Category: Net Neutrality

ThePirateBay might be blocked in the US

Paul

I was looking around on Google and thought I just for giggles check out the Piratebay complaints. I tried going to the site and here’s what Popups:

notauthorized

[ad#ad2-right]I tried on OpenVPN and my Local ISP, It keeps saying that. I then tried on my Cricket Modem and it tells me the connection has been interrupted, like something stops the connection in the first place. I can ping it and I can Tracert the Site but I can’t even view it. I would like to know if Anyone else is having this problem also. Although I’ve not checked Thepiratebay.org complaints for quite some time because I’ve been so busy with my website. If you want to watch your favorite shows check out these sites like Hulu, CBS, NBC, ABC, ABC FAMILY and TNT.TV for free. I am just curious as to what happened and does this have anything to do with Net Neutrality?   Anyway I wanted to talk about this and see what people are saying.  Anyone know what is going on?  Let’s talk about this and help everyone by saying what you know.   I don’t know if Thepiratebay.org is down but I do wonder if someone is preventing people from getting to the website.   I’ll update when I have more information.

10 ways to keep your wireless router secure!!

Paul2 Replies

I have been doing quite a few router reworks. I’ve got a wireless G router from my DSL provider and Have had problems with someone in my neighborhood trying to get onto my router. They were trying everything. I wanted to give you some suggestions that would help you keep your secure and have some piece of mind!!

  1. Turn off Signal Identification (What your router name is)– By turning of the signal so no one can see the broadcast name will greatly make it harder for anyone to get onto your router.

  2. Change your router identification – Creating a unique router identification will also make it harder for anyone to guess router identification. Keep the identification something that is unidentifiable to the location where you live.

  3. USE WPA and not WEP – WEP has been cracked so if at all possible use WPA encryption and that too will make it harder for an unwanted guest.

  4. Use a Random Password Generator (Roboform an generate secure random passwords) [“Use one these promo codes to get it cheaper”] – By using a random password you prevent hackers from guessing the Network password of your WPA key.

  5. Change your Admin name account, if you can. – Some Admin accounts can be change to something else. The default admin is the most widely used one.  Change it to something ONLY you will know. You will increase your security also that way.
  6. Change the default password and Use the Random Password Generator (Roboform) [“Use one these promo codes to get it cheaper”]– Same as tip 4 but the is a must every time I get a new router or have to reset my router.

  7. If your not expecting to have a lot of laptops on the network turn on Media Access Control filter – Preventing unauthorized computers from connecting to the wireless router helps you lock down the router!!

  8. Update your BIOS – If you have a flash bios on the router update that. There may be know vulnerabilities of old routers that hackers can use to gain access.

  9. Turn Router Firewall to Medium – They say having a hardware firewall is harder for any viruses and Trojans to get in or out. It also helps to prevent hackers from gaining access to the router.

  10. Back up your configuration – Some routers let you back up your current configurations in case you need to restore the configuration if you have to reset the router. This will make it easier to restore the router to your preferred specifications.

This isn’t all you need to do but this will get your going on the right track.  If you want to check out the routers firewall.  Go to GRC Shields up and do a battery of tests on y our connection.  The more prepared you are the harder it is for a hacker/unwanted guests to get on your network.  If you have any suggestions that you want to throw my way just post a comment or go to my About me page and email me!!

Comcast traffic blocking: even more apps, groupware clients affected

Paul

Last week, we reported on mounting evidence that Comcast is targeting and disrupting BitTorrent traffic on its network. Further digging by interested parties has turned up more indication that BitTorrent isn’t the only popular P2P protocol being tampered with by the United States’ largest ISP.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation noticed the same sort of packet forging that the AP did (and that Broadband Reports readers did some time ago), and continued its testing to see if other applications are affected. The answer is a disturbing “yes.” The results of additional testing done by the EFF indicate Comcast is sending forged reset packets with some Gnutella traffic. When the EFF ran a Gnutella node on a Comcast connection, the forged reset packets disrupted communication between the nodes.

What’s particularly insidious about Comcast’s packet forging is that it’s transparent to both its customers and those on the opposite ends of the connection. Applications such as BitTorrent and Gnutella retain some of their functionality, but they’ll also appear to malfunction for no apparent reason.

Even if you accept the argument that all P2P traffic is inherently evil, and that Comcast has the right to disrupt it in order to put a stop to copyright infringement, Comcast’s traffic-shaping efforts have apparently extended beyond the realm of P2P and into good old enterprise groupware. Kevin Kanarski, who works as a Lotus Notes messaging engineer, noticed some strange behavior with Lotus Notes when hooked up to a Comcast connection last month.

Sooner later someone is going to tell Comcast they cost some one there business and have to pay for it. I don’t expect this to keep up much longer