Phone Phreaking

Phone Phreaking is a slang term coined to describe the activity of a subculture of people who study, experiment with, or exploit telephones, the telephone company, and systems connected to or composing the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) for the purposes of hobby or utility. The term "phreak" is a portmanteau of the words "phone" and "freak." It may also refer to the use of various audio frequencies to manipulate a phone system. "Phreak", "phreaker", or "phone phreak" are names used by and towards people who participate in phreaking. It is often considered similar, and therefore grouped in category with computer hacking. This is sometimes called the H/P culture (with H standing for Hacking and P standing for Phreaking).

There are many legendary stories around the Internet of semi mythical people such as "Cap'n Crunch" who invented methods of controlling the phone systems by, initially, using a 2600Hz tone. This now very simple form of access to phone systems does not (generally) work as the phone lines have been split from a combined voice and signaling circuit to differing circuits today.

Today phone phreaking is almost totally a criminal activity involving stealing phone-card numbers.

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