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On making bans stick..technical enforcement.
oldkhemaraa
Member Posts: 1,039 Arc User
The computer CPU these days are only made by a 3 companies.. Intel, AMD, and Cyrix.
All three brands have an internal serial number on each and every CPU produced for at least the last 5 years if not longer. The number can be accessed by a query from properly configured software. When players get banned for disruptive in game behavior, using hacks, cracks, exploits etc.. what ever is a violation of the TOS and EULA typically accounts are closed/banned etc by blocking/locking off the account. Sometimes by IP blocking, but IP blocking is problematical at best. How ever, blocking by reading a specific users computer cpu AND bios serial number is a far more effective way of making sure bans stick. Its a simple database function though that can be implemented during a application startup and made part of the handshake process between the end users computer and the server.
Certainly there are ways that this could be spoofed. But the very act of spoofing reveals that someone is doing something they shouldn't. And the spoofing can be detected because there are a very finite and small list of ways such a spoof could be successfull. IP blocking can be defeated via the use of proxies. Blocking the computers via CPU ID is much more difficult to defeat... especially when this is layered with IP detection and blocking.
Now, none of this will prevent a truely determined person from defeating such measures, But on the other hand, it will make it phenominally more difficult. And anyone going to that much effort should likely be brought to the attention of US Federal Law Enforcement.
Such an implementation would allow service providers a superior tool for enforcing account bans.
All three brands have an internal serial number on each and every CPU produced for at least the last 5 years if not longer. The number can be accessed by a query from properly configured software. When players get banned for disruptive in game behavior, using hacks, cracks, exploits etc.. what ever is a violation of the TOS and EULA typically accounts are closed/banned etc by blocking/locking off the account. Sometimes by IP blocking, but IP blocking is problematical at best. How ever, blocking by reading a specific users computer cpu AND bios serial number is a far more effective way of making sure bans stick. Its a simple database function though that can be implemented during a application startup and made part of the handshake process between the end users computer and the server.
Certainly there are ways that this could be spoofed. But the very act of spoofing reveals that someone is doing something they shouldn't. And the spoofing can be detected because there are a very finite and small list of ways such a spoof could be successfull. IP blocking can be defeated via the use of proxies. Blocking the computers via CPU ID is much more difficult to defeat... especially when this is layered with IP detection and blocking.
Now, none of this will prevent a truely determined person from defeating such measures, But on the other hand, it will make it phenominally more difficult. And anyone going to that much effort should likely be brought to the attention of US Federal Law Enforcement.
Such an implementation would allow service providers a superior tool for enforcing account bans.
"I aim to misbehave" - Malcolm Reynolds
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Most folk are not going to go out and buy a new comp to get around a ban.
but then theres an old saying.. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
And being free of players that make a point of disrupting the game experience for other players.. well.. It's worth doing...
But on the other hand, the launcher for the game can speciicly provide a unique fingerprint..
and and blocked fingrprint prevents the users machine from connecting to the server. SO either the user allows the information or they dont get to play.
There should be no issues with this legally at all at this point. Cryptic has the right to protect thier product and users from abusive behavior, if not a certain amount of responsibility to do so.
No way of providing perfect protection, but a great deal more can be done..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjJN08uqt70
I think that the OP should rewatch this clip. Clearly, they have forgotten some of the valuable lessons Star Trek has taught us.
Though, before you do you might want to delete your fanfic, fan art, anime stuff.:D
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]