ANSI Bombs II: Tips and Techniques By The Raging Golem I. Introduction After writing the last file, a lot of people let me know about the mistakes I had made. I guess this file is to clear up those miscon ceptions and to let people know about some of the little tricks behind ANSI bombing. Of course, ANSI bombing isn't as dangerous as a lot of people make it out to be, but bombs are still fun to make and with a little planning deliver some degree of success. ANSI bombing can be dangerous, so I am tired of hearing people say that an ANSI bomb is harmless, another misconception I hope to clear up. Now, most people that have spent time experimenting with ANSI bombs probably know most of the material in this file, but it might be fun just to read anyway. 2. Misconceptions In my last file, I made three major blunders, or what I would con sider to be major blunders. First, I said that ANSI bombs could be used on BBSs to screw people over, but I guess I was wrong. It was pure speculation on what other people had said that made me say that. ANSI codes, including those that redefine keys, are sent over the lines, but most comm programs don't use ANSI.SYS; they use their own version of ANSI, which doesn't support key redefinition. Some people might have a program that supports it, but I haven't seen it yet. I have tested bombs on systems on my own and proved to myself that they don't work. I have also seen people fuck up bombs that would have worked by uploading them in a message. The second misconception is that ANSI bombs are dangerous when put into zips. I haven't really tested this out much, but from what I hear with the newer versions of PKZIP, you have to specify that you want to see ANSI comments when unzipping. It is unlikely that you would waste your time unzipping something again after seeing "Format C:" in the middle of an escape code. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that I'm right. Third, the last thing that was a misconception is that VANSI.SYS will protect your system from key redefinition. Maybe the newer versions don't support key redefinition, but mine sure as hell does. There are pro grams out there that don't support it, but I don't know any of the names. Of course, if I were you, I would be wary about using some thing other then ANSI. I have a few friends that are working on "A Better ANSI" for PDers, which, instead of being better, really screws them over. 3. An Overview Now, in case you haven't read my other file (it's called ANSI.DOC, kind of lame but fairly informative), I'll briefly go over the struc ture of an ANSI bomb. Skip this part if you know what an ANSI bomb is and how to make one. In ANSI everything is done with a system of escape codes. Key redefinition is one of those codes. (From now, whenever I say ESC, I really mean the arrow, ). Here is a basic command: ESC [13;27p This would make the key (13 is the code for enter) turn into the key (27 is the code for escape). The always has to be there, as do the bracket and the "p", but what is between the bracket and the "p" is up to you. The first number is always the key that you want to be redefined. If there is a zero for the first num ber, that means the key is in the extended set, and therefore, the first two numbers are the code. The bracket signifies the beginning of the definition, and the "p" signifies the end. Whenever you want a key pressed, you have to use it's numerical code (i.e. 13 is the code for ). You can't redefine strings, but you can redefine a key to become a string (i.e. ESC [13;"Blah"p would make say "Blah"). Strings must be inside of quotes, which includes commands that you want typed on the DOS prompt (i.e. ESC [13;"Del *.*";13p would delete everything in the directory, note that 13 stands for Enter in this case, not the redefinition). An escape code can have as many commands as you want in it, but each one has to be separated by a semi-colon. You can only redefine one key in each escape code, so if you want to redefine another key, you have to start another escape code. That's about it when it comes to bombs, now that you have the basics, all you really need is a little imagination. 4. Tips and Tricks A. The Y/N Redefinition Now, here's a simple but fun little ANSI bomb: ESC [78;89;13p ESC [110;121;13p Basically, all this does is turn a capital "N" into "Y" and a lower-case "n" into "y". Alone this doesn't do too much, except for screw around with what they are typing. On the other hand, try adding this line of code to the ANSI bomb: ESC [13;27;13;"del *.*";13p Most people would automatically press "N" when they see "Del *.*", but when they do, they will be screwed over. This portion of a bomb is very useful when it comes to making good bombs. B. Screwing with the Autoexec.bat Here is another line of code that you may find useful in future bombing projects: ESC [13;27;13;"copy bomb.ans c:\";13;"copy con c:\autoexec.bat";13;"type bomb.ans";13;0;109; 13;"cls";13p This line of code makes the bomb a little more permanent and a little more dangerous. It copies the bomb into the root directory, then it change/creates the autoexec.bat, so the bomb is typed after every boot-up. Of course, the person could just boot off a disk, but I'm sure this would get them a few time. It could also probably appear as though it were a virus, scaring the shit out of the owner of the computer. C. Turning Commands into Other Commands One of the best pranks to do to someone using an ANSI bomb is to redefine commands. That way if they type in "copy", it will turn into "Del *.*". Since you can't actually change the whole string, you have to take a different approach. You have to change a few of the keys, so when typed, they type and execute the desired command. I guess it would be coolest to have to command exactly the same length; that way you could redefine one key at a time to obtain the desired effect. It doesn't really matter how you do it, just as long as it works. You might make an ANSI that says "Wow, check out what this bomb did to your directory", and then have it redefine the keys, so when they type in "dir", it turns into "del". I think you get the idea. D. Trojans By now, everybody knows what a Trojan is. You probably wouldn't think so, but ANSI bombs can be used as Trojans and in Trojans. First, if you are planning on crashing a board, but you're not very good at programming, then make yourself an ANSI bomb. Try to find out in which directory the main files for running the BBS are stored. They are usually under the name BBS or the name of the software, like WWIV or Telegard. Then, make a bomb that either just deletes all the files in that directory, or if you want the board to be down a longer time, then make one that formats the Hard Drive. In this form ANSI bombs, if they are well planned out, can be easy to make Trojans. Second, ANSI bombs can used in Trojans. This is probably stretching it a little, but say you wanted to write a Trojan that would delete a directory, every time you typed a certain key, then you could use an ANSI bomb. First make some batch and com/exe files that would search for protecting programs like Norton and turn them off. Then you could copy the file into the root directory, along with your versions of autoexec.bat, config.sys, ANSI.sys, and whatever else. (To make it look more realistic make the files Resource.00x to trick the user, then when copying, use the real name). Then somehow lock the computer up or do a warm boot through some pd program, which is easily attain able. When the computer loads back up, you can screw that shit out of them with your ANSI bomb. 5. Conclusion It would seem to some people that ANSI bombs are very dangerous, and to others that they are stupid or lame. Personally, I think that ANSI bombs are just plain old fun. They're not too hard to make, but there is a lot that you can do with them. They are nowhere near as malicious as virii, so if you're looking for unstoppable destruction, look elsewhere, but they do serve their purpose. I know that there are programs out there that help you program ANSI bombs, but I think that they kind of take the fun out of them. Probably, some day soon, I'll quit making ANSI bombs and start looking more into virii and pure Trojans. But for now, ANSI bombs suit my purpose. -TRG Appendix A: Key Code Program Here is a small program, which I find very helpful. After loading it up, it tells you the numeric code for every key you type in. Spe cial means that it is in the extended set and therefore uses zero, and "q" ends the program. Unfortunately, I can't take any credit for this program. I got it over the phone from Heavymetl, and it was made by his brother. So many thanks go out to Heavymetl and his brother, even though they'll probably be a little pissed at me for including this in my file. It is in Pascal and can be compiled in most Turbo Pascal compilers. Use CRT; Var CH : CHAR; Begin Repeat CH := ReadKey; If CH = #0 then Begin CH := ReadKey; WriteLn(CH,'(Special) - ',ORD(CH)); End Else WriteLn(CH,' - ',ORD(CH)); Until CH = 'q'; End. Thanks go out to: Heavymetl and his brother for the program and ideas. Weapons Master for the input and the help he has given me. Everybody else who has helped me out; you know who you are, or at least, you think you know who you are. Most of all, to those brave soldiers risking their asses everyday for us half-way across the world in Saudi Arabia. Your deeds haven't gone unnoticed, of course that's mainly because that's all the news ever shows nowadays. Also, to anybody else I might have forgotten. Thanks.