VPN users unmasked by zero-day vulnerability in Virgin Media UK routers
September 21, 2021Efforts to make pirate sites harder to access have resulted in two new waves of blocking in the UK. Action by Elsevier and Springer Nature now requires major ISPs to block several additional Sci-Hub-related domains while the efforts of the MPA require them to block domains that facilitate access to previously blocked sites including EZTV, SolarMovie, Icefilms, and more.
Naturally – the only way to not be affected by these blocks is by using a VPN. Get Hidden Router VPN and avoid any headaches in the future, be block-proof and as secure as humanly possible. By using the Hidden Router VPN – you piggyback on your ISP to connect to our servers, meaning that you are not affected by any blocks whatsoever. Not just that – but you also get to protect your entire house by connecting all devices to the Hidden Router.
Another benefit of the Hidden Router VPN is the network-wide adblock that is integrated in our routers. That means that you will not see websites that are jam packed with ads, you will avoid getting most of the viruses, which are usually distributed via malicious ads, and so much more! But lets get back to the problem at hand, for those that are not yet customers of Hidden Router:
For well over a decade, copyright holders have been obtaining injunctions around the world to have copyright-infringing sites blocked by Internet service providers.
The belief is that when users are presented with this roadblock, they will be more likely to turn to licensed services instead.
At the time of writing, more than 40 countries either have blocking measures in place or are required to implement them. These include members of the European Union plus Argentina, Australia, Iceland, India, Israel, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.
The UK is also prime blocking ground for copyright holders and it’s believed that at least hundreds and probably thousands of domains are blocked by ISPs. There is no publicly available centralized list but when new orders are issued, these are often reported by service providers. That was the case again this week when ISP TalkTalk published details of two new blocking orders.
Order Obtained by Elsevier and Springer Nature
In several regions, publishers Elsevier, Springer Nature and Wiley have been pursuing relentless legal action against academic paper repository Sci-Hub and its founder Alexandra Elbakyan. Thus far efforts to shut the platform down have completely failed so in parallel, the publishers have been taking action against ISPs to have them block the platform’s domains.
Back in February, Elsevier and Springer Nature obtained an injunction that required the UK’s leading ISPs to block the domain sci-hub.se. In August, it was reported that the same providers were required to block scihub.unblockit.uno, a domain that helps people to access Sci-Hub when they find its domain blocked. These so-called proxy portals are a pretty big problem for the publishers since they undermine blocking efforts. It now appears they have been working to block even more of them.
A list published by TalkTalk this week but dated September 14 reveals that seven domains designed to neutralize blocking will now be blocked by this ISP and most likely others including BT, Virgin Media, Sky, and EE.
These are just a tiny sample of proxy sites available online today so it’s probable that the publishers selected them due to their popularity. Any blocking is likely to push users to any number of alternatives but in combination with similar blocking efforts carried out by the Publishers Association against platforms including Libgen, the relatively minor hindrance may put some potential pirates off their stride.
Order Obtained by the MPA
Back in July, we reported that the MPA, which represents Netflix and the major Hollywood studios, had obtained a new blocking injunction in the UK targeting several pirate streaming sites. The list added 19 domain names to the MPA’s overall blocking efforts and this week yet more domain blocks were revealed.
In common with the domains targeted by the publishers, the MPA’s list (as reported by TalkTalk) appears to target proxy-type services which have the stated aim of unblocking streaming and torrent site domains that have previously been listed for blocking action.
As always – if you are not happy with how your ISP is handling all these blocks – you can always switch to the Hidden Router for the fastest possible VPN, with many more benefits like unblocking sites, blocking ads and malware, and being able to run a VPN on devices, that would otherwise be impossible to use on.
