3.ie broadband, hacked or cracked ?

seensensee · 30-07-2010 08:14PM #1

Hi folks, I have been experiencing an odd "disconnect" while browsing. Have been reading some of the "three broadband megathread" and can see that losing signal or service for hours on end is not uncommon, ok. My disconnect is quite unusual because what happens is that suddenly the small " (red)stop device removal warning" window appears and the mobile partner goes into disconnect mode without stopping.

It's as if the computer senses that the dongle has been physically disconnected, while in fact it is still connected.

Hmmmm, anyone got a clue ?

Doylers · 02-08-2010 03:09PM

seensensee wrote: »

Hi folks, I have been experiencing an odd "disconnect" while browsing. Have been reading some of the "three broadband megathread" and can see that losing signal or service for hours on end is not uncommon, ok. My disconnect is quite unusual because what happens is that suddenly the small " (red)stop device removal warning" window appears and the mobile partner goes into disconnect mode without stopping.

It's as if the computer senses that the dongle has been physically disconnected, while in fact it is still connected.

Hmmmm, anyone got a clue ?

Bad dongle or your windows doesn't like three lol Its nothing to do with it being cracked or hacked or anything like that.

seensensee · 02-08-2010 03:39PM

Doylers wrote: »

Bad dongle or your windows doesn't like three lol Its nothing to do with it being cracked or hacked or anything like that.

That's a quick diagnosis, have you experienced that particular anomaly ?

Doylers · 02-08-2010 03:53PM

seensensee wrote: »

That's a quick diagnosis, have you experienced that particular anomaly ?

No I haven't personally, but im basing it on the following:

1. its direct to the pc so not losing signal via wifi
2. Cant be hacked its not emitting a wifi signal
3. You cant have the same number operating twice on network so again not hacked.

Thats my opinion anyway. I'd get a new dongle for the sake of it at least then you rule that out, then try another pc in the same location and rule that out.Its either bad signal,the dongle ,or the pc

seensensee · 16-08-2010 10:40AM

Well I did a little research and I'm a bit shocked to say the least, it appears that isp routers/dongles have backdoors built in as standard and some of them can easily be hacked, in addition it appears that some of the trusted software that I am using has been noted to have had backdoor issues too.

So it's looking like Hacked is the likely scenario and apparently their is little that can be done about it once the hacker has access to the router.
:eek: :mad: :eek:

Knasher · 16-08-2010 11:33AM

There is a big difference between a router and the USB dongle that you are using, and while certain routers do included backdoors which may open them up to hacking, it is extremely doubtful that dongles do.

In your situation the problem is almost definetly a physical one. Either there is a problem with the USB connector on the dongle, or your PC can't supply enough power over the USB bus you have it plugged into or you have it plugged into a long USB cable and the voltage loss is too high. The first thing you should do is try to plug it into a USB port on the back of your computer, as these generally have the best voltages. Secondly you should make sure that whatever software you are using with it is up to date (it is possible that this is a driver error). Finally you could try returning it to the store to either get a replacement version or a different model altogether (if the problem is with drivers it could be specific to your computer and changing the model would be the only fix).

There are several reasons why its extremely unlikely that you are being hacked. Firstly its very doubtful that if you were hacked that the hacker would disconnect you from the network as their goals usually involve doing malicious things with or to your computer. Secondly three have a NAT'd network which makes it very hard for an external hacker to reach you. There are several more reasons I can think of, but hopefully I've convinced you that you are not being hacked by now. (Unless I'm the hacker and I'm trying to throw you off my tracks :P )

seensensee · 16-08-2010 12:37PM

Knasher wrote: »

There is a big difference between a router and the USB dongle that you are using, and while certain routers do included backdoors which may open them up to hacking, it is extremely doubtful that dongles do.

In your situation the problem is almost definetly a physical one. Either there is a problem with the USB connector on the dongle, or your PC can't supply enough power over the USB bus you have it plugged into or you have it plugged into a long USB cable and the voltage loss is too high. The first thing you should do is try to plug it into a USB port on the back of your computer, as these generally have the best voltages. Secondly you should make sure that whatever software you are using with it is up to date (it is possible that this is a driver error). Finally you could try returning it to the store to either get a replacement version or a different model altogether (if the problem is with drivers it could be specific to your computer and changing the model would be the only fix).

There are several reasons why its extremely unlikely that you are being hacked. Firstly its very doubtful that if you were hacked that the hacker would disconnect you from the network as their goals usually involve doing malicious things with or to your computer. Secondly three have a NAT'd network which makes it very hard for an external hacker to reach you. There are several more reasons I can think of, but hopefully I've convinced you that you are not being hacked by now. (Unless I'm the hacker and I'm trying to throw you off my tracks :P )

Thanks for the reply, it's just that my concerns were heightened after reading this...

A 21-year-old college student in London had his internet service terminated and was threatened with legal action after publishing details of a critical vulnerability that can compromise the security of the ISP's subscribers.
BeThere took the retaliatory action four weeks after subscriber Sid Karunaratne demonstrated how the ISP's broadband routers can be remotely accessed by anyone curious enough to look for several poorly concealed backdoors. The hack makes it trivial to telnet into a modem and sniff users' VPN credentials, modify DNS settings and carry out other nefarious acts.

front;tile=2;pos=top;dcove=d;sz=336x280;ord=TGkroMCoZGQAACPKOxQAAALr?

Alas, Karunaratne's February 22 posting originally included the specific password needed to carry out the attack - a tack from the "full disclosure" school of vulnerability reporting that is considered a no-no in many security circles. Less than 48 hours later, he removed the password information, but that didn't stop the ISP from exacting its retribution.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/17/hackers_service_terminated/

I understand that dongles serve a different purpose than routers but I was considering that even dongles can be hacked somehow... with access to backdoor passwords (seems it's just my imagination working overtime at the moment):o

Doylers · 16-08-2010 12:40PM

Knasher wrote: »

There is a big difference between a router and the USB dongle that you are using, and while certain routers do included backdoors which may open them up to hacking, it is extremely doubtful that dongles do.

In your situation the problem is almost definetly a physical one. Either there is a problem with the USB connector on the dongle, or your PC can't supply enough power over the USB bus you have it plugged into or you have it plugged into a long USB cable and the voltage loss is too high. The first thing you should do is try to plug it into a USB port on the back of your computer, as these generally have the best voltages. Secondly you should make sure that whatever software you are using with it is up to date (it is possible that this is a driver error). Finally you could try returning it to the store to either get a replacement version or a different model altogether (if the problem is with drivers it could be specific to your computer and changing the model would be the only fix).

There are several reasons why its extremely unlikely that you are being hacked. Firstly its very doubtful that if you were hacked that the hacker would disconnect you from the network as their goals usually involve doing malicious things with or to your computer. Secondly three have a NAT'd network which makes it very hard for an external hacker to reach you. There are several more reasons I can think of, but hopefully I've convinced you that you are not being hacked by now. (Unless I'm the hacker and I'm trying to throw you off my tracks :P )

Nice answer Knasher, very well put and explained. seensensee stop scaring yourself lol Your not being hacked man not a hope at all, it would be so hard to do like it be out of most peoples ability(that is if its even at all possible).

Edit: I jst saw you other post. All these talk about ROUTERS, they broadcast out so you can use wifi. Yes that can be hacked and remotely changed, I have done it to see how hard it is. Your dongle is sending encrypted info from your pc straight to your provider. They dont broadcast out any ssid or anything for a hacker to even to see or know that you have one. The only way that I know to get you dongle info that you sending and it costs a few grand and you need an engineering degree and like 20 people.

jor el · 16-08-2010 12:49PM

There's nothing to hack on a mobile modem. Any hacking will be done directly on your computer, not on the modem. In your case, it's vastly more likely to be a computer, usb port, software or modem issue causing the disconnect, rather than a hack.

It was also fairly silly of that guy to post all the information you need to hack the router on his blog.

seensensee · 16-08-2010 12:55PM

Thanks for the replies everyone, finally I am convinced.

Doylers · 16-08-2010 01:00PM

seensensee wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone, finally I am convinced.

Thank god

seensensee · 18-09-2010 05:02PM

So at last I am certain of what the issue is. It happens to be Audacity the music processor. The rumours are true.

watty · 18-09-2010 07:49PM

Explain.

Audacity is a leading free audio editor. Downloaded from Source Forge, it does exactly what it claims. I've used it for years with no probelms.

I can't see how that is anything to do with your 3 Mobile.

seensensee · 18-09-2010 10:28PM

Correct, it's not a 3.ie problem. I thought it best to list what certainly appears to be the problem, it just so happens that when Audacity goes into "autocontrol" then at that point 3.ie cuts out and is unresponsive to keyboard input.
The reason I mention it here in this thread is so people get a clear picture of related issues and that may help them resolve what looks like a 3.ie problem but is in fact something else.
I considered that other folk would have similar problems and I might have learned more on the issue.

watty · 18-09-2010 11:03PM

It *IS* a 3 Problem as I have 100Mbps network on one PC and 1Gbps network on another that run Audacity.

Try different software for your modem, or a router from the list in this forum.

3= Poor Product that isn't broadband and doesn't do what it claims
Audacity = good product that does what it claims and is free.

seensensee · 18-09-2010 11:54PM

watty wrote: »

It *IS* a 3 Problem as I have 100Mbps network on one PC and 1Gbps network on another that run Audacity.

Try different software for your modem, or a router from the list in this forum.

3= Poor Product that isn't broadband and doesn't do what it claims
Audacity = good product that does what it claims and is free.

Fair comment watty however if you were witness to what goes on at this computer it would raise at least one of your eyebrows for sure, you see when anomalies begin ( usually after 12-15 hours since last audacity sampling session ) the initial signs are that logos have disappeared from the audacity document icons. Now we can hardly put that down to "3.ie", eh?

jor el · 19-09-2010 01:45PM

seensensee wrote: »

So at last I am certain of what the issue is. It happens to be Audacity the music processor. The rumours are true. Sly fuckers.

Considering it's only a few weeks ago that you were certain it was your modem that had been hacked via a back-door (none of which is possible), then I would suggest that maybe you're not right on this occasion either.

If the problem is still the same as you originally said, the modem disconnects, then the problem is with the computer, the modem, or the modem software. Hackers and an audio processing suite, are the least likely culprit.

Go here, and see how vulnerable your computer really is.

Doylers · 19-09-2010 02:28PM

watty wrote: »

3= Poor Product that isn't broadband and doesn't do what it claims
Audacity = good product that does what it claims and is free.

Amen to that. What a crap company.

Have you bothered at all the get a new modem from three?? Your never gonna figure it out until you go thought each possible cause one at a time. So:

1. Get a new modem.
2. Remove the audacity program and reinstall it.
3. Remove and reinstall any three software.

See how it works then.

watty · 19-09-2010 09:09PM

seensensee wrote: »

Fair comment watty however if you were witness to what goes on at this computer it would raise at least one of your eyebrows for sure, you see when anomalies begin ( usually after 12-15 hours since last audacity sampling session ) the initial signs are that logos have disappeared from the audacity document icons. Now we can hardly put that down to "3.ie", eh?

Research malware.

Note that all the Computers I have "cleaned" over the past 14 years all had Antivirus SW installed.
See also http://www.techtir.ie/blog/watty/waledac for links to two of the most useful diagnostic tools

Your issues are likely nothing to do with 3.ie or Audacity.

seensensee · 19-09-2010 09:40PM

*clicked the link* oh... you have an idea:o Thanks for the feedback, pm on the way. Cheers.

Amalgam · 19-09-2010 11:30PM

It is not always a high tech issue. There can be some very very low tech reasons why you're getting the red cross, seemingly still connected.

An unsuitable USB cable, an unsuitable USB port (not enough power supplied), overheating.. all can lead to the dongle having.. for want of a better word, having a 'turn'.

I have had this problem myself, usually from disconnecting and attempting to reconnect again, very quickly.

3.ie broadband, hacked or cracked ?

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