If it's possible to research the place, do so be-forehand. Do as much as you can to find out about busy hours and what kinds of problems they might experience with the system. If it's a public place like a library, for example, then try to figure out which people working there know nothing about computers. Try to get those people on the phone. Also, make sure you identify yourself as so-and-so from the computer de-partment (or computer division, or section; if the person answers the phone, "Hello, registration office," then use the same terminology - com-puter office). And when you do so, use a com-mon, everyday first name, and also a
familiar last. If you can't get the login information the first time, try again at a different time, on a dif-ferent day. Don't speak to the same person, however.
A friend of mine, Bill, told me this story. One summer day he called up a mail order place to buy some electronics equipment. As the woman was taking his order, she casually mentioned that she was doing everything by hand because the computers were down. Bill asked if she knew why they were down. She said she didn't know, but she was pissed about it because com-puters in other parts of the building were
working fine. Well, as soon as Bill got off the phone, he called back and hearing a different operator on the line, proceeded to have this con-versation:
OPERATOR: 'Shark's Radio Supplies, Pam speak-ing. May I help you?"
BILL: "Yes but actually I called to help you. This is Bill Robinson, in the computer department. Are you still having problems with the computers?'
OPERATOR: 'We sure are!"
BILL: 'Oh, okay. What's the computer showing right now?"
OPERATOR: "Nothing, we have them all turned Off. "
BILL: "Oh I see. I thought you were having problems with it, but I guess you're in the part of the building where they're not working at all.
OPERATOR: "Yeah."
BILL: "Well, have you tried turning them on lately?
OPERATOR: "No - oh, are they back on again?
BILL: 'I think they might be. Now would be a good time to try."
OPERATOR: "Okay.... Nothing came on the screen.'
BILL: "Can you type in anything?'
OPERATOR: "Lemme see.... No.
BILL: "Sometimes, even if it doesn't look like the letters are going to the screen, they still go there. Try typing in all the stuff you usually type in when you first turn on the computer.
OPERATOR: "Okay.
The operator went on to give Bill all the in-formation he needed to know. When the opera-tor was finished "logging on," Bill gave a re-signed sigh and said, "Oh well, it was worth a shot. I'll go back and tinker around some more. Thanks anyway." Of course, he still didn't have a phone number to call. He didn't even know if the computer system was connected to outside lines - after all, this all happened on account of a freak accident, his finding out about the downed computers. But now he knew how to go about logging in to Shark Radio Supplies's com-puter system, and he had made a friend on the inside. The login information was important in case he did find a phone number, or if another hacker needed the information.
Having an in-side friend was important because now Bill could use her as a further information source, if the need ever arose.
