h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ok, for those of you who have been living under a rock, or just haven't noticed what's happened in the past week or so, here's what has happened.

A company called Telewest, who provide Interactive Digital TV services in the UK had been contacted to report abuse of their service. Now, unfortunately, their pulling the plug on such abuse constituted some h2g2 Researchers who accessed h2g2 via Telewest's Set Top Box being 'locked out'. At least, from the digibox method. They have not been banned from h2g2 at all.

I was the one who contacted them. I felt it would be a good idea, to inform those who used the digibox method, that what they were doing could be seen by Telewest as theft of their service, and could result in action on Telewest's part, before I actually sent the correspondence. This was on the whole taken the wrong way, by a probable reading-too-much-into-it situation, which resulted in many a personal abuse flinging.

Now, it seems the digibox users who were complaining that they have no access to a PC were either lying (and why you'd want to, I don't know) or have good friends who use official methods - who probably see themselves as an "überl337 h@x0r" [über-elite hacker].

Outside of h2g2, on the e-mail front, interesting things have been happening. Firstly, I receive an e-mail from a Researcher who now has no access to h2g2 via their digibox, with seems to be a reply to a message I sent. The reply did not have an original message attached, and so I asked politely for the original to be forwarded to me, stating that I hadn't sent any e-mail to this person, and would like to see what they're replying to.

The result: A badly written e-mail simply saying something to the effect of 'Aren't you glad you're locked out of h2g2' - or something similar. This was apparently sent from *me*. Now, as a Web Developer (not by trade yet, but hopefully soon), I know how this could be done. All you need to do is write a script or program that can send e-mail via any SMTP (Mail Sending) server.

In every e-mail, there are pieces of 'code' called 'headers'. In these headers, resides the contents of your e-mail, who it's to, what the subject is, if there any attachments, et al, etc. Mail-sending programs can forge these headers, and pretend to be from anyone. It appears my e-mail address has been forged in the 'From: ' header, and as a result, the e-mail message thinks it's from ME.

Not only that, but they're also forging other people's e-mail addresses. Notably, they're forging a Telewest Digital TV E-mail address, which is of the format [firstname][secondname][number]@[domain].[tld] - I received one e-mail from this one account around 15 times.

Due to some little differences, I can tell where it was definitely sent by a TV E-mail account, and where it most definitely was not.

Somewhere down the line, when you send an e-mail, you have to identify yourself to an SMTP server. Such an SMTP server may contact another server, and another, until it reaches the inbox of the intended user. As this happens, the headers are added to, and the machine identifiers of all those computers involved, (clients and servers) are added into the headers. As such, the headers provide a nice history log of communication, which eventually leads back to the originating machine (Client).

After analysing the headers of e-mails I've received, I can determine they're from one user. They also happen to be a Blueyonder customer. So it wouldn't surprise me if it's someone who's lost friends via the digibox access cut. Which is sad, but it does not warrant this kind of behaviour.

This is just speculation, but I suspect that such a person is also using another script or program to attack threads and fora around h2g2 with automated spams. It goes no further to get the 'digibox people' a good name, does it?

Tut tut tut... more underhand tactics.

Well the digiboxers are realy winning me over...

It's usually best to let people embarrass themselves on their own. I think.

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wots that supposed to mean ie 'power of non digy box access thats an insensitive remark and only suggests tp me that certain pc users think they havecontrol over this site erm maybe worded that wrong but i think im right in saying it was a wrong thing to get digyboxes banned from this site my departed friends were doing no harm really dont understand how hey can be judged from their equipment they were using to access h2g2 .And now it seems if telwest recive enough letters for them to get back hun there will be a mat be charge to telepests customers well so be it it will be worth the price and i hope all my friends get back in here and soon


ill be writing constanly to telewest

I suggest that if you write *constanly* to Telewest you try to improve your style or they'll think you're an uneducated kiddie like I do.

aka- I trust the one Blueyonder email customer that is causing all that (illegal) activity has been reported both to Hootoo and Telewest?

cuddly wolf

Being that you've admitted you know who is behind all this flooding, and it's occurred under your account...do you really think anyone is prepared to listen to your opinion any longer? You've exposed yourself for what you really are.

Stop the flooding, grow up, then your opinion becomes valid again.

cl - They appear to have grown up, or lost access to e-mail right now. But if it starts up again, I'll have no option.