Virgin Media (UK) preparing nasty suprise?

even better, dont use an isp at all. i havent used an isp since 2005. All my connections are made via a modified IP/TCP protocol that doesnt require look ups. Its the way forward for annonymity. Ditch you ISP now and make a stand.

reply to post by MatungaMassala


I am curious, how do you physically connect to any network without going via a provider? Presumably you must be using some kind of physical connection...

reply to post by stumason


You were fortunate then, a considerable number of people were, and still are affected.

In answer to your question:
:~$ ping -c 5 www.abovetopsecret.com
PING www.abovetopsecret.com (67.228.0.162) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 67.228.0.162-static.reverse.softlayer.com (67.228.0.162): icmp_req=1 ttl=54 time=138 ms
64 bytes from 67.228.0.162-static.reverse.softlayer.com (67.228.0.162): icmp_req=2 ttl=54 time=141 ms
64 bytes from 67.228.0.162-static.reverse.softlayer.com (67.228.0.162): icmp_req=3 ttl=54 time=138 ms
64 bytes from 67.228.0.162-static.reverse.softlayer.com (67.228.0.162): icmp_req=4 ttl=54 time=141 ms
64 bytes from 67.228.0.162-static.reverse.softlayer.com (67.228.0.162): icmp_req=5 ttl=54 time=140 ms

The linux ping command, if given a domain name, resolves it to the ip address, then pings the ip address. So you could say "both". 0% packet loss, traceroutes fine, but totally unreachable vita http until I turn the vpn back on.

I have a pseudo physical connection. I decided I did not need an ISP. Why would I want all my confidential information to pass through some controlling body's computer? that would be insane.

reply to post by stumason


You can actually be your own provider. You just need a leased line to an IX (Internet exchange), and to negotiate peerage within that IX. Very very expensive.

Originally posted by BMorris
reply to post by stumason

 

You can actually be your own provider. You just need a leased line to an IX (Internet exchange), and to negotiate peerage within that IX. Very very expensive.

freedom like anything, has its price.

reply to post by BMorris


Pretty much what I expected.... Not really total independence then, is it? You still rely on a telco to give you that physical connection and if that is the case, you can be snooped.

I don't see why I would want to pay business rates for a dedicated line to an "IX" (i have never heard anyone use that term by the way..) just to feel warm and fuzzy inside about GCHQ not watching my disturbing porn habit.

reply to post by MatungaMassala


What the hell is a "pseudo-physical" connection? You are giving vague, non descript answers. Let's assume I am not an idiot and know what your talking about.

reply to post by BMorris


I remember a problem I had a Virgin (then NTL) some years back which was quite similiar.

I could ping either the domain or IP address separately perfectly fine, but when trying via http in my browser, nothing. I got 404'd all the way. Turned out to be a problem on on NTL's DNS, apparently.

But, I happen to know that Virgin are cowboys when it comes to network maintenance. Not only did I used to work for them back in the NTL days, but I also have to deal with in my current role. They make BT look like professionals sometimes and that is saying something.

Originally posted by MatungaMassala

Originally posted by BMorris
reply to post by stumason

 

You can actually be your own provider. You just need a leased line to an IX (Internet exchange), and to negotiate peerage within that IX. Very very expensive.

freedom like anything, has its price.

A price that only a minority can pay. But I guess you like to brag about how rich you are.
And even with your "own isp" you still have your traffic routed through nodes that do indeed track you.

Originally posted by stumason
It is worth noting that your theory of them installing snooping devices (which is bollocks anyway) is blown out the water, seeing as Virgin themselves issued a statement advising on a workaround.

Why would they advise on a workaround if they were "installing" equipment for snooping? You actually show a limited understanding of how networks operate to think that such an installation would even be visible to the end user.

Virgin Media

Actually it is not bollocks, the T1 backbone virgins communications are carried on, is routed to give GCHQ access to anyones info they like, i have also seen virgin ip addresses being given an adjoiner ip address belonging to us .mil blocks so as all your traffic is being directly routed to them.

I live in wales, my daughter works for virgin media, my cousin maintained a 20million pound IT contract for the NHS on the virgin media network.
Believe me, you know nothing, and, i don't mean to sound arsey, some of the stuff i have got to know about has made me very aware everything we do is monitored, real time, by a massive mainframe, echelon is but the facade of this beast.

How very funny, within a minute of me posting this, someone has just breached my firewall.

is there a thread here on ATS that discusses why there seems to be alot of initial posts, that want a person to reveal how one feels about what policies a particular government, or agency within that government, has affected them or others? also, the questioning of what actions need to be taken in order to change what's wrong?

i feel sometimes that i am being "mined and cataloged" for future reference, and i have noticed that i have been self-censoring my own words because of that feeling. of course, i've always assumed a little paranoia, is not neccessarily a bad thing

Originally posted by The X

Originally posted by stumason
It is worth noting that your theory of them installing snooping devices (which is bollocks anyway) is blown out the water, seeing as Virgin themselves issued a statement advising on a workaround.

Why would they advise on a workaround if they were "installing" equipment for snooping? You actually show a limited understanding of how networks operate to think that such an installation would even be visible to the end user.

Virgin Media

Actually it is not bollocks, the T1 backbone virgins communications are carried on, is routed to give GCHQ access to anyones info they like, i have also seen virgin ip addresses being given an adjoiner ip address belonging to us .mil blocks so as all your traffic is being directly routed to them.

I live in wales, my daughter works for virgin media, my cousin maintained a 20million pound IT contract for the NHS on the virgin media network.
Believe me, you know nothing, and, i don't mean to sound arsey, some of the stuff i have got to know about has made me very aware everything we do is monitored, real time, by a massive mainframe, echelon is but the facade of this beast.

How very funny, within a minute of me posting this, someone has just breached my firewall.

edit on 27-5-2012 by The X because: (no reason given)

For a start a T1 is not a backbone, it is far too small - 1.5Mbps is hardly going to feed a street, never mind the whole virgin network.

Anybody can snoop in on your internet, they don't have to be government, I'm afraid its the price you pay when you connect your computer up to a public network.

reply to post by The X




I know "nothing", yet you say a T1 backbone?

First off mate, T1 is a SONET standard, used in North America, not SDH which we use here in the UK and Europe. A T1 in SONET is equivalent to a VC-12 in SDH, but they do have different data rates (1.5Mbps compared to 2.04Mbps).

Secondly, a VC-12 is not a "backbone". On our network, which is much larger than Virgins, we have DWDm backbones which have multiple 10Gbps channels. That is a backbone, not a piddly 2 meg. I happen to know Virgin use DWDM for their core network as well. From the cab in the street, it's usually a mux of the TN-1X or 4X Nortel varieties which actually use either an STM-1 (155Mbps) or STM-4 (622Mbps) connection into the Core ring. Of course, you knew that didn't you....

Your credibility is questionable, even if I don't disbelieve that all Telco's in the UK will have a connection to GCHQ. What I was saying was bollocks was the need to install physical equipment to monitor traffic, when they can just quite easily do it remotely with software. They don't need a big box marked "Secret Squirrel" in an exchange.

You know people who work in telecoms, but I actually do. I have 12 years experience, I am professionally qualified and I have worked at Nortel, NTL, Telewest, Energis and now C&WW (soon to be Vodafone).

Move to Canada. lol

Seriously, this is probably just a fault with new hardware, nothing more.

Happens all the time at ISPs, more often than u think.

Originally posted by MatungaMassala
even better, dont use an isp at all. i havent used an isp since 2005. All my connections are made via a modified IP/TCP protocol that doesnt require look ups. Its the way forward for annonymity. Ditch you ISP now and make a stand.

So if you're not using your ISP at all, how do u connect online in order to modify the lookup?

Are you actually just saying you don't use you're ISP's DNS ?

reply to post by babybunnies


See, this is what I am dubious about and it is notable he hasn't come back to clarify what I asked him. He has to have a physical connection, be it a broadband or dial-up, to "a network" to get any kind of access, which then raises further questions on how one can be "free from ISP's"....

Originally posted by MatungaMassala
I have a pseudo physical connection. I decided I did not need an ISP. Why would I want all my confidential information to pass through some controlling body's computer? that would be insane.

Regardless of how u connect, you will ALWAYS eventually be going through an ISP.

It's impossible to connect to the inet without going through someone's ISP.

Originally posted by stumason
reply to post by babybunnies

 

See, this is what I am dubious about and it is notable he hasn't come back to clarify what I asked him. He has to have a physical connection, be it a broadband or dial-up, to "a network" to get any kind of access, which then raises further questions on how one can be "free from ISP's"....

This was my point. Regardless of how anyone connects (be it through someone else's unsecured wifi, etc) you're still connecting through an ISP eventually.