Aug/090
Bittorrent blocking by ISP
I read from time to time about anti-torrent actions realized by huge Internet providers. It so away from me... My ISP is small and transparent... I thought...
But ISP began offers more and more bandwidth due to competition with same price. And it not could provide "true" channel already. And bittorrent traffic actually limited now. Provider don't prevents seeding or filters .torrent downloading but one enables "anti-virus feature".
My ISP enables hard limits againts virus-like activity in hours when its network overheaded. Torrent downloading/seeding seen as this activity.
Too many short connections or something like this. I'm not familiar with details of this restrictions. Formally all Ok but in reality my account banning and I must call to support to enable it. It's a bit noisy...
Jun/090
10 reasons say No to Skype
After problems with connection to ICQ network for alternative clients in January many companies and single persons switched to Skype for corporative and personal communications. By first sight it's reasonable, but in reality Skype has even more problems with transparency than ICQ:
1. Skype is proprietary program with closed source (like ICQ)
2. Skype protocol closed (ICQ protocol "opened" with many restrictions)
3. Skype protocol ciphered not for privacy but for obfuscation
4. No way to understand protocol -> no alternative clients, no alternative servers, no gates to other networks
5. Skype always trusts to other nodes. If even single node gain an "extra-features" once than all network will compromised
6. Based on P2P technology Skype constantly eats traffic. Even when you don't use it.
7. If your computer have good bandwidth and public IP than it become an "supernode" and will transmit traffic for other users via self.
8. Impossibility debug a Skype - it detects debuggers and leaves from them, intensive checks self integrity and uses self modified code like polymorphic viruses does.
9. Skype very difficult for blocking with firewall
10. Some Skype versions read such system information as motherboard serial number
Switching from ICQ to Skype useless. Skype has same and even more problems than ICQ. Skype is blackbox with suspicious habits. Today it's not a single solution for voice transmitting and most dangerous in security plan.