about the lic giveaway... cheating???

[scythe944]

I think there needs to be an IP address matching function also to combat those entering multiple times in a short time (script) using different email addresses but the same IP address. This surely isn't beyond the collective cunning of the avast team

Welcome to the forums dzulaja1

How useful would that be? How many people have a static IP assigned to them? Couldn't they just change the script/etc to renew the IP?

Just because most ISP's use Dynamic IP's for their customers, doesn't mean it changes every few seconds, minutes, or hours.  Usually, the default lease is about 8 days.  In order for them to get a different IP address, they'd have to unplug their modem, or renew their IP address from within the modem and hope that they'd get a new IP.  Most likely though, they'd get the same one.  They'd have to leave their modem off for a number of days, wait for someone else to get their old IP address, then turn the modem back on to receive a new IP.

Or, they could go to a proxy website and run the script, but they'd have to keep doing that or using several different proxy websites and running the script once on every visit or every site.

As you can see, it would be difficult and painstaking.  So basically, it could be very useful to have an IP Address matching function to thwart this type of "attack".

[Gopher John]

My RoadRunner IP is dynamically assigned.  It may persist for several days, weeks, or even a few months before changing.  Even though my cablemodem MAC address is what is checked to authorize internet access, all I have to do is use the Clone MAC feature of my home router to have a new IP assigned.  I've checked this a few times.

If I later change back to the original MAC of the router, usually I get the IP that was assigned to it unless RoadRunner has done some reconfiguration in the interim.

[scythe944]

My RoadRunner IP is dynamically assigned.  It may persist for several days, weeks, or even a few months before changing.  Even though my cablemodem MAC address is what is checked to authorize internet access, all I have to do is use the Clone MAC feature of my home router to have a new IP assigned.  I've checked this a few times.

If I later change back to the original MAC of the router, usually I get the IP that was assigned to it unless RoadRunner has done some reconfiguration in the interim.

So what are you trying to say?  Are you agreeing with me, or saying that you can get your ISP to generate unlimited IP addresses depending on if you use the clone mac feature or not?

I'd say that if you used it, you'd get one IP, and if you turned it off, you'd get another IP.  That's two IP's, but not quite enough to run a script to answer questions on the avast site to get free AIS licenses.

Unless you start putting random MAC's into your router's mac clone.  I don't suppose that would be very easy either though.  Change MAC, run script. Change MAC, run script...

Not worth it in my opinion.

[Gopher John]

I'll get a new IP every time I enter a different MAC in the Clone MAC setting in the router.  I've gotten 10 in a matter of 30 minutes this way, just to check.  I have no practical purpose for doing so, other that curiosity.

OTOH, if someone wanted to go to the effort, I guess they could use it to register for the contest.  As you state, it would take a lot of effort.  Not worth the effort for us normal people.

[zfactor]

have to agree since the guy doing this is up to more than 25+ lic's now.... i think something should have been done to combat people doing this kind of thing. i personally think he is wrong and should not be doing it but all i can do is state my thoughts to him not much else.

now what about someone running say ddwrt and running a script within the firmware. couldnt they run a script to do that? im sure someone could figure it out though if they really wanted to nowadays anything can be bypassed / cracked etc if someone really wants to i would assume..

[scythe944]

have to agree since the guy doing this is up to more than 25+ lic's now.... i think something should have been done to combat people doing this kind of thing. i personally think he is wrong and should not be doing it but all i can do is state my thoughts to him not much else.

now what about someone running say ddwrt and running a script within the firmware. couldnt they run a script to do that? im sure someone could figure it out though if they really wanted to nowadays anything can be bypassed / cracked etc if someone really wants to i would assume..

I have DD-WRT installed and sure there are ways to run custom scripts and such in the firmware but again, I think the guy that's doing this is probably the only one that actually thinks that going through all that work is worth it.

Programming the router to randomly generate MAC address clones to confuse the ISP into thinking that it's a new modem in order to get a new IP in order to run yet another script on avast's website either directly or through a proxy site, in order to ask a bunch of simple questions one after another in order to get a free AIS license is wow.  Way too much work.

Of course, if he were to turn around and sell them, that would be smart.

I think the original idea about making an IP filter for the questionnaire is still a good enough idea to thwart this guy.

I'm sure he just has a script that enters random pre-determined email addresses into the form to get the licenses.  If the IP filter was put into place, he'd have to go through a lot more work... 

[m00nbl00d]

I think there needs to be an IP address matching function also to combat those entering multiple times in a short time (script) using different email addresses but the same IP address. This surely isn't beyond the collective cunning of the avast team

Welcome to the forums dzulaja1

How useful would that be? How many people have a static IP assigned to them? Couldn't they just change the script/etc to renew the IP?

Just because most ISP's use Dynamic IP's for their customers, doesn't mean it changes every few seconds, minutes, or hours.  Usually, the default lease is about 8 days.  In order for them to get a different IP address, they'd have to unplug their modem, or renew their IP address from within the modem and hope that they'd get a new IP.  Most likely though, they'd get the same one.  They'd have to leave their modem off for a number of days, wait for someone else to get their old IP address, then turn the modem back on to receive a new IP.

Or, they could go to a proxy website and run the script, but they'd have to keep doing that or using several different proxy websites and running the script once on every visit or every site.

As you can see, it would be difficult and painstaking.  So basically, it could be very useful to have an IP Address matching function to thwart this type of "attack".

It may happen with you (your ISP). Mine renews IP on each reconnection (this means many times a day).

[DavidR]

Very useful as given what you say, how many have a fixed IP, not many. So when you get someone using a script to place multiple entries, you are going to get many submissions from the same IP even if it is dynamically assigned.

You can't just change the IP that is assigned by the ISP not the user and to change the IP you would have to disconnect, so it would also but some speed bumps in the road for them. Not that they are to know that IPs are being monitored.

[m00nbl00d]

Very useful as given what you say, how many have a fixed IP, not many. So when you get someone using a script to place multiple entries, you are going to get many submissions from the same IP even if it is dynamically assigned.

You can't just change the IP that is assigned by the ISP not the user and to change the IP you would have to disconnect, so it would also but some speed bumps in the road for them. Not that they are to know that IPs are being monitored.

It seems I forgot one tiny detail:

By releasing the same IP many times a day, it means many people will be assigned the same IP, within a short period of time, if such people are only on-line for short periods.

By blocking IPs, AVAST would be preventing innocent people from having their chances. How fair would that be?

[kb-r]

"And only FaceAche users..."
"Not strictly true..."

Oops - I only went as far as the first link level, saw "Facething" and retreated.

Cheers,
kb-r

[DavidR]

Very useful as given what you say, how many have a fixed IP, not many. So when you get someone using a script to place multiple entries, you are going to get many submissions from the same IP even if it is dynamically assigned.

You can't just change the IP that is assigned by the ISP not the user and to change the IP you would have to disconnect, so it would also but some speed bumps in the road for them. Not that they are to know that IPs are being monitored.

It seems I forgot one tiny detail:

By releasing the same IP many times a day, it means many people will be assigned the same IP, within a short period of time, if such people are only on-line for short periods.

By blocking IPs, AVAST would be preventing innocent people from having their chances. How fair would that be?

As my post said you would see when someone is using a script multiple entries for the same IP in a very short time, they aren't going to be hanging about. Not to mention I didn't say anything about blocking an IP address.

The short time that an IP is released as you say isn't so short. When you then add that to how many people are actually going to be entering the licence give-away, I think it highly unlikely to conflict with legitimate human entries.

Don't forget I don't work for avast and these are my personal thoughts on how to overcome the cheating, how fair is that on those entering once and standing very little chance of wining with these cheats flooding the system.

[Marc57]

There's something going on, Check the winners for 12/23, Someone named giantsoftwareprotectionkxx won 3 times in one day.

[DavidR]

Yes, exactly what I mean about flooding, if you submit enough times you will win as there is no underlying checks for multiple submissions in a day or IP address used. When one is selected for every 20 entries, it doesn't take a mathematician to work out it doesn't take masses to win.