John Draper

John Draper, known as Captain Crunch, is an American computer programmer and phone phreak who exploited telephone networks using a toy whistle.

Blue box: An electronic device that generated tones used to control telephone switching systems. Draper later used tone-generating devices to reproduce the whistle’s network-control function.
Cap'n Crunch whistle: A plastic toy whistle distributed with Cap'n Crunch cereal that produced a tone near 2600 hertz. Draper used its tone to exploit telephone trunks.
Steve Wozniak: An American engineer and Apple cofounder who designed the Apple I and Apple II computers. Wozniak built blue boxes and shared an interest in phone phreaking with Draper.
Phone phreaking in popular culture: The depiction of telephone-system exploration in journalism, books, music, and other media. Draper became a prominent public figure through stories about phreaking.
In-band signaling: A telecommunications method that carries control signals over the same channel as voice. The phone system accepted control tones on the voice channel Draper could access.
AT&T toll network: The long-distance telephone network operated by AT&T before its breakup in 1984. Its signaling practices provided the setting for Draper’s early exploits.
Steve Jobs: An American entrepreneur who cofounded Apple and helped shape its personal-computer and consumer-electronics businesses. Jobs and Wozniak sold blue boxes before founding Apple, linking Draper’s milieu to their early history.
Personal computer: A computer designed for individual use, rather than operation by a dedicated institution or large organization. Draper’s story entered public awareness as personal computing culture was taking shape.
2600 hertz: A signaling tone used by some telephone networks to indicate an idle long-distance trunk. A toy whistle supplied the tone associated with opening a trunk for further control.
Blue Box (1972 article): A 1972 Esquire magazine article by Ron Rosenbaum that introduced phone phreaking to a broad audience. Its account of Draper helped make Captain Crunch widely known.

Linked from 1 page