| Revision as of 05:46, 4 May 2006 edit72.144.84.109 (talk) →Security← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:54, 4 May 2006 edit undoJack Hates Jesus (talk | contribs)84 edits rv anons.Next edit → | ||
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| ==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
| there is no real explenation of where nukers come from. all we know is that about once a year nukers come out to prey on the living newborn infants. the plural of nukers is nukaii. the nuker community has long buck teeth and are the scariest thing in the whole wide world. | |||
| ===Security=== | ===Security=== | ||
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| A typical topsite configuration will only allow users to login from a certain ] and host (or ip range), with mandatory ] encapsulation on all FTP sessions. FTP ] are commonly used to hide the topsite's real ], and to share network load. | A typical topsite configuration will only allow users to login from a certain ] and host (or ip range), with mandatory ] encapsulation on all FTP sessions. FTP ] are commonly used to hide the topsite's real ], and to share network load. | ||
| More advanced security schemes use combination of chassis intrusion detection and location awareness using gps location to determine the correct physical location and integrity of the server. Triggered intrusion alarm, false physical location or lack of locator device might prevent booting the server. It might also trigger data destruction by crippling encrypted sectors on disk while faking boot process. | More advanced security schemes use combination of chassis intrusion detection and location awareness using gps location to determine the correct physical location and integrity of the server. Triggered intrusion alarm, false physical location or lack of locator device might prevent booting the server. It might also trigger data destruction by crippling encrypted sectors on disk while faking boot process. | ||
| ===Dupe (Duplicate) Check=== | ===Dupe (Duplicate) Check=== | ||
Revision as of 08:54, 4 May 2006
Topsite is a term used by the warez scene to refer to high-speed FTP servers used by release groups and couriers for distribution, storage and archival of warez releases. Topsites have very high-bandwidth Internet connections, commonly supporting transfer speeds of 100 to 1000 megabits per second; enough to transfer a full DVD in minutes. Topsites also have very high storage capacity; over a terabyte or more total space is common.
Parent article: Warez
Overview
Security
Unlike their predecessors in the BBS scene, topsites aren't advertised. With the ever-increasing rate of police raids, software pirates have been forced to employ elaborate security precautions in order to stay hidden from authorities.
A typical topsite configuration will only allow users to login from a certain ident and host (or ip range), with mandatory SSL encapsulation on all FTP sessions. FTP bouncers are commonly used to hide the topsite's real IP address, and to share network load.
More advanced security schemes use combination of chassis intrusion detection and location awareness using gps location to determine the correct physical location and integrity of the server. Triggered intrusion alarm, false physical location or lack of locator device might prevent booting the server. It might also trigger data destruction by crippling encrypted sectors on disk while faking boot process.
Dupe (Duplicate) Check
Release databases record release names and their release date & time, although fields vary from from database to database. Examples of other common fields include genres (for MP3 releases), sections, and nuke details.
Release databases are maintained to provide release groups with a service for checking existing release titles (ie, to avoid duping another group). Some databases contain historical release records dating back to the BBS era. Note that such databases are uncommon, due to a completely different release naming method (based on the ZIP file descriptor FILE_ID.DIZ, as opposed to a directory name), and lack of information from this period.
Release databases are usually updated by automatic processes that either recurse selected topsites searching for new releases (spidering), or catch pre-release announcements from site channels.
Most release databases are private, but a number of public websites exist; examples include NFOrce.nl, SWEdupe.com, nfodb.com, VCDQuality.com, and tehserver.us. DupeCheck is the name of the biggest private release database, accessible only to selected scene members.
Credit system
Credit system controls the amount of data which users can download. Most sites operate by using an automated credit system. When a user uploads a file, their account is credited for an amount based on the uploaded file size, commonly multiplied three times (1:3). For example, when a user uploads a 15MB file, they may receive 45MB credits in return. Credits can be later used to download files from the site. Credits can be lost by uploading a bad release which gets nuked. Nuke multiplier affects the amount of lost credits. See courier section.
Crew roles
Topsites don't run themselves, certain amount of staff with different knowledge areas is required to operate smoothly and to stay hidden from the public. Often staff consists from people across the world, to maximize the possibility of someone always watching over things in case something breaks down.
Affiliates
A warez group may gain access to a topsite as an affiliate, including the site among the group's primary release points (usually in return for leech privileges for their members). Typically, groups will affiliate with several topsites, in order to maximize efficient courier distribution to other (non-affiliated) topsites. Topsites may have any number of affiliates, and commonly advertise them in the welcome message, as a measure of quality.
Each affiliate has access to a private, hidden directory on the topsite. This directory is used for uploading new releases before they are made available to other users. When a new release has finished uploading on each of the group's sites, a command is executed to simultaneously copy it into a directory accessible by other users, and trigger an announcement in the topsite IRC channel. This event is known as a pre-release, and must occur at the same time on every affiliated site. When a pre-release occurs, the event is also echoed on Pre-channels to inform couriers to send ('race') it to as many of their own sites as possible. By doing so they gain credits, which they can use to download other (pre-)releases.
The fastest couriers are often able to begin sending files within ten seconds of a pre-release, at speeds of up to several hundred megabits per second.
The warez scene relies on strict release standards, or rules, which are written and signed by various warez groups. These rules are mandatory, enforced on every pre-release, regardless of which group released it. Any release that fails to comply with current scene standards will be nuked, and discarded.
Botmaster
Botmaster is a person who is specialized with eggdrops or other bots used to relay information. If site has an irc channel for communication, they can use bot to display actions on server to channels and to control the server with trigger commands. Botmasters are rarely used in small sites, and their job is often done by siteops. If botmasters are used, they are often trusted and known members of the site crew, because bot management often requires shell access to the server.
Courier
Couriers are a specific class of topsite users who earn their access by uploading new releases and filling requests. When a courier gains access to a topsite, they are often required to pass a trial period, in which a certain amount must be uploaded in a short period of time.
Couriers compete (race) against each other for respect, credits, access to other topsites, and fun. Often, the race is too hard to follow, so couriers automate the process by creating scripts to autotrade releases between sites. Private couriers usually operate as independed(iND) couriers, some couriers band together to form courier groups which provide support and friendship through camaraderie.
Release groups often have couriers among them, to help spread their releases after pre-ing, although for security reasons many groups just use members to spread releases to trusted sites.
Group admin
Group admin is either a member of an affiliated group or a courier group, who acts as a group leader on that specific site. They have permissions to add and remove users to their own group according to the allotted slots granted for the group. Groups often have limited number of leech slots and few user slots with ratio, depending on size of the group.
LinkOP
Servers can be installed at remote locations and link owner might be different than site owner. LinkOP is usually the one who owns the connection where the server is located. Some link owners just route or bounce traffic through their networks in order to hide the physical location of the server.
Nuker
Nukers are users with elevated privileges on a topsite whose role is to stop spreading of "bad" releases. The nuker monitors the sites contents making sure that every title that gets uploaded or released by a warez group follows the rules of the topsite and scene release standards. Sheep nuking-term is used to describe nukes which escalate from other sites without proper verification by nuker. Escalation in nukes often causes flood of nukes and un-nukes when different people either verify or dispute the validity of the original nuke.
The process of nuking a release typically consists of the nuker sending a command on the ftp server, typically "site nuke" followed by releasedir, multiplier and reason. Some utilize bots to trigger nukes from irc, typically with "!nuke" command. The nuked release is then tagged on the site by changing the folder name to include at the beginning the words "NUKED-". Some servers block access to the files within the nuked folder. This procedure prevents bad files from further spreading to other sites by autotrading couriers.
By nuking a release the couriers of the files are then penalized by the multiplier. Multiplier is usually higher if the release violates site rules, most technical flaws are dealt with 1x. Siteops might also nuke release they deem unworthy of keeping, even if it follows site rules. Some examples of more severe violations would be exceeded time from release(PRE), release left incomplete, missing sample/nfo or other flaw caused by bad trading.
Nukers often have rescan permissions, so they can force the server to verify that all uploaded files are intact. Servers can run out of computing power when operating under heavy load on high speed links. On such situations the server becomes unable to accurately verify integrity of uploaded files. Such flaw can also appear from faulty hardware in server, especially when working with encrypted data.
SiteOP
Siteops are often owners of the real server. SiteOPs have usually physical or atleast remote access to the server with administrative privileges. They have full control over the server and are able to add and remove users, groups, credits, slots, manage scripts and software installed on server. They generate rules for sections and decide what they want their sites to host, like "deluser for uploading child porn, bestiality or <banned group> in XXX section".
Some trusted friends might get siteop privileges from the actual siteop. This helps to maintain the site operations by increasing the amount of people who monitor the site. It is also convenient to have more than one person able to do administrative tasks such as addip.
Takedowns
While these sites are protected with technologically advanced schemes, law enforcement operations such as Operation Buccaneer and Operation Fastlink have been able to gain access and hence shut down some of these sites by infiltrating the pirate groups that operate on them. Operation Site Down was the latest operation against the warez scene and managed to bring down several large sites.
Not all takedowns have been so successful. Operation Bahnhof failed miserably when the officials entered an area that their warrant didn't include. Although they found several servers and terabytes of illegal material, they ended up being sued for illegal tresspassing, harassment and accused of planting evidence. Apparently one of the Antipiratbyrån (Swedish anti-piracy group) employees was trying to infiltrate the scene for gathering evidence, but they forgot the fact that Swedish law doesn't permit entrapment.
Software
Some software that might be used on topsites after some small modifications.
FTP daemons
- glFTPd
- glFTPd scripts archive
- iOFTPD
- RaidenFTPD
- DrFTPD
- OpenFTPD (development stopped)
- WzdFTPD
Zipscript
External links
- Wired article about the phenomenon: The shadow internet