Steve Maskery computer problem

[CHJ]

Steve, you say your Sites are hosted on the same servers as UKW, were you doing any admin work on your sites just before you were locked out, has your server host blocked your IP because of multiple failed log in attempts or password failures associated with your web sites.

If that is the case then you need to contact your site host to release your IP from Block.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes I was. I have tried to contact Charley...

 

[mseries]

NVM is talking out of his aris, connecting with ethernet will do nothing except remove WiFi from the setup and WiFi ISN'T the issue here

 

[Steve Maskery]

I think the point is that connecting as a modem rather than a router will not allow wifi and will also initiate a new IP address.

 

[CHJ]

I think you are allocated a static IP address by Virgin, hence why they change you occasionally to another IP, I don't think you will be able to get dynamic home IP addresses.

 

[RogerS]

There you go, Steve. In the words of Monty Python...

"You've been a very, very naughty boy"

 

[CHJ]

More likely it's not Steve, but someone generating e-mail spam with his credentials.

The SORBS (Spam and Open Relay Blocking System), owned and operated by Proofpoint, Inc., provides free access to its DNS-based Block List (DNSBL) to effectively block email from more than 12 million host servers known to disseminate spam, phishing attacks and other forms of malicious email. The list typically includes email servers suspected of sending or relaying spam, servers that have been hacked and hijacked, and those with Trojan infestations. In an attempt to provide preemptive protection, SORBS also lists servers with dynamically allocated IP addresses.

 

[RogerS]

More likely it's not Steve, but someone generating e-mail spam with his credentials.

Very true. It has happened before.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Terrific. Now what?

 

[CHJ]

One thing that regularly triggers such are mail shots with high numbers of recipients or CC addresses listed.

If some kind sole fires up a circulating mail shot with 40+ addresses on it to their circle of 'friends' that ends up on a recipients computer with a mail address harvesting Trojan in place, all of a sudden your e-mail/server IP can become personal none grata. .

 

[CHJ]

Terrific. Now what?

Get Virgin to change your IP.

 

[CHJ]

By the way, assume your router has a very secure password and not on default, or you have not let your Wi Fi password slip out of the house?

Not some local script kiddie piggy-backing on your house/workshop systems by any chance.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I can't remember my random-string passwords, so I don't see how anyone else could easily stumble upon them.

Just been on to V again. Bronwyn this time, so the language was a bit easier. She went to 2nd-line support, but the answer was the same. Wait until Sunday.

She reckons that the blacklisting site probably updated its DNS servers and that caused this to happen. I have no idea how that works but heigh-ho.
Thank you all for your help, it's much appreciated.

 

[defsdoor]

If Steve's IP has been blacklisted it can only be because something has originated from his IP address that has cause the blacklisting.

Someone knowing his credentials won't get his current IP address blacklisted unless they know the credentials to his home router or PC and they are routing or originating something via it.

If they know your email username/password it will be your mail server that will be blacklisted - not your home IP.

There are 2 main causes of being blacklisted -

Either you are originating SPAM from your home IP address (most likely cause being a virus/trojan)

Or you have a trojan that has called home and hit a honey trap. The honey trap will blacklist you immediately.

It /could/ be that someone with an IP address close to yours has resulted in a wider subnet being blacklisted and you've been caught up in that - but I don't think this is likely - most blacklisting is on single IP addresses.

Another possibility could be that you have recently changed IP address - and the blacklisting occurred with the previous owner.

Virgin do not change IP addresses every month. Your home router (super hub ?) requests an IP address - asking initially for the one it currently has. If it's still free the virgin dhcp server will probably give you it - but sometimes they don't. Simply turning off your router and turning it back on /can/ get you a different IP address - the router will just ask for any address and Virgin will allocate from the available pool - but they may give you the same IP address again (this depends solely on whether they gave it someone else in the meantime)

I'd look at your running processes and make sure you don't have something nasty on your PC.

 

[CHJ]

Well I can't remember my random-string passwords, so I don't see how anyone else could easily stumble upon them.

.

Any broadcasting going on to/from your workshop that someone could log into? can't remember how you wired that up.

You posted 475 times to UKW on your last IP so it had been allocated some time.

 

[DiscoStu]

Steve check to see if you have been black listed here:

https://www.spamhaus.org/lookup/

If you have then make sure there is nothing on your network generating spam before requesting unblocking. If you say you're clear and you're not then they don't like to unblock quickly a second time round.

I'm not sure what you have on your network but it would be worth running a anti virus and adware scan before getting unlisted.


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[RogerS]

Terrific. Now what?

Register with SORBS and ask them to whitelist your IP.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Whoo-hoo!
There am I, doing nothing at all. when my Mac goes Ping. I have 46 emails, 2 of which are useful, and I can get to UKW and my own site again.

I have no idea how this hapens, but I'm glad it appears to be over.

 

[DiscoStu]

Hopefully it will be over but if there is something on your network generating spam then you'll get blacklisted again. Best to run an adware and virus scan on any machines on your network. Good to hear you're back though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Steve Maskery]

My "network" as you so generously call it, consists of a 6-yr-old iMac, a wireless router and a Smartphone
C'est tout.
I do have another couple of bits of hardware, but they don't talk to each other at the mo. But they did once and I hope they will do again one day.