Web Africa data theft issue

ThisGeek asked me to check if I had any strange numbers connecting to my account on the 30th of July & lo' and behold:

10:48 AM 41.185.101.41 196.43.27.113 1896874262 ADSL Shaped 0176341647 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************0176341647******end_of_the_skype_highlighting 10:52AM
08:41 AM 41.185.96.138 196.43.27.154 1343029353 ADSL Shaped 0515530903 8:43AM(07/30/2010)

Neither of those numbers belong to me. The strange thing is I didn't connect at all that day. I connected again on the 31st, so I'm wondering if that isn't one of those times I was unable to connect because I can only have 1 connection at a time - probably used another one of my accounts.

How many other people hasn't this happened to & why would they delete the offending entries from ThisGeek's logs? I think WebAfrica probably owes a lot of people an explanation for these dodgy dealings!

EDIT: I just checked my usage on the date in question and it's showing a total of 2.43GB down & 0.11 up, which is exceedingly odd considering I wasn't even connected on the date in question. If one looks at the Excel report on my usage, the individual usage figures tally with the daily totals for my line. It includes the 2.43GB & 0.11GB DL'ed on the 30th, when I wasn't even connected on that date. Clearly someone has access to be able to fiddle with the report!
 
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Hi FlatspinZA

Thank you for your valued feedback.

The points you mention are of great concern and certainly calls for an investigation.

I would like to investigate your account to see if I can find any irregularities on it.

Could you please pm me your details so that I can investigated your query.

I will provide you with an update as soon as I have some feedback.

Thank you.
 
WAangelo said:
Hi FlatspinZA

Thank you for your valued feedback.

The points you mention are of great concern and certainly calls for an investigation.

I would like to investigate your account to see if I can find any irregularities on it.

Could you please pm me your details so that I can investigated your query.

I will provide you with an update as soon as I have some feedback.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Details sent, thanks.
 
Thank you for checking my account, Angelo.

So, you're saying that all the data downloaded on the 30th came from my number, not the other two numbers listed in the usage console & regardless of the fact that my number doesn't even show up on that date? How did you guys work this out? Sounds like a serious programming glitch to me.

I have no choice other than to accept that because I didn't have DSL Secure enabled I am liable for any irregularities on my account, please don't try & feed me a whole lot of horsecrap without backing it up with some hard evidence. We go by the information you guys give us - if that information is incorrect, which you are telling me it clearly was, then it seems we should be paying for a 3rd party monitoring application to verify that the information you guys are providing is in fact correct! Handy little glitch that just wipes 2.5GB off my account.

No use crying over spilt milk, I guess - but I shall be watching you. ;)
 
@WAangelo is this really possible? i understand about that DSL secure switch - but does this mean that his network was unprotected and someone used his bandwith. how come he sees foreign numbers on his log but WA say the usage is on his line?
 
Hi Guys

Just a quick update with regards to the bandwidth issue.

Firstly, upon investigating this query a bit further, I was informed that there was in fact a bug on system causing incorrect numbers to be displayed in the dsl console.

Although these numbers appeared in the console it did not connect to the account or use the bandwidth which is why is does not reflect on the detailed usage break down graph's.

@FlatspinZA - I will be sending you a screen shot shortly wherein it reflects all lines connected on the day in question, usage downloaded and time connected.
@maumau - As mentioned above, the reasons for the foreign lines showing up was as a result of a bug on our system, however I cannot comment on the security of FlatspinZA's network.

I have since logged the error with our developers and it is in the processes of being investigated.

Please feel free to pm me if you have any further queries.

Thank you.
 
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Funny how the glitches/bugs (when it comes to ISPs and also banks) always deduct extra bandwidth (money). I've never had 2.5GB added to my account due to a bug?

Pretty convenient I say.

We are generally useless consumers in SA, so a lot of companies can, & do take the p!ss.

+1 to change ISPs, see how quickly their bugs are resolved then :)
 
I had a similar issue a few months back, about 6gb went missing from my local only account .... was told rudely on the phone that it was me, end of discussion. Now i see mention of bugs and glitches. So that's what happened to my 6gb's ...... Way to go WA :rolleyes:
 
Just change accounts. Same with the people who put up with Mweb's crap service every month - if you dont like it go somewhere else. But it seems the South African way is to piss your hard earned money away to thieves and complain about it on forums.
 
Mephisto_Helix said:
I had a similar issue a few months back, about 6gb went missing from my local only account .... was told rudely on the phone that it was me, end of discussion. Now i see mention of bugs and glitches. So that's what happened to my 6gb's ...... Way to go WA :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Hi guys

@Mephisto_Helix - thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

I would like to investigate this matter for you to see if I can resolve this for you.

Could you please pm me your contact details and client code so that i may have a look at it for you.

Thank you.
 
Well, ThisGeek is cancelling his account. I know of at least one corporate customer that is also cancelling their account. I've been with WA for just over 3 years, also having had a hosting account with them for a while.

It's easy to blame everything on a glitch in the system. I've been keeping my WA account simply for the fact that I don't get the hectic lag the uncapped guys do, but now I can't even connect to the gaming server in the day (yet Telkom works fine). Overall I've had pretty good service from them - there are better deals out there, but I'd rather the devil I know...

We'll see what happens, the ice is thin.
 
Yes, I was not happy with the support response, ie - it was my line, with no further details being provided - apparently not possible to provide. I'm willing to accept that it was my line - with appropriate proof, however none was provided.

So I have closed all my accounts and I am no longer a WA customer. I will also be closing another account that my inlaws have with them, and moving them to a different ISP too. And I will no longer recommend WA to people.
 
Hi guys

@Mephisto_Helix - I can confirm that all the usage in question on your account was in fact used on your line.

As per my pm, I have forwarded you all my finding as well as the logs.

I know that there was a problem with the bug displaying incorrect numbers but this will not impact on anyone's usage at all.

Which is why the numbers do not reflect in anyone's detailed usage break down.

If there is anyone who still thinks there might be discrepancies in their usage, please PM me and I will have it investigated for you.

@thisgeek - the proof you are referring to can be found in the DSL console under the detailed usage break down as I previously mentioned.

I will however also forward you additional screen shots shortly displaying a detailed connection history for the period in question.


Thank you.
 
Lol, I appreciate the investigation ........ but I never expected anything more than you to come back and say it was me after all, even though it wasn't. I rate with all these complaints, you should really launch a hardcore investigation into unaccounted usage, because to come back blaming the customer in every case, even when they KNOW different, is very lame.


Thank the gawds I'm joining the "Bring on Mweb" crowd soon and can finally be rid of this.
 
WAangelo said:
@thisgeek - the proof you are referring to can be found in the DSL console under the detailed usage break down as I previously mentioned.
Click to expand...

Don't bother. Your "proof" means nothing to me.
I do not trust the information provided by your DSL console, as it has already been proven to be fallible.

Unless you can provide me with actual connection information consisting of source and destination ip address, ports and protocols in use, I will refute your proof.

Oh wait, you can't.

But never mind, I am an ex-customer now.
 
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LOL @ Mephisto - classic.

Yeah, Angelo - now that all these customers are suddenly finding this missing bandwidth because of TG's investigation of his account discrepancies, is it all down to us? I stand by my original suspicion that you have an insider playing funny buggers with everyone's accounts & editing the details you see. Maybe it's not actually a bug in your CPL, maybe that is the only reliable information you have. Have you even bothered to check whether any of the numbers listed as having connected to any of the accounts on the 30th of July have any connection whatsoever to Web Africa?

It's easy enough to come back to everyone and tell them the data was DL'ed from their line, but how about a little bit more information to allay the suspicions? I have written off my bandwidth due to my own stupidity in not having DSL Secure enabled at the time, though if someone has insider access to your system it would be easy enough for them to add any line they wanted. Have you investigated the numbers showing up in our CPL's, do they have any connection to Web Africa?
 
Should forward this thread and all other WA threads to someone like Carte Blanche to investigate .......
 
thisgeek said:
Unless you can provide me with actual connection information consisting of source and destination ip address, ports and protocols in use, I will refute your proof.

Oh wait, you can't.
Click to expand...
If they did do that they would be breaking the law! They are not allowed to monitor what you do. Monitoring is limited to bandwidth usage.
 
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