Why did "matscan" join my Minecraft server? (FAQ)
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2023-05-29T02:48:09.000Z

matscan is a Minecraft bot that joins potentially vulnerable Minecraft servers and sends a message in chat to inform the admins.

![one of the messages that may be shown when matscan joins a server](/matscan/matscan-messages.png)

How should I secure my server?
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*   If the server was meant to be private, then enable a whitelist.
*   If the server is offline-mode, then enable online-mode in the server.properties or install a plugin such as [AuthMe](https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/authme-reloaded).
*   If the server has an exposed BungeeCord backend, then firewall it, install [BungeeGuard](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/bungeeguard.79601/), or switch to [Velocity](https://papermc.io/software/velocity).
*   Enable backups or install a plugin like [CoreProtect](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/coreprotect.8631/).

If you’ve done all of the above, then you’re probably fine.

How did you find my server?
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I scan the internet for Minecraft servers, basically sending a packet to every IP address and seeing which ones respond (it’s a little more complex than this).

Is your data public?
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No. You should still secure your server though since there are several griefing/harassment groups that use their own server scanners.

Why did Herobrine try to join right before matscan?
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matscan will try to join with the username Herobrine first, so if the server is offline-mode then it can demonstrate that people can join with any username. It may also use the username of a historical player if the server is offline-mode but has a whitelist.

What IP does matscan join from?
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The bot will exclusively join from the IP address `151.115.73.107`. This page will be updated if it ever changes in the future.

How can I contact you?
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You can email me at [mat@matdoes.dev](mailto:mat@matdoes.dev) ([public key](/mat.asc)).

How can I help?
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If you appreciate the security work I do, please consider funding my projects at [ko-fi.com/matdoesdev](https://ko-fi.com/matdoesdev).