Matthew Hall Dec 2, 2022
Have you ever tethered your laptop to your phone and tried to portscan rfc1918 address space to see what routable networks your mobile provider is exposing? No? Try it, it’s fun 😇
Show threadNick Drage

@matthew_hall I've been tempted for years, but suspected this was a great way to get my account cancelled.

Has anyone tried this and written up their findings?

Dec 3, 2022 at 11:35amWeb
Show threadMatthew Hall Dec 3, 2022
@SonOfSunTzu sim only & small amount of data is little cost 😉
I found a particular providers management network was exposed and routable - some default snmp communities too. I’m guessing most providers don’t expect their customers to “attack” them so it’s going to be less monitored than cross-border traffic
Show threadNick DrageDec 3, 2022

@matthew_hall fair, I'm probably optimistic about the monitoring around this, even though it feels like an obvious attack vector.

I always wondered where the data usage was measured, is there some way to get data from one phone to another before it impacts usage....

Show threadMatthew Hall Dec 3, 2022
@SonOfSunTzu typically if it’s within the providers network there is no cost (so it’s either free or very cheap); much like traditional calls of old - as providers charge each other at their borders when traffic/calls cross. Hence you don’t get costed for data by some providers using that data to get to the providers website to check your usage 😉
Show threadNick DrageDec 5, 2022

@matthew_hall good point.

So, theoretically, if I was to connect two devices to the same provider, and figure out how to transport/tunnel data between them, that shouldn't take up any of my allowance?