The Boston Herald
March 10, 1996 Sunday FIRST EDITION 

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 016 

LENGTH: 555 words 

HEADLINE: Hackers go into hiding as FBI hunts for 'u4ea' 

BYLINE: By MARK MUELLER 

BODY: 

Boston's hacker community is in an "utter panic" and has issued frantic
calls for secrecy after the FBI on Friday grilled several area cyber
pirates about the Internet outlaw who calls himself "u4ea," sources said.

"People are terrified," said a Boston hacker who spoke on the condition he
remain anonymous. "A total blackout has been declared. They're afraid the
feds are going to come in and seize their hardware."

New Hack City, one of five major Boston-based hacking groups, flashed
alerts across the Internet warning of the FBI visits after several of the
group's members were questioned.

In addition, sources said, hackers were working furiously to purge from
their computers sensitive information that could implicate them or others
in on-line crimes.

"Everyone is clamming up and shutting down," the Boston hacker said. "New
Hack City even issued an edict for people to use their real names (on the
Internet) so the feds can't say they're hiding behind pseudonyms. I've
never seen anything like this."

The FBI, which did not return calls for comment yesterday, has conceded
only that it is investigating "u4ea," a hacker suspected of
disruptingcomputer networks nationwide.

Calling himself a "darkside" hacker who follows no "code," "u4ea" last
week threatened to cripple computer networks across Boston, including the
one used by the Boston Herald. The hacker issued the threat after the
Herald published several stories about his attack on BerkshireNet, a
Pittsfield Internet access provider.

BerkshireNet's system was shut down for 12 hours in the assault and racist
e-mail in the company's name was sent out to thousands of people
worldwide.

The renegade hacker followed that system invasion with a new attack last
week, this time striking at the World Wide Web, the portion of the
Internet that combines text, photos and graphics on "Web pages" or "Web
sites."

The hacker deleted all information from a Web site - with the address is
"http:--www.boston.net" - and posted a letter slamming the media as
"liars" who should "learn from their mistakes."

"The media calls hackers criminals when their ignorance is the real
crime," he wrote.

The attack stunned the Web site's creator, a San Jose man in the computer
industry who was using the page to advertise his part-time business of
getting people and businesses on the Internet.

"It scared me," said James Hsieh, whose only connection to the Hub is the
Web site's address. "I don't know why he would target me. Now I'm angry
about it."

In the letter, as in other Internet conversations with Jason Hatch,
BerkshireNet's system administrator, "u4ea" claims membership in a group
called "BoW," or the "Brotherhood of Warez."

According to hackers and the group's own Internet-posted newsletter, "BoW"
specializes in circulating stolen software. It also offers tips for
cracking computer systems and for making free telephone calls.

One newsletter refers to "u4ea" as the group's leader and ridicules the
FBI as incompetent.

But with the FBI asking questions, that taunting has abruptly stopped as
"BoW" has dropped from sight.

Numerous Web sites where the "BoW" newletter was distributed as late as
Friday afternoon had suddenly been disabled Friday night.

"I think u4ea's starting to get scared," the Boston hacker said. "He's
going underground."