Psinet Status

[AlahnnaDenale]

Due to someone tracing the server's local address and figuring out the login method used, Psinet will be down for an undetermined period of time.

Jamus will have more information when/if he posts.

-Alana/Ciel, Psinet Server Hosting

[Edited for spelling]

[Edited on 5-31-2005 by AlahnnaDenale]

[TheRoseLady]

Let me ask a stupid question,

if I keep it on my system for auto-spell up purposes and it's not linked (I realize that it can't link right now) then I'm safe?

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

Um, does this mean logins potentially could be stolen?

[AlahnnaDenale]

No. Psinet in NO WAY has your Login or your Password to the Simu games.

The login method that verifies who you are to Psinet was compromised.

[Chadj]

I'm fairly certain the server never ever keeps the passes.. the info just passes through it.

Fuck whoever hacked Psinet.

[Anailea]

Originally posted by TheRoseLady
Let me ask a stupid question,

if I keep it on my system for auto-spell up purposes and it's not linked (I realize that it can't link right now) then I'm safe?

Yeah, you can still use it for auto-spell.

[Doughboy]

>report I want shaelun banned...cause he's ruining my gaming experience by fuckin around with psinet..thanks in advance!

[Burnt out Priestess]

Well this totally sucks,i hope Jamus fix's it and fix's it so no one can hack it again

[Divinity]

I seriously don't foresee that happening anytime soon.

[Danical]

fuck shit ass shit fuck

partial padding and now this.

UL is looking sexier by the day.

-- Gnimble

[Wezas]

Kranar! Now is the time for action! Kick him while he's down!

(runs away cackling)

[Burnt out Priestess]

Hon,Psinet is down for us all even UL i believe.

[AnticorRifling]

If PsiNet is down it's down across the board. It sucks and people like this (meaning the asshammer that did the trace/hack) need fucking punched in the mouth. There is no purpose for it other than to be a complete dick. Thank you for ruining a good thing.

[Parkbandit]

Anticor seems to be having some anger issues.

Someone fuck with him in game and then post the logs.

[Wezas]

Where's Tamral when you need him?

[Harlock]

Well. This is teh suxx0rz. I hope Jamus can comment soon on when we can expect a fix.

[Leetahkin]

I'd just like to once be able to link to the darn Psinet. It's NEVER worked for me.

[Bobmuhthol]

And this is when I permanently join PC-Net.

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Bobmuhthol
And this is when I permanently join PC-Net.

Coincidence?

Hmmmmmmm........................

/endconspiracytheorystarter

[AlahnnaDenale]

I tried, couldn't get PC-Net to work with UL... or at least, the hax0r3d version of the Wizard I use with UL.

[Bobmuhthol]

Hm.... is it because.... UL isn't a Simutronics game????

[AlahnnaDenale]

OMG REALLY?! I R NOT NOEZ!!!!11oneone!!11

In all seriousness, I was attempting to poke it into launching ULWiz instead of the normal Wizard, with no success.

Oh well.

[Tsa`ah]

Originally posted by Wezas
Where's Tamral when you need him?

Now that's a sig worthy quote.

Funny shit that.

[Sylph]

Person to fucked with Psinet needs to be fucking shot... Thanks.

[Danical]

OMG I R NOOB!!!!

wtf is PC-Net?

:?:

-- Gnimble

[rupa]

I would slow down on the hating until the full story is known.

Right now all we have are bits and pieces and a lot of disappointed people looking for someone to blame.

I heard Shaelun hacked spinet to try to get access to the IP of the SIMU server and SIMU asked Jamus to shut it down. This is not even close to the truth.

If he wanted the SIMU IP he would simply run a netstat and find a list of all the IPs his machine was talking to that way. Far more direct and simple.

I heard he hacked into Ciel's personal computer and threatened to send viruses that would steal everyone's login and PW info. Also wrong and impossible, as that info is not stored according to Jamus. And anyone still worried about that, I think it's been explained before that what SPINET uses to log you in is the same thing you used to be able to pull out of your login string if you wanted to let someone log into your character for one time only without changing your PW, it's a login key that is generated each time you log in, and expires in about five minutes. Not very useful.

I was not paying attention to OOC when this scene went down, so I am only posting what I got from IMs after the fact... and a brief synopsis of what it seems went down based on these details.
Here's some stuff...

Apparently someone was asking how to find the IP address of the PSINET server, and Shaelun, beeing the geek that he is, wanted to show off his vast understanding of computers, and responded with some basic instructions. From the IM he sent me at the time, he told the person to do this (follow along if you are curious)

Click on START
Click on RUN
Type CMD
Click OK
Type IPCONFIG
Hit enter.

Now all this actually does is bring up your own IP address.

What he may have meant to say is type NETSTAT as the last line rather than IPCONFIG, which WILL give you PSINET's IP, along with AOL and SIMU, but having those addresses alone is not really a thing of power.

I heard there was an issue where he had ping'd the PSINET server (which was located in Ciel's machine) and this may or may not be true, again I am going on many IMs and half-rumors and I don't know who actually spoke to who... but it seems unlikely that Ciel would be upset by a ping, considering there is a built-in option with PSINET to ping the server on regular intervals to hold the connection true:

>psinet options keepalive
You will begin sending keepalive packets to the PsiNet server. This may help those who are being consistently disconnected from PsiNet for no apparent reason. If it doesn't fix the problem, you should disable it.

It seems like there was a lot of misunderstanding and knee-jerk reaction to a very valid concern, but that said, I hope people will be able to get to the bottom of this and get PSINET back up and running, as it is SUCH a valuable asset and did such a good job of bringing a lot of people together and keeping a lot of people from being bored to tears during long boring spells. In the meantime, PRAISE JAMUS for building it to stand alone! I would be so sad if I lost my aliases!

I'll post Shaelun's IM in a moment, this is getting long.


~Rupa (The Brain to Toy's Pinky)

[Ebondale]

Exactly what is UL? Don't think I've heard of that one before.

[rupa]

Okay here's the IM, a couple flocks have been added and one personal comment removed to protect innocent ears, but otherwise it is unedited.

Shaelun: ... Well... that's... beautiful. Would you please tell Ciel she doesn't have to shut anything down, I'll leave Psinet uninstalled and never talk about it again

gs3Toy: I don't know what you are talking about, I am unable to link

Shaelun: I may not understand how I've caused any problems, but for God's sake, I'll walk away rather than cause problems. I have no desire to cause issues at all, and I'm very sorry...

Shaelun: ... I gave out the information anyone could have gotten by doing start, run, and typing ipconfig - and Ciel is mad, and I don't have her IM address

Shaelun: So my apologies, but you're the only way I can say "I'm gone - again, sorry, I didn't think itw as anything harmful, but I'll stay uninstalled."

gs3Toy: what the flock are you talking about?

Shaelun: She just force uninstalled me and said she's shutting down the server

gs3Toy: okay, but why?

Shaelun: ...... I don't know - I honestly don't understand how I've done anything that could cause problems at all... but I was chatting in OOC

gs3Toy: and what exactly did you say?

Shaelun: And somebody asked how I got the IP address for the psinet server - so... I edxplained how to find out what connections are you on your computer currently

Shaelun: And Ciel uninstalled me and shut it down I guess

Shaelun: I truly wouldn't have said anything if I knew a) it would cause any problems at all, and b) if I knew anyone would be mad about it... :( I'm really sorry man. I don't know what else to say... I mean... start, run, and type in "ipconfig /all" - I don't... see why it's a big deal, but I'm sorry to all 500 of you :(

gs3Toy: stop pouting

gs3Toy: who the flock cares

Shaelun: .... I'm not pouting, I'm - ashamed that I apparently caused so many people problems

Shaelun: .... I realy only asked you to apologize hoping she'd think about how trivial what I said is, and so she doesn't shutdown the server..... I'm sorry it sounded like pouting - I'm gonna get some air or something; have a good one Rupa

gs3Toy: chill out

gs3Toy: stop letting this game seem important

gs3Toy: it is not

Shaelun: ... Perhaps you misunderstand - whether it's reasonable or not, means nothing to me. It's fine that she's mad. ... and I am 'chilled out', by the way

Shaelun: It's just really kind to run a server for nothing and pay to let people bullshit on a chat channel day and night, and I don't want to be the cause of that ending

[imported_Kranar]

I would just like to say that I in no way had anything to do with any of this.

I would also like to add that such an incident is impossible with the PC-Net, as ALL information on the PC-Net is encrypted using a very secure polymorphic encryption algorithm. Absolutely no information goes through PC-Net unsecured.

[Bobmuhthol]

This is the huge compromise? WTF? I'll host the PsiNet server and be sure to ignore someone figuring out my SUPER SECRET IP!!!!!!!11

[Edited on 6-1-2005 by Bobmuhthol]

Hahaha! He was giving out the IP, even if was through a NETSTAT and then acts upset. :rofl:

What kind of smack do you need to shoot in order to have those kind of cognitive procceses?

[imported_Kranar]

You can easily find out the I.P. address of PSINet by heh, doing netstat, or you can just open the EXE file in Notepad or some text editor and get the address.

All text is stored in its original form as a static pointer in the EXE file. If PSINet's idea of security is trying to hide its I.P address, then yeah... it has a long... long... way to go before it's anywhere near secure.

[AlahnnaDenale]

[16.56.40] Ciel UL: it was less the IP problem (besides that my proxy wasn't working very well) and more that he was forcing his way into the Psinet Login

[16.57.02] Ciel UL: Which means, had he been allowed to continue (and kept telling everyone on OOC how to do it) he could pose as ANYONE

This would include Jamus, giving him access to all the Psinet Admin commands.

While I didn't appreciate my IP being broadcast openly on OOC, anyone with a finger and half a brain could find it using NETSTAT. It's not why Psinet was taken down. Although, Kranar is wrong about figuring it out by opening up the exe file.

And I may note that I IM'd Jamus and told him exactly what happened and his reponse was, "Force uninstall him and shutdown the server."

Which is exactly what happened.

[Edited on 6-1-2005 by AlahnnaDenale]

[Burnt out Priestess]

Question is,will it be back though?

[imported_Kranar]

<< Although, Kranar is wrong about figuring it out by opening up the exe file. >>

I've just downloaded PSINet and looked through the code. Some of the interesting tidbits in PSINet's programming are:

psinet.yetisex.com 9565

What's up with the yetisex?

And to show that Jamus really has some confidence issues and uses PSINet as a way to make himself feel better... check this out, all of which are messages included in PSINet:

'I should donate to Jamus's cause.

'Do I appreciate Jamus? vote yes

recite Elanthia's favorite empath:;Jamus!

'Living without Jamus around is unimaginable!

'I wonder what I can do to be more like Jamus?

'I should probably give Jamus some money. He obviously deserves it!

'If something's broken, Jamus is the man to call!

'Seeing Jamus is like eternity in a chocolate-filled heaven!

'What Would Jamus Do?
ponder

'Who loves Jamus?
recite I do!;I do!

'If I loved Jamus any more, I'd just burst!
scream

'Got Jamus? I know I do!
'Can we take a vote to make Jamus the next arkati?

'Jamus is so kindhearted. Why can't everyone be more like Jamus?

'You know, I heard that Jamus could really use some money. Maybe I'll give him some.

'Who could ever compare to Jamus? Nobody!

'Jamusism should be a religion!

'Jamus- practically perfect in every way!

'You know what they say: Jamus Makes The World Go Round!

'Jamus is my best friend in the whole world!

'Wow, I wonder if Jamus would like some money?

'Jamus is generous and kind. I wish I were more like Jamus!

'Jamus makes other empaths look bad.

'Jamus is the best!

'Wow, I'm so grateful to Jamus, I think I'll give him some money!

'I'm feeling exceptionally generous today. I should give Jamus some money.

'Where's Jamus? I want to hug him!

'What would I do without Jamus?
shudder
sing J-A-M-U-S!;Gooooo Jamus!

'I can barely live without the presence of Jamus!
sing Jamus is Elite!;Jamus is grand!;Jamus makes the rest of us look like sand!

'Jamus is the awesomest empath ever!

'Jamus is the smartest guy I know. He can do anything!

'I wish Jamus were here!
recite Jamus, oh how I love thee!

'I feel warm and fuzzy when I think of Jamus!

'Jamus makes me want to giggle!
giggle

'Jamus is so wonderful to everyone!
'I really love Jamus. He's fantastic!

Seriously, some of this stuff is whack... PSINet has gotten to Jamus' head.

[Edited on 6-2-2005 by Kranar]

[Chadj]

That's the PsiNet Worship verb. It's a joke verb.


>psinet worship
You feel really friendly.

You exclaim, "Jamus is the smartest guy I know. He can do anything!"

[Edited on 6-2-2005 by Chadj]

[Artha]

What's with the yetisex?
It was the old psinet server address.

[imported_Kranar]

I know that's what it was, I mentioned earlier that the server address can be found within the exe file itself, infact the entire program can easily be decompiled to find out any type of information. I found information about these worships in there, I found information about admin commands as well.

When it comes to computer security, it's a very naiive and unsophisticated approach to think that hiding information, or trying to keep your users ignorant will keep your system secure. Secure software engineering disciplines are built not around desperately finding ways of hiding information from your users, but instead of finding intelligent ways of communicating that are virtually impossible to understand. It's like the difference between trying to communicate by finding a secret hiding spot and hoping no one finds you, or just coming out and speaking loud in the open, where everyone can hear you, but speaking in a language that no one will ever be able to understand unless they are an absolute genious.

Neither method is full proof, obviously, but trying to find a secret hiding place, especially on a place like the internet, is going to get you into a lot more security holes.

[Edited on 6-2-2005 by Kranar]

[Shaelun]

My primary hobby is being a nerd/geek/computer-guy. Writing silly scripts for Gemstone, reading up on how a hard drive physically stores the binary 011101 data that it does - the whole nine.

I was playing around with writing a client for Gemstone, and I was trying to figure out how to make it compatible with PsiNet - which I failed utterly at, BTW, because I'm an amateur and just do this stuff solely for my own pleasure.

I voiced my frustration in OOC. Mostly I was just plain bitching because I was out of ideas, but the flow of conversation ended up with me publically CHATting the IP of the PsiNet host as well as miscellaneous tidbits about internet connections in general. I also talked about how I thought PsiNet might work while explaining how I had gotten absolutely nowhere and what I had already tried.

Nope, didn't want to hack anybody. Nope, didn't want to pretend to be Jamus. Nope, didn't want to stir up trouble. Was just trying to figure out how things work so I could write myself an ugly, primitive front-end for GS and still take advantage of PsiNet -- and maybe even learn enough in the process to make it actually useful.

PsiNet itself is what sparked my interest in such a thing at all, ironically -- Jamus and his program impressed me, and I wanted to learn how to do something like he had done, frankly.

If you're gonna hate me... hate me for being a geek who's curious enough to want to understand everything -- and for being stupid enough to enjoy sharing what I know with people, and trying to learn from what others know when someone else takes the time to share their knowledge.

But if you're hating me because I tried to maliciously exploit PsiNet (or anything else, for that matter) - you're quite mistaken. Think about it - if someone were going to rob your house, do you really think they'd drop by for a tea party and ask for your input on how to steal your property?

In short, PsiNet is as safe as it's ever been, and I have no interest in or desire to hack it (or the game - or your computer - or whatever else people have been saying).

Thankyou for the lesson in Human nature, though -- it's been very well learned, indeed.

[Skirmisher]

I don't think many people hated you.

I know that I for one at least had forgotten about you and this whole incident till you brought it up once more.