UTV Internet on a spying mission in your PC?

sparkie2003 · 30-12-2002 12:31pm #1

I was helping a friend set-up a small network in his house over the weekend. We ended up looking at a few websites using his UTV Internet account. His mobile rang and while he was talking to someone I made coffee.

Meanwhile I noticed the PC was transmitting and receiving data over the UTVi connection in spurts every few seconds - for no apparent reason. I did some checking. There were no webpages that self refreshed themselves loaded. I then thought that the machine might have some spyware installed that was “calling home” during a quiet period. I installed Reg Cleaner (www.jv16.org) and found no self starting programs that immediately aroused suspicion.

I then installed NetworkActiv Sniffer - (an excellent free download from) (www.networkactiv.com) to have a look at the detail of what was being sent down the line. Much of the traffic was encrypted (no SSL websites were visited during the session prior to the coffee break).

I then logged the machine on to another dial-up ISP to determine if the presumed spying activity would continue. It did not.

Perhaps the snooping was “all done”? I went back to UTVi to see if it would re-start.

Yes it did!

Part of the traffic involved cookie stuff visible in the clear for website addresses that are not on his list of “allow cookies” settings in his Microsoft Internet Explorer setup!!

I had a look at his MSIE cookie files and there were no cookie files visible to match the stuff I had logged going down the line to UTVi. There was however a large index.dat file in his cookies subdirectory which was file timed at the moment I dumped his UTVi feed.

QUESTIONS ARISING

1 Can the nice people at UTVi explain what is going on please?

2 Does anyone know the precise purpose of this Microsoft /../cookies/index.dat file – my suspicion is that it is maintaining a history of one’s cookie activity whether you like it or not.

3 Is the UTVi system nibbling away at this index.dat file and reporting back his private surfing activity to some big brother site in GB? (Most of the packets seemed to have gone in that direction).

4 What else might be going on?

Sparkie2003

Saruman · 30-12-2002 12:57pm

Maybe its part of how they determine your time on line.. 150 hours or whatever option he is on?

joec · 30-12-2002 1:20pm

I have read about that Microsoft /../cookies/index.dat file before....allegedly its actually microsoft spying rather than uvtip

Saruman · 30-12-2002 1:25pm

Its more a backup of all cookies as far as i know.. not spying but if you delete your cookies.. technically they are still there in that file!

Frank Grimes · 30-12-2002 1:28pm

If you're that worried about what's in the index.dat file just delete it through dos.

sparkie2003 · 30-12-2002 1:41pm

Originally posted by Saruman
Maybe its part of how they determine your time on line.. 150 hours or whatever option he is on?

This was their pay as you use service billed at local rates. No time limit to track.

Sparkie2003

sparkie2003 · 30-12-2002 1:42pm

Originally posted by Frank_Grimes
If you're that worried about what's in the index.dat file just delete it through dos.

I tried that. Re-boot and it is back again with a min size of about 32k. Even before an internet session takes place.

Sparkie2003

sparkie2003 · 30-12-2002 1:44pm

Originally posted by joec
I have read about that Microsoft /../cookies/index.dat file before....allegedly its actually microsoft spying rather than uvtip

While Microsoft put the file there and they presumably are end users in the "spying" operation - why does it only get "nibbled at" when using UTV internet as the ISP?

Sparkie2003

sparkie2003 · 30-12-2002 1:47pm

Originally posted by Saruman
Its more a backup of all cookies as far as i know.. not spying but if you delete your cookies.. technically they are still there in that file!

Yes a "backup" - for who's benefit? What right minded user would want to "backup" their cookies?

Sparkie2003

Frank Grimes · 30-12-2002 1:51pm

Originally posted by sparkie2003
I tried that. Re-boot and it is back again with a min size of about 32k. Even before an internet session takes place.

Sparkie2003

Yeah, it'll replace itself once you reboot with a new version. It's a "feature" of IE/Windows.

SkepticOne · 30-12-2002 1:52pm

Originally posted by Saruman
Maybe its part of how they determine your time on line.. 150 hours or whatever option he is on?

I would have thought they got this info from the telco.

Frank Grimes · 30-12-2002 1:52pm

Originally posted by sparkie2003
While Microsoft put the file there and they presumably are end users in the "spying" operation - why does it only get "nibbled at" when using UTV internet as the ISP?

Sparkie2003

What do you mean by nibbled at?

SkepticOne · 30-12-2002 1:58pm

Originally posted by sparkie2003
QUESTIONS ARISING

1 Can the nice people at UTVi explain what is going on please?

Have you contacted them? What is their explanation?

elexes · 30-12-2002 2:01pm

ye but its taking up me bandwith

ye but what is it reely doing ? like there must be some official reason for it ?anyone know what microsoft says its used for

Kali · 30-12-2002 3:20pm

For gods sake just run a firewall. I don't see why IrelandOffline has to be plagued with conspiracy theories.

Malcolm · 30-12-2002 5:44pm

QUESTIONS ARISING

1 Can the nice people at UTVi explain what is going on please?

2 Does anyone know the precise purpose of this Microsoft /../cookies/index.dat file – my suspicion is that it is maintaining a history of one’s cookie activity whether you like it or not.

3 Is the UTVi system nibbling away at this index.dat file and reporting back his private surfing activity to some big brother site in GB? (Most of the packets seemed to have gone in that direction).

4 What else might be going on?

Sparkie2003 [/B]

It's Christmas so I will answer and hopefuly avoid a full scale conspiray theory;
1 & 2 No - I have no idea, could be anything. But if you phone our tech support they may be able to help.
3 We only want to get you on the internet for as long as possible and as cheaply as possible - after that its up to you. Also we have to no ties to any big brother in GB:)
4 Nothing that I am aware of.

Happy New Year

ozt9vdujny3srf · 30-12-2002 7:42pm

my utv internet connection is sending messages to the planet zligron 7 telling them how to invade earth

STOP IT!!!

shabbyroad · 30-12-2002 7:48pm

ever since I got UTVip I've not needed to cut the grass in my back garden.

So - to the folks in UTVip :
Please stop it ok ? It's not funny. You might get your kicks coming into my garden at night and cutting the grass. I think you're sick ... sick and depraved.

that's it for me....I'm getting rid of UTVip.

jim_bob · 30-12-2002 8:09pm

this will explain the purpose of Microsoft /../cookies/index.dat file

http://www.****microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml

just in case change the **** to "fcuk" you know what i mean

Dustaz · 30-12-2002 9:24pm

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,

Its off to nets/commes we go.

pete · 30-12-2002 9:51pm

Tin foil hats, lads.

you'd be mad to surf the modren intarweb without protection

MAD

UTV Internet on a spying mission in your PC?

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