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72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

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Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#61

Post by the8472 »

jon-wood wrote: post #10

I’m responsible for a bunch of IoT hardware, and every firmware spec I write includes a note on not using the DNS servers provided via DHCP. While sure there are companies explicitly doing this to avoid filtering, at least in my case it’s because a significant proportion of DHCP servers are configured to send DNS to your ISP, and ISP provided DNS is almost universally terrible. They’ll ignore TTLs, rewrite NXDOMAIN r…

> and ISP provided DNS is almost universally terrible. They’ll ignore TTLs, rewrite NXDOMAIN responses into the IP address of their ad-laced web search, and occasionally just highjack every single query to send you to a page saying you’re approaching your bandwidth quota

Universally? Perhaps in the US? But IoT devices are sold worldwide.

While I do run my own recursive resolver I checked my ISP's and they're behaving fairly reasonable and do none of the above and I have a direct (contractual) relationship with them and we reside in the same jurisdiction so at least in principle I could apply pressure to them if they do something shady. The same can't be said about google or cloudflare.

> Just be aware DNS over HTTPS is a thing now, and while the devices I’m responsible for aren’t going to try and evade your redirects, the companies that are trying to make sure ads get delivered will absolutely switch to DoH which will be much more difficult to work around.

I'm sure google had only our best interests in mind when unleashing that on us.

Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#62

Post by [deleted] »

sokoloff wrote: post #55
rmrfstar wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point it is really tough to find devices that don't leak data like a sieve. I recently bought a car, and could not find one without a cellular modem and microphones. Removing the modem voids the warranty. The period where you can opt out is mostly over.

The Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act of 1975 ensures that’s not the case in the US. I suspect something similar is true in EU. For the manufacturer to avoid a warranty claim due to a modification or aftermarket part, they must show that the defect was linked to the part or modification. They might have to show that it was caused by , but in any case, if your paint fails prematurely, they can’t say your warranty is void bec…

[deleted]

Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#64

Post by 2Gkashmiri »

Jio (India) is super obnoxious in the fact that their own router is locked down hard. Now you cant even change your DNS. I have suggested few people to bypass this limitation by removing the router as dhcp and using pihole for that. That works but don't know for how long. The pathetic thing is their router does not even allow bridging mode. Fuck jio.

Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#66

Post by layoutIfNeeded »

willis936 wrote: post #49
fingerlocks wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, support is supremely expensive. This is especially true in the hardware IoT space under discussion. Some large fraction of any semi-successful hardware company will exist to field a constant onslaught of support emails, handling returns, warranties, and social media. It’s a big money sink. Margins are already razor thin in hardware, so yeah anything that can be done to reduce your support costs is welcomed.

It’s a gamble, not a guarantee. What happens when your hard coded DNS is not available? The more convincing narrative is that setting custom DNS decreases ad revenue and cuts into growth.

>What happens when your hard coded DNS is not available?

The same thing that happened each time when DRM servers went offline. Time to buy a new TV :^)

Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#67

Post by fulafel »

willis936 wrote: post #57
fred_is_fred wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just don’t ever connect it to your network.

How do you do this? Wrapping it in grounded tin foil? Ripping out the wifi module? Do I need to void warranty and dissect a new piece of consumer electronics to remove the spy organ? Is that really an acceptable situation?

Put a password on your wifi, it other security benefits as well.

Re: 72% of smart TVs and 46% of game consoles hardcode DNS settings

#68

Post by the8472 »

praptak wrote: post #23
rightbyte wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What DNS do you hardcode? Google's? Or do you advice the use to set it up himself? I am very suspicious of the push for https and the like. I feel it is mainly about hiding the payload from me not any third party.

DNS over secure channels is actually good - it limits bad behavior by ISPs. The problem of shitty devices on your private network is a different one.

It's not just shitty devices. By putting it on the HTTP layer which usually is even available to sandboxed applications they made it possible for every single application to bypass your own resolver. Pretty much a trojan horse.
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