cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Quote from: mcoops82
Can I unclench my [Censored] now?

Probably not, because something like this happening on your connection is triggering the Plusnet "Broadband Firewall" to be applied.
You need to ensure that your router isn't compromised, otherwise anything on your home network could be invisibly redirected to spoofed websites.
Cry
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Looking here - your modem is vulnerable and doesn't appear to be patched
http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/viewAlert.x?alertId=33185
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Quote from: mcoops82
I had some fairly major issues with my master socket when I took the faceplate off.

Did you not see my PM? The whole idea was to not touch the master and loose sync. That aside, you can attached jpg/png/pdf's to a post rather than host them externally. To add an attachment to a post, if you didn't use the Reply button, when you've typed the message, click on Preview, then below the box you'll see the + Additional Options and Attachments..., click on the plus then Browse to where you saved the .jpg/png/pdf.
In view of all the above I hope you've now got the Plusnet Firewall turned on, despite my comment from yesterday, I would take purleigh's advice in the current circumstances and set it to High.
Quote from: Anotherone
I'd go and turn the Firewall on low setting tomorrow, and login to your router, and if you haven't got Connect/Disconnect buttons near where you enter your Broadband username and password, then rather than reboot the router (not the modem) I'd power it off for 10 minutes so that your PPP Internet session is dropped (not the sync).

I would then next make sure my virus checker was upto date and run a full detailed scan. If you haven't got Malwarebytes Free, then download it from https://www.malwarebytes.org/ and run that.
I would then download the up-to-date Firmware for both your modem and your router (appropriate to the hardware version) and flash them both EVEN if they currently have the latest version as you don't know if they've been infected.
Edit: clarification about which firmware
mcoops82
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎11-12-2014

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

@Oldjim: From the looks of it there are no updates available that address that security concern with Tp-Link TD-8817. I'm fairly sure I'm using the latest firmware for the modem, so I'm not really sure what else I could do.
Also, ipconfig /all returns:
DNS servers . . . . : 192.168.2.1
@Anotherone: I didn't unfortunately realise that I had a message from you, sorry. To be honest I don't think it would have stopped me popping the faceplate on the socket as I'd done it once before after a Plusnet tech support phone conversation that asked me to plug in to my test socket - which I obviously later discovered I did not have. I wanted to remind myself of what my socket looked like and to try to compare with some pictures I was looking at on the Kitz website. At the moment I've left the 'master' socket exactly as pictured and am using one of three 'extension' sockets, the cabling for which is indeed about 3mm and white. With any luck I'll be able to locate and snap a photo of whatever box is in the loft space tomorrow.
My antivirus software is up to date and I have recently run a full system scan which was clean.
Thanks ever so much.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

I thought that was what you would get - all it means is that the router is providing the DNS servers which should be the Plusnet ones but not if the modem has been compromised
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

If 'mcoops82' followed all the steps of the procedure detailed in Reply #50,
then the DNS could be tested for correct operation by following these instructions - How to Test for Successful OpenDNS Configuration  !
Kiss
mcoops82
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎11-12-2014

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

@purleigh: I do appreciate the step by step guide for securing my network. At first glance it looks like a headache in the making, something almost always goes wrong when I do such things leaving me without internet for the next day or so but I'll give it a go, probably early next week will be my first realistic opportunity. If anyone wants to hack me in the meantime I'll just have to add it to the list of things I should have done yesterday. Roll_eyes
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Other than scanning your PCs for viruses, all the other steps should only take ten or fifteen minutes at most !
The longest time will be spent finding and downloading the latest firmware, the rest might take a minute for each step.
Roll_eyes
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Oh blimey, just don't panic, work through it slowly, it's straight forward & in addition to purleigh's advice, as I've already said in relation to this
Quote from: mcoops82
I'm fairly sure I'm using the latest firmware for the modem, so I'm not really sure what else I could do.

Quote from: Anotherone
I would then next make sure my virus checker was upto date and run a full detailed scan. If you haven't got Malwarebytes Free, then download it from https://www.malwarebytes.org/ and run that.
I would then download the up-to-date Firmware for both your modem and your router (appropriate to the hardware version) and flash them both EVEN if they currently have the latest version as you don't know if they've been infected.

You will then need to work through purleigh's advice again to redo the settings.
Edit: clarification of which firmware
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

If you set the anti-virus scan or Malwarebytes checker running now (on every machine you have) then they would be done by the morning.
Download the router's latest firmware to your PC's hard drive tonight, and that would be a major step forward, and you would be ready to do the router update when you have a spare ten minutes.
While you are on the Asus website, also download the router's pdf handbook to your hard drive, so you can refer to it if you get stuck !
Wink
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Quote from: mcoops82
I'm fairly sure I'm using the latest firmware for the modem

@'mcoops82' - So we are all clear what is going on with the modem, can you answer the following -

  • Having looked at the TP-Link support page for the "TD-8817", there are at least eight different versions of the hardware !
    What is the exact hardware version that you have ? - Use "How to find the hardware version" to help you.

  • What version of firmware is actually running at the moment ?
    If you login to the modem's web interface, then follow the “Maintenance→Firmware” tabs, the firmware version is shown.


jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Depending on how the modem and router are configured, if the authentication, DNS, DHCP and routing is done by the router is the modem firmware relevant when investigating the vulnerabilities?
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

jelv, as the connection has clearly been vulnerable, one does not know for certain what may have been corrupted or infected, it's therefore best to work through the solutions suggested one by one to ensure that the system is protected and clean.
@mcoops82
Don't be put off by the "apparent" complexity of all this, it isn't, you've got some expert experienced advice here, just slowly work through it, one step at a time.
My only reminder at this point is when dealing with the modem ensure any resync occurs in daylight hours.
mcoops82
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Registered: ‎11-12-2014

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

Quote from: purleigh
Quote from: mcoops82
I'm fairly sure I'm using the latest firmware for the modem

@'mcoops82' - So we are all clear what is going on with the modem, can you answer the following -

  • Having looked at the TP-Link support page for the "TD-8817", there are at least eight different versions of the hardware !
    What is the exact hardware version that you have ? - Use "How to find the hardware version" to help you.

  • What version of firmware is actually running at the moment ?
    If you login to the modem's web interface, then follow the “Maintenance→Firmware” tabs, the firmware version is shown.




My modem hardware version is v7.1 so I always steered clear of the v8 firmwares on the support page. According to my modem stats page "Firmware Version 7.0.0 Build 130217 Rel.42187" so it's definitely up-to-date.
Although I take on board what Anotherone has said, which is that it could be compromised and that I should update firmware and factory reset just to be safe, I have run both Avast antivirus and Malwarebytes as requested and both reported no threats or malicious items.
I'm sure you'll tell me that this doesn't mean I'm not still vulnerable, so I will download the latest firmwares when I get a bit more time.
Anotherone
Champion
Posts: 19,107
Thanks: 457
Fixes: 21
Registered: ‎31-08-2007

Re: Plusnet Firewall won't stay off

The latest firmware appropriate to your hardware Wink