MAC address in use by another modem

[redeye_uk]

Basically early on saturday my virgin internet bugged out. Whenever I tried to browse the web I get a message "unable to authenticate modem". This is strange as i've been a virgin cable customer for ~10 years.

So I give them a call and go through the usual spiel, then they request my modem MAC address so they can escalate the the problem to tech support.

I get a call from tech support yesterday saying its a local fault with all cable modems in my area and that they are working to fix the problem. Ok, fair enough; the serivce has been faultless in the past so i decide to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Then comes today and I receive another phone call from tech support saying the MAC address I supplied in now in use by another modem and they need to send me a new modem. At this point im thinking WTF and double check they have the correct MAC address. They do.

Soooooo, am I right in thinking virgin have just recycled my MAC address and given it to another customer (probably new)? Im pretty unimpressed tbh, why is my modem being blocked and not the 'new' modem with my MAC address?....

/rant

 

[redeye_uk]

The modem is from 'back in the day' when we had 512Mb cable (~10 years), so the NIC manufacturer probably assumed it was no longer in use.

BUt you know what they say about assumptions! this being a case in point

 

[redeye_uk]

Turns out it was someone who somehow cloned my modem (which I had been using for many years, and old surfboard modem) to get access to cable internet without paying a penny.

My modem is one of the old Motorola Surfboard jobby's Served me well over the years.

Quite simply someone has flashed your MAC to a hacked modem and was using that to obtain free internets. It's been going on for years. Gnerally though it doesn't result in this because, from what I have read (I live in a non cabled area) the user with the hacked modem would use it on another UBR so it doesn't get detected. Alas, this numpty is on the same UBR.

So someone has cloned my MAC/modem, fair enough. Does this mean they had to gain physical access to my modem to do this or have I just been unlucky?

 

[redeye_uk]

sorry guys, whats a UBR?

I live in a fairly small village so does this mean there is a high chance the perpetrator lives near me?