Craig Neidorf
Encyclopedia
Craig Neidorf aka Knight Lightning, was one of the two founding editors of Phrack
Magazine, an online, text-based ezine that defined the hacker
mentality of the mid 1980s.
Craig, along with Phrack co-founder Randy Tischler, aka Taran King, came up with the concept of Phrack and published it from 1985 onwards. The Phrack newsletters were recognized for providing very informative updates of the national scene considering their oblique sources and served as a bible to the hackers of the day.
In 1990, Neidorf was facing 31 years in jail after being arrested and charged with receiving a document stolen from Bell South, and with publicly distributing it online. Bell described the document, which described the inner workings of the Enhanced 911
system, as being worth US$79,449 (a figure which included, among other things, the value of the VAX
workstation on which the document had been typed). The charges were dropped when it was revealed that the document was not, as initially described, source code
, but rather a memorandum
, and that more detailed documents could be ordered from Bell for $13. The proceedings are formally known as United States v. Riggs
.
The case was a catalyst in the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
.
Phrack
Phrack is an ezine written by and for hackers first published November 17, 1985. Described by Fyodor as "the best, and by far the longest running hacker zine," the magazine is open for contributions by anyone who desires to publish remarkable works or express original ideas on the topics of interest...
Magazine, an online, text-based ezine that defined the hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
mentality of the mid 1980s.
Craig, along with Phrack co-founder Randy Tischler, aka Taran King, came up with the concept of Phrack and published it from 1985 onwards. The Phrack newsletters were recognized for providing very informative updates of the national scene considering their oblique sources and served as a bible to the hackers of the day.
In 1990, Neidorf was facing 31 years in jail after being arrested and charged with receiving a document stolen from Bell South, and with publicly distributing it online. Bell described the document, which described the inner workings of the Enhanced 911
Enhanced 911
Enhanced 911, E-911 or E911 in North America is one example of the modern evolution of telecommunications based system meant as an easy way to link people experiencing an emergency with the public resources that can help. The dial-three-digits concept first originated in the United Kingdom in 1937....
system, as being worth US$79,449 (a figure which included, among other things, the value of the VAX
VAX
VAX was an instruction set architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in the mid-1970s. A 32-bit complex instruction set computer ISA, it was designed to extend or replace DEC's various Programmed Data Processor ISAs...
workstation on which the document had been typed). The charges were dropped when it was revealed that the document was not, as initially described, source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
, but rather a memorandum
Memorandum
A memorandum is from the Latin verbal phrase memorandum est, the gerundive form of the verb memoro, "to mention, call to mind, recount, relate", which means "It must be remembered ..."...
, and that more detailed documents could be ordered from Bell for $13. The proceedings are formally known as United States v. Riggs
United States v. Riggs
In United States v. Riggs, the government of the United States prosecuted Robert Riggs and Craig Neidorf for obtaining unauthorized access to and subsequently disseminating a file held on BellSouth's computers. The file, referred to as the E911 file, gave information regarding BellSouth's products...
.
The case was a catalyst in the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
.