In the United States in the early 1990s, a “Hacker War” began between two hacker
clubhouses: the Legion of Doom (LoD), started by Lex Luthor in 1984,
and the Masters of Deception (MoD), started by Phiber Optik. The LoD (whose name was
borrowed from a Saturday morning cartoon) had the reputation of being able to
attract the most talented of hackers to its fold. That is, of course, until one
of the clubÂ’s brightest, Phiber Optik, began a feud with Erik Bloodaxe (a.k.a.
Chris Coggins)—an editor of Phrack.
As a result, Phiber Optik was removed from the club. So, he and his friends
formed a rival club, MoD.
For about two years, LoD and MoD engaged in online warfare.
They would jam telephone lines, monitor each otherÂ’s telephone calls, and crack
into each othersÂ’ computers. Eventually, the United States federal agents moved
in with “Operation Sunevil” and “Crackdown Redux.” Phiber Optik and four
members of MoD were arrested, and Phiber Optik wound up with a one-year jail
sentence. After his release from federal prison, several hundred admirers
attended a welcome-home party in Phiber OptikÂ’s honor at a swanky club in
Manhattan. Not long after this event, a popular magazine dubbed Phiber
Optik—whose real identity is Mark Abene—one
of the cityÂ’s smartest people.
See Also: Abene,
Mark (a.k.a. Phiber Optik); Hacker Club; Legion of Doom (LoD); Masters of
Deception (MoD); Phrack.
Schell, B.H., Dodge, J.L., with S.S. Moutsatsos. The
Hacking of America: WhoÂ’s Doing It, Why, and How. Westport, CT: Quorum
Books, 2002; Thomas, J. and Meyer, G. Computer Underground. Digest Sun, Vol. 6, October 30, 1994.
Totse.com Website. http://
www.totse.com/en/zines/cud_a/cud694.html.