Posted on

23-Oct-2013

Vigor Filter detects spam attempts
For the last few days, I’m informed by the router that an unwanted protocol is blocked:
Event Time : 2013/10/23 05:58:14
, [CSM_AE] [eDonkey] [Block]
Packet info: 192.168.0.200:2525 -> 208.75.123.194:55760, PR tcp
-AP-----------------------------------------------
and that happens once every two hours or so, give or take a few minutes. Receiving port chnaanges (obviously), but the address is always the same.

Port 2525 means PMAS…
Actually, there is nothing wrong. PMAS will contact the sending mailserver to see if that server accepts mail for the user specified in the message beging the sender. Only, as I found out earlier, this will cause a problem if this user has a very long name that seems to resemble the signature of this eDonkey protocol.
Hence the message.
The sending address has been identified as a server at constantcontact.com, a company offering the ability to send bulk email; at least, their home page states:

Be Where Your Customers
are Every Day: Their Inbox

With Email Marketing, you’re right there. Try it free for 60 days.

At the look of the site URL, it uses a Java program to send out mail. That explains the long usernames.

It seems someone tried this site. And since I’m not interested (I think) I blocked it where it should be blocked: at the gate.

Posted on

28-Mar-2013

Router problems
When I am at my empoyers office, I usually open a VPN to my home network, so I can access mail directly into Outlook, combining the connection with the working environment – and it offers secure access to the servers.
Last Monday, after a required reboot of my laptop without disconnecting the VPN before, I could no longer setup a VPN connection: the credentials are incorrect (I’m sure they are!) of the VPN server could not be contacted. Even worse, access to the web-interface failed as well, the server could not be contacted. But incoming and outgoing internet traffic: mail and web, is not effected….
That evening I checked, but I could not access the router, be it by wifi of fixed line. The only way was to switch it off and on. This gives a window of a few minutes – up to 7, it seems – to access the administration pages; I opened ‘online status’ that is refereshed every 5 seconds or so; this works for a few minutes and all of sudden, the connection can no longer be established.
At home, I cannot establish a VPN session so there is no way to find out if that works….
Another problem – likely to be related – is that VoIP will fail as well. It depends on the socket, it seems. On the second port, I tried to call the supplier of the router, but as soon as a connection was established, the line was set to occupied…However, calling using my cellphone, I could explain my problem. I have been sent an update of the router software, but I still need to install it.
Just a few minutes ago, I learned that the other – normal – socket experiences the same problem: the connection is cut off after a minute or so….
Time to install the update and hope it solves the problems. Otherwise, I will have to install the Fritzbox again…..
More updates to come
If time permits tomorrow, Diana will be update to VMS 8.4 and latest update as well. Next action could well be that PHP and WordPress are updated next. It will mean the site will be off-line for some time