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Comcast bot warning?
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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Is anyone else getting these emails from Comcast Security warning that they have supposedly detected bot activity on your computer?
I got one several months ago and just blew it off, after discovering a lot of other customers got the same email. I got another one this morning. All they ever say is that they've detected bot activity and that I should take action immediately!!! by clicking a provided link. That link takes you to...a page where you can download Norton for Mac.
Of course, they don't provide any specifics about when the activity supposedly happened, or logs to back-up their accusation. Just "Take our word and install Norton." Of course, there's no way I'm ever allowing Norton onto my Mac.
Just wondering if anyone else has been getting these emails from Comcast?
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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I didn't get any. But maybe my spam filter ate the emails
-t
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Never received them myself, but I also don't think I've ever checked my comcast-provided email and don't think they have any other address for me. Certainly sounds like a spam message.
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Senior User
Join Date: Apr 2002
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Oh, it most certainly meets my definition of spam.
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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Well...It may not be textbook spam, but it certainly smells like it.
For one, as I said, they provide zero information about the supposed bot activity. Then, your only recourse is to either install and run Norton, or have Comcast's "Signature Support" run a for-fee sweep of your system.
My only fear is that they'll take some action against me down the line, if their system is somehow mis-identifying bot activity coming from my account. Like, suspend my account.
It's very frustrating that they refuse to provide any details. This lack of data leads me to dismiss the emails as corporate spam. FWIW, I have ClamXav installed and it monitors downloads and email. Everything's clean.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
Offline
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Perhaps the word should be scam instead of spam.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status:
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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Originally Posted by mduell
Sounds like phishing.
Except the email IS a legitimate Comcast email. Their forums have a lot of posts from customers expressing confusion over getting them.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Oct 1999
Status:
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Or, maybe your system is in-fact infected with malware...
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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Um. No.
I run ClamXav monthly. The system is clean.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
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Originally Posted by Thorzdad
Except the email IS a legitimate Comcast email. Their forums have a lot of posts from customers expressing confusion over getting them.
According to the from headers or envelope headers?
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
Online
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Originally Posted by besson3c
According to the from headers or envelope headers?
No.
According to Comcast themselves. They confirm that they have been sending out the emails. What they won't do, however, is share any information with you to help you track-down what activity they have detected that leads them to say you have a bot running. They only say to install and run Norton, or buy their remote service. Like I said, it's very frustrating.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
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Originally Posted by Thorzdad
No.
According to Comcast themselves. They confirm that they have been sending out the emails. What they won't do, however, is share any information with you to help you track-down what activity they have detected that leads them to say you have a bot running. They only say to install and run Norton, or buy their remote service. Like I said, it's very frustrating.
That would piss me off. They won't even supply you the MAC address of your router so that you can tell whether it was you or the last guy/girl with your IP doing these alleged activities?
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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It means they are taking a cut from Norton and basically just lying to you. There is no bot, its shameful profiteering.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
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Originally Posted by besson3c
That would piss me off. They won't even supply you the MAC address of your router so that you can tell whether it was you or the last guy/girl with your IP doing these alleged activities?
They'd only see the cable modem's MAC anyway, assuming there's a router between modem and LAN clients. MAC addresses don't go above the physical and data links.
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
Online
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Originally Posted by besson3c
That would piss me off. They won't even supply you the MAC address of your router so that you can tell whether it was you or the last guy/girl with your IP doing these alleged activities?
Nope. All you ever get is an email saying they've detected bot activity, and link to their site where you can download Norton.
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
It means they are taking a cut from Norton and basically just lying to you. There is no bot, its shameful profiteering.
Well, that's sort of the feeling I get from it. But, if you go into their customer forums and read the threads, they're full of admonitions that the email warnings are legit. Some from Comcast mods, others from supposed "experts".
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
Status:
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You could check the email headers, look for the originating IP. If legit, they're likely to come from a Comcast IP range.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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Forum threads are as easy to fake as emails.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
Status:
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Email from and server names, very easy, but IP addresses in the headers, fairly difficult.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
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Originally Posted by Cold Warrior
They'd only see the cable modem's MAC anyway, assuming there's a router between modem and LAN clients. MAC addresses don't go above the physical and data links.
I know, but it would still be your unique signature to at least relate their problems to your household.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
Status:
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Originally Posted by Cold Warrior
Email from and server names, very easy, but IP addresses in the headers, fairly difficult.
That's what I meant by envelope address, earlier in this thread
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
Online
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Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
Forum threads are as easy to fake as emails.
You have to be a Comcast customer to post to their forums. Actual Comcast employees post there as moderators and tech help.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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I'm sure Comcast could post fake threads from fake users to their own forums if they wanted to without anyone else being able to easily tell.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Oct 1999
Status:
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If it is an outright scam by Comcast in order to get people to purchase Norton, then it is not very well thought out.
What if they sent the notice to someone that already runs Norton??
Are they watching the connections to see who runs the Norton auto-updater and then filtering out those users from their spam emails?
Back in the earlier days of ClamXav the FAQ had a specific note that it was only for detecting *viruses* (sp?) and not designed to catch trojans or other types of malware. That doesn't seem to be in the FAQ anymore, but I never felt that it was worth using because of that. Perhaps it has become more comprehensive.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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Excuse my ignorance, but are there even any known bot malware viruses/Trojans for OSX?
Not to my knowledge.
-t
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2012
Status:
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I believe this 'so called Bot' sent by Comcast or Xfinity to make you buy their anti-bot or anti-virus software. Apart from being extremely annoying it is surely illegal. We should all start a class action or boycott Comcast altogether.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status:
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Ask politely but firmly of some evidence to support their allegations.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2012
Status:
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I don't get any email notification, presumably because I use hotmail. What I get instead is a semi-transparent box, maybe a third of the screen, that comes at the top of my browser page every time I log in. It has XFINITY on the top, informs me that I have a BOT and should use CONSTANT GUARD to remove it. I have deep formatted my drive, re-run windows and only used the internet explorer that ships with XP. I have left the modem off for half an hour completely disconnected and yet the first time I use the browser I get this thing (virus, bot, whatever) appearing. When I phone Comcast they transfer me to the Xfinity number who offer to fix the problem for $120. For something that they have put on there in the first place. We should boycott Comcast or start a class action. This must be illegal. I am changing to DSL tomorrow.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: yes
Status:
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Originally Posted by 4coughs
I don't get any email notification, presumably because I use hotmail. What I get instead is a semi-transparent box, maybe a third of the screen, that comes at the top of my browser page every time I log in. It has XFINITY on the top, informs me that I have a BOT and should use CONSTANT GUARD to remove it. I have deep formatted my drive, re-run windows and only used the internet explorer that ships with XP. I have left the modem off for half an hour completely disconnected and yet the first time I use the browser I get this thing (virus, bot, whatever) appearing. When I phone Comcast they transfer me to the Xfinity number who offer to fix the problem for $120. For something that they have put on there in the first place. We should boycott Comcast or start a class action. This must be illegal. I am changing to DSL tomorrow.
It sounds shady, but if you are concerned about your security I would recommend you using Firefox or Chrome, which are both better browsers than IE 8 anyway.
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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4coughs...Switch your DNS settings to a non-Comcast set of servers and those in-browser Xfinity warnings will probably go away.
Those "warnings" Comcast throws at you are marketing ploys for their ConstantGuard service. If you go through the Comcast user forums, you'll find that no one has ever gotten a legitimate warning from them. It's all marketing bs.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2012
Status:
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Thorzdad, Thanks for the reply. Would you mind telling me how to do that.
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status:
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Before you do anything, I suggest you read through this thread at the Comcast user forums. It sounds like you are not alone in seeing this popup. It also sounds like this may be another of Comcast's scammy attempts at upselling customers for a paid security scan.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Sep 2012
Status:
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I spent 8 hours trying to find a bot for a customer who has Comcast. I found nothing, which leads me to believe that nothing is wrong. If only Comcast paid professionals can fix this problem then I would suggest wiping your hard drive and shopping for a new internet provider.
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