Why did "matscan" join my Minecraft server? (FAQ) ================================================= 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? ------------------------------ * Enable backups, and maybe additionally install a plugin like [CoreProtect](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/coreprotect.8631/). * If the server was meant to be private: Enable a whitelist by running the commands `/whitelist on`, `/whitelist add `, and by setting `white-list=true` in the `server.properties` file. * If the server is offline-mode: Enable `online-mode` in the `server.properties` or install a plugin such as [AuthMeReloaded](https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/authme-reloaded). * If the server has an exposed BungeeCord backend: Firewall it, install [BungeeGuard](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/bungeeguard.79601/), or switch to [Velocity](https://papermc.io/software/velocity). If you’ve done all of the above that apply to you, then you’re probably fine. How did you find my server? --------------------------- 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? -------------------- 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? --------------------------------------------------- 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 player that has been online before if the server is offline-mode but has a whitelist. What IP does matscan join from? ------------------------------- 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? ---------------------- You can email me at [mat@matdoes.dev](mailto:mat@matdoes.dev) ([public key](/mat.asc)). How can I help? --------------- If you appreciate the security work I do, please consider funding my projects at [ko-fi.com/matdoesdev](https://ko-fi.com/matdoesdev). If you’d like to translate this page to more languages, you can also email me at the address above. For translators, there’s a markdown template at [./template.md](/matscan/template.md).