Switched Access Service

Switched Access Services (SAS) was an internal Pacific Bell system used for network testing and maintenance by telephone company personnel. It allowed remote access for testing subscriber lines and facilities and gained notoriety in the 1980s–1990s for alleged unauthorized use in monitoring calls. It featured prominently in investigations and trials involving hackers Kevin Mitnick, Kevin Poulsen, and Justin Tanner Petersen (also known as "Eric Heinz" or "Agent Steal") during the 1990s.

History

Mitnick learned of SAS in the early 1990s from Petersen, who had discovered references to the system while breaking into Pacific Bell facilities with Poulsen.

Capabilities

According to Mitnick, SAS enabled technicians to check subscriber line status, initiate tests, and access switching facilities—and also allowed the user to instantly connect to any telephone line for undetected monitoring. Prosecutors described it as "test technology" hijacked for criminal purposes, including intercepting calls and making calls appear to originate from different numbers.

In hacker culture

SAS was targeted by phone phreaks for its monitoring capabilities. Kevin Poulsen pleaded guilty to using it, including to rig radio station call-in contests. Petersen was accused (via his attorney) of using it while an FBI informant. Mitnick obtained documentation using social engineering techniques and described using it to monitor lines.

Relationship to switched access service

The name also appears in Pacific Bell's public FCC tariffs for carrier access services, which appear distinct from the internal testing tool described by hackers.

References

1 2 3 4 Johnson, John (July 31, 1994). "Hacker in Hiding: Digital Desperado Who Claims to Have Worked for the FBI Is Now Being Sought by the Agency". Los Angeles Times.
1 2 3 4 Johnson, John (August 4, 1994). "Fugitive Hacker Leaves Trail of Strange Claims". Los Angeles Times.
1 2 3 Mitnick, Kevin D.; Simon, William L. (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 117–158. ISBN 978-0-316-03770-9.
↑ "Kevin Mitnick, Part 2". Cybereason. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
↑ "Pacific Bell Telephone Company Tariff F.C.C. No. 1" (PDF). AT&T. Retrieved 30 May 2026.

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[LAT1994a-1] 1 2 3 4 Johnson, John (July 31, 1994). "Hacker in Hiding: Digital Desperado Who Claims to Have Worked for the FBI Is Now Being Sought by the Agency". Los Angeles Times.

[LAT1994b-2] 1 2 3 4 Johnson, John (August 4, 1994). "Fugitive Hacker Leaves Trail of Strange Claims". Los Angeles Times.

[GhostWires-3] 1 2 3 Mitnick, Kevin D.; Simon, William L. (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 117–158. ISBN 978-0-316-03770-9.

[MaliciousLife-4] "Kevin Mitnick, Part 2". Cybereason. Retrieved 30 May 2026.

[5] "Pacific Bell Telephone Company Tariff F.C.C. No. 1" (PDF). AT&T. Retrieved 30 May 2026.