on December 30, 2011 by Wolf in Internet Scams, Tech Security, Comments (8)
Comcast Search Hijacking
Comcast uses a system they call “Domain Helpers” DNS name servers, and the main thing they do besides match domain name URIs with IP addresses is hijack your search function if you type a domain name incorrectly in your address bar. Comcast has a nice DNS site that explains it all When you do that, the page comes up as a Comcast search engine rather than whatever you made your default search engine. It doesn’t matter if you are using Firefox, Internet Explorer or any other browser and it is operating-system independent. If you are using Comcast’s standard DHCP connection, these hijacking servers are what you are routed to.
Comcast lists their “Domain Helper” DNS addresses at http://dns.comcast.net/dns-ip-addresses.php. On this page they say they are phasing out “Domain Helper” DNS by march of 2011, which they didn’t do. Search, or more specifically, search ads make money. Ask Google or Microsoft.
They have a link to a page that shows DNS servers for people who want to “Opt Out,” or in other words, people who do not want their search function hijacked at http://dns.comcast.net/dns-ip-addresses2.php
I changed my DNS servers to the closest “Opt Out” servers, and enjoyed hijack-free Internet for a couple of days. Today the Internet went out in a funny way. Things I could access using their IP addresses were unreachable by domain name. I called Comcast support, and they said they would be happy to do “Signature Service” for a monthly 19.95 charge. I said I would have to think about it.
I went in and changed the DNS servers back to the Hijacker servers, and the Internet was working perfectly. They had disabled access to their own non-hijacking servers.
Tags: comcast scam
anon
January 9, 2012 @ 11:20 pm
time to use ssh tunnel and vpns
Wolf
January 14, 2012 @ 11:14 am
One piece of good news that came through after I wrote the post is that the standard DNS servers have stopped hijacking my search function. I haven’t seen a comcast search page since Wednesday 1/11/2012.
John Bauer
January 26, 2012 @ 2:15 pm
It’s a shame that this is happening but not surprising. There are too many loopholes in the computer world. I’m glad you were on top ot it.
Adam @ Las Vegas Computer Repair
March 30, 2012 @ 2:29 am
I’m pretty sure Cox has been doing this same stuff for years. They are the best in town though so not much I can do… =[
Wolf
April 6, 2012 @ 9:57 pm
Monopolies suck. There is generally one cable provider for any area, even in places like Las Vegas or Atlanta.
Richard at comcastbills
October 1, 2012 @ 2:18 am
Interesting post. My understanding is that they have stopped doing this recentley but it may still be happening in some areas, especially those with little or no competition. Unfortunately, this is fairly typical of Comcast and the fact that they may be purposley blocking access to opt out facilities is borderline criminal. Good luck in your quest for a fair and reasonable service.
John Forrest
January 20, 2013 @ 2:06 pm
I have recently moved from the UK and have had different problems with Comcast, although in the UK we have the same types of problems with these global companies
Dave
January 20, 2013 @ 11:40 pm
I can unhappily report that it’s still happening here in Chicago’s north suburbs, and it’s frustrating in the extreme. It’s incredibly unethical to force me to opt out of something I never opted into. In many other areas of our digital life (spam, anyone?), it’s downright illegal. But this is just fine…why?