Fivenet injecting ads into webpages

[cyanide]

This seems to have started recently.

Fivenet seems to be injecting a small javascript code into random webpages to show floating horizontal ads (468x60) usually on the bottom left or right. I checked the page source, the script is being loaded from the IP 202.177.240.202 which is a Fivenet IP. The script loads another script which has the actual code for positioning and floating. http://202.177.240.202/float.js

The ads are loaded from multiple sources. The last one was from
http://ad.adserverplus.com/st?ad_type=ad&ad_size=468x60&section=2565550

Here is the actual code being injected into random html pages:

When I called Fivenet to speak to a Network administrator/engineer, the joker on the line told me that they don't employ any network engineers or administrators. Then told me to contact my local cable operator who would co-ordinate with them and sort the matter out. My cable operator is a nice guy, so I will probably not have a problem sorting the matter out if Fivenet actually accepts that they are resorting to such bullshit.

Regardless, thought I'd inform you guys that Fivenet bastards are doing something so cheap. Honestly, I've lost all faith in them and feel that they are probably also logging all my traffic and/or requests and will sell everything off to an advertiser for free, without my consent. Secondly, I do not trust their staff to even keep this information safe, so IF they do get attacked for whatever reason, all the info will be in the hands of a completely irrelevant third-party who will have fun with your information. I'm sure he'll still thank Fivenet for their stupidity and greed.

At this point, I'll try and put the offending IP in my hosts file and see if it changes anything. If it doesn't, you have been informed. Talk to your cable operator or Fivenet and fight over this. I am already.

Cheers.

edited for myr

 

[kickass]

ya i noticed it yesterday. weird ads popped up on some pages and when u scroll the ad moves along the page blocking the view. totally sucks. This is downright cheap method to make a few bucks.Adblock does block the ad but i still see a floating rectangle.

 

[Sushubh]

host file should work just fine.

 

[cyanide]

Just blocked the IP through IPTables on my router. Have multiple devices in my home, so hosts file will be impractical for me. Bastards.For anyone who is still using Fivenet DNS servers, I'd recommend switching to something else for their DNS requests. Either OpenDNS or Google will work fine. 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220 for OpenDNS.They also tunnel all http traffic through a transparent Squid proxy. Am using an SSH tunnel through one of my VPS so as to not let them sniff any traffic. DNS requests also forwarded through the SSH tunnel.**** you Fivenet.

 

[naveen_reloaded]

This is kind of DNS hijacking right ? I think this type of things are illegal.

 

[cyanide]

Not DNS hijacking. Deep packet inspection. And yes, illegal. Even website owners can sue for copyright violation for displaying ads into their content and making money off it.

 

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[Sushubh]

Welcome to Envisage Media

here is a company that deals in offering such solutions.

 

[naveen_reloaded]

Not DNS hijacking. Deep packet inspection. And yes, illegal. Even website owners can sue for copyright violation for displaying ads into their content and making money off it.

CMIIW , but deep packet inspection is just a scanning method for shaping traffic , how does that inject scripts into webpages .. I am just curious ,thats all.

 

[kickass]

If they are doing a DPI they they would simply find a HTTP GET request in a packet and inject the required javascript code and forward the packet to u.

 

[cyanide]

That is exactly what they are doing. Any form of injected advertising is still deep packet inspection.Please call Fivenet and complain regarding this. Most clueless users will consider this a regular ad and ignore it. Do not do that. You are paying for your Internet, there is no reason for them to show any advertising to a paying customer. This is a slippery slope and will only get worse if not fought.

 

[mgcarley]

Not DNS hijacking. Deep packet inspection. And yes, illegal. Even website owners can sue for copyright violation for displaying ads into their content and making money off it.

1. It's neither. It's contextual content advertising, similar to that which has been used on this and other websites and also several firefox extensions.

2. It's not illegal, sadly. It may be unethical, but it may even be in your contract that they're allowed to do things like this (it doesn't have to say it specifically, but there may be a clause there that allows them to change content where necessary or something)... if it's not, then they may be in violation.

3. Website owners can't sue for copyright violation - the content is still on their own website. It's not being scraped and displayed elsewhere.

4. This "displaying ads for revenue generation" is nothing new - some ISPs in the UK, USA and New Zealand have (at various stages in the past 10-12 years) used very similar methods so that they can offer super-cheap or even free service (as 2 ISPs in NZ did). Some also inject an ad via a redirect prior to letting you visit the actual page.

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That is exactly what they are doing. Any form of injected advertising is still deep packet inspection.

Please call Fivenet and complain regarding this. Most clueless users will consider this a regular ad and ignore it. Do not do that. You are paying for your Internet, there is no reason for them to show any advertising to a paying customer. This is a slippery slope and will only get worse if not fought.

I suggest voting with your wallet first, and then tell them why - otherwise you're spending YOUR money calling their support line, they're still getting your monthly fee, and the tech support guy may even just flap his hands in the air with that yap-yap-yap motion as he "listens" to you talk

 

[kickass]

^ voting with our wallets is not feasible since we aren't exactly spoilt for choice !!the only way out of this is to go through a VPN.updating the Iptables will only block the ads frm being displayed. It won't prevent those idiost from snooping through the data.I m hoping Hayai won't stoop to such antics. I m ready to kick fivenet out if u provide me a connection this month end

 

[cyanide]

It is not contextual advertising. A simple piece of javascript is being injected into random pages. I assume contextual adversiting means that they are looking through the content and showing ads relevant to it. It is not so.I did not sign any contract. Funny as it may be. And I've already paid for a full year, so there's not a lot I can do not. Fighting and making noise is my only option.If nothing works out, I'll write to TRAI and see what they can do. I am still of the opinion that TRAI will take a dim view of these antics and ask them to remove it completely.Even India had a free ISP quite a while back where they made money off advertising. Don't know what happened to them.

 

[Sushubh]

well contextual advertising can be managed by the code itself. that is not the question here. complaining to trai is a valid next step. this is bullcrap considering you are PAYING for the service. IT IS NOT SUBSIDIZED>

 

[kickass]

well contextual advertising can be managed by the code itself. that is not the question here.

complaining to trai is a valid next step. this is bullcrap considering you are PAYING for the service. IT IS NOT SUBSIDIZED>
Apparently the UK govt considers it legal and allows firm to carry on such operations.