Interesting email from Cox Communications

[doubt at inwave.com (Nate Mellom)]

Usted monstruo de habla hispana del porn (Babelfish'd from English)
;)


Chris Bennett wrote:
> Apparently I am some sort of software pirate.  Despite what reality
> is... I got "caught" for something I didn't do.
> 
> I got a semi nasty email from Cox yesterday telling me to cease and
> desist immediately distributing a pirated movie called "the perfect
> score"  Apparently this copy is in spanish and it was tracked to my IP
> address.
> 
> I do not deny that I speak a little spanish, however, my mastery of
> the language isn't that so that I may follow a movie in spanish.  So
> why would I download and upload this one?  Simply I did not.
> 
> I called them and they tell me that if I comply with this email they
> sent me, it's pretty much no harm no foul as Paramount Pictures only
> has an IP address and without a court order Cox will not disclose my
> name.  Paramount will back off and the matter will be forgotten.
> 
> I explained that while I download an occasional song, for the *most*
> part I own a CD or GASP... an LP for every MP3 on my computer.  I
> usually download it see if I like it and then go buy the CD.  Gone are
> my days of having a CD with one song worth a shit.  If there's only
> one song I really like I try to get it from the Itunes store.  (My
> Ipod sadly is another matter)  I also download an occasional adult
> movie clip, but nothing major and certainly not an entire movie.  So
> where did this come from and WHO if not I downloaded it?  I assured
> Cox it wouldn't happen again and turned OFF the modem.
> 
> I suspected my wireless router immediately.  All of my near neighbors
> are rather old and I don't think any of them own a computer much less
> a wireless capable one.  I never bothered securing it for that same
> reason.  I entered the routing tables to see if it logged a different
> IP than my four wireless devices/computers.  There was nothing there
> to suspect.  The next suspect was a mobile user...  Wardriving is, for
> those of you that don't know, driving around looking for a wireless
> network to hack into.  Working in the IT dept I am aware of linux
> distributions with "tools" to crack secure wireless networks, all on a
> bootable CD.   Another reason why I didn't bother to secure it... if
> they want in that desperately they WILL get in.  Especially with a
> Linksys.  Not to mention they can cover their tracks fairly well.  I
> don't share my drives across the network anyway so I assessed it as
> fairly low risk.
> 
> Other possibilities include neighbors farther out than 100 yards... or
> some sort of remote control trojan.  I don't allow remote desktop
> connections.  So I don't suspect that.
> 
> So I think I am going to rescan all of my computers--I scan weekly
> anyways, disable Emule altogether, and finally I think I am going to
> throw the laptop in the car and survey the neighborhood for Wi-Fi
> networks.  I have searched all of my computers--well I am still
> waiting to search the one with the better part of a terabyte of
> storage--for this file they claim I downloaded.
> 
> All in all I am rather puzzled but it did scare the shit out of me and
> I no longer underestimate the geezers in the hood.
> 
> Geezerz need excitement
> If their lives don't provide them this they incite violence
> Common sense simple common sense
> --The Streets
> 
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