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    The Hackers' Guide To Answering Machines

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    Murder Mouse
    This document provides instructions for hacking into various answering machine models by exploiting their default access codes. It lists 10 popular answering machine brands, including AT&T, BellSouth, Freestyle, Vtech, Olympia, Doro, and Panasonic. For each brand, it specifies the default access code and menu commands for listening to messages, recording announcements, deleting messages, and other remote controls. Unfortunately, the document notes that most machines still use the same weak security of 2-digit access codes from 15 years ago, showing that technology has advanced more quickly than common sense about data security.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    The Hackers' Guide To Answering Machines

    Uploaded by

    Murder Mouse
    7K views6 pages
    This document provides instructions for hacking into various answering machine models by exploiting their default access codes. It lists 10 popular answering machine brands, including AT&T, BellSouth, Freestyle, Vtech, Olympia, Doro, and Panasonic. For each brand, it specifies the default access code and menu commands for listening to messages, recording announcements, deleting messages, and other remote controls. Unfortunately, the document notes that most machines still use the same weak security of 2-digit access codes from 15 years ago, showing that technology has advanced more quickly than common sense about data security.

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    hacking various types of answering machines

    Original Title

    The Hackers' Guide to Answering Machines

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    This document provides instructions for hacking into various answering machine models by exploiting their default access codes. It lists 10 popular answering machine brands, including AT&T, BellSouth, Freestyle, Vtech, Olympia, Doro, and Panasonic. For each brand, it specifies the default access code and menu commands for listening to messages, recording announcements, deleting messages, and other remote controls. Unfortunately, the document notes that most machines still use the same weak security of 2-digit access codes from 15 years ago, showing that technology has advanced more quickly than common sense about data security.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    7K views6 pages

    The Hackers' Guide To Answering Machines

    Uploaded by

    Murder Mouse
    This document provides instructions for hacking into various answering machine models by exploiting their default access codes. It lists 10 popular answering machine brands, including AT&T, BellSouth, Freestyle, Vtech, Olympia, Doro, and Panasonic. For each brand, it specifies the default access code and menu commands for listening to messages, recording announcements, deleting messages, and other remote controls. Unfortunately, the document notes that most machines still use the same weak security of 2-digit access codes from 15 years ago, showing that technology has advanced more quickly than common sense about data security.

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    You are on page 1of 6

    Section 1: The Introduction

    Many years ago I remember reading a tutorial called "Hacking Answering Machines". This tutorial was
    apparently written back in 1989, when answering machines were just blossuming into the market. This was back
    during the days of cassette-recorder answering machines. The tutorial spoke of different vendors and models that
    used for the most part 2-digit passwords for remote access. It is now the year 2005, and for the most part
    cassette-recorder answering machines are a thing of the past, replaced by digital answering machines. Surely
    they've beefed up security since then, right? Wrong. The truth is though most answering machines are now
    digital, and many new features have been added to them since then, the password scheme is still pretty much the
    same. That is where this tutorial comes into play. To show you, the reader, how to gain access into these newer
    digital answering machines using the same techniques that were used 15 years ago (yeah, I know, sad isn't it?).
    So without further crap....

    Section 2: Gaining Access

    The easiest way to gain access into an answering machine is to use it's preset access code. This is the access code
    set at default by the vendor on the given device. The best thing about this is that most users don't bother to
    change the access code to their device, if they even know that they have such a feature. Even worse yet, some of
    the manuals given for the device by it's vendor even tells the user that changing the access code is optional, not
    necessary. So of course since most people only do what they feel is necessary, these access codes are many times
    if not usually set at default. So what I'm going to do for you now is list the different popular vendors out there,
    and include their preset access codes, how to use them, and controls to use after gaining access. Keep in mind
    that if there is no model number beside the vendor, then that means that the information given works on most of
    their models. Likewise of course if there is a model identification beside the vendor name (placed in parenthesis)
    then that of course means that the information provided is model dependant. So let's begin, shall we?

    1) AT&T - preset access code is 10 - when the answering machine picks up punch in the access code

    7 - play messages
    6 - play new messages

    # - stop/pause

    2 - repeat message

    5 - skip message

    4* - record announcement (push # to end recording)

    41 - play announcement

    * - record memo

    33 - delete all messages

    3 - delete selected

    0 - turn system on

    88 - turn system off

    99 - change remote code

    2) BellSouth - preset access code is 555, Mailbox 1: 555, 2: 666, 3: 777, 4: 888 - when the machine picks up hit *
    and then punch in the access code

    0 - help (use this to get the commands available)

    3) Freestyle - preset access code is 000 - when the machine picks up push in the D button and then punch in the
    access code

    2 - play all messages

    3 - play new messages

    4 - skip back during messages

    5 - delete during messages

    6 - skip forward during messages

    8 - play outgoing message


    9 - record new outgoing message

    0 - set answering machine on/off

    1 - hear main menu

    4) Vtech (VT650) - preset access code is 0000 - enter access code during announcement

    #4 - repeat message

    #5 - pause message

    #6 - skip to next message

    #7 - delete message

    #8 - skip backwards

    #9 - stop/exit any function

    *8 - room monitor

    5) Vtech (VT2650/VT2468) - preset access code is 50 - enter access code during announcement

    #4 - repeat message

    #6 - skips message

    #5 - stops

    #9 - delete message

    #7 - review announcement (after beep press 7 to record an announcement and use #5 to stop)

    6) Vtech (HK5886) - preset access code is 48 - enter access code during announcement

    #1,2,3 - play new or old messages

    #4 - repeat message

    #6 - skip message
    #5 - stop

    #9 - delete message

    #7 - review announcement (after beep press 7 to record an announcement and use #5 to stop)

    7) Olympia (OL2410) - preset access code is 0000 - enter access code during accouncement

    1,2,3 - select and play messages

    4 - repeat message

    44 - ignore message

    6 - play next message

    7 - delete current message

    8 - record memo

    9 - record announce (5 to stop)

    0 - toggle answer on/off

    * - play help menu

    8) Doro - preset access code is 321 - enter access code right after outgoing message has played (or during)

    1 - repeat/skip to previous message

    2 - play/pause message

    3 - skip to next message

    4 - play current outgoing message

    5 - record new outgoing message

    6 - stop

    7 - erase current message

    8 - switch off answering machine


    9 - switch on answering machine/select outgoing message

    0 - (after playback) erases all messages

    # - end playback

    ## - end call

    9) Virgin Pulse cordless phone - preset access code is 123 - enter access code during outgoing message

    1 - review current message

    2 - skip to next message

    3 - erase the current message

    4 - play all or new messages

    7 - repeat voice menu

    0 - turn on/off TAD

    10) Panasonic - preset access code is 11 or 1111 - enter access code during outgoing message

    4 - new message playback

    5 - all message playback

    1 - repeat

    2 - skip

    9 - stop

    7 - record new announcement (use 9 to end recording)

    There are also a few random vendors that don't automatically preset an access code on the machine, forcing it's
    user to set one up him/herself. This is a small step forward as far as security is concerned, but every vendor I saw
    that did this still used a mere 2-digit access code. To test and see if your target has this type of setup press # when
    the machine start, and then press 0. If the machine returns to the annoucement then you know this is the kind of
    machine it is. Of course, in reality, this isn't all that bad of a scheme since you have 100 different combinations
    available for the access code. However, most users simply set these access codes as 11, 22, 69, etc. So yeah, just
    try it out. If it disconnects you after so many tries, call back from another payphone (which you should be using
    in this case).

    Section 3: The Conclusion

    Again, it's sad that the same failed access code schemes that were used 15 years ago are still used today. It's just
    more proof that common sense just can't keep up with the pace of technology. We can create devices that can
    store more data, run such data more efficiently, and have it held on smaller and smaller devices, but it seems we
    just can't keep that data secure. No matter how many advisories are released, no matter how many security
    lectures are given, none of it matters, because in the end people prefer ease over security. So until this mentality
    changes the same crap that worked 15 years ago, will work 15 years from now.

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