How to hack any (chickenbones) wireless redstone system

[gavjenks]

1) Set up a forth computer (redpower computers)

2) Hook it up to a ribbon cable that connects it to the backs of 16 receivers

3) Write a program in forth that increments a variable by 16 over and over, and sets each of your transmitters equal to that + an increment for each one, so that you're receiving across a block of 16, and it changes to the next block of 16 every tick. You can set transmitters by setting your bus code to that receiver's bus in forth, and then using IOX! to set its frequency to the current stack value. Bus IDs of receivers are shanged by shift+clicking with the screwdriver.

4) Hook each receiver to an insulated wire color, and then bundle them all, and feed into one side of a computercraft computer (just cause they're easier to use).

5) Also send a ribbon from the forth computer to an IO expander then to the other side of the computercraft computer. Send the current frequency block on this ribbon.

6) Set it on an infinite loop (with as little sleep as you can get away with without it shutting itself down) of receiver block changing.

7) Now you code the computercraft computer to listen for inputs from the receivers. When it receives one, it checks the frequency that was sent from the forth computer, and adds the receiver number to figure out which frequency it was that was picked up. It adds this number to a file to be read later.

This will give you a list, even while youre offline, of every frequency that was used in the whole world. Then, when you find a force field or something you think is wirelessly controlled, just try your list of 12 frequencies or whatever, and one of them will probably work.

Basically an offline sniffer.

AND you can now easily do other obnoxious things if you want, like... whenever anybody activates a frequency, your computer picks it up, and then sets another transmitter to that same frequency and keeps it permanently on (until it needs to be reused for a more recent frequency). Make 16 transmitters, and the most recent 16 frequencies used by anybody will be jammed globally at all times. Thus basically making wireless useless for anybody. This gives you a huge advantage if you're good at computercraft, for interest, on a survival server.

You could also place a turtle next to a force field (on top), have it constantly try to move down and transmit the success or failure of its movement. Broadcast sequentially on all frequencies. When the right frequency it being brodcasted, the field will open, and the turtle will reply "true" and you know that's the password for that force field. The turtle could also be programmed to move place a piece of stone and move up and place a hatch, automatically giving you a door into the field (then place TNT and self destruct elsewhere so nobody finds out where it was broadcasting to or what happened)

Good fun!

[stringburka]

I don't think those kind of posts are appreciated, as it helps griefers more than legit players. Not sure though.

[gavjenks]

What is a "legitimate" use of changing a transmitter or receiver's frequency by BUS?

The only real use for that feature is breaking into people's system with automated sniffers or jammers, etc. like I'm describing, as far as I can think of, at least.

Also, there are ways to counter this. For example, if somebody is jamming frequencies globally, make yourself one of those handheld triangulators, set it to one of the jammed frequencies, and go find their wireless computer facility, then destroy it... Unless of course they jam from 3 different frequencies, and your tirangulator points you to the middle of a field. But you could still probably figure it out if you're savvy.

Or, if theyre keeping a log of sniffed frequencies, then make your OWN computerized every-frequency transmitter, so that they end up logging every frequency (useless to them).

OR use computercraft for your wireless passwords instead of chickenbones wireless.

OORRRR make your force field require a combination of 4 different frequencies at once, and carry some block transmitters around with you. Even if they log them, it might not occur to them to try combinations.

All kinds of defenses. Just not any defenses for uncreative people... which is how it should be.

[Jay?]

I don't think those kind of posts are appreciated, as it helps griefers more than legit players. Not sure though.

Actually, this kind of post IS appreciated. This is a totally legit, intelligent PVP move. Griefers don't use intelligent in game functions for their griefing, they use hacked clients and exploits. The reason being that this and other methods in-game are expensive and complicated, and would be lost as soon as the griefer was banned.

[stringburka]

Okay then, nothing more to add :)

[The Merchant of Menace]

Yeah, posts we don't approve of are things like exploits on how to clone shit.

This thread is just awesome, and so, so evil. Hell, this would be pretty awesome for an RP event, where you need to hunt down and destroy the source of this signal jamming.

[Maximus930]

That is rather elaborate to get into a base. And, also, computercraft passwords are pathetic, as anyone can acess the list of programs and run anything that looks like a password.

[gavjenks]

That is rather elaborate to get into a base. And, also, computercraft passwords are pathetic, as anyone can acess the list of programs and run anything that looks like a password.

This is not to get into a base. This is to get into every base on the map that uses wireless (keep in mind you can also fill your inventory with triangulators once you have a list of frequencies, and even if they only turn it on very briefly, you can get a pretty good idea of where they are, if you have a compass set to that freq already)

computercraft passwords are pathetic, as anyone can acess the list of programs and run anything that looks like a password.

Wrong. You're thinking in terms of one, unprotected computer only. Imagine the following setup:

[outside] Computer --> modem |||||(forecefield)||||| __redstone______computer <-- modem [inside]

The outside computer has a program that simply takes whatever you type and sends it to the other computer. It does NOT have the correct password stored ANYWHERE on it.

The inside computer does have the correct password, and it compares to your text sent from the outside computer. Only if it is correct does it open the force field from inside.

Accessing the list of outside programs won't help you here.

[joe5]

computer craft bypasses frequency restrictions?

[The_DarthMoogle]

This is sooooooo incredibly evil.

I thought my current military machine containing jammers and sniffers and REMs was good enough.

I may have to put this on my airship now

I actually control my airship with ComputerCraft for the sole purpose of it being unjammable.

[gavjenks]

computer craft bypasses frequency restrictions?

No. But servers with private frequencies are lame. Proper survival should have 1-5000 all public. It doesn't even make physical sense to have a frequency that only one person can broadcast on.

I actually control my airship with ComputerCraft for the sole purpose of it being unjammable.

They are sort of jammable. A hidden computer or bank of them can fairly easily spam all 254 computer IDs with junk constantly, sort of like an in-game ddos attack. Depending on what your computer does when it receives a message (how MUCH it does), you could be fairly vulnerable to losing control when you need it.

[joe5]

imagine that private frequency's are the equivalent of using encryption

[gavjenks]

imagine that private frequency's are the equivalent of using encryption

No I don't want to imagine that, because:

1) That's incredibly lazy in a world where we can make our OWN encryption. There's absolutely nothing stopping you from setting up 6 frequencies and blasting them in complicated patterns from your computer craft computer that have to be decoded on the other end to actually do anything.

2) That still doesn't make any sense in terms of physical frequencies. You can encrypt your radio message at 5 kHz as much as you want, but guess what? If I'm blasting a super loud noise signal at 5 kHz, your receiving radio isn't gonna be able to decrypt jack. Encryption does not magically silence other transmitters at the same frequency...

If you want privileged wireless communication, then we should ask Eloraam or the computer craft people to introduce laser radio signals. Which have to be set up to point along a certain vector, and then have a receiver that is immune to anything that isn't pointing directly at it. That would be super awesome. (Also, it would be open to new vulnerabilities, like people blocking your signal physically with a wall, and the fact that your receiver has to be visible to the outside world, and can thus be found by somebody looking hard enough, or shorter range, unless you want to let everybody know where you are with a huge obvious radio tower on a mountain)

[Industrial Miner]

I think I posted this hint in the Little Things thread in the Encyclopedia Technica :A.

[joe5]

with the minor problem that your system would create massively more lag well restricting functionality.

[gavjenks]

with the minor problem that your system would create massively more lag well restricting functionality.

Pfft, setting 16 numbers every tick is not "massive lag." On my normal server we run VoxelSniper and spam replacement spheres of radius 12 multiple times a second no problem (that's 7,238 block checks EACH, multiple times a second). Heck, sending a sentence in chat is probably about as much lag as this would generate in a second.

[joe5]

true, however if you are doing that for a couple of thousand frequencys it adds up

[gavjenks]

Oh no, i'm not building 5000 transmitters. The plan was to build 16, and it changes them to the next block of 16 every tick.

The idea is that only 16 are on at once, and the other 4984 are off. however, it scans through so quickly, that a full sweep is done pretty quickly, and anybody using their wireless remote regularly will get caught by the system after a few uses, statistically.

[disconsented]

So you essentially have a full frequency scanner, Nice but how are you adjusting the frequency of the Receiver's/Transmitters?

Also this is not a hack, just a clever concept.

[trench0r]

I thought wireless frequencies over 1000 are locked to the player? and only the ones under 1000 can be accessed by anyone?

[gavjenks]

I thought wireless frequencies over 1000 are locked to the player? and only the ones under 1000 can be accessed by anyone?

No. All frequencies are open. By default, ones from 1001-5000 are able to be registered to players with a private sniffer item, though, at which point they are locked to others.

However, you can (and should, if you call yourself a real survival server) configure it so that all 5000 are "public" which means nobody can claim them for private use.

So you essentially have a full frequency scanner, Nice but how are you adjusting the frequency of the Receiver's/Transmitters?

Also this is not a hack, just a clever concept.

RedPower computers (the expensive ones that you program in forth) can change the frequencies, using the IOX! command

[trench0r]

It seems to me that "real survival" includes pvp, in which case that makes this a "legitimate" "hack job".. on servers that do not condone unwanted pvp / griefing, then the use of private frequencies is well justified. Particularly if that server wishes to be less than exclusive with its membership.

In other words, this is an awesome find for those who value the legitimacy of pvp for this sort of thing, as it seems to only use the tools available.

[OmegaJasam]

Even if this thread was posted purly with malicious intent, I would still <3 it for just being all around awesome. The thought gone into it brought a little bit of joy to my life.

[gavjenks]

It seems to me that "real survival" includes pvp, in which case that makes this a "legitimate" "hack job".. on servers that do not condone unwanted pvp / griefing, then the use of private frequencies is well justified. Particularly if that server wishes to be less than exclusive with its membership.

In other words, this is an awesome find for those who value the legitimacy of pvp for this sort of thing, as it seems to only use the tools available.

Yes, serious survival should probably have pvp on. Unless you're a small group of friends working cooperatively to build one base, in which case this device is pointless anyway.

Thus, servers that "do not condone pvp / 'griefing'" are probably not even trying to be serious pvp servers, and I wasn't talking about them. Not sure what you're getting at.

I'm just saying that if you have a pvp server and you are trying to make it realistic and actually competitive, three of the very first things you should do are:

1) Get rid of EE.

2) Disable quantum armor.

3) Make frequencies 1-5000 public.

[Maximus930]

You people are all much better at computers than I am.