P.H.I.R.M.

P.H.I.R.M.

Origin	USA
Country	United States
Years active	1983–1990
Category	hacker think tank
Founder(s)	Archangel Blade Runner Jack The Ripper Sir Gamelord The Stingray
Product(s)	Thief's World BBS and many others
Affiliated Group(s)	reorganized from KILOBAUD
Website(s)	None

The PHIRM was an early hacking group which was founded in the early 1980s. First going by the name of "KILOBAUD",^[1] the firm was reorganized in 1985 to reflect a favorite television show of the time "Airwolf". By the mid 1980s The PHIRM was sysopping hundreds of boards. The PHIRM broke up in 1990, voluntarily, stating that after the Legion of Doom arrests that they had become too high-profile.

In 1985 a Phrack magazine article brought the group into the public eye, and they began to take on new members. In 1987 two of the founders, Archangel and Stingray, co-authored a report on Cleveland's Freenet. In 1989 the group published a definitive guide to breaking security on Bank of America home banking systems. This brought a great deal of scrutiny on the group and there were arrests. At the time of the break-up of the PHIRM, however, there were still over 100 members.

The PHIRM was the last of the Old School (1980s) hacker groups to disband. Most of the membership disappeared. Others went on to start their own groups.

Founding members

• Archangel
• Blade Runner
• Jack The Ripper
• Sir Gamelord
• The Stingray

Later members

• Dark Creaper
• The Wiz
• Baron Harkonnen
• Jimmy Jacker
• Electel
• King Blotto
• Da_K3yb0ard_c0w_b0y

References

1. ^ Beware: Hackers at play, Newsweek, September 5, 1983, pp. 42-46,48

External Links

• Sample Textfile, "Breaking Bank of America's Security"
• Phrack Magazine article, Issue #6 - Influential Hacker Groups
• 2600 Magazine, contributors