Product Code Database
Phrack is an e-zine written by and for hackers, first published November 17, 1985. It had a wide circulation which included both hackers and computer security professionals.
Originally covering subjects related to phreaking, anarchy and cracking, its articles also cover a wide range of topics including computer and physical security, hacking, cryptography, Counterculture and international news.
Phrack has been described as having "had its finger on the pulse of hacker culture", and being "hugely influential in the early days of hacker culture".
| 01 | 1985-86 | #1 to #9 | Taran King Cheap Shades |
| 02 | 1987-88 | #10 to #24 | Taran King Knight Lightning Shooting Shark Elric of Imrryr Crimson Death |
| 03 | 1989-91 | #25 to #36 | Taran King Crimson Death Dispater |
| 04 | 1992-93 | #37 to #44 | Dispater Erik Bloodaxe |
| 05-06 | 1994-95 | #45 to #47 | Erik Bloodaxe |
| 07 | 1996-97 | #48 to #51 | Voyager daemon9/route |
| 08-10 | 1998-00 | #52 to #56 | route |
| 11 | 2001-05 | #57 to #63 | Phrackstaff |
| 12-13 | 2007-09 | #64 to #66 | The Circle of Lost Hackers |
| 14-16 | 2010-21 | #67 to #70 | The Phrack Staff |
| 17 | 2024- | #71 to #72 | Phrack Staff |
Each major hardcopy release contained most (but not all) articles of the e-zine release. The printed edition is always released at hacker conferences/camps and always for free and often a few days before the online release.
"Special edition" hardcopy releases contain 3 classic articles, 3 rejected articles (also known as "Off The Record" articles) and 3 articles from the upcoming release.
| 57 | 2001 | Hackers At Large | |
| 62 | 2004 | RuxCon | |
| 63 | 2005 | What the Hack | |
| 71 | 2024 | DefCon 32 | |
| 72 | 2025 | WHY (Netherlands) DEFCON (Las Vegas) HOPE (New York) |
During its first 10 years of publication, Phrack was largely associated with telecommunications fraud, providing material for Phreaking and information about arrests in the community through its Phrack World News feature articles. Along with the release of articles such as "Smashing The Stack For Fun And Profit" and the editorship of daemon9/route in 1996, Phrack's orientation shifted toward computer security and its focus drew closer to the current definition of hacking.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed an amicus brief supporting Knight Lightning, and helped to get the case dropped by introducing a witness who showed that Bellcore was selling more detailed documentation to the E911 system for as little as $13 to anyone who asked. The E911 document had initially been valued by the prosecution at almost $80,000. CuD Computer Underground Digest issue 2.04 file 4, originally published September 23, 1990; via archive.org The case was then dropped.
Issue #42 was released under the editorship of Erik Bloodaxe in 1992. In September 1994, the first Phrack website appeared with release #46, containing all the files from the previous issues.
With the growing use of the Internet and interest in computer security, from 1996 Phrack became increasingly oriented toward computer security. The editorship was handed to route along with voyager until 2000 (release #56). During this period, the Phrack website was defaced several times and the magazine was often unavailable.
In 2005, it was announced that the current staff will retire, with the 63rd issue as its last release. A new leadership was expected to start releasing sometime in 2006/2007.
To commemorate Phrack's final appearance, the issue was to be a hardback edition, released simultaneously at the DEF CON and What the Hack conventions on July 29. An e-zine version of the release followed on August 1. The European printer for the hardcopies of Phrack to be distributed at Defcon refused to fulfil the order once they realized that they were printing a hacking book. Two University of Arizona students filled the gap and printed between 100 and 200 copies of Phrack 63 in time for release at Defcon 13. The copies of Phrack 63 distributed at Defcon 13 are each stamped with a "serial" number on the inside of the last page. It is believed that there are 100 numbered copies of Phrack 63 distributed at Defcon. All copies were hand cut and bound; unnumbered copies may be unreleased "extras", or may have cutting errors that meant they were deemed them unfit for distribution.
It was decided to find a new editorial staff and to keep Phrack going. A new staff was found. Some of the ancient staff joined as advisors.
Issue #72 marked the 40th anniversary of the magazine and was celebrated with a massive release of around 15,000 printed edition and distributed (for free) at multiple hacker conferences around the world.
In addition to technical articles, Phrack also provided a focus for news and gossip among the hacker community.
In the 1990 National Computer Security Conference, Sheldon Zenner and Dorothy Denning suggested that Phrack articles contained the same factual content in computer and security magazines, but differed in tone.
The engraving on the rim reads: I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can't stop us all...
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