Weird Problem With Answerbank And Sky Broadband

[joko]

my boyfriend has sky broadband - but everytime i use answerbank there, its fine for a while - then i get an error message.

the page goes pink with -


401 unauthorised
authorisation required

micro httpd

-written in the top left corner. The 'micro httpd' is a link to this page - http://www.acme.com/software/micro_httpd/

then a box comes up saying
- authorisation required for www.theanswerbank.co.uk, the site says 'sky broadband'

and it asks for my password and username
but wont let me back on the site

when im back home its fine again

what is this? why is sky doing this?

or is it a scam of some sort

i havent put my pw in of course

thanks

[pixie373]

I have Answerbank with Sky Broadband and don't have any problems with it, so I'm not sure. Are you connected properly to his router?

[EvianBaby]

Ditto Pixie.

[joko]

i seem to be - every other site is fine ... and AB is at first too

i have been using this for years and never had a problem

very odd

[Hypognosis]

I looked at that website. Micro httpd is a piece of software which you download and install on your home computer.

So, whether he knows it or not (eg he bought the computer second hand and didn't do a 'clean install' of Windows, your boyfriend's computer is running a web server program. This allows users on the internet to access files on his machine.

This is highly unusual. It's almost as bad as having a security flaw like a Trojan or 'back door' on his system. He might have some perfectly innocent hobby which involves sharing documents, photos or data files with fellow hobbyists but, these days, people share things over Fakebook or similar.

I would seriously suggest you contact the Police to ask about this before you challenge your b/f about it but then you know things about him we cannot and I just happen to have a suspicious mind.

And, just for the sake of clarity, I think this software is absolutely nothing to to with Sky Broadband. The Micro httpd website looks like some throwback from the 1990s. It is software that you have to choose to download and install for yourself.

[joko]

thanks hypo - but this is my laptop - my boyfriend doesn't own a computer and wouldn't know how to to use one even if he did.

i certainly haven't installed anything on my machine - not to my knowledge anyway.

what would the software be? i have looked in the installed programs but i cant see anything i do not recognise - except openAL - but i think thats for the graphics card isnt it?

what would the police be interested in here?

[Hypognosis]

Well, now I'm confused.

Why does your boyfriend have a Sky Broadband subscription but no computer? Wouldn't it be cheaper to for the TV-only option? (Excuse my ignorance about this aspect).

Returning to topic, I was able to glean from the httpd website that it is a piece of software which helps you set up a home computer to act as an internet webpage server.

I see two possible motivations for a home-brewed website - 1. To make money selling goods or providing a service; 2 - out of the goodness of one's heart you want to provide a service or information or downloads for free.

Either way, you will get a lot of incoming traffic on your internet connection. Also, to provide a good service to customers, you want to avoid other uses of the connection which would make it slow down. One of the selling points of the s/w is described as a 'throttling feature' whereby the user can specify a list of network users or external websites and a restriction on how much load they can place on the phone connection.

I was thinking this might explain why you get a bit of AB usage but then it blocks you and asks for authorisation bu tonly when you are using his internet connection. All the advert graphics on each page add up to a considerable amount of data transfer, potentially slowing down his connection.

However, if - as you said - he has no computer*, then all the above is complete jibberish.**

* or any computing device which could include smartphone, tablet, games console or anything else where a BB connection would be required.

** or, while visiting his house/flat, you could actually be tapping into an unsecured wireless network being run by one of his neighbours, in which case all the security warnings about using your laptop in a cafe or airport apply.

[joko]

thanks

the broadband is for his flatmate and upstairs neighbour - and i use it when i'm there.
i only mentioned it to show it wasn't my own home one.

i spoke to them both and neither have any problems with their computers - one i know wouldn't have a clue though about things like that and only uses the laptop for browsing and watching videos etc

the other one is good at computers - a web designer, and very savvy - he said he knew nothing about it, but would like to have a look next time i am at the flat so he can track its source.

maybe its something he has done but didn't realise it would affect me -he is my bf's friend, which is how he got his flat so i don't think he would deliberately try to hack me or anything, but i suspect something he has allowed to his machine is looking at all machines on the network

the other page that came up was a sky broadband page - properly laid out like a modern webpage - though the url was still answerbank - which is why i couldn't paste it here - i cannot access it at home as obviously it just goes to AB.
but on it was listed my computer name, my phone, and the guy upstairs laptop, so it was definitely detecting through the connection.

he may well have his own website to sell things - i don't know - but why would he use this? why not just a normal selling site?

would it be for selling dodgy stuff or something?

cheers

[joko]

i have wiped my machine today - i had been planning to anyway but this just hurried me up.

if this is someone accessing my machine through the connection - how can i stop them?
everything will be the same there so they can probably just get in again.
we have a password for access of course.

i have avg internet suite - the paid for version, and malwarebytes - i ran both and both were clean.

cheers

[Hypognosis]

Hi joko,

I think it's less a case of accessing your machine as that the flatmate is trying to watch TV programs or movies online and associated those annoying loading pauses with your visits to the flat. I am guessing that they sought out this software as a way to limit your access to your favourite sites which they believed to be slowing down their connection.

Nevertheless, if the connection at the flat isn't secured with a password (which the flatmate chooses and reveals to you), then that is still an issue needing to be addressed. It would be possible for someone in the street to access your laptop AND the flatmate's computer and personal information could be compromised. Or (far more likely) they'll just tap into his internet connection and use it to surf for free.