war dialer

1 definition found

war dialer - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  war dialer
   n.
  
     [originally from `wargames dialer', a reference to the movie War
     Games] A cracking tool, a program that calls a given list or range of
     phone numbers and records those which answer with handshake tones
  (and
     so might be entry points to computer or telecommunications systems).
     Some of these programs have become quite sophisticated, and can now
     detect modem, fax, or PBX tones and log each one separately. The war
     dialer is one of the most important tools in the phreaker's kit.
     These programs evolved from early demon dialers.