Globe Tattoo and Smart Bro Hacks

Globe Tattoo and Smart Bro Hacks

SmartBro hacks

Overview

SmartBro have much tighter security than the other providers when it comes to preventing free browsing. However, it’s still possible to surf through Smartbro for free.
Surf for free via another Smartbro user

Even without load, you can connect to the SmartBro 3G network. When you try to surf the web, you’ll find yourself redirected to http://m.smart.com.ph/wapnobalance/index.php

SmartBro use the Harmony transparent proxy which drops any connections you make if you don’t have load. However, this blocking functionality isn’t applied to connections on the internal network (other SmartBro users). If you have a friend with a SmartBro connection then you simply need to ask them to run a SOCKS5 proxy on their machine and tell you their IP address. Adjust your browsers proxy settings to use the SOCKS5 proxy that your friend is running.
Pros and cons

Pros:

* It allows you to surf without any load.
* It’s relatively easy to setup since there are many free SOCKS5 proxy servers available for download.

Cons:

* You need a friend who is connected to the SmartBro service.
* All of your traffic will be routed through your friends computer and most proxy servers will show incoming requests. This means that your friend will be able to see what sites your browsing and potentially your usernames and passwords. You can help combat this by using HTTPS instead of HTTP; but be aware that some proxies are capable of man in the middle attacks which allows HTTPS traffic to also be sniffed.
* You and your friend share the same bandwidth. If one of you gets greedy and constantly downloads large files at high speed then the other will find the connection to be very slow.

Globe Tattoo hacks

Overview

When the author  first subscribed to Globe Tattoo, He was not aware of a fair usage policy. He thought that ‘surf unlimited‘ really meant unlimited. After about 6 hours He found himself unable to surf any further and discovered that He hit Globe’s 800MB “Fair usage” limit. He was still able to connect to their 3G network but unable to surf or make any connections to other web services. So He set about trying to find ways to bypass this limitation and get the full 24 hours of access that He’d paid for.
Surf for free using Opera Mini (third party discovery)

The first (and only) hack He found online uses a modified version of Opera Mini that you run on your cell phone. You simply download the modified version, adjust some proxy settings on your phone and surf away as normal. You can even run opera mini on your desktop and use a 3G dongle (e.g Globe Tattoo modem).

The Opera Mini and proxy settings are frequently updated, soHe wont be posting the files/settings here. Instead, He recommend you simply search Google for “globe hack mini opera”. To ensure you’re not charged, it is advised to use a sim which has no load.
Pros and cons

Pros:

* Easy to install and use

Cons:

* Can be a little slow.
* Requires some maintenance; Updating the modified Opera Mini and proxy settings.
* Is only suitable for browsing, not downloading

Conclusion

Perfectly fine for occasional browsing on your phone but that’s about it.
Surf for free by stripping the protocol from your HTTP requests (my discovery)

This method allows you to continue surfing through Globe Tattoo after hitting the 800MB fair use limit or to surf without having any load.

If you have no load and try to surf, nothing happens. Your HTTP requests get dropped by the Harmony transparent web proxy that Globe operate. However, after some testing I found that you can bypass this by simply stripping off the protocol (i.e. HTTP/1.1) from the HTTP request.

He coded a basic web proxy in PHP which runs locally and modifies the HTTP request on the fly before it goes out to the internet. The screenshot below shows an example request that was modified.

Pros and cons

Pros:

* Allows you to surf without any load or after you’ve hit the 800MB fair usage limit
* Great for downloading large files over HTTP

Cons:

* It’s not a perfect browsing experience. Removing the protocol from your HTTP request can confuse some web servers.
* This method is only suitable for HTTP, it will not work with HTTPS. If you could modify the browsers source code and remove the protocol at that point (instead of via a local proxy) then I believe you could successfully use HTTPS.

Conclusion

This method is perfect for downloading large files over HTTP and occasional surfing. You can watch Youtube videos and browse most sites without a problem. However you’re limited to HTTP only and some sites wont work without you sending a properly formatted HTTP request.
Surf for free by using a PING/DNS tunnel (my discovery)

Even without load or after hitting the fair usage limit, you’re still able to send PINGs and perform DNS lookups. If you own a server (or have a friend who runs their computer 24/7) then you can install a PING or DNS tunnel on that computer and route your traffic through it. These tunnels disguise your traffic as regular PINGs or DNS lookups, which are allowed to pass through the network unhindered by Globe.

I downloaded Hans PING tunnel and installed the server component on my dedicated server which is hosted in the US. When I want to surf through Globe Tattoo, without load, I simply connect the modem as usual and then run the Hans client in a terminal window. All my traffic is then routed through my remote server by PINGs. This may sound like a wild idea but I was able to surf at full speed, stream Youtube videos and download files at 150-200Kb/sec
Pros and cons

Pros:

* Allows you to have a full surfing experience without any load or after you’ve hit the 800MB fair usage limit

Cons:

* Requires you to have a dedicated server or a friend who has a computer connected to the internet 24/7 (or at least at the time you want to surf).

Conclusion

Although this method is a little more technical than the others, it provides the best surfing experience. You can funnel your traffic through the tunnel and surf in a completely normal way.

[Via PhilippineInternets]