under a mountain of dead protocol.

Phrack lives because you do, so welcome to the noise and enjoy.

— Phrack Staff ISSN 1068-1035

In this edition:

• 16 bangers from some of the sharpest minds in the scene

• A Prophile on the legendary Gera

• A puzzle to melt your brain (and flex your ego)

• A full-on CTF — win it and claim your Phrack coin!

• Visuals that hit like a payload: stunning GFX, ASCII and glitch art, pure eye candy

–[ Greetz

Phrack 72 would not have been possible without the incredible hacker scene coming together to help make it happen. Thank you to all the authors, artists, donors, editors, and logistics experts who made this historic issue and international release a reality.

Special thanks to our artists: ackmage, amnesia, aNACHRONiST, araknet, bubok arsonian, digitalis, fyodor, ic3qu33n, jinn, mar, mavenmob, netspooky, p0rtL, s01den, x0, ytcracker.

Massive thanks to the Paged Out crew for their help making an incredible print layout.

This zine would not have been possible without the following people:

ackmage -- minted the only coin that'll be worth anything in 2026 bsdaemon -- still carrying hackers forward chompie -- omg will u sign my driver? clockwerk -- l0ve dark tangent -- uber-supporter since dayZero diaul -- w0rd emx -- #bluebox horizon -- ADM 4ever huku -- fan Julio -- The rise of the alligatorzzzz messede -- awesome netspooky -- ultimate cyber skull pinguino -- all your news are belong to her retr0id -- switch 2, retr0id 1, day 0 richinseattle -- keeper of the lore sblip -- whaddup blip skyper -- triplegänger TMZ -- just a chill guy Phrack Staff -- for holding it down Phrack's Tariff -- we got PCBs at home

–[ Phrack policy

phrack:~# head -77 /usr/include/std-disclaimer.h

`/*

• All information in Phrack Magazine is, to the best of the ability of
• the editors and contributors, truthful and accurate. When possible,
• all facts are checked, all code is compiled. However, we are not
• omniscient (hell, we don't even get paid). It is entirely possible
• something contained within this publication is incorrect in some way.
• If this is the case, please drop us some email so that we can correct
• it in a future issue.
• Also, keep in mind that Phrack Magazine accepts no responsibility for
• the entirely stupid (or illegal) things people may do with the
• information contained herein. Phrack is a compendium of knowledge,
• wisdom, wit, and sass. We neither advocate, condone nor participate
• in any sort of illicit behavior. But we will sit back and watch.
• Lastly, it bears mentioning that the opinions that may be expressed in
• the articles of Phrack Magazine are intellectual property of their
• authors.
• These opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Phrack Staff. */ `

–[ Phrack 73 Call For Papers

Why should you write for Phrack?

• You have a project you've been working on that pushes the limits in some way, doing things that haven't been publicly shared before. If you do cutting edge security research, you should write for Phrack.

• You are interested in aspects of security and technology that other people don't seem to care about or understand. If you feel like you need to shed light on a certain topic for all to see, you should write for Phrack.

• You keep seeing the same problems over and over and wish someone would just write a straightforward guide for everyone. If you are the person who can write that for now and future generations, you should write for Phrack.

• You deserve a place to share your finest work without fear. If you don't want something you poured your heart and soul into turned into another metric for shareholders and potential investors or trapped forever inside a corporate VPN, you should write for Phrack.

Worst Case Scenario: You just wrote a cool paper you can share on your own.

Best Case Scenario: Your paper gets published in Phrack. :)

::. What do we want? .::

Articles about hacking, exploit development, vulnerability research, and other fine topics.

More Specifically:

• Exploitation: Demonstrate the latest techniques in breaking mitigations and proving vulnerabilities still have bite.

• Persistence: Whether its userland, kernel, or below ring0, share a trick in the dark art of stealth persistence.

• Fuzzing and Code Analysis: Automated bug hunting finds the low hanging fruit, how can we make it more lethal?

• Binary Obfuscation: We have decompilers but custom VMs and powerful transformations create impenetrable code.

• Data Obfuscation: Time to exfil, how do you move a terabyte of data without looking like a fool?

• Anti-Forensics: Leave no trace, hide in the mist, or maybe even deploy countermeasures on the parsers!

• Web Applications: Discuss confusion, bypass, and injection attacks on the multi-headed hydra of modern applications.

• Cloud Security: Complexity and lack of visibility is the soft underbelly of cloud compute, discuss.

• Data Storage Weaknesses: If data theft is the end goal, let's talk about all the leaks in storage infra and APIs.

• Exploit Mitigation: Finding every bug is futile, how do we design more secure systems to block these attacks?

• Malware Analysis: The world is covered in a diaspora of malware, flay open the code and inspect the innards.

• Malware Defense: We wade in a pool of parasites attacking from every angle, how do we block their vicious effects?

• Exotic Reverse Engineering: What are the corrupt hidden hands of power in this electronic substrate?

• Scene History: Let us learn the often isolated tribal history that hasn't been written about before.

• Tales from the Crypt: Want to tell a personal story of a righteous hack? Maybe we'll believe you.

::. When Do We Want It By? .::

June 2026

::. When will Phrack 73 be released? .::

Summer 2026

               ----( Contact )----

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