The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. The specific issue is: Telecommunications networks in various countries use different network signalling technologies and standards and also have different billing policies You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate.(December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
A phreaking box is a device used by phone phreaks to perform various functions normally reserved for operators and other telephone company employees.
Most phreaking boxes are named after colors, due to folklore surrounding the earliest boxes which suggested that the first ones of each kind were housed in a box or casing of that color. However, very few physical specimens of phreaking boxes are actually the color for which they are named.
Most phreaking boxes are electronic devices which interface directly with a telephone line and manipulate the line or the greater system in some way through either by generating audible tones that invoke switching functions (for example, a blue box), or by manipulating the electrical characteristics of the line to disrupt normal line function (for example, a black box). However a few boxes can use mechanical or acoustic methods - for example, it is possible to use a pair of properly tuned whistles as a red box.
List of phreaking box types
This is not a comprehensive list. Many text files online describe various "boxes" in a long list of colors, some of which are fictional (parodies or concepts which never worked), minor variants of boxes already listed or aftermarket versions of features (line in use indicators, 'hold' and 'conference' buttons) commonly included in standard multi-line phones.
Tone generator, emits a 2600 Hz tone to disconnect a long-distance call while retaining control of a trunk, then generates multi-frequency tones to make another toll call which is not detected properly by billing equipment.
A resistor bypassed with a capacitor and placed in series with the line to limit DC current on received calls. On some mechanical relay switching systems, separate relays were used to stop ringing on an inbound call and to start billing timers. The black box was intended to trip one but not both relays, allowing ringing to stop but not showing the call as answered for billing purposes.
Microphone and amplifier, coupled inductively to payphones where the handset microphone (and just the microphone) was disabled until a coin was inserted. An "opaque box" was a variant which also included a keypad. Obsolete as specific to a rarely used post-paid coin phone design which is no longer deployed.
Violet box
A resistor (several hundred ohms) which can be clipped directly across the line to make it appear off-hook or in use.
Telephone installer's test handset; a standard telephone set on which the plug has been replaced with a pair of alligator clips.
White box
In Australia there was a software program based on the Commodore Amiga 500 personal computer called White box which was used for phreaking. It used CCITT#5- (R2) tones to manipulate the phone systems in Australia in a similar way to blue boxing (See screenshot on External links section). In other countries white box can be referred to a Portable DTMF-dial keypad with a speaker which can be used to access an answering machine to hear your messages when you are away from home and also can be used on PBX phone systems that require tone dialling and used to generate tones if the telephone is rotary-dial or its keypad is locked.
Capello, Valerio (5 September 2000). "The definitive guide to Phreak Boxes". elfqrin.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2017. published on 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, Volume 19 Number 1 (Spring 2002 issue), page 15 (author's website)
