Has Spark blocked PPTP over the Rural Wireless Broadband network???

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Has Spark blocked PPTP over the Rural Wireless Broadband network???

Munter

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#214419 10-May-2017 17:59

I work from home most days, and my work still uses a PPTP based VPN. While that's insecure and has been blocked in iOS 10, it's not something that I have control over. I was happily able to connect to the VPN yesterday but from this morning onwards my connections are being blocked somewhere between my laptop and work.

I'm using Windows 10, and the error message that I'm getting is:

"The VPN connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be completed. The most common cause for this failure is that at least one Internet device (for example, a firewall or a router) between your computer and the VPN server is not configured to allow Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol packets. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator or Internet Service Provider".

I know that the VPN is working as I have been able to connect to it from an AWS server, and I have colleagues who have connected as well. I've ruled out it being an account issue as I was able to use the same account on the AWS server. Nothing has changed at my end that I know of, unless there has been an automatic update on my router (Huawei B315s).

That leaves the Spark network as the only unknown in the equation. The person I spoke to at the Spark helpdesk didn't even know what VPN was, let alone PPTP or GRE so I didn't really get anywhere there.

I read in other forum topics that changing the APN settings can help, but the APNs listed here (https://www.spark.co.nz/help/mobile-data/troubleshooting/spark-apns-and-ip-ranges/) don't seem to work for Rural Wireless Broadband.

gajan

286 posts

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#1779256 10-May-2017 19:27

PM me some details (your Wireless Broadband number), and I'll get someone to have a look.

My comments and remarks are not necessarily of my employer.

Munter

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1779285 10-May-2017 19:53

Great thanks Gajan. I've sent you my Spark account number.

Munter

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1779986 12-May-2017 08:32

A quick update in case anyone else is following this thread.

Gajan has given me a temporary workaround and my PPTP based VPN is working again. I'll leave it to Gajan to decide if it's OK to post the workaround publicly but that might be a no-go from Spark's perspective.

Russell Mann

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#1780118 12-May-2017 12:06

Hi All,

I have a similar issue that has started this week. I have a number of mobile routers that connect via PPTP to a server and have successfully done so for a number of years. Then 2 days ago some of them will no longer connect. I have just done some testing on a spare device and have determined that PPTP will not connect via the internet.telecom.co.nz apn whereas it will on the direct apn. To further complicate things I still have some devices that are connecting via the internet apn. So it seems that PPTP is now not working in some areas but OK in others. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Cheers, Russell.

BarTender

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#1780235 12-May-2017 15:25

Seriously guys this is 2017 and you're still using PPTP??

http://www.h-online.com/security/features/A-death-blow-for-PPTP-1716768.html

That was back in 2012... 5 YEARS AGO.

IPSec, OpenVPN, SSLVPN or the myriad of other proprietary VPN solutions that Firewall vendors offer and many Firewalls these days. You can pick up a dirt cheap Firewall for sub $500, run PFSense in a VM or pick up second hand off TradeMe for next to nothing. Just checked trademe and there is a Juniper SSG20 on there for $50 which for any SOHO would be more than functional to provide a secure VPN solution.

You might as well not have any security or encryption to protect whatever tunnel you are attempting to if you want to run PPTP as it's just that insecure.

Behodar

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#1780257 12-May-2017 15:52

You should be telling the employers, not the employees :)

Linux

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#1780259 12-May-2017 15:57

I am guessing the work around is using another APN but you should move away from PPTP

Linux

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Munter

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1780262 12-May-2017 16:04

Thanks for the concern... I'm doing what I can to get my employer to move to something more secure, but for now my only option is to connect via PPTP. Thanks to Gajan for looking into to this and giving me a workaround though.

BarTender

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#1781713 13-May-2017 17:29

Munter:
Thanks for the concern... I'm doing what I can to get my employer to move to something more secure, but for now my only option is to connect via PPTP. Thanks to Gajan for looking into to this and giving me a workaround though.

Please get them to read the above article from 5 years ago.

Then link them information about WannaCry malware attack underway right now that's crippled a number of UK NHS hospitals. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WannaCry_ransomware_attack

Then ask your boss what the cost of being offline for 2 weeks.

My bet is it would be a little more expensive to be offline that long than purchasing a cheap firewall or a $50 second hand VPN router off trademe.

I find it unbelievable myself.