An official warning for all hosters

[Danco1990]

Hello Elitepvpers,

As you all know, a few private servers have been taken down already.

No it is not Choi Rock or anyone related
No it is not your hoster
No it is not Aeriagames or anyone related

The matter of a fact is that i used to be quite the hacker abour 3 years ago, i went under different names, and still have some contact with some people. What i picked up on the other hand, scared me. There is a group of 7 dedicated hackers that want to take EVERY single server down. They targetted Shinru, Lynch, Rebirth, Nemesis and a few others. They were supposedly to take down the top3 only, but they seem to play around on multiple servers now.

I've been helping Lynch on Insane Shaiya a while ago trying to figure out what happened, because he went from secured to completely open. What i found in the services was called "A Motherfucking Rootkit". Please hit windows+R and run services.msc and check if you have it. If so, deleting it by using the CMD commands should be enough, but run a rootkit scanner just in case.

Dedicated servers hosted on a VPS are ALWAYS more vulnarable for attacks, keep this in mind, it is ALWAYS better to host it at your own place. Another reason for this is that you can put your own hardware firewall up.

Making manual backups is NOT recommended anymore, if you want your backups to be safe, use a program like SQLBackupandFTP. This will make automatic backups as frequent as you want it from your database, and uploads it to a FTP location (optional). I decided to backup fully EACH 3 hours. Besides this, your server files are in risk, there are ALOT of holes if you dont proper secure your ports. Therefor i advice to make automated backups AT LEAST once a week of your FULL server files excluding your database. I recommend using Cobian backup for this. Likewise for your web files, the reason for them backups i will explain now.

If you use a program like UltraCompare, you can compare file structures on a binary level, so it finds ALL differences in your server files (e.g. modifications not made by you). This way you got total control over your files.

Also, try to install your server CLEAN just with the Shaiya server services installed, and then make an image, a good program to do so is R-Image. This will get your server up in about 10-15 minutes even if you have to replace your hard disk.

Please do not ignore my warning, i know for a fact these people can destroy alot, and their goal is to take down every Shaiya server to proof "a point".

I cannot advice ANYTHING to get you 100% secured, but another advice i got is to use a software firewall that asks confirmation with EACH single connection the server gets. Allow the standard ports for the client, and you are good to go, the rest of the connections can be ignored then. This way you can even open your SQL port, and allow a few single IP's to access it only. This trick allowed me to take total controll, even when im at my work.

I do not have direct contact with the hackers, only some old friends warned me about them. Nemesis has been targetted about 1-2 weeks ago, and it took us 4 days to recover because of constant attacks.

They can use different methods, from DDoS to complete server acces, their most common attack is a rootkit, i was lucky to find it, i dont know if they made it hidden now. You can still make manual backups once a week, just to be sure you always got a proper backup. If you host at home, which is wise, then get a NAS. They are not expensive, but can hold alot of databases, you can put it in your shet or anywhere, even if your house burns down you always have your backups.

The only question i have is whether anyone know a method of destroying memory? I use 1800MHz DDR3 4x2 GB strips, which are quite expensive, and i had to replace around 7 times already. I use OCZ Rippers, so that should be good enough, tried first batch OC'd, then i went on regular settings, correct voltages, burn in tests came out ok, ran it for days, it only breaks down when i leave my server running, so im confused. The rest of my hardware is 100% ok, even tried another PSU just in case.

I hope this information helps you in getting a safer Shaiya enviroment for your server. Please ask anything about this matter, and i try to help ASAP.

[dgoke1]

I really want to know what their 'point' is in doing this.

[Alladrios]

Originally Posted by dgoke1

I really want to know what their 'point' is in doing this.

Making us stronger and stronger

[R0CK7Y]

its only selfish :O
wut are they doing why they are doing that ? is there any point for it ?
just lets say u need to protect your server more higher next time

[adamkoolkid23]

the point? The point there trying to make is "Coz we can we will". Tbh..any1 who tries to do it is pretty pathetic...they think there untouchable...let me tell you there not...u americans especially know of the FCC? The Federal Communications Commision...they have laws passed that make hacking illegal..well we all do but the FCC can locate and arrest these hackers...so hackers are not untouchable. Do as danco suggests..you will be a lot safer. Its a shame we dont know who these hackers are coz if we did we could take action against them. Please do not disregard this thread...im no hacker at all but ive been hcked before so i know what its like. This post should be at least stickied so everyon can see it.

[Javi01]

Think of it this way.. if they do succeed we will find what went wrong and block that little gap that let them in... this will only make us stronger like stated above by alladrios

so... ending results - we become stronger and protect our servers better...
- they waste countless hours of their time

[SiggyMaker]

if i was them i'd do what karnage does.... ;P

[missesme]

/agree with Shade.

Best way to keep your server safe and to have full control if you're under attack (cos you'll know right away) is to have your own dedi server. The servers they run off are just computers that are made to run servers. If you dont have one and use a host then i suggest that you buy your own. In the log run it will cost you less because its a one time buy for the life of the product and rarely do they die if you get a good one.

You can get a good one for around the 1k mark online. In stores it would be a lot more. But if you host your own server then you decide all the security and everything. Shaiya Vengeance (The server i work on) has a dedi server at the main admins house, you wouldnt even know the difference between him having it and some person in switzerland having it.

If you're serious about protecting your server. Best way is to ave your dedi server at your house... Not in switzerland.

"Best way to ensure your baby doesnt get dropped is to not let someone else hold your baby"

Thanks

[GM]Angel

[Alladrios]

Excuse me but having a server at home is a complete joke unless you have a professional connection and cooling, moreover there's no need for any wall of text to proove it lol.

[missesme]

Originally Posted by Alladrios

Excuse me but having a server at home is a complete joke unless you have a professional connection and cooling.

Thats why you upgrade your internet connection and most servers nowadays have their own cooling systems. Well, ours does.

Its not a joke and our works just fine tyvm. Having your own server is a great way to keep tabs on the server because you wont be the first person notified if your server is in another country.

If you do it right and actually are willing to spend a bit of money on the server its self then you'll understand why i say its a better way to go.

[ProfNerwosol]

I agree with Aladrios here. Companies running Dedicated Servers will sit on a 'dedicated' network connection as well. This means they are guaranteed to have the bandwidth, whereas at home you do not. This type of connection is expensive to a regular user. Oh, and the most important ... it won't be affected by bandwidth caps ... like Virgin does when you transfer more than 5GB of data during the day.

I didn't read in depth into offers, but I was surprised there is no assistance in securing a dedicated server. There seem to be some kind of management software and maybe a security thingie ... all of looks like someone running a batch of servers at home :S.

[missesme]

Originally Posted by ProfNerwosol

I agree with Aladrios here. Companies running Dedicated Servers will sit on a 'dedicated' network connection as well. This means they are guaranteed to have the bandwidth, whereas at home you do not. This type of connection is expensive to a regular user. Oh, and the most important ... it won't be affected by bandwidth caps ... like Virgin does when you transfer more than 5GB of data during the day.

I didn't read in depth into offers, but I was surprised there is no assistance in securing a dedicated server. There seem to be some kind of management software and maybe a security thingie ... all of looks like someone running a batch of servers at home :S.

Where i come from getting a business/personal/dedicated internet connection costs no more than personal. I'm in the process of getting my home network upgraded, but because they didnt have Fiber Optic in my area they need to update that first. All and all its costing me $80 a month with a 50gb download on peak 25GB off peak. Which is actually pretty good where i come from.

[Danco1990]

Myself on Nemesis have a dedicated 50/10 line. This covers for all my needs and soon (within this or next month) we get upgraded to 100/25. Besides this i got network filters to re-address the traffic to reduce direct lag. I got NO download or upload limit (you dont get that with all ISP's and besides on Virgin you don't get it at all on the extreme package). But this post is not about what is faster and better, this post is on how to protect yourself. And aladrios.... Why is having a server at home a complete joke??? Nemesis is hosted at our homebase and runs PERFECT. Please keep them statements for yourself, just because you don't have a good internet connection does not mean that others cannot host it from home, in fact, i think we got less lag then other servers. It is NOT about raw download and upload speed, it is about the quality of the connection.

Sorry if i get a bit defensive, but this goes directly against my sayings. I made this post just to help everyone, and from all people, i thought YOU would understand since you just been "wiped".

[sunder702]

Another thing to note is to be very weary of who you make a part of your dev team and how much access they have to certain files or the server.

[Alladrios]

Originally Posted by Danco1990

Myself on Nemesis have a dedicated 50/10 line. This covers for all my needs and soon (within this or next month) we get upgraded to 100/25. Besides this i got network filters to re-address the traffic to reduce direct lag. I got NO download or upload limit (you dont get that with all ISP's and besides on Virgin you don't get it at all on the extreme package). But this post is not about what is faster and better, this post is on how to protect yourself. And aladrios.... Why is having a server at home a complete joke??? Nemesis is hosted at our homebase and runs PERFECT. Please keep them statements for yourself, just because you don't have a good internet connection does not mean that others cannot host it from home, in fact, i think we got less lag then other servers. It is NOT about raw download and upload speed, it is about the quality of the connection.

Sorry if i get a bit defensive, but this goes directly against my sayings. I made this post just to help everyone, and from all people, i thought YOU would understand since you just been "wiped".

First of all i did not get wiped as i got all my backups etc...

Second, yes hosting at home is a joke unless you have a professional connection and cooling, this is what I said.

You will never have a similar connection as a datacenter at home unless you are willing to build your own line and spend thousands dollars. Comparing a home connection (even a good one like yours) is like comparing an old broken car to a ferrari.

And yea my personnal connection is fine, for surfing, DLing and so on. Certainly not for hosting a game seriously. I would never use the same connection for my server and my personal needs (surfing, DLing etc..).

You're allowed to get defensive after all you prooved it' possible to get a decent server @ home, im just telling you it's possible to do even better.

Aw by the way your server wich runs "perfect" according to you has been down more often than any other or almost. While i had barely any downtine thanks to this professional hosting. So what now? i get a first problem and you start giving lessons? Excuse me? lol

By the way you're allowed to be blind enough not to see the truth but dont spread wrong informations about my server, even myself as the sole owner and after sending my provider IDs and everything i had they wouldnt give me back the access to my custommer panel. I doubt a simple hacker could have done that (He could eventually have taken my pass) BUT the provider would have given me back access after getting my ID scan etc. And now they dont. So yes there IS something fishy and YES it could be Aeria unless our provider lied to us on the phone wich I really doubt.

Dont believe if that makes you feel better but let me warn other people at least as we dont live in wonderful land world and running a private server is not legal.

Yes you gave some good advises on this thread wich should taken into consideration by any server owner.