Vermilion box
Encyclopedia
The vermilion box is a hypothetical portable improvised line emulator.
Its function is to spoof not only caller ID
but every other aspect of an incoming telephone call, including ringing and DC line voltage. Typically, the user physically disconnects the target line from the telephone network, connects the vermilion box, and then proceeds to create a completely bogus telephone call.
The vermilion box incorporates three more basic phreaking
boxes: the magenta box
, which generates the AC ringing signal required to make the target telephone ring; the orange box
, which generates caller ID
(although it is not a proper call-waiting caller ID orange box that is used but a modified orange box that generates on-hook (idle state) caller ID); and the beige box
that is used to conduct the actual conversation. In addition, a DC power source is required to power the telephones on the target's line.
This is a very risky and stealth-intensive technique that requires the user to be physically on or near the premises of the target line. However, properly applied, it will result in an incoming call to the target line that is completely indistinguishable from a genuine call and which cannot possibly be traced.
The vermilion box is named, following the tradition of naming phreaking boxes after colors, for a color (vermilion
) that is similar to a combination of the color names of two of the component phreaking boxes from which this box is made: orange and magenta.
Its function is to spoof not only caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
but every other aspect of an incoming telephone call, including ringing and DC line voltage. Typically, the user physically disconnects the target line from the telephone network, connects the vermilion box, and then proceeds to create a completely bogus telephone call.
The vermilion box incorporates three more basic phreaking
Phreaking
Phreaking is a slang term coined to describe the activity of a culture of people who study, experiment with, or explore telecommunication systems, such as equipment and systems connected to public telephone networks. As telephone networks have become computerized, phreaking has become closely...
boxes: the magenta box
Magenta box
A magenta box is a device used to simulate an incoming call by applying the AC ringing signal voltage to a POTS line to make the telephones on that line ring...
, which generates the AC ringing signal required to make the target telephone ring; the orange box
Orange box
An orange box is a piece of hardware or software that emulates caller ID FSK signals to spoof caller ID information on the target's caller ID terminal. It takes advantage of call waiting caller ID by mimicking the phone company's central office equipment and sending the call waiting tone followed...
, which generates caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
(although it is not a proper call-waiting caller ID orange box that is used but a modified orange box that generates on-hook (idle state) caller ID); and the beige box
Beige box (phreaking)
In phone phreaking, a beige box is a device that is technically equivalent to a telephone company lineman's handset — a telephone fitted with alligator clips to attach it to a line.-Construction:...
that is used to conduct the actual conversation. In addition, a DC power source is required to power the telephones on the target's line.
This is a very risky and stealth-intensive technique that requires the user to be physically on or near the premises of the target line. However, properly applied, it will result in an incoming call to the target line that is completely indistinguishable from a genuine call and which cannot possibly be traced.
The vermilion box is named, following the tradition of naming phreaking boxes after colors, for a color (vermilion
Vermilion
Vermilion is an opaque orangish red pigment, similar to scarlet. As a naturally occurring mineral pigment, it is known as cinnabar, and was in use around the world before the Common Era began. Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, and vermilion is nowadays commonly...
) that is similar to a combination of the color names of two of the component phreaking boxes from which this box is made: orange and magenta.