On Tue, 24 Jul 2007, Tom Piwowar wrote:
Specifically, Cox's DNS server is responding to a domain name request for an
Internet Relay Chat server. Instead of responding with the correct IP
address for the server, Cox sends the IP address of its own IRC server (
70.168.70.4). That server then sends commands to the computer that attempt
to remove malware. '
Has anyone checked the Cox EULA to see if they are giving themselves the
right to muck with subscriber's computers? Obviously, those of us who
have any MS software have signed away our rights -- MS can even go so far
as to disable our computers if it feels offended. To have the cable
provider assume such rights would certainly be moving us in a very bad
direction.
Another reason to be so happy I use a Mac.
If I understand the article correctly, Cox isn't directly messing
with their subscribers' computers, simply providing incorrect information.
Presumably, most of their subscribers are set to use Cox's DNS servers
(whether manually configured or via DHCP). Those DNS servers are
giving intentionally incorrect answers when asked about the hostname
of certain IRC servers (which, while sometimes used for controlling
zombie computers, can also be used for legitimate communications -
a vendor-neutral chat protocol). It doesn't matter what OS the
subscriber is using, as long as it relies on DNS (specifically
Cox's DNS servers). One way around this would be to use independant
(non-Cox) DNS servers (which one would have to configure manually).
--
Vicky Staubly http://www.steeds.com/vicky/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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