[Pkg-utopia-maintainers] Bug#626822: Bug#626822: network-manager: can fallback to using 4.2.2.1 DNS server?

[Dan Williams]

On Thu, 2011-05-19 at 21:43 +0300, Timo Juhani Lindfors wrote:
> Dan Williams <dcbw at redhat.com> writes:
> > Again, if you see 4.2.2.1 getting used, that's due to a bug between pppd
> > and the modem, and if NM didn't substitute 4.2.2.1, you wouldn't get any
> > DNS at all.
> >
> > The problem could be debugged by starting NM like so:
> 
> I understand but you are describing a different problem. I'm reporting

I believe this is the same problem that we were talking about.  The
problem is that pppd and the modem are not able to negotiate the correct
DNS servers for your provider.  Thus you are stuck with 4.2.2.1.

> this bug about the fact that NM can fallback to these servers and in
> doing so make it possible for GTE to spy and hijack DNS requests of
> users that are completely unrelated to GTE without even warning the
> users about it.

You have no control over the DNS servers that you are given anyway, and
the provider can change them at will.  If you're concerned about this,
you can change your mobile broadband IP configuration from "Automatic
(PPP)" to "Automatic (PPP) addresses only" and enter custom nameservers
that you trust and control.  You do get a warning in syslog:

nm_log_warn (LOGD_PPP, "compensating for invalid PPP-provided
nameservers");

The nameservers are also clearly displayed in the connection information
dialog.

We're not going to show a popup notification or anything like; instead
we should fix the real problem in pppd.  This hack in NM was introduced
because we had a flood of bug reports about networking not working at
all due to bad nameservers, and this at least allows users to get
online.

Dan