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HighSpell Client Vulnerabilities

Overview

The HighSpell client, built in JavaScript, presents significant vulnerabilities due to its accessibility and ease of manipulation. This analysis highlights how the client’s structure and minimal obfuscation enable straightforward access to its data and functionality.

Key Vulnerabilities

  • JavaScript Accessibility: As a JavaScript-based client, HighSpell’s code is easily viewable and modifiable in the browser using standard developer tools. This transparency simplifies reverse-engineering efforts.
  • Weak Obfuscation: The client’s obfuscation is easily defeated with modern tools (e.g. browser dev tools), exposing data structures and logic in clear, accessible formats.
  • Ease of Development: The client appears designed for developer convenience, prioritizing simplicity over security. This results in minimal barriers to intercepting or manipulating client-side operations.
  • Transparent Event Triggers: Mouse clicks and other user inputs (e.g., triggering GameActionsEnum actions) are easily traceable, making it trivial to identify and replicate action triggers.
  • Accessible Data Structures: All critical game data, such as entity details and player states, are readily available and structured for easy access, requiring no complex reverse-engineering.

Specific Examples

  • Rapid Bot Development: A JavaScript developer with no prior knowledge of HighSpell’s client could create a fully autonomous bot within a day. The client’s transparent structure (e.g., GameActionFactory, WorldEntityManager) allows quick identification of action triggers and data access points, enabling rapid script development.
  • Movement Packets: Movement actions (e.g., PlayerMoveTo, ID 1) use absolute coordinates ([EntityID, X, Y]), enabling simple, reusable automation scripts that consistently work across sessions by targetting world coordinates.
  • WorldEntityManager Access: The WorldEntityManager provides comprehensive details about world entities (e.g., objects). Feeding an entity object to the appropriate function (e.g., via GameActionFactory) triggers actions like interaction with minimal effort.
  • Player State Accessibility: The MainPlayer object exposes player states (e.g., CurrentState, IsSprinting) in a clear, always-accessible format. Scripts can read these to determine the character’s current activity (e.g., skilling, banking).
  • Flexible Automation Options: Scripts can be implemented in multiple ways:
  • Polling Loops: Continuously check MainPlayer states or WorldEntityManager data to trigger actions based on game conditions.
  • Packet-Based Triggers: Intercept WebSocket packets (e.g., via SocketManager’s _gameStateUpdate) to automate responses, such as acting on StartedBanking or PrivateMessage packets.

Comparison to RuneScape

  • RuneScape’s Complexity: RuneScape’s client is significantly more complex, tracking every mouse movement and requiring precise coordinates for MenuEventActions. Its obfuscation is more robust, yet its anti-cheat team, backed by millions of dollars, struggles to combat botting.
  • HighSpell’s Simplicity: HighSpell’s client is far simpler, with absolute coordinates for actions (e.g., PlayerMoveTo) and minimal obfuscation. This makes automation trivial compared to RuneScape, as no advanced techniques are needed to parse or manipulate client data and forge actions.
  • Ineffective Countermeasures: Rudimentary anti-bot measures like swaying cameras or color changers are ineffective against HighSpell bots. These rely on client-side manipulation, which is easily bypassed by accessing raw data (e.g., WorldEntityManager) or forging packets via GameActionFactory.

Technical Details

  • WebSocket Transparency: Actions are sent via WebSockets (e.g., wss://server#.example.com) as Array payloads with GameActionsEnum IDs and data arrays. These are easily intercepted using tools like Chrome Developer Tools, revealing their structure.
  • Hooking Simplicity: The client allows hooking at multiple levels:
  • WebSocket Layer: Intercept raw packets to forge actions (e.g., GameActionFactory.createPlayerMoveToAction).
  • Client-Side Handlers: Override functions like _gameStateUpdate or _handler in SocketManager to manipulate action processing.
  • Changeability: While currently accessible, data structures and function names (e.g., WorldEntityManager, MainPlayer) may change in major updates. Verify using browser developer tools or WebSocket traffic analysis.