🚀 go-pugleaf

On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 11:09:48 +0100, Chris KJ wrote:

> However, when we contacted BT they said that this free facility was 
> only available on the two Home Highway analogue numbers and not the 
> digital number e.g. the isdn ports.

TBH I am surprised, I thought they *had* to provide it for free on all 
for all "lines" when asked. Try again, don't mention highway, digital, 
isdn, data etc just ask for Premium Rate Call Barring on xxxx number. 
Then if they can't do it start, politely complaining and escalate up 
the chain of command... Oh and don't forget to test it when they say 
they have done it...

> Can Demon set up call barring of premium rate numbers on an ISDN 
> line, as BT couldn't?

No, your computer or the telphone network is not under the control of 
Demon.

> Would the best solution be to use the Internet via the analogue 
> socket (which call barring does work with) with a standard modem?

Well it is a work around but you'd take a speed hit. 
 
> Can anyone recommend a virus and firewall combination that is sure 
> to stop premium rate diallers. However, in our case I think my 
> brother actually allowed EZ firewall to let the dialler become a new 
> dial-up connection, he had no idea what he was doing...

You can't protect people from themselves...

-- 
Cheers                                              new5pam@howhill.com
Dave.                                             pam is missing e-mail

On Tuesday, in article
     <l7azabCsXFvAFw1r@NOSPAMpippy.demon.co.uk>
     chris@NOSPAMpippy.demon.co.uk "Chris KJ" wrote:

> Sorry if this isn't the correct newsgroup to post this query to.

Well, it's MUCH better than the separate posting that you made to
demon.ip.support.pc, because your brother is obviously using Windoze, yet
that group is for those using plain DOS-based programs for Internet
connectivity.

However, this is also bad, in the sense that you've made separate
postings, whereas you should have posted to all the groups
simultaneously, with a cross-post.  That way, misinformation provided in
one forum could be corrected by those that know the true situation in
another.

> We're using BT Home-highway ISDN 64k with Demon Internet and a BT
> Ignition Pro terminal adapter.

Good God!  I didn't know that anyone had ever persevered with that heap
of hybrid shite from BT; I'm amazed that it works with HH, since that is
based upon proper ISDN2e, since the Ignition is a badly cobbled-together
variant of a North American 56kb/s TA, created hastily for BT back in the
days of their own proprietary BRI implementation.

[Please forget the above if the "Ignition Pro" is some other product;
Peter Strangman used to wax lyrical about the inadequacies of the BT
Ignition (per se).]

> My brother, who is new to using the Internet, managed to install dialler
> software on his windows-ME PC which used his dial-up connection to
> phone a premium rate number. 75UK Pounds of calls later I luckily saw
> what had happened and removed the dialler manually. It was actually 
> noted
> by EZ Trust firewall when downloaded and there was a dial-up entry for 
> it in
> windows too. It wasn't that hard to find but I'll reinstall windows to 
> make sure it's gone.

Your brother is a connoisseur of pr0n, I presume?

> Can Demon set up call barring of premium rate numbers on an ISDN line,
> as BT couldn't?

Hardly; if you dial a premium-rate number, Demon have absolutely no
possibility of involvement in the call setup process!

> Would the best solution be to use the Internet via the analogue socket
> (which call barring does work with) with a standard modem?

Since you've got a TA (well, if that's not applying an "illegal trades
description") that's capable of handling analogue ports for your
telephone needs, and proper MSN, etc., one solution might be to upgrade
HH to proper ISDN2e, and plug your analogue phones into the outputs of
the Ignition.  Premium-rate call-barring would certainly be available
there, for a single fee for the entire line (as opposed to per number).

However, the proper solution is part social (teach your brother never to
download a dialler program) and partly technical (install software that
will detect AND prevent installation of such diallers: Spybot Search &
Destroy has already been mentioned in a reply in dis.pc).

[Cross-posted to uk.telecom as well, since you've probably separately
multi-posted there too.]

-- 
   fix (vb.): 1. to paper over, obscure, hide from public view; 2. to
   work around, in a way that produces unintended consequences that are
   worse than the original problem.  Usage: "Windows ME fixes many of the
   shortcomings of Windows 98 SE".