|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | | | The Definitive Guide to Answer Machines | | | | By | | | | Cyber Thief | | | | Written on May 31, 1998 12:48am EST | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Introduction ------------ Have you ever wanted to hack an answer machine? If so, you may have read other text files that tell how to hack the remote access codes manually. Although this method is usually effective it can be very tedious to say the least. After reading this file you'll be able to hack most answer machines automatically with a tone dialer. The Basics ---------- First you'll need to know a little about answering machines and their features. 90% of the answering machines on the market today have a feature called "remote access code". This allows the owner to call up his machine and make use of it's features after entering a code of 1-4 digits. After entering the code, the owner can control most of the common functions such as listening to messages, erasing messages, changing the outgoing message, and even turning the machine off. If you have an answer machine at home, you may wish to read the manual to find out what features are available through remote access. Hacking Remote Access --------------------- As stated earlier the number of digits in the code varies depending on the model. Although it usually has anywhere from 1-4 digits. You could hack the machine manually by entering in common strings of numbers after the beep although this is a long and boring process that can take forever. Now, I present to you an easier, FASTER way of doing it. Tone dialers are commonly used to store important telephone numbers and the like, but today we'll be using the dialer to store strings of possible codes for the answer machine. The tone dialers at Rat Shack can store a maximum of 480 numbers. I suggest you read through the tone dialer's manual thoroughly and become familiar with it's features and memory capabilities. Practice programming various telephone numbers into the memory until you are confident you know how to use the memory features correctly. To start off, you'll need to program in all the possible one digit codes. Program a string similar to this... 0 pause 1 pause 2 pause 3 pause 4 pause 5 pause etc. With one digit codes the two second pause is needed because most one digit machines are older thus slower and can only accept one tone at a time. Now you can program all the possible two digit codes. In this instance you won't have to include the pause because most two digit machines will ignore the invalid numbers and lock in on the code. Here is an example... 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29...... Note: The Rat Shack dialer can only hold 32 numbers per memory location. You'll have to split this sequence up into a few spots. Once you have programmed all the one and two digit codes you can enter the three digit combinations. This will take a lot longer to program, and you will not be able to program them all due to the limited memory capacity. Here is an example of how three digit combinations should be programmed... 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125... Now you're done programming. Next we'll discuss the proper usage of the tone dialer/code hacker. Hacking Your Own Machine ------------------------- It is recommend that you practice this method on your own machine first before trying to hack any other machines. Turn your answering machine on and call it from another line in your house (or a friend's house if you only have one line). When the machine answers, wait until the outgoing message is finished. After the tone, turn on your dialer and open the memory location with all the one digit codes. The dialer will try all the possible one digit codes you programmed. If your machine has a one digit code you will hear the tape stop and a beep indicating you have entered the remote access code successfully. If the one digit codes don't work, try the two digit codes. Try all the combinations in the dialer until you get in. Hacking Other Machines ---------------------- Once you are familiar with hacking your own machine, you can try it on other machines. Just dial random numbers at times when people are not likely to be home and you'll probably find some answer machines. Remember to wait until after the beep has sounded before attempting to use the dialer. On some machines I've noticed you can actually skip the outgoing message entirely by hitting the * (star) or # (pound) keys. If this works, it will save you time. You're In! ---------- So, let's assume you've successfully gained access to a machine. The first thing you need to do is clear the tape since there should be a great deal of tones on it. Once you have the erase feature figured out, try other numbers to see what they do. Here is a list of functions gathered from my answer machine.... "You have X messages.." 1 = Replay options menu 2 = Save message 3 = Erase message 4 = Record a message 5 = Record a greeting 6 = Replay transfer messages On my machine an automated voice tells the functions that can be operated. However, not all machines are this friendly. On some older answer machines you'll just have to try pressing different buttons to see what they do. Free Pay Phone Calls? ---------------------- You can use your newly hacked machine to make free calls from pay phones. Just change the outgoing message to say "Attention! This line automatically accepts all toll calls including collect and third party. Thank you!". To make it sound official, have your computer do the talking. I use the talking scheduler in Windows 3.1. If you have such a program, fiddle with it until it says something similar to the message outlined above. Then call up your victim's machine and record this as the outgoing message. Now go to a pay phone and call the operator. Tell her you would like to bill a call third party. She'll ask for the number you are calling, and the number you would like to bill the call to. Say you want to bill the call to your line, and give her the number of the hacked machine. It works every time! Conclusion ----------- That about raps it up for this file. If you have any questions/revisions contact Mr. Cyber Thief at cyberthief@deathsdoor.com DISCLAIMER: This file is presented for educational and informational purposes only. The author does not take responsibility for your actions if this material is used in any other fashion.