Auto banning unknown connection types

[jonf]

Being able to prevent unknown connections would be good. There are a few programs that people are using nowadays that can connect to an MP server that show up as "unknown". I'd love to be able to block all unknown connection types.

[Russell Gilbert]

Sounds like a good feature to have.

One of the technical problems though, is that when an FS2002 player joins, it actually starts off as "unknown", and then changes to either pilot or observer, only after it sends FSHost an "add-player" or "add-observer" request (this usually happens very quickly after joining).  The add-on programs you're seeing are probably connecting to the session and then just never sending a request, so they stay as "unknown".  HomeRadar does this also, even though it's a legitimate program.  This isn't a problem with FS2004, because of the way they changed the connection process.

One possibility might be to have a feature to disconnect unknown players after a certain number of minutes, so if they didn't join the session properly, they'd get kicked off.  The only problem here is that the people making the add-ons only have to send one more message to change themselves from unknown to pilot, and then FSHost can't really tell the difference.

There's another possibility though...  Maybe the people making these add-ons are using the SDK from FSVPI (www.fsvpi.com).  This SDK makes it very easy to build your own add-on program, and it's possible people are using it to build malicious add-ons.  If that's the case, then we're in luck.  When the guy at FSVPI released his SDK, he and I worked together to add code to both his SDK and to FSHost, so that any add-on created with his SDK would announce itself to FSHost as an FSVPI application.  The idea is that FSHost could then have a feature to block all FSVPI apps.  (It might end up being a problem later though, if people build a lot of legitimate programs with the SDK)  All of the code to do this is already in FSHost, but I just haven't released it yet.  Maybe it's time to look at that again.

Any info you have about the add-on programs you're seeing might be useful, also.

Thanks,

Russell

[jonf]

One of the programs is an AI Bridge program pilots have in order to use their TASC radar on MP. It's used by FS2004 users but connects as an unknown FS2002 connection.

[Russell Gilbert]

Yes, that's exactly right.  It's connecting to the FS2002 session in FSHost, and it never sends the proper message to join the session as a pilot or observer, so it stays as unknown.

Russell

[Mark_Cherry]

Jon and Russell,

a short-term fix would be to make your FSHost a passworded server and then make arrangements to circulate that password to all your 'regulars' - assuming you know their respective e-addresses. If not, then set up a server announcement scrolling message and give them a couple of weeks to respond.

Having to declare their identity up-front, before even getting in to your host, would more than likely deter any malicious activity.

In another thread, I've posted a request to José to insert a password-handler dialogue box into AIBridge as the host which our VA uses is passworded and this seems to be the only thing stopping AIBridge from getting in and working fully. Writers of other useful Apps will similarly have to follow suit, if passwording becomes commonplace.

AI Bridge might also need an additional setting to make its login identity unique, so that more than one player can use it on any given server. Forgot to mention that when I asked (oops)