SMS Via Web Messages may only sent via Exetel IP Addresses

[RazzaDazzla]

I tried sending a web SMS from work tonight and got this message

"SMS Via Web Messages may only sent via Exetel IP Addresses"

Why has this been implemented? I would like to 'protest' against this as I often find I want/need to send SMS away from my own PC. I'm sure Exetel would rather my 5c than give 25c to my mobile provider.

[jokiin]

I tried sending a web SMS from work tonight and got this message

"SMS Via Web Messages may only sent via Exetel IP Addresses"

Why has this been implemented? I would like to 'protest' against this as I often find I want/need to send SMS away from my own PC. I'm sure Exetel would rather my 5c than give 25c to my mobile provider.

are you using the exeSMS app to send? I just sent a test message using it and the message went through fine, delivered within a few seconds

[Gidget]

My understanding, and this is confirmed by the words "SMS Via Web Messages" in your quote, is that SMS messages sent via the User Facilities must be sent from an Exetel IP. I believe, as jok11n has pointed out, that SMS messages sent via the exeSMS application do not have this restriction.

As for why the restriction on "via Web" messages has been implemented, I don't know. I'm sure Exetel had a good reason for doing so and they may enlighten us about this at some point.

Gidget

[Yabbie]

I too want to protest - this is REALLY annoying. Grrrrr!

[flak]

Considering the interface is via the supposedly secure user facilities, I don't see the point of restricting the function to Exetel IPs.

The Web SMS functionality saved me a lot of money whilst I was overseas for work last year and it would be a shame to see that functionality disappear whilst travelling.

[jokiin]

Considering the interface is via the supposedly secure user facilities, I don't see the point of restricting the function to Exetel IPs.

The Web SMS functionality saved me a lot of money whilst I was overseas for work last year and it would be a shame to see that functionality disappear whilst travelling.

if using your own computer when traveling then the exeSMS app is the way to go, obviously the user facilities method is needed if using a public PC though.

Perhaps there could be a user selectable option to have this facility available from outside of the network with the user agreeing to any erroneous access charges, it must have been locked down for a reason

[Yabbie]

The PC app is crap. There is no address book (as far as I can see), and even if there was, that would mean you would have to maintain an address book for every location you wanted to use the app from.

I don't understand why Exetel has decided to restrict the usage like this - I can't imagine any customers have complained...

Grrrrr, this is really annoying. I wonder what the best way is to try and get them to reverse their decision.

[jcd]

The PC app is crap. There is no address book (as far as I can see), and even if there was, that would mean you would have to maintain an address book for every location you wanted to use the app from.

At least there is a Windows app to do this, us Mac users can't even get around the restriction by using a separate application. As far as I can tell from the FAQ it is supposed to be coming real soon now.

Bye Jeff.

[Yabbie]

I sent Exetel an email and this is the response I got:

Please find the reason these changed are being made is to increase the security of
the WebSMS feature, to protect against accounts that may have been compromised from
being used to forward on extreme numbers of SMS messages.


Credit where credit is due, at least they responded to my query quickly.

[ForumAdmin]

I sent Exetel an email and this is the response I got:

Please find the reason these changed are being made is to increase the security of
the WebSMS feature, to protect against accounts that may have been compromised from
being used to forward on extreme numbers of SMS messages.


Credit where credit is due, at least they responded to my query quickly.

Yesterday we became aware that it was possible to hack in to a user's account/user facilities and then activate an SMS service to send (in one case over 100,000) before we stopped it.

As this happened to more than one account we had to, immediately, take actions to stop that incidence of abuse which required more draconian restrictions than we may subsequently put in place.

As, undoubtedly, the customer who is about to be asked for a 'security deposit' for the $A5,000 + charge he racked up in 2 hours for sending SMS will be a little taken aback I'm sure you wouldn't get the same demand.

We will work on eliminating this problem and then resume offering the service - but almost certainly with a 'send limit' and/or the requirement to pre-pay for the service.

Any suggestions you have will be welcome

[Yabbie]

Yesterday we became aware that it was possible to hack in to a user's account/user facilities and then activate an SMS service to send (in one case over 100,000) before we stopped it.

As this happened to more than one account we had to, immediately, take actions to stop that incidence of abuse which required more draconian restrictions than we may subsequently put in place.

As, undoubtedly, the customer who is about to be asked for a 'security deposit' for the $A5,000 + charge he racked up in 2 hours for sending SMS will be a little taken aback I'm sure you wouldn't get the same demand.

We will work on eliminating this problem and then resume offering the service - but almost certainly with a 'send limit' and/or the requirement to pre-pay for the service.

Any suggestions you have will be welcome

I think a limit (500 per day?) would be the most practical solution. I appreciate Exetels need to move fast in light of what was happening, its just that it caught me a little off guard and messed me up as I rely heavily on sending SMS's from work.

Anything you can do to expedite the solution, would be much appreciated!

[jokiin]

having a daily limit is a sensible way to protect the majority of users, for those that want to use the service outside of the network but on someone else's PC perhaps your guys could look at coding the exeSMS app as a standalone product that can run from a USB flash drive complete with its address book (maybe this is possible already) so that a user can have SMS access from anywhere they can find an internet connected PC, a daily limit is still a sensible approach though

[Cliffj]

A half dozen a day would keep me happy.

[Dazzled]

jok11n, somebody has already written the necessary (python, if I remember rightly) script - it was shown to me earlier this year, but as I rarely send SMS, I didn't keep it. I am guessing that the author is an Exetel customer, who has let it circulate.

[Yabbie]

I personally would much rather the web app rather than the stand alone app. A limit would fix the problem 90%.

Exetel, please implement a limit of 250 per day for a start and see how that goes. If there are still problems, then reasses, but I think this would be the solution.