In nerd circles, NetOne is known for two things: it’s ever-popular One-Fi bundles and never-ending boardroom squabbles and coups. In underground nerd circles, NetOne is also known for something else “free internet” via Droid and OpenVPN exploits. Thanks to these tricks a lot of Zimbabweans now have a warped idea of how VPN works.
The crazy world of “free internet”
A lot of people are going to call me a traitor for writing this but someone has to. Over the past few months, I have had occasion to interact with people from various Telegram groups that are ostensibly set up to discuss the issues related to VPN. By far the largest group is the official DroidVPN group set up by the folks from DroidVPN to support their service.
The first thing that immediately strikes you as soon as you are a member of this group is not the “free internet” tricks that are freely shared by all. It’s instead the unusual fact that most of the messages in this group are posted in urban Shona lingo. I had to recheck the group information multiple times just to assure myself that this was indeed the DroidVPN official group.
The second thing that strikes you, is how members freely share free internet tricks without a care in the world. The third thing is how most members seem to genuinely believe they are doing nothing wrong as they are “not stealing” data from their network provider! Apparently VPN allows you to bypass NetOne without using “their” data. That’s the reason why you are able to go online for free. It’s all legitimate claimed one prolific member of the group.
A popular alternative to DroidVPN when one wants free internet is to use OpenVPN.When one opts for this route a crucial tool of the trade is the http-injector app which allows users to modify HTTP headers in pretty much the same way DroidVPN does. The app also comes with an interesting feature that allows you to connect to the internet while your phone is in “aeroplane mode.”
According to those who shared this trick, connecting to the internet whilst your phone is in aeroplane mode allows you to “hide” from NetOne. Others used the fact that you were able to surf the internet without the NetOne signal showing on your phone as further proof that you were not doing anything wrong as you were not using Network Resources.
The truth about VPN hacks
My colleagues have already touched on the issue of free internet but the purpose of this article is to counter some of the myths that are prevalent among the “free internet” community in Zimbabwe or the VPN community as they prefer to be known.
No hackers, just script kiddies
The most prevalent myth fostered by those who share “free internet” settings is that they are prominent hackers who obtained these settings after committing acts of hacking jujitsu. Just Google for “free internet Netone” online and you will come across various YouTube videos, blogs and Facebook groups made by people claiming to be great hackers who can do all sorts of things.
The truth is rather disappointing, most of these people are just script kiddies. They just repurposed internet settings shared by other more technically gifted people from countries such as Brazil, the Philippines and Indonesia. All these people know is how to install an APK, edit settings and tap a button. Most don’t even understand networking basics as betrayed by their inane assertions of how VPN works.
Using VPN this way is almost certainly illegal
When you are using VPN this way you are actually using NetOne’s (or whoever your ISP is) resources. To get a VPN connection you need an internet connection which you are actually stealing from NetOne in this case. If you are wondering why you are able to connect using VPN even when you have no data let me explain.
Under normal circumstances, you need data to connect to the internet. Whenever you attempt to go online using your NetOne line, the company’s special software called a captive portal/firewall/gateway first checks to see if you have data before allowing your connection to go through to the internet. If you don’t have any data, your connection is dropped and you see an error in your browser.
What free internet tricks do, is try to trick this captive portal to allow your connection to go through even though you have no data. Think of it like getting a fake ID so that you can buy beer even if you are under the age of 18. Obviously, if you walk into a bar without an ID while you look suspiciously young you will be turned away. The same would happen if you walked in with an ID that looked obviously fake. A very good fake ID might fool the bartender if you looked old enough and were carrying it.
Usually illegal connections make use of proxy tricks to prick a hole in the captive portal. Once the connection goes through a TCP VPN connection is then made to maintain access. Usually these connections do not survive a phone call or a switch to another base station.
A stupid counter-argument that proponents of “free internet” VPN like to make is to tell those using these tricks to Google “What is my IP.” If you do that while connected to VPN you will get the IP address of your VPN provider. Those who know how VPN works are not surprised by this at all because that’s what you should see. If you were able to check your VPN provider’s proxy logs you would see a NetOne IP address in there.
For the avoidance of doubt, if you are using “free VPN” you are using NetOne’s internet backhaul. It’s just that your connection is being relayed to appear as if it’s from your VPN provider. You are technically stealing data from NetOne.
You cannot hide from NetOne
The fact that free riders have been using NetOne’s network to get free internet for over a year does not paint a very positive picture about the company’s system admins but make no mistake about it, if they really wanted to find you they could. There is no hiding away from them by browsing in aeroplane mode as some people in these groups claim.
Aeroplane mode is just a quick way for you to switch off your phone’s radios. Its named aeroplane mode because passengers were often asked to switch off their phones when boarding planes, something that passengers hated. Aeroplane mode offers a compromise, it allows passengers to switch off their device’s radios (WiFi and LTE) while allowing them to still use their phone’s other functions.
What apps like http-injector do is, they allow you to surreptitiously turn on your phone’s LTE/3G radio and connect to your provider’s cell tower. You might not be seeing network bars in the usual portion of the screen but make no mistake, your phone is still connected to NetOne’s cell tower and making use of the company’s infrastructure to connect to the internet.
Again, if you were able to check your VPN provider’s proxy logs you would still see a NetOne IP somewhere in there because you are indeed using NetOne’s internet backhaul to connect to the internet. A NetOne systems admin can, if they wanted to, see a connection from your phone to that proxy server. They might not be able to see what websites you are visiting but they can see you are connected.
Using free internet harms no one?
The popular justification peddled is that using free internet is a victimless crime. Far from it, using free internet not only harms the company providing the infrastructure which will have a hard time recouping costs expended to buy things like base stations, fibre and pay support staff it also harms legitimate customers who actually pay to use services.
When done excessively, free riding this way actually degrades the overall experience enjoyed by those who are paying for the service. Imagine buying a loaf of bread and only getting to eat half because somebody is stealing the other half. No one would countenance that, how should it be any different when it comes to digital goods? You get degraded speed because some free rider is torrenting for free! How is that victimless?
Why are VPN companies providing tools that can provide free internet?
The internet is a very Libertarian invention that was made by people who believed in the idea of unfettered access to the internet. Unfortunately politicians and thuggish regimes have been curtailing this freedom using increasingly advanced filtering tools. Take for example Russia, Australia,China, UK, Spain and Iran. All these countries have ISPs who implement various blocking techniques that range from rudimentary DNS blocks to the fine-tuned purring filtering machine that is the Great Wall of China.
VPN companies have risen to provide last mile tools that allow people to find ways to bypass these blocks. Tools such as http-injector, Shadowsocks, DroidVPN and Stunnel are often employed. This is all for a noble cause. Unfortunately these tools can also be used to circumvent legitimate blocks such as those used by ISPs to make sure people pay for usage.
The companies providing these tools have a noble cause in mind. Unfortunately some users are not so noble.
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83 comments
Mabatikana ka cde… manje nobody can stop raggae
Kkkk zvamanje manje no one can stop raggae………..ndisu tatanga kuba hre cde isu tikutoba hedu data …….. Hmmmm nyangwe vachitiona hatina kana basa nazvo PAMBERI NEDROID …..PAMBERI NEFREE DATA……… ANDINZWA NGAATI YEEE
Helloe bro kindly app me here I need yo help wt free data…0779198844
Yesaya brooo
Pamberi
Yeeeeee
But it’s so funny..they can see those who are connected, then why not block them..
Thank you for the information. Most of my questions sorrounding this practice have been answered.
Me too
It is the service providers responsibly to correctly bill all Internet traffic.
The activity cannot be classified as illegal or stealing. If I genuinely need to use a VPN, for whatever reasons, what is one to do?
The service provider needs to amend their system to work correctly. Surely, if these “exploits” are as popular as you claim, there must be a glaring discrepancy between *USED DATA* and *BILLED DATA* in their system. Any competent administrator would have noticed this and investigated.
Competent service provision is what is required.
I think used data will still be the same as billed data but just that when the data is used by those who rightfully bought it , the performance of their surfing is degraded though they might not notice it. And the ISP infrastructure under heavy usage thus needing constant servicing.
Does this mean Netone systems are weaker when compared to other ISPs like Econet and telecel? Someone is not doing their job at netone
Not exactly. There are settings for Econet and Telecel as well
Technically yes, coz those whose who setto ~vpn lingo~ re maother ISP’s could be 8 in a 100 people
Your article is one sided and completely ignores the fact that it’s the exorbitant pricing by these isps that birthed this current free internet wave. Also your other users being victims argument is flawed because those users have other options like econet,zol etc which don’t face the same challengs and are actually cheaper than netone. Also netone is government owned and therefore public owned so ‘stealing’ from them is just using resources that belong to you already!
“””…government owned and therefore public owned so ‘stealing’ from them is just using resources that belong to you already!”””
🤔 This is dangerous
Pamberi ne droid akomana
😂😂😂 You know what you got a point. Its our data anyway so hakusi kuba. Ngavadzikise ma price otherwise hatimire. And it’s not just Droid and open vpn anymore
Inini I use Droid, Open, Injector, BVN, VPN Client, Stark, DOX, Windscribe, Octopus…
The list is endless as of now, unongoshandisa rinoenderana nephone yako
You do know that other isps are more secure and have people that monitor any suspicious activity and stop them
Good article. Don’t treat them with kid gloves, they are in the same bus with hackers. Unauthorized access, taking advantage of a security flaw and next they will be distributing Trojans. Hackers from the Phillipines (origin of DroidVPN) are bad news. Remember one of them created the worst worm in history, the “I love you” worm, which infected over 10 million PCs worldwide. I don’t trust DroidVPN. Don’t install it because you never know what else is integrated in the app. Next thing your credit card will be cleaned and we send you that crying meme!
Techzim, I do agree with what you said, but they is a big controversy with the vpns’.These guys are actually script kiddies not white hat or black hat hackers, but remember the motto for unethical hackers (or maybe all hackers)is actually free information for free for everyone..Take it about the the dark web for example, nobody has been able to erase them on the internet…so long story short a Virtual Private Network is for journalist
True be careful
Vpn illegal or illegal.nobody can stop reggae
It’d a shame you depend on others to provide for you. This is why Zim is not progressing
Anyone with settings of free internet in zimbabwe get i touch with me on 0775668778..ndikutodawo internet yemahara.
Having Data is an essential need in the digital age. Its like buying mealie meal or any Basic commodity. Unfortunately demand here does not control pricing and that is the problem. Data should be free/cheap instead telecoms are just profiteering. Nxaa
Well the article is indeed one sided as imagine the number of people who are now buying the netone sim so why complain as the Netone sim is being promoted and in 2 years time almost everyone in Zimbabwe will have a netone sim and the profits for them Will skyrocket more than any other sim in Zimbabwe
You do know most to all isps buy internet from the states meaning even if you all have lines they might not be able to provide anymore internet for you
We have these guys stilling our money when we send and its said to have hanged. They never return econet, steward and netone bla bla. Imbotaurawo nyaya idzi dzakazara pama twitter faceboom people complain but all you do is stand for these thieves.
Techzim became sellouts the moment they drank coffee with the Devil, econet
yaa inotambika mambo wangu . The guy who started this is a network technician proudly zimbo …
Get this lesson
A vpn is an application -i….. in zimbabwe no act in the constituition prohibits the use of ab vpn apk wazwa …
I promise to hack into your website anddelete this silly article of yours nigga
Hello bro Plis help.me.with that free data app
Airtym haichatengwa ka techzim motopona nekutengesa magetsi
Especially Strieve ” imagine the guy literally made his own currency. If he want he could make any amount which comes to mind
All Zimbabwe telecommunication companies are run by criminals and thugs. Which costs are u talking about? They have enough to cover those through all the money we spent on airtime purchases. Give us a simple explanation on why they should continue to increase the price for data bundles? How can you charge someone that much money for them to access a bunch of websites? Don’t be fooled, I can see that you don’t know anything. This is all about monopolizing things. Netone and Econet saw that people were no longer buying much airtime to call and text their folks after the introduction of whatsapp and Facebook. If people just bought data bundles, they could do that using those apps. Econet Yomix is a great example of what I am talking about. Check the prices of data bundles you buy using *143# and the ones in Yomix to see what I mean. In Yomix they included voices calls and sms options because that’s were they want their customers to be.
PamaVPN ndipo panotangira urombe
Ishuwa we need cheap data otherwise this will never stop
Awesome article! You really can’t be to careful this day and age.
Guys i just spoke to a chick who works for netone and she was like ” vanhu vema vpn variku rarama on borrowed time because as of now the current director is just an acting manager but as so as a real director is appointed tirikudzi fambira nyaya dzacho cuz we can see how much data they’re using and we have the names registered to the lines .She said they’re literally going to pay the exact amount they have used. And i have been using both open and droid since 2018🤣
unongorasa line racho
Ndipeiwo
Kokuve nezita rangu ndokuve ne addres yangu here..ndiriku epworth adress ndakaregister yekuzhombe…pavachandishaya ikoko vozouya epworth ndendatama futi
Unobatwa shamwari. Vanokwanisa kukutsvaka through booster ririkubatira network yako. Usazvinyepera
Line unorasa zve. Hanty rakachipa
😅
China chaiyo with all their resources yakazvitadza zvema vpn. Hazvina kusiyana nekuda kuvhara magaro nemaoko apa wakarohwa nemanyoka
That’s bad bro
On Netone I have ZERO apologies. This is revenge. Everyone i buy 25GB their horrible network ensures I have almost 16GB left unused. Better to buy those “free internet” settings and get my money’s worth. They steal or money and data, I have no qualms ‘stealing’ it back.
Ndipeiwo
Can I get settings for droid vpn
Dai taiwana vanonyorawo these articles vachiexposer the corruption iri kuitwa ne the rich and powerful, Zimbabwe yainaka
This world is getting tougher everyday guys .. people now are focusing on survival not pleasure.In addition,bundles are not so friendly costing , therefore as long as bundles are expensive as they are , people will never stop using these free internet applications and l support that to a greater extend
Kkk pakaipa tipewo ma settings
Im looking for telone line (sim card) if you can assist me Techzim or anyone kindly app me on https://wa.me/263773299604
My question goes to the Droid Vpn team, that how do you gain from providing Free data.
Aiwa Strive ndiye atituma kubaveduwe ndiye anga ari number but yowe
No 1 can stop raggue pamberi ne VPN vari Botswana ndibateyiwo ndinzwe wo line reko titori shandisawo futi ikoko kkÄ·kkk
+26771882473
Interesting stuff there! Would love to know more!,
Guys izvozvi kune Open Vpn iri kupisa zvamanje manje
Tipooo masettings zvako iwe ….usateerere avo vane mashavi ekusada zvemahara
Wapihwa here maSettings wangu? I also want them
Econet deserves this, hackers should brutalise their network
Funny my network just opens without use of vpns and all that. Just trickles in here and there for free
Ha wangu remember, no one owns the internet,……… The ones who onws are the users……. mahara takaenda takaenda and if they say we are stealing, sei vasiri kutaura kuti vari kuita loss. One thing to knot: netone is like a bridge to cross over, so no data is stollen from netone
Ha wangu izvo zvawakataura zvatove zvimwe. Internet is supposed to be free mu era yatiri apa ivo ndopavanokwidza ma price saka zvopa vanhu kubawo zve.
guys just share the settings .. nd let us all feel the net … 👌
Ma settings ngaauye guys, for the first time, Zimbabwe inganzi yakarongeka ika offer free Internet thats good life
That’s devil’s trap I will never use vpn
OpenVPN manake
Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.
Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn..
Guys please don’t be like that you saying that cuz you are one of those people who are doing bad things using a VPN and also netone you should improve your security and do your job
Shame on you, these companies already asking for way toouch for their services!
Shame on you, these companies already asking for way too much for their services!
Free internet mberi ….. Shaaa….. Data raunoshaandisa kuvharana … Ndakatenga 10 gig ndikasiya data rakabaka ndokumuka kwasara 1 gig apa ranga riri data re school things
Can someone provide some settings for the respective vpns in the comments
Ndipeiwo masettings edroid
Yeah thanks for droid vpn
Kindly note that we have blocked all access to VPNs
So why are they still working?
Iwant to use internet free
Starlink varamba nayo, chitipayi hedu seto reVpn
We are happy with this droid vpn because I’m a student and don’t have money for internet, drovid VPN help me very much