Can My ISP See Sites I Visit, Read My Emails?

pat13wx

Can my ISP see sites I visit, read my emails, etc.?

I use a local wireless broadband provider, and I have been told that apart from simply monitoring my download usage, they also have the capability to see precisely what I download, the sites I visit, and even read my private emails. Is this correct, and if so is there anyway to prevent it?

FSL

Theoretically yes. Unless you access your emails using a secure connection (SSL) then they could see your emails. The same applies to every ISP.

Even if you use a VPN the VPN provider could log and monitor.

infodox

If they own your DNS, they can probably do some awesome MITM and own your SSL anyways, so that is useless... SO yes. Assume your ISP can see everything you do, and act accordingly. Use a VPN and check the crypto to make sure it is not being MITM'd (impossible supposedly, but can actually be done if key-checking is weak).

Oh, they can also see how many boxes are alive on your network, etc.
Care to say which company?

pat13wx

Thanks guys for the info. My ISP provider is Premier Broadband (Based in Clonmel). I have to say they really provide a decent BB service, and I have no issue there, but I am concerned that my private emails may be read; there is nothing illegal in them, but some would contain personal family or business information that I would rather not share with people they weren't intended for.

JimmyCrackCorn

Yes they can it's not complicated.

Ssl is a little more difficult to monitor and most ISPs won't monitor it except in bandwidth usage.

Email should be checked over ssl connections but not always.

The Sopa the monitoring will be more in depth

pat13wx

So, I guess there's little I can do to prevent it completely. I am hopeful they don't bother as it would be unethical (and I am sure unlawful) to pry into one's private communications.

Is there anyway to tell if an ISP has checked your emails?

infodox

There is no real way to check are they reading them, though I can think of a few hilarious ones... Like sending OBVIOUS ILLEGAL STUFF over email and seeing do they call the cops :P

I know there are ways to detect if someone on your LAN is sniffing (i.e. ways to check is anyones network card in promiscous mode) but no real way to find out.

Sure... ANY ISP can look through your traffic. Its simple as that...

tricky D

Data Protection Act, 1988 sections 2 to 8 set out the law on 'Protection of Privacy of Individuals with regard to Personal Data'. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1988/en/act/pub/0025/print.html

Basically they can't snoop on you.

There's also the matter of not having the time or manpower resources to do such monitoring.


It's not something you need to worry about at all.

FSL

Because something is illegal it doesn't mean it will never be done.

I agree it is highly unlikely any ISP would have the manpower and resources or the inclination.

However if big brother wanted to monitor you then I doubt the ISP would refuse.

pat13wx

Thanks lads for all great feedback. I would hope my boring life would be enough of a discouragement to anyone thinking about going through my stuff

moneymad

infodox wrote: »

There is no real way to check are they reading them, though I can think of a few hilarious ones... Like sending OBVIOUS ILLEGAL STUFF over email and seeing do they call the cops :P

I know there are ways to detect if someone on your LAN is sniffing (i.e. ways to check is anyones network card in promiscous mode) but no real way to find out.

Sure... ANY ISP can look through your traffic. Its simple as that...

They uses switches now on lans not hubs.
You can use transparent gifs with an src of your choosing.

infodox

moneymad - with WiFi networks it may as well be a hub... Allows for TCP stream hijacking, promisc mode sniffing, and certain kinds of "MITM" style attacks without even redirecting their traffic through you Reminds me of old ethernet networks...

BaconZombie

That will not detect/stop the ISP from viewing your traffic
They can just create a SPAN of all the traffic and send it to a deep packet inspection system.

And for anybody how things this is not going on right now:

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/nanog/users/152996?search_string=ISPs%20and%20full%20packet%20inspection;#152996

moneymad wrote: »

They uses switches now on lans not hubs.
You can use transparent gifs with an src of your choosing.

noclee

They could & do just inject /32 prefix of the user they want to dpi and attract it to the DPI platform and handoff back PE - CE via tunneling.

freeze4real

Is sopa ready in action ?

_AVALANCHE_

freeze4real wrote: »

Is sopa ready in action ?

Why? What are you doing?:pac:

DeVore wrote: »

Its in effect yes. We made such a stink about it that it isn't being widely used but the ISPAI have said that their members have been on the receiving end of letters using it.

The CRC is now reviewing submissions and we've put in ours and I've assisted with another. Hopefully that brings some sanity to the situation.

From here.