The Underground

For information purposes - there are many sites on the Internet today offering all kinds of stuff for free. (Some genuine sites and some illegal sites).

Shareware, Freeware and evaluation software are all programs which can be downloaded for you to test to see whether you like it or not - before you buy the full product, however, some sites offer all this stuff already hacked and cracked and ready for use and all you have to do is simply download it without ever having to register. These sites may also offer downloadable zip files called cracks for software/games and when applied, render the software fully functional without you having to register or buy the product.

Some sites offer information in relation to security/cracking/phreaking etc..and whether you download what they offer or use that information is up to you, but they take no responsibility for your actions and neither do WE!

Below are a few terms that you may come across while surfing such sites:

Phreaking
A phreak is someone who breaks into the telephone network illegally, usually to make FREE phone calls or to tap phone lines. The term is now sometimes used to include anyone who breaks or tries to break the security of any network.
A typical phreak is usually equipped with a specially-made box designed to fool the network in some way or another. Different boxes of different colours are used for different phreak approaches. For example: A black box allows you to make free calls from a home phone; a red box to make free calls on a pay phone; and the infamous blue box provides complete control over the telephone system.

Sniffing
A sniffer is a wire-tap devices which plugs into computer networks and eavesdrops on the network traffic. A sniffing program lets someone listen in on computer conversations. Sniffing programs have been around for a long time in two forms. Commercial sniffers are used to help maintain networks. Underground sniffers are used to break into computers.

Brute Force
Brute force (also known as brute force cracking) is a method used to decode encrypted data such as passwords or Data Encryption Standard keys. This works by trying many/every possible combination of numbers/characters. Brute force can be a time-consuming approach depending on the number of characters that need decoding to start with. Sometimes a number of computers are used by several different people in the process of brute force cracking, simply lessening the time it takes to get results.

Cracker
Crackers are often mistakenly called hackers. Crackers are people who seek to crack or gain unauthorized access to computers, typically to do malicious things e.g. to steal credit card information or crash the computer. Crackers might do this by writing a virus, worm, or Trojan horse. Alternatively, they may just exploit weaknesses in the computer's operating system in order to gain entry. Many crackers will install a backdoor which allows the cracker to remote control your computer over the internet, such as to distribute unsavoury information or perform a denial of service attack (Nuke/Nuking) against somebody else.

Hacker
When used PROPERLY, this term refers to a clever breed of supposedly good guys who are talented computer programmers. They enjoy solving challenging problems or exploring the capabilities of computers. True hackers subscribe to a code of ethics and look down upon the illegal and immoral activity of crackers (defined above). When the media uses hackers to describe virus authors or computer criminals who commit theft or vandalism, it is not only incorrect but can also be insulting to true hackers.

Warez and Crack Sites
There are many Warez(The term referring to Pirated Software)and Crack Sites on the Net, most of them usually offer the following:

Apart from most of the sites being illegal, when surfing these kinds of sites you end up getting loads of pop-ups windows that just take over and link you into other sites. You end up going around in circles or tricked into voting for them before they give you access to these files and most of the time end up getting knowhere.

There are also many Ftp sites that are used for these kinds of downloads/software/games etc..and file uploading of anything you might think they may wish to swap with you. etc...

For information purposes here are a few Sites that you may or may not find interesting:

Astalavista - Underground Search Engine and Loads of information on Security Issues
Smart Hack - Security Information Overload