Masters of Deception

    Masters of Deception is a NYC-based underground group, that was originally meant as a mockery of Legions of Doom–and an alternative to their supposed lost direction, as many members had been investigated at that point. MoD was famous for downloading and exposing the credit card information of celebrities.They are a hacking group that was widely known for their actions in hacking  companies involving telephone company infrastructures and communications. The group was also the subject in the book  Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace.As destructive as hackers can be on their own, they’re even worse when they’re in a group. The name MOD could also stand for "Millions of Dollars" just as easily as "Masters of Deception."The people involved also managed to stay hidden including their hacker identities.

    The original Masters of Deception included: Mark Abene ("Phiber Optik"), Paul Stira ("Scorpion"), Eli Ladopoulos ("Acid Phreak"), HAC, John Lee("Corrupt" a.k.a. "Netw1z") and Julio Fernandez ("Outlaw").
Additional members whose real names are unknown include: Supernigger (also of DPAK), Wing, Nynex Phreak, Billy_The_Kid, Crazy Eddie, The Plague, ZOD, Seeker, Red Knight (who was also a member of Cult of the Dead Cow), Lord Micro, n00gie and peaboy (aka, MCI Sprinter).

    The actions of this individuals were soon caught by the joint operations of the FBI and Secret Service task force.Five of the members of MOD were indicted in 1992 in federal court. Within the next six months (in 1993), all five pleaded guilty and were sentenced to either probation or prison.

   This case was about the MOD's difference in respect to other previous hacking groups.Though the members of the said organization share information openly,they have certain standards when someone tries to join their organization.It was believed that access to MOD's knowledge should be earned via degrees of initiation and a proven respect for the craft, rather than releasing powerful information into the wild where it could be used for nefarious purposes.

   Though they have discipline in sharing their information,still it is obviously an unethical act which should be thinked about and be prosecuted.