From: johndeer@yabbs
To: all@yabbs
Subject: stuff
Date: Sun Apr 10 14:17:18 1994
Magstipe readers at grocery stores:
it appears as if most of them ARE connected centrally to a computer 
onsite.  since the registers usually are (to perform matchups between UPC 
and price) and teh credit card thingies are connected to the register, it 
wouldn't be that hard.  i'm sure the verify is performed like they are for 
ordinary verifones.  perhaps the grocery storetems are smart enough to 
"batch process" verifies if more than one is sent at a time.
the new thing they have, at least in the Wash. DC area, is SCAN, which is 
teh "shared check authorization network".. this device reads the numbers 
on the bottom of a check (which is NOT OCR, but instead, MICR) and dials 
up a database run by the SCAN company that performs a verify.. they 
interface with most POS register systems as well..

one thing i've always been thinking about is cracking the PIN on 
atm/credit cards.  yes, i know they're encrypted, but almost all pins are 
4 digits, which leaves only 10,000 possibilities. if I had a magstripe 
reader interface to a computer, and a copy of the encryption algorithm 
(which must be semi-public, for these multitudes of POS devices to perform 
checks), I could crack it on a computer in minimal time..

cell fones on the freeway:
there was a thread in telecom digest a while back, but as I recall the 
devices are low-power (well, i guess all cell-fones are) and they recharge 
daily witha  solar panel on the top of the box.  i wouldn't recommend 
snagging them, as i'm sure they're stripped down, custom models, which 
don't have any features at all.  probably not even a keypad.

john Deere