Virgin Media to battle cloned modems. - Page 2

horrorwood · 19-03-2009, 14:37

Sorry.

Looks like virgin need to completely disable their docsis 1.0/1.1 service then. Is that possible for them?

Bonglet · 19-03-2009, 14:52

How many years have vm been saying we have defeated it yet?.

More rampant than ever and set to get worse in these times.

broadbandking · 19-03-2009, 14:58

If Virgin have a system to stop cloned modem some hacker will work round and so forth, its a nevcer ending circle look at microsoft when they brought in validation it was worked round in 24hrs

horrorwood · 19-03-2009, 15:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandking

If Virgin have a system to stop cloned modem some hacker will work round and so forth, its a nevcer ending circle look at microsoft when they brought in validation it was worked round in 24hrs

Docsis 3.0 has not been hacked. If virgin could change their whole network over to Docsis 3.0 then they would be ok at the moment.

I don't know if docsis 2.0 was hacked though.

Stabhappy · 19-03-2009, 15:04

Docsis 2 is the platform with BPI+ which should atleast help with the cloned modems.

19-03-2009, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandking

If Virgin have a system to stop cloned modem some hacker will work round and so forth, its a nevcer ending circle look at microsoft when they brought in validation it was worked round in 24hrs

if this was the case

Quote:

He said new routers in the firm's network were able to detect and take measures against cloned modems to ensure bandwidth is not stolen from legitimate customers. Many hackers, who trade details of their hacks in web fora, believe the modified modems are untraceable, but according to Virgin Media its new systems mean "that's absolutely not the case".

why isnt all the information in the hands of the police and doors being knocked before released to press? simple answer I think is they cant trace the modem to an address or there would be someone knocking and this clearly is not happening

Sirius · 19-03-2009, 15:28

Why oh Why do VM allow this to happen.

Honest paying customers are the ones funding the scum bag thieving cloners.

**Chris** · 19-03-2009, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

if this was the case

why isnt all the information in the hands of the police and doors being knocked before released to press? simple answer I think is they cant trace the modem to an address or there would be someone knocking and this clearly is not happening

The greater the quantity of evidence, the better the chances of a conviction. It's possible that they are telling the truth, but allowing people to really dig themselves into a hole by letting them use a cloned modem for an extended period of time, against a backdrop of media reports about the issue, so they can't claim they were simply 'experimenting' or 'didn't know they were doing anything wrong'.

Turkey Machine · 19-03-2009, 15:48

VM allow this to happen because they're too incompetent in upgrading their network to enable tools that could help in this fight. If everyone moved to DOCSIS 2 (and I mean everyone), it'd be far more difficult to. The NTL 250/255/256 modems that are de-rigeur for 10 and 20Mbit are all DOCSIS 1/1.1/2 compatible, so why's the network not using it?

19-03-2009, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

The greater the quantity of evidence, the better the chances of a conviction. It's possible that they are telling the truth, but allowing people to really dig themselves into a hole by letting them use a cloned modem for an extended period of time, against a backdrop of media reports about the issue, so they can't claim they were simply 'experimenting' or 'didn't know they were doing anything wrong'.

I do not believe that is the case. If they can pin point to an address there is no arguement . Allowing them to use it for any period of time to prove it is a nonscense. I believe they simply can not pinpoint the address

graf_von_anonym · 19-03-2009, 16:08

If something can be used it can be misused. As for tracking, a modem has to make itself visible to the UBR/CMTS to get services. There's a finite number of nodes that modem can be attached to, and then a similarly finite number of cabinets. One person, one van, one PDA, and a few hours work would identify the culprit. Whether VM have that man, van, and, er, word for minicomputer that ends with '-an' to spare I'm not certain. Then there's the burden of proof. VM can presumably say that a modem with [piece of information] performed [action] at a given time, but catching the villain with the modem still bearing that [piece of information], that's the rub.

That said, it's well known that people who steal internet services also pirate movies and music so by implication are terrorists. So VM will just set Jacqui Smith on them, and they'll be tried in the Court of Public Opinion by Harriet Harman. No evidence required!

BenMcr · 19-03-2009, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turkey Machine

VM allow this to happen because they're too incompetent in upgrading their network to enable tools that could help in this fight. If everyone moved to DOCSIS 2 (and I mean everyone), it'd be far more difficult to. The NTL 250/255/256 modems that are de-rigeur for 10 and 20Mbit are all DOCSIS 1/1.1/2 compatible, so why's the network not using it?

Only thing I would say to that is that Virgin are currently in the process of swapping modems below the 250/255/256 and the Motorola 5101E (I think) for both BB M and XL customers

Must mean something

Ignitionnet · 19-03-2009, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Only thing I would say to that is that Virgin are currently in the process of swapping modems below the 250/255/256 and the Motorola 5101E (I think) for both BB M and XL customers

Must mean something

All those modems are hacked so that's a bit of a non-issue. Most of the earlier modems were 1.1 and 2.0 compatible anyways.

Incidentally it's DOCSIS 1.1 that has the enhanced BPI+ security. 2.0 just added extra upstream bandwidths.

telfordcable · 19-03-2009, 16:48

I know few peoples in my area are hackers and use free tv service and free 50Mb with a secret hack (i mean it isn't fair on Telford awful UBR overload because of this hacker ruining us all who are paying for the service)

I hope they will go JAIL for 1 year ! (asking for a money back is pointless because I believe they are cheating Virgin Media, and cheating the benefit etc with never go to work) and don't have enough money to pay all the bills, virgin media expensive 50Mbps and sky too expensive!

They will find a way to hack it again if they all moving to docsis 2.0 and 3.0 like microsoft kept fighting the priacy and illegal peoples who steal microsoft product key by going to pcworld and look up the sticker product key and use it on their pc to activated it and never pay for it!

Ignitionnet · 19-03-2009, 17:05

I did enjoy the article though.... if the security is all that then how exactly is this stuff allowed to happen in the first place?

Security team must be in a bit of a shock having to do something on the cable side until the bad PR fades away then they can go back to doing whatever it is they do, as it clearly isn't related to securing the cable network.

I did love the comments about finding the hackers. This is far from easy the modem could be at one of a thousand or more homes and the only way to tell which one is to disconnect node, then line extender / bridge amp, then taps until you find the tap the modem is on, then to disconnect the taps in turn until the modem goes offline - nothing at all to do with fancy new routers (which clearly aren't configured right else this hacking wouldn't be happening on them) or any of that rot it's purely work in the field.