French ISP Offers to Block File-Sharing, Exposes Users to Attack

June 15, 2010 -

In response to the implementation of France’s “Hadopi” or three-strikes law, which targets illegal file sharers, a French ISP began offering its customers a service that would block file-sharing on their connections, but the software came with its own problems.

Orange was the ISP offering the service, for the small price of two Euros per month, and it was intended to allow users to “control the activity of computers connected to your internet line” by blocking access to an unknown series of blacklisted sites and addresses.

Unfortunately though, according to Torrent Freak, the Windows-only software, as detailed by a techie named Bluetouff, communicated with a public server that still had the default username and password of admin/admin. Oops.

Torrent Freak that it was:

... informed that people have accessed the server and have discovered that it’s possible to send malware to anyone using the software which makes a bit of a joke out of Orange when it claims: “The software runs in the background to ensure your safety without disrupting the important tasks that you perform”

Also, in an additional twist, the former French Minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, is now employed at orange as Executive of Communication.

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Comments

Re: French ISP Offers to Block File-Sharing, Exposes Users ...

Submitted by axiomatic on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 14:10.

How do people pull off stupid stuff like this? When I load Windows server applications I dont even use the local service account as the service account, I make a unique user for the services just so this kind of stupidity can not leveraged by a malicious user.

Sorry but this is security 101 stuff. The person who loaded this software needs to be terminated.

Re: French ISP Offers to Block File-Sharing, Exposes Users ...

Submitted by Neeneko on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 15:18.

I am not following how this would make a differnce in this case. It sounds like the sever application itself had the default username and password, so creating a unique user on the server would have no impact on the hole.

On the client side, I doubt most users are going to build a jail for a service that their ISP probably tells them to install via 'double click setup and never worry again'.

Re: French ISP Offers to Block File-Sharing, Exposes Users ...

Submitted by tallimar on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 18:42.

he said that he creates a customized account and uses that as the administrator in place of the default account, essentially replacing it.

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Wonderkarp: dont fool yourself, Technogeek. Remember Mass Effect 3? How about the ferver against Phil Fish?10/19/2014 - 10:18am

MechaTama31: None of which is the fault or responsibility of the people who are not trolling, harassing, threatening, doxxing, etc. So why is their opinion hostage to the people who are?10/19/2014 - 10:06am

Technogeek: If the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am

Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm

Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm

Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm

Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm

Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm

Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm

Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm

Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm

ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm

MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm

Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm

MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am

Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am

quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm

Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm

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