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T-Mobile US leaked free access to sites with '/speedtest' in the URL
American T-Mobile subscribers can score free internet access by running traffic through a proxy with "speedtest" in its URL.
Seventeen-year-old high school student Jacob Ajit found the loophole , since taken down, which allowed cheapskates to access T-Mobile's data network without paying.
Ajit realised speed testing sites and those with the feature embedded could be accessed using a T-Mobile SIM that had no data credit.
He then set up a proxy on a remote server placing "/speedtest" in the URL and could then access all areas of the network.
Ajit said he reported the flaw to T-Mobile and published his hack without waiting for a fix since exploitation of the hole did not put customers at risk.
[...]
Ajit said he made the decision while bored on a Friday night, trying random apps to see which would load on his credit-depleted account.
T-Mobile customers have responded with confusion since their speedtest hole no longer works.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @12:17AM
Seems like there is an analogy to the old blue-box technique (or Spiro if you used that naming convention). As I recall from a friend who built one, the process was to call a free Ma Bell phone number (directory assistance or 1-800-) which got you into the long distance system, and past the billing system. Then, use the blue box to clear the line with 2600Hz, and dial your desired number.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @12:29AM
Good on T-mobile if they're not pressing charges against this little crook. People who screw over cell carriers don't last long in prison. Maybe he'll learn his lesson without getting shanked.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @12:47AM
Ironically not AT&T but instead Sprint owns the IPv6 address 2600:: now and installed www.sprint.net on it.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @02:06AM
The more literal analogy to blue-boxing in modern times is DNS tunneling, which works everywhere, but it works best on Verizon, which is one of those companies that used to be Ma Bell.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday September 20 2016, @02:42AM
It's worth mentioning that a blind phreaker named Captain Crunch discovered the 2600hz signal accidentally by using a children's toy from a box of Captain Crunch cereal.
If you think that is cool, he was rumored to be able to dial anywhere with just his mouth. He could reliably reproduce all the tones just by himself :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @02:53AM
Captain Crunch is not blind. You're thinking of Joybubbles who was blind and who had perfect pitch.
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Tuesday September 20 2016, @04:09AM
Parent is correct.
Steve Wozniak, who used the handle Berkeley Blue, said of his blue box "I have never designed a circuit I was prouder of." Steve Jobs, who was 17 years old at the time, collaborated on the project (Wozniak was 20).
https://www.salon.com/2013/02/16/from_phreaks_to_apple_steve_jobs_and_steve_wozniaks_eureka_moment/ [salon.com]
Possible charges could have included theft of service, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and conspiracy. If only justice had been served...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @04:31AM
If "justice" had been served, there wouldn't have been Apple computers in schools for decades, and 90% of the geezers on this site would never have learned to program.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 20 2016, @12:10PM
Yeah right, because the only computers you could learn programming on were Apple computers.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Wednesday September 21 2016, @01:00AM
Thank you for the correction.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.