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Famous hacker magazine shuts down

ControlGlobal.com
07/13/2005

PHRACK, THE INFAMOUS online magazine published by underground hackers, is shutting down at the end of this month, which should be good news for operators of monitoring and control systems everywhere.

The e-zine, notorious for publishing controversial security-themed articles on phreaking, reverse engineering, cryptography spying and electronics, ends a 20-year run with a hardcover edition scheduled for release at the end of July, 2005. In a note posted on the Phrack Web site, the publishers said they will keep the site up and running for at least two years after the final edition.

Phrack, a freely available online magazine, was first published on November 17, 1985 by two hackers known online as "Taran King" and "Knight Lightning." First released on the dial-up BBS (bulletin-board system), Phrack is widely considered to be the first electronically distributed magazine.

The popular Hacker Manifesto was released in the seventh issue of Phrack and has served as a rallying cry for young hackers ever since the mid-1980s.