1700 Martin Luther King Jr Way

Lately we have been supplying new DSL customers with a Motorola/Netopia 2241 DSL router. There are pre-configured here at LMi to work as an Ethernet bridge.

If the 2241 loses it’s configuration, or is the modem is reset (using the reset pinhole on the back of the device), then the 2241 will act as a PPPoE-based router, which will not work on the LMi DSL network.

Here is how to reset the Motorola/Netopia 2241 into bridge mode:

• Connect a computer to the Ethernet interface on the 2241. Your computer should then be assigned an IP address of 192.168.1.2, assuming that your computer is set to obtain an IP address automatically.
• Open a web browser and go to this address: http://192.168.1.254
• This gets you to the management interface. Click the link on the left side of the page for Expert Mode.
• Confirm that you are an expert by clicking “Yes, enter expert mode”
• Click the Configure link on the left side.
• Click the Connection button which will appear just below the Configure link.
• Change the VPI from 8 to 0.
• Change Protocol from PPPoE to Bridged Ethernet.
• Click Save changes, and then Yes to restart device.

The device is now configured as a bridge, and no longer has an IP address of it’s own. Your computer (our router) will connect directly to the DSL network through the 2241. You may need to restart your computer or router to get connected.

Note that once the unit is configured as a bridge, you will no longer be able to access the management interface. You will need to reset it to factory settings (using the pin hole) to access the web interface.

Today is the 40th birthday of the Internet.

This blog reports on a variant of the ZBot trojan that’s making its way through the tubes of the internet. It’s a classic scam, where the bad guys pose as, in our case, lmi.net tech support. They send you a link via email. The link is obfuscated to make it look like it points to an lmi.net server, but the actual link is to a server off-site. The server has several IP addresses, so that if one is shut down, you may still have a hope of infecting your system. The link leads to a page that tells you to download an executable called YOURNAME-settings.exe.

If you download the exe file and run it, it does a bunch of fun stuff. From the previously mentioned blog:

Regarding ZBot: it is a trojan that disables firewall, steals sensitive financial data (credit card numbers, online banking login details), makes screen snapshots, downloads additional components, and provides a hacker with the remote access to the compromised system.

The trojan will create a file %System%\sdra64.exe and the hidden files %System%\lowsec\local.ds and %System%\lowsec\user.ds in combination with a hidden directory %System%\lowsec. There were new memory pages created in the address space of the system process(es): services.exe, lsass.exe, alg.exe, iexplore.exe and svchost.exe.

Several registry settings are modified and the trojan could make connection to a remote host on the IP 195.93.208.106 on port 80. Data requested is: hxxp://195.93.208.106/livs/rec.php, hxxp://195.93.208.106/lcc/ip1.gif and hxxp://195.93.208.106/ip.php.

This is nasty stuff. Always be sure to write back to us if you think we’ve sent you an email request for your password, or to download any file at all, and make sure you’re responding to an lmi.net address - a lot of these emails include a reply-to address different than the from address.

We just received this wonderful message from a customer. Thank you John for the kind words. It means a lot to us to hear this:

“I just want to thank you all for the kind of service you provide.
A couple of years ago, after one too many 45 minute waits to talk to
someone on the other side of the world, (who then led me through a simple
minded decision tree before putting me on a half hour hold to talk to his
supervisor, who then gave me a repair number and disconnected me. That was
Earthlink.) After one too many of those, I said to hell with it and gave you
a call. I’ve never regretted it.
In the last few days, doing a lot of upgrading with friend’s help, I’ve
had occasion to call you twice. My friends were stupefied to find themselves
talking with a living, articulate, informed and helpful person. I’m pretty
sure you’ve made another customer with one of those conversations. I’m
absolutely sure you’ve got me as a customer for as long as you’re willing
and able to provide this level of service.
Again, thanks. I’ll probably be talking with you, now and then, and
that’s just so cool!”
John Brownson

We just used Project eCycle to clear out a load of old computer equipment. They are a good organization. Give them a call if you want to donate old computer equipment - 800-408-4615.