Differences between revisions 14 and 17 (spanning 3 versions)
Revision 14 as of 2018-12-24 07:42:54
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Editor: Morticon
Comment: Added link to configuring stunnel
Revision 17 as of 2019-01-11 19:03:28
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Editor: Morticon
Comment: Added savitar forum post
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  * ncat -l localhost 7072 --sh-exec "ncat --ssl muck.spindizzy.org 7073"   * ncat -k -l localhost 7072 --sh-exec "ncat --ssl muck.spindizzy.org 7073"
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UPDATE: Savitar has a [[https://www.heynow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3-ideas-for-savitar-20/|thread going for version 2.0 improvements]]. If you use this client, please comment on it to reinforce that SSL is an important feature.
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  * [[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.smallapps.tunnel|TLS/SSL Tunnel]] (known to work with SD)
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  * [[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.smallapps.tunnel|TLS/SSL Tunnel]]

The encrypted port is at muck.spindizzy.org, port 7073.

The web based client (always encrypted) is available, as is an advanced variant.

Introduction

SpinDizzy will be moving to 100% SSL connections sometime in 2019. This means clients which do not support SSL will either need to be upgraded or a new client used. The web client always uses SSL.

The upgrade is being done because using unencrypted connections means anyone - telecom companies, coffee shops, airports, school, your neighbor, etc - can eavesdrop on what you do or say on SpinDizzy. Essentially, when you are not using an unencrypted connection, everything you type could in theory be seen by anyone. While some people claim not to be bothered by this, most would rather communications remain private. As SpinDizzy has always been on the forefront of privacy and security, this is the next logical step. We've had an SSL port long before most MUCKs supported it.

A lot of thought went into making this decision. It was not going to move forward unless viable workarounds were provided for essentially everyone on the MUCK. With that said, the sections below detail workarounds for your specific platform(s), if your current clients do not support encryption.

Windows

For Windows, the best option is BeipMU. This client is updated very frequently and the developers are extremely responsive. If you have windows 10, it is also available in the Windows Store for free. Just connect to port 7073 and indicate it is encrypted, and you're set.

Trebuchet Tk also supports SSL if you install the tcltls package. You may need to use the ActiveState TCL/TK Free Version interpreter and then use its Teapot package manager to install TLS. Other TCL/TK distributions may or may not have TLS support.

If you feel you are unable to switch to BeipMU or turn on Trebuchet encryption, you can use the Websocket gateway program Morticon wrote. Information is available in +read 8. It basically works like this:

  • Download the ZIP file and extract in C:\spindizzy or similar. URL is not provided here to prevent non-SD downloads.
  • Run spindizzy.bat. The command window must remain up the whole time you are on SpinDizzy. It is safe to minimize the window.

  • Connect your existing muck client to 127.0.0.1 port 7072.
  • Done!

Even if you switch to BeipMU, you may still find the gateway program useful because it can handle bad/flaky connections.

If you really don't want to use the gateway program, you can try https://www.stunnel.org/ or https://nmap.org/ (for the ncat tool which comes with nmap). With either, the configuration works like this:

  • When installing nmap, you should tell it not to install npcap, a packet sniffer. It's unnecessary and in theory could be a security risk. Stunnel does not have this issue.
  • Guide to using stunnel with MUCK clients. The version information is out of date but the basic configuration and usage should be accurate.

  • The remote host to connect to is muck.spindizzy.org, port 7073 SSL.
  • The local port should be 7072.
  • Your MUCK client should connect to 127.0.0.1 port 7072.

For ncat in particular, this command should work:

  • ncat -k -l localhost 7072 --sh-exec "ncat --ssl muck.spindizzy.org 7073"

Linux

Linux has multiple good options:

  • Run BeipMU in WINE

  • Download and manually compile the latest TinyFugue. It may also exist in package format for your distribution. Connect to port 7073 with -x to indicate encryption.

  • Trebuchet Tk also supports SSL if you install the tcltls package. It should be available through your package manager, just like Tcl and Tk, which you need to run Trebuchet in the first place. On Mageia, the three packages are called tcl, tk and tcltls; in Debian, it's tcl-tls instead. So if you have Ubuntu or Mint, try sudo apt-get install tcl tk tcl-tls from the command line. Once you have it, look in the New World/Edit World dialog you can open from the File menu: on the third line, next to the port field, there's a checkbox labeled "encrypted port". Tick that and you should be good to go.

  • You can also use ncat or stunnel, as detailed in the Windows section. Use your package manager to download it.

MacOS

MacOS users can try Atlantis, though it does not appear to be updated or officially supported any longer. If your current client does NOT currently support encryption (such as Savitar), you are strongly encouraged to email the developers and nicely ask for the support to get added.

UPDATE: Savitar has a thread going for version 2.0 improvements. If you use this client, please comment on it to reinforce that SSL is an important feature.

You may also be able to run BeipMU under WINE.

MacOS users may be able to use Homebrew to install nmap (for ncat) or stunnel and then follow the Windows directions for those tools above.

Android

Android users currently have no known clients in the Play store which directly support SSL. Users are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to email program authors to add the support. In the meantime, users can either use the web client or a proxy/tunneling program that will tunnel the connection from the existing client.

Android users can also try installing TinTin++ under Termux. (Use the #ssl command instead of #session.)

Some proxy/tunneling apps to allow using your existing client include (use at your own risk):

  • TLS/SSL Tunnel (known to work with SD)

  • SSLDroid

  • You can install nmap in Termux and use the ncat directions under the Windows section.

  • These will work similar to the Windows stunnel/ncat setup.

If none of these options appeal and you are comfortable installing apps outside of the play store, an older MUCK client that supports encryption can be found at http://downloadapk.net/down_MuClient.html . Please note this app is essentially unsupported and may stop working at any time. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT use the version found on the Amazon App Store. It is full of ads and was hijacked by someone.

iPhone / iPad

The MUDRammer client supports SSL.

Other Platforms

If you use other platforms (Amiga, C64, Apple II, VT terminal, teletype, etc) to access SpinDizzy and encryption is not natively supported, your best bet is to run stunnel or ncat on a supported system such as Linux, and have your older platform connect to SpinDizzy via the local end of the SSL tunnel instead. Follow the instructions in the Windows section for hints.

SSL_Help (last edited 2021-06-25 19:25:30 by Jaxen)