Virgin Media Hijack customers browser search options

[PhilThomas]

Originally Posted by Broadbandings

Obviously they aren't giving the customer service people computers anymore. Like the old, old telephone exchanges they have collections of wires to link together and switches to flick.

They have upgraded now ....... this is the new Hi Tech kit, with switches

[Sir John Luke]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_redirection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_hijacking

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Stephen

Its a simple redirect VM didn't hijack anything. I tested this a couple of months ago and I can see it useful for people that mistype things. Maybe older people or less computer literate people.

That's what it was called before VM did it, it's what it will be called when other ISPs do it.

Is it somewhat emotive? Perhaps, but just because VM are doing it it neither exempts it from this description nor is a cause of it. Nothing personal to them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_hijacking

Originally Posted by Ben B

Redirected

Hijacked - there is no facility in DNS to redirect. If a domain doesn't exist you should respond with an NXDomain, end of.

Originally Posted by Jon T

They aren't hijacking anything. If you type type a URL in wrong you normally would get a failed lookup from the dns servers, instead of this happening, they are forwarding the results on to a search engine on your behalf.

See above and indeed below. Given that I believe you guys both work in IT That neither of you appear to recognise a DNS hijack when you see one is a bit confusing. Might be useful but it's still a hijack of a server higher up the DNS hierarchy's NXDomain response.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Sir John Luke

No, the DNS lookup returns 'Not found'. Instead of returning this response unchanged to the the user, it is hijacked by VM and replaced with the IP of their search page.

If its VM's own DNS servers providing the search response its not hijacking! Its a redirect, simples

As I said I was part of the testing for this and its easy enough to opt in or out of.

For some people it will be better than getting the page not found message, as it will give them a list of possible sites they might have meant.

Never worked properly for me all the time, something to do with the setup of my router.

[MeGMeG]

Originally Posted by Jon T

Thing is, there are certain family/friends of mine that would welcome this service on their ISP, mainly as their IT literacy is best described as "limited".

Agreed, but I don't like it...

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Stephen

If its VM's own DNS servers providing the search response its not hijacking! Its a redirect, simples

Do you know how DNS works?

VM query a server higher up the chain, then change the NXDomain response for their own result, that's hijacking the query and replacing the NXDomain response from a server higher up the DNS hierarchy with their own. Simples.

EDIT: Technically it's no different from you connecting to a website and me intercepting your request and giving you my own responses. I'd call that a hijacked session. If Virgin run web proxies and change things around again that would be considered as hijacking of web sessions. You must understand that Virgin's DNS is not the be all and end all of DNS in the entire world, they are getting information from elsewhere and changing it.

[MeGMeG]

Originally Posted by Stephen

For some people it will be better than getting the page not found message, as it will give them a list of possible sites they might have meant.

Totally agree, but I hate it! I like to see "Server not found".

[Sir John Luke]

Originally Posted by Stephen

For some people it will be better than getting the page not found message, as it will give them a list of possible sites they might have meant.

So why isn't it opt-in? .. and since many will have already set up something similar with a provider of THEIR choice, what right do VM have to override this?

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Sir John Luke

So why isn't it opt-in? .. and since many will have already set up something similar with a provider of THEIR choice, what right do VM have to override this?

When I was testing it, the service was opt in.

[MeGMeG]

Originally Posted by Sir John Luke

So why isn't it opt-in? .. and since many will have already set up something similar with a provider of THEIR choice, what right do VM have to override this?

Yep... I'm with you on that one too... Unless they were going to reduce my monthly bill and let customers know about it before they did it... I had no emails from Virgin Media telling me about this, no letters, nothing... Rude people they are...

---------- Post added at 19:00 ---------- Previous post was at 18:56 ----------

Originally Posted by Jon T

BTW, no need to phone up, earlier in the thread this url was posted: https://my.virginmedia.com/advancederrorsearch/settings

Thought there would be such a link, I did not read the whole thread sorry. However I like to vent my frustration or anger through my voice, you get all the emotion and passion that way...

Originally Posted by Stephen

When I was testing it, the service was opt in.

So who was the suckhole who decided to make it opt out ?
No doubt they were given a nice gold plated VM pen for the suggestion.

[Sir John Luke]

I doubt that VM ever had the slightest intention of making it 'opt-in' when it went live.

[Jon T]

Originally Posted by MeGMeG

Thought there would be such a link, I did not read the whole thread sorry. However I like to vent my frustration or anger through my voice, you get all the emotion and passion that way...

No need to apologise, it wasn't meant in a "read the whole *&^%$£ thread" way.

to BBings, Yes, technically it's a hijack and I agree. However the word hijack is by default a malicious term. I don't believe that Virgin are doing anything malicious(yet), indeed as i've posted, i think this could help certain groups of people.

[Sir John Luke]

Originally Posted by Jon T

i think this could help certain groups of people.

No doubt, but to labour the point, it should be OPT-IN

[Jon T]

Originally Posted by Sir John Luke

No doubt, but to labour the point, it should be OPT-IN

agreed