Speed Hack Findings

I ran the packet sniffer on Winbolo using the speed hack today. I got into a game today where someone was using the hack, so i decided to go ahead with the testing. Here's what I found.

When all is running at normal, there are roughly 10,000 outbound and 2,000 inbound packets per minute. when running the hack at 2x, it jumps toi 13,000 out and 4,000 in. At 4x, it jumps to 16,000 out and 8,000 in.

......Out .....In
1x 10,000 2,000
2x 13,000 4,000
4x 16,000 8,000

My best guess is that the hack that makes one immune probably discards some of the inboumd packets. so that instead of 10k/2k, you would see 10k/1k.

So the solution i described in another thread will probably work. If the average packet count exceeds or drops below a certain threshold, the player gets dropped from the game; or, if there is a sudden increase over the average packet count.

Hope this helps end these f'n hacks. I am really getting sick seeing them used.

why wouldn't you just examine the packets for tank location, if the tank moves more than it should have in a certain amount of time, then obviously something is amiss .. might be simpler than keeping track of the amount of packets received. but either way its up to JM to implement these things.

Min

min can u help us cut that hack thing out in the next verision if u want to see how the hack look like i could send u the hack that sak send me so u can try it out to know to stop it in the next verision or this verion

Min, this is a generic program. it attaches to the program space, finds the port and starts manipulating it by increasing packet output.

I would think that would be harder to make changes to track tank movement than counting packets. just my guess. Elvis would know the answer to that.

A fix that would stop most of the packet manipulation would be in winbolods. to really fix it would require changes in both the server and client apps.

Damn bluesnake, you lousy idiot.

heh....blue....thats funny....your just dropin dimes on everyone.....hi my names blue...i have hack..i got it from sak. hehe ......dude dont ever get into drug dealing....then your in a world of hurt. :roll:

pmg wrote:

heh....blue....thats funny....your just dropin dimes on everyone.....hi my names blue...i have hack..i got it from sak. hehe ......dude dont ever get into drug dealing....then your in a world of hurt. :roll:

please please please not another flame war...how about we just forget all this hack shit and if we ever see anyone use it again (ill film it if i see it) then we can ban em........so lest just just put this behind us ppls.... :? :cry: :wink: :roll: :oops: :P 8)

Lets keep on topic so another thread doesn't have to be locked.

Personally, I dont think Elvis needs any help in trying to fix the problem, just needs the time in which to do it :)

Nemokrad wrote:

Lets keep on topic so another thread doesn't have to be locked.

Personally, I dont think Elvis needs any help in trying to fix the problem, just needs the time in which to do it :)

hmmm...could ppl pleeease do me a favour...especially in open games...allow brains....so i can film ppl using the hack. i saw one guy using it but couldnt film cuz no brains were allowed. :( damn...almost had proof of a speed hack.........

wonka wrote:

Min, this is a generic program. it attaches to the program space, finds the port and starts manipulating it by increasing packet output.

I would think that would be harder to make changes to track tank movement than counting packets. just my guess. Elvis would know the answer to that.

A fix that would stop most of the packet manipulation would be in winbolods. to really fix it would require changes in both the server and client apps.

sure, but if you do checksums' on client reported tank position, it would help with alot of other hacks as well. for example, you know you can teleport by manipulating the tank locations from memory. the "speed" hack is not the only problem that people have found with winbolo.

bluesnake wrote:

min can u help us cut that hack thing out in the next verision if u want to see how the hack look like i could send u the hack that sak send me so u can try it out to know to stop it in the next verision or this verion

talk to elvis about that bigguy .. I don't program the game, nor do I have anything to do with the game.

Min

Q-mandabomb wrote:

Nemokrad wrote:

Lets keep on topic so another thread doesn't have to be locked.

Personally, I dont think Elvis needs any help in trying to fix the problem, just needs the time in which to do it :)

hmmm...could ppl pleeease do me a favour...especially in open games...allow brains....so i can film ppl using the hack. i saw one guy using it but couldnt film cuz no brains were allowed. :( damn...almost had proof of a speed hack.........

You don't actually need Spielborg. I've used CamStudio before, but never with Bolo. Not sure how the compression measures up, you can't move the Bolo window w/o screwing up the video, and I wouldn't do it on a double sized window, but you might be able to get a video of the fabled speed hack.

Min wrote:

sure, but if you do checksums' on client reported tank position, it would help with alot of other hacks as well. for example, you know you can teleport by manipulating the tank locations from memory. the "speed" hack is not the only problem that people have found with winbolo.

I thought about using CRC too, or encrypting the packets. That would address some of the other problems; but i don't think that it would fix a program that manipulates the port like speed hack does. There, you're gonna have to do something about the number of packets sent / received.

if you do checksum on tank position over a specific time period, it would deal with this, unless someone turned on the program and didn't move. which would make it pointless anyways.

Min

Min wrote:

if you do checksum on tank position over a specific time period, it would deal with this, unless someone turned on the program and didn't move. which would make it pointless anyways.

Min

Checksum/CRC/Encrption is for protecting the contents of the packet. to make sure nothing is altered, or if it is, you can tell because the packet content no longer matches the summation total.

the best i can tell, speedhack doesn't alter the packet. it duplicates them. That's why i say that you have to address the packet counts. There may be another way to address this though: add sequence number to the packet. and discard all extra packets with an equal or lower sequence#.

wonka wrote:

Min wrote:

if you do checksum on tank position over a specific time period, it would deal with this, unless someone turned on the program and didn't move. which would make it pointless anyways.

Min

Checksum/CRC/Encrption is for protecting the contents of the packet. to make sure nothing is altered, or if it is, you can tell because the packet content no longer matches the summation total.

the best i can tell, speedhack doesn't alter the packet. it duplicates them. That's why i say that you have to address the packet counts. There may be another way to address this though: add sequence number to the packet. and discard all extra packets with an equal or lower sequence#.

its for protecting the integrity of the data. so if the server does some simple calculations based on the bolo game physics and realizes HEY! that tank COULDN"T have moved that far in the amount of time between these packets ... something is amiss! ... thats what I'm refering too. its not like it would be that big of a deal to simply calculate how far the tank has moved and compare that to the time its moved that far in ... were as tallying thousands of packets will not really accomplish anything in my opinion. but whatever, its up to elvis to implement something. if he so chooses.

Min

Interesting!

min, i don't know which way would be easier for John. Both require timing synchronization. The way you suggest only fixes the problem with speed. There are other hacks out there. Like the hack i've seen where the pills don't fire at the person is probably based on dropping packets.

Someone mentioned changing the protocol, and maybe that is the solution. Encrypt the packets and timing.

I didn't spend the time trying to decode the packets, so don't know the type of information sent between the client and the server; if they are activity based (moving, firing) packets, or information based (like x,y coords of tank/x,y location of cross hairs) packets , or a combination in each packet.

Maybe a fix as simple as adding sequence numbers to the packets is enough. Then discard all packets accordingly.

I don't know the answer. The only thing i can tell you for sure is this. I am sick and tired of people using these hacks.

There should be a easier way to stop this.
How about people stop giving out the name of these programs, as well as people just stop using them.
Also, if Im not mistaken, there are new moderation policies? Let all try to act our age with this, and maybe it will take care of itself.

wonka wrote:

min, i don't know which way would be easier for John. Both require timing synchronization. The way you suggest only fixes the problem with speed. There are other hacks out there. Like the hack i've seen where the pills don't fire at the person is probably based on dropping packets.

Someone mentioned changing the protocol, and maybe that is the solution. Encrypt the packets and timing.

I didn't spend the time trying to decode the packets, so don't know the type of information sent between the client and the server; if they are activity based (moving, firing) packets, or information based (like x,y coords of tank/x,y location of cross hairs) packets , or a combination in each packet.

Maybe a fix as simple as adding sequence numbers to the packets is enough. Then discard all packets accordingly.

I don't know the answer. The only thing i can tell you for sure is this. I am sick and tired of people using these hacks.

well, I know how those hacks work, and they have nothing to do with packet manipulation. (btw, almost every situation were I see pills not firing at a tank, they are actually firing at the tank on their screen, its just not being shown to you)

Min

Since i seem to be smoking mass quantities of whacky weed, and hallucinated the packet increases, what is the answer?

wonka wrote:

Since i seem to be smoking mass quantities of whacky weed, and hallucinated the packet increases, what is the answer?

email me and we can talk further, no point in blathering on this forum about it.

Min

ok

went 2 your WEB site, no email address. and looked up the nick here... not there either.

Min wrote:

wonka wrote:

min, i don't know which way would be easier for John. Both require timing synchronization. The way you suggest only fixes the problem with speed. There are other hacks out there. Like the hack i've seen where the pills don't fire at the person is probably based on dropping packets.

Someone mentioned changing the protocol, and maybe that is the solution. Encrypt the packets and timing.

I didn't spend the time trying to decode the packets, so don't know the type of information sent between the client and the server; if they are activity based (moving, firing) packets, or information based (like x,y coords of tank/x,y location of cross hairs) packets , or a combination in each packet.

Maybe a fix as simple as adding sequence numbers to the packets is enough. Then discard all packets accordingly.

I don't know the answer. The only thing i can tell you for sure is this. I am sick and tired of people using these hacks.

well, I know how those hacks work, and they have nothing to do with packet manipulation. (btw, almost every situation were I see pills not firing at a tank, they are actually firing at the tank on their screen, its just not being shown to you)

Min

ive experienced this before......someone got pissed at me cuz they claimed they hit me in deep sea but they didnt on my screen...so thats prolly what this was.....