Archived No More Bypassing Ip Bans - Vpn Blocker.

[Lumbo]

Hello! For the past couple days, I have been seeing a lot of players using VPNs to bypass their bans, so I was thinking that there is a plugin that blocks VPNs (I used to own a server and it had a plugin that blocked VPNs and it did work.) It's also a plugin that doesn't take a lot of resources from the server, so it won't slow down the server (Every plugin slows down the server, but this plugin is insignificant to really hog the resources of the server.) Alright, so let me list out the pros and cons of adding this plugin

1. Blocks people from using VPNs.
2. It will make it way harder for children to use their free VPNs as the plugin already blocks them.
3. It hardly takes any resources from the server, so this will make the server remain the same and won't bottleneck (Slow down) the server.
   
4. People won't be able to bypass IP bans.
5. If you want people to use a VPN, you can allow them as there is a command to allow players to use VPNs

Cons.

1. May take a while for the server to adjust it/coding may take sometime (I don't really see anything wrong with the plugin, so the coding probably won't be needed at all, unless if massivecraft want's to modify the plugin.
2. Has a chance to interfere with the plugins that massivecraft already has (Highly doubt its main purpose is to block VPNs and nothing else.)

That's all I have to say, I am not too sure if this is where I should talk about plugins, but I am doing it here anyway! IF this is the wrong section to add this (OR massivecraft isn't looking to add anymore plugins) then I'd like to know in the comments!

If any staff/aspirant is interested in the plugin then I'll give you the link to the VPN blocker, I don't feel comfortable adding the link here as I might be breaking a rule if I do so.

 

[Zacatero]

Hey there! I actually have a degree in cybersecurity! so im going to tell you some things about this.

Hello! For the past couple days, I have been seeing a lot of players using VPNs to bypass their bans, so I was thinking that there is a plugin that blocks VPNs (I used to own a server and it had a plugin that blocked VPNs and it did work.) It's also a plugin that doesn't take a lot of resources from the server, so it won't slow down the server (Every plugin slows down the server, but this plugin is insignificant to really hog the resources of the server.) Alright, so let me list out the pros and cons of adding this plugin

Click to shrink...

So to start. Plugins like these run off of a list of KNOWN VPNs that programs typically use. Its not like theres a definitive way to tell whether or not an IP is a VPN or not because an IP i can use as a VPN might actually be somebody's IP. Like i know somebody was IPbanned from a server after logging in from a public wifi on minechat at a bowling alley. Somebody used THAT IP as a VPN and now its listed on whatever lists are there for this stuff. In the spoiler is a more in depth explanation on VPNs if you are interested.

Spoiler: Techy Networking Stuff

In this example. Router 1's actual IP is 1.1.1.1 and Router 2's actual IP is 2.2.2.2. HOWEVER to get from router 1 to router 2 you use a GRE tunnel to mask the true IPs, so instead of 1.1.1.1, it would appear to the internet that Router 1's IP is 172.16.1.1. That is how a VPN works.

So while this plugin might help mitigate the VPN issue, it will only work temporarily. As soon as it comes out that Massive uses a specific plugin, then ways to bypass it will be more common.

Somebody who ban evades in this way isnt afraid to battle a challenge, so its probable that they would go out of their way to use VPNs not on the lists we would use, and then it would be redundant to have the plugin at all.

 

[Lumbo]

Alrighty,

KNOWN VPNs

Click to shrink...

It's not that the plugin keeps the IPs of those VPNs, they use the ISP provider to block it, so a common VPN for an example (Cool VPNs) will be that provider, the plugin that sees that the provider is (Cool VPNs) and they'll block it, they are not blocking the IP of those VPNs. And, yes they'll battle it, but then you just need to update the program, exactly the same way as you use anticheat, you will have to keep on updating it to work. Keep in mind, the people hosting these VPNs are not focused on people who hack on Minecraft, it's the main purpose is to actually hide your identity from the internet, so if some person that hacks Minecraft asks the person providing them the VPN "Can you make it so I can bypass Minecraft VPN blockers." The person who is providing them the VPN will say "no." Because that isn't what VPNs are used for. Almost every hacker on Minecraft will be using those cheap VPN providers that are free to use as they don't want to spend money. And, on the plugin, you can add it, so if a person has used a VPN and it's been blocked by massivecraft, they will have to find another VPN and by doing this is basically helping massivecraft by blocking them. If a person was using a free wifi spot on massivecraft and get's that spot IP ban, so be it most times people on massivecraft don't bring their laptops/desktops everywhere and I think a person can handle being off massivecraft for a while (It's not like they are going to live there, and if they do a lot of hotels/places have multiple routers in which you can connect to. I also highly doubt that a person who has been on massivecraft and got the ban at that wifi area will ever go to that area, the chances of that happening is very unlikely.)

I hope this makes sense as I am not the best at explaining computer things.

 

[ZiHAMMER]

I always vpn to connect to here and there's no way to know I'm using this vpn at all.

 

[Lumbo]

I always vpn to connect to here and there's no way to know I'm using this vpn at all.

Click to shrink...

What do you mean? All I'd have to do is check your IP and see your provider to see what VPN you're using? (Most often companies use their name as their provider.)

 

[Violettee]

Personally don't care if people avoid their bans. People who ban evade tend to tread lightly once they're back on or risk blowing their cover. More concerned with people who use hacked clients (whilst ban evading or not). I think the time invested in ensuring people can't commit bannable offences like these in the first place is time better spent.

 

[Zacatero]

I always vpn to connect to here and there's no way to know I'm using this vpn at all.

Click to shrink...

This exactly.

 

[Lumbo]

Alright, the only way you can know if someone is using a VPN is if they're using a public VPN service. But, if you use your own VPN then you cannot know if the person is using a VPN, though if people are actually using their own VPNs (Created their VPN by themselves without in need third party software) then I'll be shocked for how much time a person has done to make their own VPN (I am mainly trying to say is that people who hack on Minecraft servers often use public VPN services and not their own.)

 

[Lumbo]

Not exactly the "Only" way.

 

[ZiHAMMER]

But, if you use your own VPN then you cannot know if the person is using a VPN, though if people are actually using their own VPNs (Created their VPN by themselves without in need third party software) then I'll be shocked for how much time a person has done to make their own VPN

Click to shrink...

Obviously I use a private one, not really that hard to make one. And more than one.

 

[Jalapeno690]

It doesn't bother me if people try to by pass their bans or not, a few Swedish kids have been doing it for years and if anything in my eyes it adds humour at times, after all mine craft is only a game and their rants only last 20 seconds before being banned again, after all they could try and destroy the world map or something worse like a certain man once did

 

[Omnomivore]

We used to have something like this with one of the anti cheat clients we previously installed but wound up removing it because there were too many false positives on players who were currently active on the server. Some players repeatedly got banned because they had to use public IPs to access the server, so we opted for its removal.

 

[Jalapeno690]

We used to have something like this with one of the anti cheat clients we previously installed but wound up removing it because there were too many false positives on players who were currently active on the server. Some players repeatedly got banned because they had to use public IPs to access the server, so we opted for its removal.

Click to shrink...

Was that the anti cheat system where when you looked up you saw for a second another player??? God that thing used to scare me all the time, looking up and seeing a raptum player above me

 

[Lumbo]

Was that the anti cheat system where when you looked up you saw for a second another player???

Click to shrink...

Yep

We used to have something like this with one of the anti cheat clients we previously installed but wound up removing it because there were too many false positives on players who were currently active on the server. Some players repeatedly got banned because they had to use public IPs to access the server, so we opted for its removal.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I didn't think it would create false positives, but anyway it probably won't exactly work as a lot of people often use their own VPNs, in which I can consider this a waste of time to add if everyone actually uses their own VPN.

I am probably going to lay-low on this subject as it probably has no use at the moment and almost all the plugins that do this are either in beta or very glitchy, so I probably shouldn't of posted this. I just thought it would help the Anticheat, but with false positives definitely will make the plugin useless as you won't exactly be able to predict if it's an actual VPN or not.

 

[Zacatero]

Obviously I use a private one, not really that hard to make one. And more than one.

Click to shrink...

This exactly.

Click to shrink...

 

[Lumbo]

We used to have something like this with one of the anti cheat clients we previously installed but wound up removing it because there were too many false positives on players who were currently active on the server. Some players repeatedly got banned because they had to use public IPs to access the server, so we opted for its removal.

Click to shrink...

Mark this as rejected/handle (Not sure)?Pretty sure it is by now.