Charter.net Hijacks Browser

By CSharpner · April 27, 2007

This may have negative ramifications for Charter as news of this unethical activity gets out:

As of yesterday (as best I can determine) (2007-04-26), Charter.net cable internet services is now hijacking bad DNS queries. In other words, if you mistype a domain name and end up typing one that doesn't exist, normally you'd get an error message. Your own browser has settings where you can choose to be redirected to a search page of your choice, or none at all, if that is your choice.

Charter took that choice away. Now, all bad queries go to here:
http://ww11.charter.net/search
It doesn't matter what your browser settings are. This is because your browser depends on an error code coming back from the Domain Name Servers (DNS), at which point your browser would either display an error message or redirect you to your chosen search page. Now, since Charter's DNS servers never return errors and instead respond with Charter's search page, your browser never receives the proper error code and therefore has no trigger to take you to your chosen search page.

This presents further problems as many software applications (off the shelf and custom, and enterprise software) depend on the internet working the same everywhere. Many applications depend on this error code. They will all fail to work as designed because Charter wants to make advertising revenue.

According to Charter's OWN WEB PAGE, they define "browser hijacking" as this:

Charter Definition of browser hijacking
A Browser hijacker is a form of malware or spyware that replaces the existing internet browser home page, error page, or search page with its own. These are generally used to force hits to a particular website.

This happens to be EXACTLY what they, themselves, are doing.

As a permanant solution for my own computer, I've changed my DNS settings to:

Primary: 4.2.2.2

Secondary: 4.2.2.3

Charter does not have control over those DNS servers. But this does NOT solve the bigger problem of other people being forced into this so-called "opt-in" service. Nor does it solve the problem of internet enabled software that relies on the error codes.

If you opt-out (by accepting a cookie in your browser), the opt-out only lasts for 90 days or until your cookie is deleted, at which point you'll have to re-opt-out. Furthermore, you CANNOT use Windows Live Search as your default search engine EVER AGAIN. I understand Microsoft has many lawyers and lots and lots of money.

This unethical activity was attempted by Verisign back in 2003 (but in their case, it effected the ENTIRE internet, not just customers of a single ISP). You can get more information on the Verisign fiasco here for context:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=verisign+hijacks+browser

If you'd like to complain to charter about this, you can chat them here:

http://www.charter.com/Visitors/Chat.aspx?Chattype=HSI

or call them at this number: 1-800-545-0994

Below, is a chat I had with Charter technical support. I thought I'd have some fun with this just to see what kind of a reaction I'd get when I asked them if I could do the same thing...

Please scroll way down because Blogger.com has bugs and adds a rediculous amount of vertical space when you add a table to a blog:

Tech:	Thank you for contacting Charter Technical Support. My name is . How may I assist you today?
Customer:	I'd like your help. I would like to write some software that overrides your customer's choice of default search engine, without them knowing about it.
Tech:	I'm sorry?
Tech:	Can you elaborate please?
Customer:	You know... when someone enters a bad address and the browser automatically sends them to a web search engine that they've chosen, like google or yahoo? I'd like to override that without their permission.
Tech:	I'm sorry, but you can blocked those pop up site's if you want.
Customer:	I'm not talking about pop ups. I'm talkingabout: I'd like to write software that overrides your customer's choice of automatic search engine. When they enter say www.chrater.net, instead of www.charter.net, they'd get their default search engine or an error. I'd like to override their choice and send them to my search page instead.
Tech:	I'm sorry, but we don't have that option. I suggest that you call 1-800-545-0994 for further information about your concern.
Customer:	Would charter frown on such activity? I could make a lot of money if I could override your customer's default search choice. That wouldn't be unethical would it?
Tech:	I'm sorry, Customer. But we don't have enough information about your concern. Please try to call the number that I gave you.
Customer:	I'm actually pulling your leg. Of course this is unethical, and this is exactly what Charter is doing. http://www.google.com/search?q=charter%20hijacks%20browser&sa=N&tab=gw
Customer:	Charter has overridden my choice of default search engine by changing their DNS servers to never return an error and instead send me to http://ww11.charter.net/search
Customer:	Please forward this request to the appropriate people to stop doing this unethical and possibly illegal activity.
Tech:	As I have said, we really don't have enough information about your concern. Please try to call the number that I gave you.
Tech:	I will make a note on your account about this issue, Customer.
Customer:	I already have, but I want to log my complaint to as many resources as possible. This is incredibly unethical activity by Charter. Please forward it.
Customer:	Thanks.

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