Phrack hacker zine publishes new edition after three years

Phrack #71 has been released online and is available to read for free. This issue is the first to be released since 2021, marking a new chapter in the influential online magazine’s history.

Phrack is an underground online magazine first launched in 1985 as a text file distributed through Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and later through the internet.

It features content ranging from highly technical articles on vulnerabilities, exploits, and hacking tutorials, to discussions about hacking culture and ethics, and interviews with notable figures in the field.

The magazine is backed by a staff team as well as external contributors from the global hacking and cybersecurity community, including established researchers, underground figures, and anonymous authors.

The community-driven publication has always enjoyed an influential status in the cybersecurity space,  remaining a respected source of high-quality information.

New team, new issue

A new issue of Phrack, number 71, was published in hardcopy format and distributed at the 32nd edition of the DEF CON hacker conference this year.

The electronic edition of Phrack #71 published on the e-zine’s site on August 19 for anyone to download or read.

The new issue criticizes the current state of technology, where lack of transparency and hasty adoption of untested systems create a state of “information dark age,” underscores the role of hackers in maintaining access to practical knowledge, and offers a range of technical articles that dive into advanced cybersecurity topics.

This is the first issue to come out since October 5, 2021, showing that Phrack is active again and will continue to remain relevant in the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity.

One of the Phrack staff members told BleepingComputer that the extensive lull was due to the previous team looking to pass the project to new and capable people.

“Phrack was passed down to the next generation of enthusiastic hackers after long years of service,” declared Phrack’s new staff member.

The same person told us that they plan to do a printed issue next year, on Phrack’s 40th anniversary. However, , due to the complex logistical undertaking of creating physical copies, nothing is certain yet.