Security often depended
on a computer's name, and NIC effectively controlled that name.
When Prime Suspect managed to get inside NIC's sister system, he told
Mendax and gave him access to the computer. Each hacker then began his
own attack on NIC. When Mendax finally got root on NIC, the power was
intoxicating. Prime Suspect got root at the same time but using a
different method. They were both in.
Inside NIC, Mendax began by inserting a backdoor--a method of getting
back into the computer at a later date in case an admin repaired the
security flaws the hackers had used to get into the machine. From now
on, if he telnetted into the system's Data Defense Network (DDN)
information server and typed `login 0' he would have instant,
invisible root access to NIC.
That step completed, he looked around for interesting things to read.
One file held what appeared to be a list of satellite and microwave
dish coordinates--longitude, latitudes, transponder frequencies. Such
coordinates might in theory allow someone to build a complete map of
communications devices which were used to move the DOD's computer data
around the world.
Mendax also penetrated MILNET's Security Coordination Center, which
collected reports on every possible security incident on a MILNET
computer.
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