Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

UK Mobile Operator O2 Leaks MMS Photos

Posted by Soulskill on from the like-a-sieve dept.

Anonymous Hero writes "UK Mobile Operator O2 allows its customers to send Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) photos to email recipients by way of a web interface. The URLs published by the MMS-to-email application are not authenticated, so a simple Google search reveals hundreds, if not thousands of private photos." Reader ttul points out similar coverage of this issue at InformationWeek.

4 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. Of course that is not all. by lantastik · · Score: 5, Informative

    Google can dig up all kinds of wonderful information.

  2. Re:Tomorrow's news by duguk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Probably, O2 have already disabled access to email for non-contract users.

    I tried to post this on /. the other day but hasn't been accepted; being as anyone on O2 is probably reading this article, I'll post it here. "It's been reported in a number of places that UK Mobile Phone company, O2 are blocking some internet ports for some customers.

    It appears that although Contract customers on the mobile network are fully able to access email and SSH via their mobile phone, yet customers subscribed through 'Pay as you Go' (PAYG; a non-subscription service, paid up in front as credit), are only given WAP access, which only provides very basic HTTP access.

    Essentially this means that anyone with a pay-in-front service agreement won't be able to access their email or use anything apart from basic HTTP, even though O2 are now selling and advertising the new Apple iPhone on PAYG and stating it will support "all the same features as contract customers".

    It's been reported that on contacting O2, they state its a technical problem and one that can't be resolved, yet it's also been mentioned that their own O2 POP3 mail service does work, but access to any other service doesn't.

    Are O2 right to restrict access for customers not on a fixed contract? Does your mobile phone company do the same thing? And are O2 advertising unfairly?"

    More information here.

  3. Re:eh? by duguk · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think you'll find that there's still the same number as yesterday - I'm the DugUK as mentioned in the InformationWeek article.

    I posted the comment in the O2 Forums, and they not only deleted my comments, they disabled my account too! I'm glad people are finally beginning to realise this is a problem and can't just be hidden up.

    For my next trick, I'd like everyone to also know that EMAIL DOES NOT WORK ON PAY AS YOU GO on O2! They've blocked port access.

    Thanks!

  4. Re:Its not O2, its Google by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 3, Informative

    No robots.txt
    http://mediamessaging.o2.co.uk/robots.txt

    Nothing is telling Google (or Yahoo, or ...) not to index a page somebody linked to on some other page.