Content Screening problems

[bombinho]

Hi,

I tried to find others having similar problems with the BT Business Hub but by now it seems I am the only one with following problem. I can not access web pages that I have not manually allowed in the Content Screening.

I do get a window instead of the desired page telling me:

"Access to this Web site has been blocked. The Content Screening rating server cannot be reached to validate the appropriateness of this Web site."

The log itself states:

  csd: bad server: 0.0.0.0:0

  csd: failed to send rating request to server: generic failure (nothing else makes sense)

  csd: failed to resolve host '': Unknown resolver error

Of course I can disable the content screening temporarily but I would avoid that if possible.

Any ideas? Someone else got this problem too?

Is that possibly another faulty firmware pressed on?

[bombinho]

@Whiller123:

Well they then should have used the correct expression at BT. That is called a downgrade and not an upgrade.

@BT:

The content filter were the only way in the hub to block unwanted URLs. Removing that feature renders that

"BT Business Hub" then literally to an advanced modem. Is there any feature gonna be introduced to at least

allow URL filtering at all?

Hub affected:

Model:	BT2700HGV
Hardware Version:	2701-100589-005
Firmware Version:	6.3.9.63-plus.tm

[whiller123]

@bombinho

You are correct it is a downgrade the guy at BT business support agreed also.

He also said he was not really qualified to deal with my query & said he would have to transfer me to their “expert technical support department”  Happy days!

After being placed on hold for five minutes while he explained my issue to them, they declined the opportunity to talk to me!

They merely told him what to tell me!

As I have already said he informed me that BT no longer support content screening he could not explain why, he also advised me to purchase a third party router in which I could manually block certain sites which is not a route I wish to go down (life is to short). He went on to explain about the firmware upgrade removing the content screening section. He also said they had told him that no one else had phoned them about this issue! Maybe we all need to get on the phone to them; I will be back on to them today.

One of my clients runs a pub and offers WI FI free to their customers, following some inappropriate usage by a customer and the subsequent investigation they asked me to control their network. I use the HGV2701 and its content screening & time of day access restrictions to control this, it worked seamlessly until August 1st

I have more than 150 devices on this network.

I guess the feature will be offered in the future but at a cost!

This affects the 2700 & 2701 hub & the feature is not even in the menu in the business hub 3

If you are just trying to control devices that you have access to a third party device or software can solve your problem, for me at the pub for instance this is an issue

Regards

[bombinho]

@willer123:

I am pretty sure your pub customer will see the point paying the premium for a BT Business Line and then install a Watchguard appliance and pay their services in addition.

@all:

All the promises of BT business by now they skipped at will.

Be it the 24h service which is only available workdays 9.00-5.00. Be it the promise to reinstate the line instantly if there are problems. As one might see on older posts of me they left me for more than a month without phone and broadband.

Despite promising differently, even confirmed per email.

And the very few services they still were providing are now getting cut as well. Can someone explain how to justify paying for that?

[Goldstien]

I have the same issue here - GRRRRR

Reasonably quick and free work araound - use Open DNS service - requires that you change the DNS servers on the router and the rest is done for you - no override button but it will filter content on all devices.

• 208.67.222.123
• 208.67.220.123

[whiller123]

@bombinho

How spooky!

I am off to the pub this morning with a retired Warchguard Firebox X50 with webblocker enabled!

[DaveA]

---

@bombinho wrote:

DaveA could you please give me a description how I do that on various Blackberry devices?

Or other non PCs?

And what impact is that doing on netbooks with a single core Atom in wireless mode?

And why have I to start installing new browsers on all my devices?

Any thought spend on the general impact of this?

I am pretty sure we can make roads a lot better by just giving every driver a list where to behave in what manner. No unsightly road signs anymore. And an incredible amount of money saved by not needing to put up the signs and maintain them. /sarcasm

---

Hi,

To be honest I was just responding to the bit about browsers, as this is the main access method for most.  However, if you're really serious about content control then you should set up a proper server rather than relying on a free (in most cases) router with basic content control.

I don't know why they keep adding and removing Content Control from the Hubs, but from the amount of griping that people do I think they should remove it entirely and be done with it.  It's more hassle than it's worth, and there are plenty of systems that are probably far better at the job (in my opinion).

And for reference I know that the Helpdesk is taking note of this not working, but I don't know what the full story is, so call them and hopefully they should get it fixed.

Dave

[bombinho]

Hi DaveA

First of all the way this services got cut is really off. Leaving everybody with this feature activated unable to browse is not the way it should be done. I would have expected a notice that the feature is getting deactivated.

And a good while later then deactivate the feature and not the web access.

This basic content control actually worked quite well if it is set up reasonably.

And arguing that anything would be free is a bit funny. It is BT _Business_ we

are talking about. And you only can have it when you have a business.

People running businesses usually have to be capable of doing the maths.

And telling them something is free what they are paying for is, hmmm?

For setting up a server: You tried that? Either you pay someone or you are gonna having a full time job adding and maintaining that. On normal use you can easily spent 2-8h a week in keeping step with the various content providers.

You need in addition to the server something like a sensor or honeypot as well. And one for the logs.

Hey. That brings us to the required backups. Necessarily on a separate machine. By now we have added three machines to the backup server and we are shifting backups from vulnerable machines on the protected backup server. Does not sound great?

Well indeed, better do a backup for the public machines separately. (Machine No. 4!)

With that setup we are really looking at an ix-router (Machine No. 5). So we should have a server cabinet. And, and, and. 

By the way, we are not wireless yet.

What the customer is only running a pub? And does not see the point for all that machines and an admin visiting on a daily base? Small business? Using solutions that used to be tailored for small businesses?

Apologize if I question this but this seems to be going in the wrong direction here.

As I already mentioned, somehow there need to be a justification for the price of the BT Business.

And if it is not the services anymore what exactly is it then?

Broadband and telephone? Be honest, there are a few more providers out there.

The router? What does it provide that other routers do not? Ah, content screening *cough*.

If you do not have anything to offer what shall people buy of you then.

Please remember your old slogans which caught me initially, like "We understand businesses", "24h service" etc.

Truly have not heard them for a long time now.

But there is still on the first page: "Small to Large Business Telecommunication Provider".

And a bit further: Support when you need it.

Or: Great value Broadband and Telephone...

Oh by the way: With over 4 million hotspots..., who provides them actually and pays for the installation and running costs?

Either I am picked to be the one that does not deserve to get it or there is something foul.

[whiller123]

@bombinho

An interesting point my client that runs the public house used to have a problem with the same handful of Chinese IP addresses constantly probing at their open ports. I used to refresh the IP address at least twice a day but they were able to find us again straight away.

Since the content screening stopped working, nothing!

I had thought that a device on the network was betraying us but I now inclined to think that is was the BT content screening server. What better place for enterprising hackers to get UK business IP addresses from!

Rob

[bombinho]

@whiller123

oha, that sounds pretty familiar. The only thing is that I meanwhile included a lot of chinese providers into my ip filters.

Have not received anything of that very recently.

But I had a similar phenomenon recently. I was running a server on the DNS port for trial.

After that I got flooded DNS requests until I blocked that too. IP change did not help at all. Within seconds

I got new requests. I might need to have a look into this again.

Interestingly these DNS request were part of an distributed attack against micro servers and farm machines.

(levered DNS attack). And there was an incredible lot.

And it was well spoofed.

Just if it is the CS server then it must connect straight to this and not only on request.

I had tried with nothing live but the sensor. And still. So surely it was none of the internal machines.

On the other side the "open" update structure of the hub actually asks for abuse.

So I was not sure. But there was no abuse of data so I took it easy and just made sure the level

of encryption in the traffic is up to date. 

Bombinho

[whiller123]

@bombinho

Have you spoken to BT about the content screening? if so what did they say?

I have spoken to them 3 times now Twice they told me they are not doing it any more & once they told me they were working on the problem.

I have made other arrangements but to be honest the content screening in the hub was far better than anything I can find elsewhere.

I see on the BT web site they are selling content screening by McAfee (no thanks)

But they still have their page up telling us how to use the content screening in the business hub????

http://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10853/~/managing-content-screening-and-intern...

Rob