Telkom premium combo ADSL wireless router security hole
Posted on June 27th, 2007 by Richard Catto 25,721 views
Cape Town news has discovered a security hole in Telkom’s premium combo DSL router that allows hackers to obtain a DSL account’s username and password.
This information is then used to gain Internet access, using the DSL account, and deprives victims of bandwidth they have paid for.
The premium combo DSL router has a Remote Acess feature which is disabled by default. However, this security measure is easily defeated by connecting to the router via the alternative port number.
To protect yourself from this security hole, please ensure that your router’s firewall is turned on and that your admin password has been changed to something non-trivial.
Ultimately, Telkom, is liable, I believe, for this security hole which has been widely exploited already to deny people use of the bandwidth they are paying exorbitantly for.
People who have had their bandwidth stolen in this manner, may contact me if they are interested in joining a legal suit against Telkom.
Despite my efforts to get Telkom to reinstate my bandwidth, they refuse to respond to my correspondence.
Filed under bandwidth cap, bandwidth theft, DSL, DSL secuity hole, premium combo router, Telkom, Telkom ADSL | 55 Comments »
Your Cyberdeath: your online memory after your demise
Posted on June 11th, 2007 by Richard Catto 3,981 views
How would you like to be remembered online after you die?
This past weekend, a 36 year old vivacious woman succumbed rather unexpectedly to brain cancer. Her name was Julie Walker and she lived in the leafy suburb of Pinelands, Cape Town.
For the past 12 months, Julie kept a blog on iblog.co.za under the pseudonym of Midnightfun. She lived up to her name – one can easily tell by reading her past blog entries that she was a happy warm-spirited fun person. She made many friends online, some of whom she met in person too.
I read through her blog earlier this morning with a deep sense of poignancy. I’m a sentimental person and discovering Julie for the first time only now after she is dead, made me a little sad.
One entry of hers that I came across gave the url to her profile on hotornot.com where people rate you, much like ratemybody.com. She was a very beautiful woman and she had been rated 9.6 out of 10.
I sent a note to the administrators of the site asking them to please remove her hotornot profile since she had died. I imagine that that is what she may have wanted. It seems a little disrespectful to be able to rate the looks of a now dead person.
Julie also still has a profile on at least one dating site.
Recently, a young American soldier had his dead body pulled from the Euphrates River in Baghdad, Iraq. His myspace profile received many comments from people expressing their condolences.
The question I asked myself was what of myself would I wish to persist online after my death, and what would I wish taken down.
I think I would like it most of it removed in time, but not immediately.
How about you? What do you want to persist online? Do you want it all removed, some of it removed or none of it removed?
I think it’s natural that when one dies, that your legacy eventually disappears. It’s something we should probably all add to our wills – our wishes for what happens to the data we placed online, that remains under our control.
Over the years, I have made many posts to various forums, newsgroups and blogs that are owned by others. Much of that will most likely persist indefinitely. That which I host myself, will no doubt disappear once I stop paying the hosting fees.
I know I’d like people to be told that I had perished, and not wonder whatever happened to that fellow, Richard Catto.
The people who posted death notices for Julie Walker online, did her a loving service, I believe.
Rest in peace, Julie, it is a pity I did not ever get to know you in life.
Filed under cyberdeath, Julie Walker, Midnightfun, Obituaries | 7 Comments »
Paris Hilton back in jail?
Posted on June 8th, 2007 by Richard Catto 9,296 views
God, I hate myself. I promised myself that I would NOT blog about Paris Hilton’s jail charade, and yet here I freaking am, blogging about Paris Hilton’s jail charade!!
I’ve seen this silly woman on local TV in "The Simple Life" with her equally brain-dead ex-friend, Nicole Richie, who, unsurprisingly, also faces 72 hours in jail for similar offences – multiple DUIs (driving under the influence, more than once), and my immediate thoughts were unprintable.
I’d like to say that I pondered for hours what depth of insanity possessed MNet to broadcast such an horrendous American abomination across South Africa’s airwaves, but I’d be lying.
I don’t think it takes any great leap of imagination, after watching even a single espisode of The Simple Life, to conclude that here are two young women whose most likely destination is one of jail, institution or premature death.
I’ll admit that I was somewhat dumbfounded to learn that Hilton was released (on the flimsiest of pretexts) after spending a mere 72 hours in jail. I suppose it’s fair to say that I’m both surprised and galled to discover exactly how much rich whiteys can get away with.
God, I hate them!
My message to those who don’t like celebrities is that punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice.
The problem here is that there is a medical issue and it isn’t wise to keep a person in jail with her problem over an extended period of time and let the problem get worse.
- Sheriff Lee Baca, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
I agree. It isn’t wise. Apparently, Hilton was crying herself to sleep and refusing to eat. Oh medical emergency! Dial 911! Dial 911!
Now apparently the Sheriff’s department faces a contempt of court charge because Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer had specifically ordered that Hilton not be released early or sent home with an electronic tag device.
Put them in jail. All of them.
Bru & Boegie Paris Hilton cartoon link
Filed under county jail, DUI, Michael Sauer, MNet, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, probation violation, rich whiteys, Sheriff Lee Baca, The Simple Life | 1 Comment »
Claylastic – extruders of plastic profiles and tubing
Posted on June 6th, 2007 by Richard Catto 3,793 views
Filed under Claylastic, plastic profiles and tubing | 3 Comments »
Spur advert misleads South Africans
Posted on June 6th, 2007 by Richard Catto 10,749 views
Spur Steak Ranches is advertising a “Disney Holiday Adventure” competition. To enter you must order a R40 meal at any of their restaurant franchises. You must consume the meal in the restaurant, no takeaways.
The prize, of which few details are available even on Spur’s web site, is a family holiday to Disneyland in Florida, United States.
I’m curious as to how Spur is going to solve the problem of getting a South African family into the United States.
Any overseas trip is an expensive undertaking. What exactly does Spur’s prize cover? Accommodation? Spending money? Airport transfers? Meals? How many people? Is a family represented by 2 adults and up to 2 children?
Secondly, obtaining a visa to enter the United States is extremely difficult. South Africa does not enjoy visa waiver status with the US. Even though we allow US citizens into our country without a visa, they do not reciprocate.
Obtaining a US tourist visa costs over R1000. Just calling to make an appointment for an interview with a US Consular official costs R95. The visa is $100, and there are other expenses (e.g. couriering the visa back to the applicant, photographs etc.). Will Spur be covering these costs?
In addition to the cost, the US grants tourist visas only to South Africans who can satisfy them that they intend returning to this country and they must possess enough spending money to cover the duration of their trip. Having good employment and owning fixed assets are almost basic requirements. Having family in SA is another. People of limited means are unlikely to be granted a US tourist visa.
The US also does not admit anyone who is HIV positive, so a medical exam is also required – another cost.
South Africans with a criminal record will not get a visa either.
The US Consular officers are not obliged to issue a visa, even if someone meets all the requirements. If the person does not look “right” to them, they can decline without giving reasons. Furthermore, a person with a US tourist visa may still be refused entry by custom officials at the point of entry at their discretion.
It’s easy to see that many, if not most, people entering Spur’s competition will not be able to obtain US tourist visas. They may be disqualified for any number of reasons, but most of them will fail to qualify simply because they’re too poor.
It also seems likely to me that many people who are enticed to enter Spur’s competition by ordering the R40 meal may be blissfully unaware of all these problems surrounding obtaining US tourist visas for their family.
Neither Spur’s advert nor their web site offers much information on this competition.
What alternative prize is Spur offering, if any?
By offering this prize, isn’t Spur discriminating against HIV positive persons and persons of limited means among others?
Isn’t Spur’s advert misleading because they are unable to guarantee delivery (of the advertised prize) to many who enter?
The US routinely refuses entry to South Africans, even those with visas:
Top SA judge had US visa problems
Winnie Mandela was recently denied entry to Canada
SA academic’s Professor Adam Habib denied entry
Tokyo Sexwale and Sidney Mufamadi (African National Congress Activists) were denied entry in 2003
Rasool body-searched ‘because he is Muslim’
Filed under denied entry into US, Holiday Adventure, misleading, Spur Steak Ranches | 29 Comments »
