Interviews with users, hackers, and staff of America Online (AOL), covering the 90’s/Early 2000’s.
Fibra grew up a Mac kid in a PC-dominated warez scene, tinkering in HyperCard before discovering AOL4FREE and the elite Mac chat crews of the mid-'90s. He walks through the Mac side of AOL hacking, including FDOs, ResEdit, tokens, and "hells" like One Click, and how that curiosity became a career in software and AI. Today he's reverse-engineered AOL itself with Dialtone and a 68k Mac running in…
The president of the ARiSE warez group tells us about his experience with BBS, Prodigy, QuantumLink, AOL, and IRC. He also talks about the early days of the warez scene, notable groups at the time, what it is like running a warez group, and his experience carding at age 13. Survey Link: https://airtable.com/app7GJNzwDQ8MMINw/shr4yEBKR6AADMOWo Guest: Rajuabju Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor:…
Pwning AOL with pure FDO. Hacking employee accounts. Downloading AOL files and posting them to aol-files.com. BMB recounts his amazing story Guest: BMB Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- AOL Underground PodcastFollow us on twitter - …
Creator of Millennium, Blizzard, and Code Genie. Despite facing relentless criticism and accusations of code theft, his software gained widespread use. He remains active in coding today, applying lessons from the AOL scene to modern projects like his mobile wagering game, rockshotrush.com . Highlights Include: Origin of the handle "BoFeN" and his other alias "Nova". He was also known as TRiPP.…
The creator of KillTimer tells his story! Blog post about Killtimer: https://adventuresincomputing.bajgier.net/development/storytelling/2024/10/08/the-killtimer-story.html Highlights Include: First experiences with computers and getting online Teenage hacking, phishing, and the underground AOL scene AOL beta program memories and chatroom hijinks Early programming projects: Visual Basic, Delphi, C,…
Suspect shares his journey through the scene, starting from his first experiences with computers in the mid-90s and becoming active in the AOL community from 2000 to 2008. He discusses early programming interests, the thrill and risks of downloading and creating software, and the culture of exploiting vulnerabilities in platforms like PHPBB and AOL/AIM screen names. Suspect also reflects on the…
Pat or JK shares why he created API Spy, a tool for automating Windows API interactions and Find That Bas, which analyzed .bas files to detect code reuse. Pat also talks about AIM Flash, genozide.bas, and getting Vader Fader to function on AOL 4.0. We discuss how he cracked MaGuS's Fate Zero's encryption. The episode wraps up with Pat's creative project, sub pixel snake, highlighting his inventive…
Robbie's programming journey began with early exposure to computers and the internet, where he explored bulletin board systems and platforms like Virtual Places. He quickly became immersed in creating bots, filters, and tools for clan wars and later transitioned his skills to AOL Instant Messenger. Known for reverse-engineering protocols and crafting exploits, Robbie's work left a mark on the…
Squirrel recounts experimenting with Visual Basic, creating programs, dabbling in exploits, and cracking OH and Internal accounts by bypassing SecureID via AOL Net Connect. Squirrel also discusses his transition to broader internet activities, including affiliate automation and early scripting exploits, while balancing his social life and tech interests. Guest: Squirrel Host: Steve Stonebraker…
Seven's journey began with curiosity about a crash exploit, which evolved into mastering programming languages like Visual Basic and C#. Known for creating tools like "AIM Invader" and reverse-engineering AIM protocols, Seven became a pivotal figure in the underground programming community. Despite facing legal challenges, Seven leveraged his skills to build a successful career, inspiring others…
Blaine (Soloist) tells us his journey from a kid connecting to local BBSs, finding AOL, learning to program, spamming for an affiliate network, and then finally finding his true passion; building websites and businesses. Guest: Blaine Vess ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/blainevess/ , https://www.immeasurable.com/ ) Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com)…
We cover music and video piracy and delve in deep into the many websites and schemes ShiZZa OaK was able to probe and exploit for profit. Coupon stacking, gift card re-use, OSX Upgrade disc enumeration, etc. Guest: ShiZZa Oak Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold.…
ShiZZa OaK tells us about his switch to IRC and joining one of the first mp3 ripping groups on the scene, Rabid Neurosis (RNS) and hosting an mp3 top site. We also talk about his phone hijinks when phreaking, calling Miss Cleo, and cracking passwords. Other MP3 ripping groups mentioned: Underground Music Alliance CDA - Compress 'Da Audio Guest: ShiZZa Oak Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam…
ShiZZa OaK talks about the early days on AOL, getting early access to a Windows 95 Beta CD, 0-day ftp site access, trolling MTV Yack Live and the first mp3 ripped and uploaded to the scene. Guest: ShiZZa Oak Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. Episode References:…
Spaz tells us about his early days dabbling in carding, socially engineering various ISPs, and working with affiliate networks. Guest: Spaz Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground…
NailZ tells us about Codeine's plan to take over AOL, Prodigy, and Compuserve. Planting trojan's on AOL employee machines and using them to proxy FDO and ATOM to manipulate Merlin and cause chaos on AOL. Also we talk about why he created LuciferX. Guest: NailZ Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ),…
Nise tells us about cracking, scrollers, phishing, account takeovers, and ruining some people's lives. Later he tells us about how AOL led to him finding his passion for marketing and a book he has been writing. Guest: Nise ( https://appliedcuriositys.com/ ) Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio Editor: Sam Fox (sam.fox.london@gmail.com) CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ),…
Sam tells us about his experience using AOL UK while coming of age in England. His fascination with visual art began here and he fell in love with FDO (Form Definition Operator) generated content. We then nerd out on how exactly cartoon episodes are produced. Guest: Sam Fox (He's the new Audio Editor for this Podcast!) Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast (…
Broast tells us about writing password stealers, password crackers, deploying botnets, finding exploits, and hacking Digital Gangster and other forums. Guest: Broast Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit -…
Pen tells us about Pen Tools, a password stealer detector he wrote, user interfaces, the warez scene and more. We jump around a bit in this episode (between AOL and not AOL). Also, unfortunately the interview was cut short. Guest: Pen Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter -…
Single talks about how the AOL hacking group NV2 formed, carding, and when the group swatted their way to the top. Guest: Single Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- Single Follow Single on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/devastatorbrand/ Single's Graffiti Accessory Brand - https://www.devastatorbrand.com/ The missing…
Erci Stern (from parts one and two) tells us her origin story. We review in depth how she battled users that were uploading Warez on a customer's Anonymous FTP site and also hear a funny story about Slingo. She takes us through her entire career at AOL where she started in Site Reliability (Systems Administration/Operations), moving to Information Security/QA, and then went into project…
Staff from 1987-2007 (with over 35 years combined experience) talk about their experience while working at AOL. You will hear about the Eworld, Tandylink, Commodore 64, Telnet, RAINMAN, Jay Levitt, Hackers, Q-Guides, scalability issues, and more. Guests: Craig Braquet Jan DeLucien Bryan Teague Erci Stern Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by…
Staff from 1987-2007 (with over 35 years combined experience) talk about their experience while working at AOL. You will hear about the Quantum Link hacker, Jenny C, the "Fives" hack, outages, how multiple departments were formed, the Habitat game, What made AOL special, Honeywell Multics, innovation, auditoriums, Tandy Link, Apple Link, and more. Guests: Craig Braquet Jan DeLucien Bryan Teague…
Surf Kahuna (Ryan Chapman) finishes his origin story and what he learned from it. Then Steve and Ryan talk espionage, multiple Advanced Persistent Threats, retro gaming, password spraying, ransomware, and what has helped Ryan be successful in Infosec. Guest: Surf Kahuna/Mac Diablo (Ryan Chapman) Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold.…
Surf Kahuna (Ryan Chapman) shares his origin story about a series of events that occurred on AOL that rocked his world and led him down the path of digital forensics. Guest: Surf Kahuna/Mac Diablo (Ryan Chapman) Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- Ryan Chapman Follow Ryan on Twitter - @rj_chap Ryan's Blog -…
hiwind starting programming at a very early age, became addicted to it, and somehow found a way to keep programming and being on AOL without ever having a computer of his own until his first job. His passion is palpable! Be sure to check out https://www.hiwind.me/ and click his on his greetz! Guest: hiwind Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by…
Chat with @keeb about his keeb.bas file, his first phishing website, creating chat coms in any text field, high school programming, and his career in business development. This lead to working at Docker, Rancher Labs, at Kentik Guest: keeb Host: Steve Stonebraker CoverArt: Created by Broast ( https://broast.org ), original idea by LampGold. -- Follow keeb on Twitter -…
z0ne is our first return guest! Topics: Room laggers (cloners), room takeovers, Getting arrested. Spamming for signups, Spin-off accounts, chat room monitoring MP3 players, cracking, AIM warning, Nerdcore, child exploitation material takedowns, torrenting, operational security (opsec44) - bug bounty bartering Guests: z0ne Host: Steve Stonebraker -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter -…
We cover the future of ReAOL, using different versions of the AOL client, how you can help the project, thank you list (to people that helped with the project), and depression. Guest: PoSsE4uS Host: Steve Stonebraker Show Notes : https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/posse4us/ Shout out: @pad for notifying the masses about the ReAOL project Use ReAOL : https://discord.gg/reaol --- Mental…
Chat with tagz and shellz about being a noob, getting Sub7’d, the death of AOL, rap battles, deltrees, a credit card trojan, exploits, swatting, and silence the blind hacker Guests: tagz and shellz Host: Steve Stonebraker -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/AOLUnderground/ Merch -…
PoSsE4uS reveals his origin story and the genesis of the ReAOL project Guest: PoSsE4uS Host: Steve Stonebraker Show Notes : https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/posse4us/ Shout out: @pad for notifying the masses about the ReAOL project Use ReAOL : https://discord.gg/reaol --- Mental Health Resources: Canada - https://bit.ly/3OC2nWw USA - https://bit.ly/3bgGdKW UK - https://bit.ly/3bsBJ4a --…
cam0 explains how he took over Burger King and Jeep's twitter accounts Show Notes: https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/cam0/ Guest: cam0 Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio and Sound : Podcast edited and mastered by Charlie Clark, https://www.fiverr.com/chuckaudio -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit -…
cam0 talks about how he hacked Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick, prison, and hacking the police department Show Notes: https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/cam0/ Guest: cam0 Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio and Sound : Podcast edited and mastered by Charlie Clark, https://www.fiverr.com/chuckaudio -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit -…
cam0 talks about how he had socially engineered AOL employees, hacked Merlin, deployed trojans, ran botnets, and gained access to the Ewoks private key Show Notes: https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/cam0/ Guest: cam0 Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio and Sound : Podcast edited and mastered by Charlie Clark, https://www.fiverr.com/chuckaudio -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter -…
Emerge tells us about when he cracked AOL conference calls and pranked called some folks. Later he talks about his startup, web3, and the crazy land of NFTs. Show Notes: https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/emerge/ Guest: Emerge Host: Steve Stonebraker Audio and Sound: https://www.fiverr.com/dimaog -- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit -…
YTCracker takes AOL hacking to a whole new level. Phishing employees, pwning the Customer Records Information System (CRIS), multi-threaded spamming via FDO, packet manipulation, and creating chatbots to lure lamers to his pay per click sites. He also likes rapping about his adventures. Parts of his songs are played throughout the episode. Check out the Episode Extras to see screenshots of his…
Tau, co-creator of the original aol-files.com takes us down memory lane. We hear about his first programs, why he started aol-files.com, how it got shutdown/renamed, and what he is up to now. We also spend quite a bit of time discussing Form Definition Operator (FDO) language and exploits. Episode Extras: https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/tau/ Audio and Sound: Podcast edited and mastered…
In 1995 Da Chronic released a program called ‘AO Hell’ that wreaked havoc on America Online. It allowed users to phish entire chat rooms, “punt” people offline, "mail bomb" user inboxes, and to scroll ASCII art in chat rooms. This lead to thousands of copycat programs and a new subculture within AOL. It inspired a generation of teenagers and twenty-somethings to learn how to program, decompile,…
Learn how Lucid generated his own fake credit cards and what happened after his house got raided by the cops. Episode Extras - https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/lucid/ ---- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/AOLUnderground/ Merch - https://www.redbubble.com/people/AOL-Underground/shop Donate -…
Chat with FLaMe about cracking, carding, and spamming Episode Extras - https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/flame/ ----- AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/AOLUnderground/ Merch - https://www.redbubble.com/people/AOL-Underground/shop Donate - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AOLUnderground Contact the Host…
Chat with the creator of Doom Cracker and Spambo; z0ne Episode Extras - https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/z0ne/ ------------------------------------ AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/AOLUnderground/ Merch - https://www.redbubble.com/people/AOL-Underground/shop Donate -…
Chat with the co-creator of The ExorCiST and Super Mad Cow; HoSS. Episode Extras - https://aolunderground.com/episode-extras/hoss/ ------ AOL Underground Podcast Follow us on twitter - @AOLUnderground @brakertech Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/AOLUnderground/ Merch - https://www.redbubble.com/people/AOL-Underground/shop Donate - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AOLUnderground…
Trailer Episode for AOL Underground, with HoSS and z0ne