Masters of Deception
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| Masters of Deception | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 1990s |
| Category | Hacking/Phreaking |
| Founder(s) | Phiber Optik |
| Affiliated Group(s) | Legion of Doom Cult of the Dead Cow |
The Masters of Deception (MOD) were a New York-based hacker group. The MOD successfully controlled all the major telephone RBOC's and x.25 networks as well as controlling large parts of the backbone of the rapidly emerging Internet.
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[edit] Origin Of The Masters Of Deception
The MOD's membership grew from skilled chance meetings on RBOC phone switches and DEC servers, rather than social chatting on bulletin boards. They stayed underground using alternative handles to hide their true identities. They were unrecognizable as the stereotypical profile or media interpretation of how a traditional hacker looks or acts. Acid Phreak founded the Masters of Deception with Scorpion and Hac. The name itself was a mockery of LOD, as 'M' is one letter down in the alphabet from 'L', although the name originally was a flexible acronym that could be used to identify membership in situations where anonymity would be the best course of action. It could stand for "Millions Of Dollars" just as easily as "Masters Of Deception."
This self-reflexive name was perfect for the ideology of the MoD, which, through deception, they would attain what they needed. Alternate handles, social engineering, embedded trojans, sneaking in or misdirection- these were the ways of Masters Of Deception.
[edit] Members of the MoD
The Masters of Deception included the founder of the MOD: Mark Abene ("Phiber Optik"), Paul Stira ("Scorpion"), Eli Ladopoulos ("Acid Phreak"), John Lee ("Corrupt," a.k.a. "Netw1z"), and Julio Fernandez ("Outlaw").
Additional members whose real names are unknown include: Supernigger (also of DPAK), HAC, Wing, Tumult, Nynex Phreak, Billy_The_Kid, Crazy Eddie, The Plague, ZOD, Seeker, and Red Knight (who was also a member of Cult of the Dead Cow).
[edit] Philosophy
The Masters Of Deception operated differently in many respects to previous hacking groups, although they shared information between each other, they took a dim view on sharing information externally. The information should be earned via degrees of initiation and a proven respect for the craft, rather than releasing powerful information into the wild where it could be used for nefarious purposes.
[edit] The Fall of the MoD
As a result of their participation in the Great Hacker War, five of the MoD's members were indicted in 1992 in federal court. Within the next six months (in 1993), all five pled guilty and were sentenced to either probation or prison.
[edit] Media
The Masters Of Deception have appeared in many magazine and newspaper articles, and the individual members have appeared on television numerous times.
- Village Voice July 24, 1990. Cover Article by Julien Dibel.
[edit] References
- The Book of MOD, Vol. III [1]
- Computer Underground Digest, Volume 5, Issue 87 [2]
- Masters of Deception — The Gang that Ruled Cyberspace (ISBN 0-06-092694-5)
- Gang War in Cyberspace Wired 2.12 [3]
- Notorious M.O.D. Wired 9.06 [4]
[edit] See also
- Mark Abene, a.k.a Phiber Optik.
- John Threat, a.k.a Corrupt.
