How to Get Telnet Accounts

OK, so you want to get legal user names and passwords so you can telnet into other computers. Here are some of the best ways:

See http://happyhacker.org/links2.shtml#shells for organizations that will give you free shell accounts. You can telnet into these. 
Ask Internet Service Providers for shell accounts. Some offer them, although most don't. 
Set up a telnet server on your own computer (see instructions below). Yes, once you are running a telnet server, you can telnet from your computer back into your computer. Simply give the command "telnet 127.0.0.1". 
Make friends with people who run Internet computers with telnet servers. 
Why you May Not Want to Telnet

If you love your shell account server, don't ever, ever telnet or ftp into it. I recommend Ssh or Openssh for logging into remote computers? The telnet (and ftp) protocol is a "clear text" transmission. That means that computer on the same LAN as either You or your destination computer, or any computer on any LAN or network path through which your connection passes can steal your login name, password or anything else that goes across your connection. Ssh and OpenSsh encrypt all communications so no one can snoop on you.

How to Install a Telnet Server on your Windows Computer

Usually you can't telnet into a Windows home computer. The reason is, they aren't running telnet servers. Here's how to get a telnet server on your home Windows computers so your friends and you can telnet in and play.

For Windows NT, the Options Pack includes a primitive telnet server.

For Windows 95/98/NT and 2000, you also can install shareware or commercial telnet servers. Check out http://www.winfiles.com, or do a web search.

Of course installing a telnet server makes your computer vulnerable to all sorts of trouble from hackers. It's your funeral, don't come crying top me if a telnet visitor destroys your computer.

A quick search of the Bugtraq archives at http://www.securityfocus.com revealed horrid things a criminal could do to that Mercur mail server. Since I think it is more fun to be nice, I told someone at the company using this mail server about the problems. He invited me to vacation at his beautiful Swiss home, where he and his wife keep horses and take long trail rides in the Alps. Golly, that is much more fun than breaking into a computer!

Right about now some elite ueberhaxorz are probably reading this and saying "What a lamer Meinel is! We can do the same thing by running nmap."

They are right, you can learn the same things by running a port scanning program such as nmap (available at http://www.insecure.org). However, I am quite careful about under what circumstances I run any port scanner. In order to get information on what programs are running on what ports, you must run a port scanner in a mode that will probably convince the owner of the victim computer that you are a criminal. He or she may persuade your online service provider to cancel your account.

The other reason to analyze computers using telnet is that you learn more. It's the difference between eating at McDonalds and learning how to cook.