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Disclaimer: It is important to note that gaming the Helium network is an unlawful and unethical activity that is strongly disapproved of by the Helium community and the broader cryptocurrency and blockchain community. Gaming the network undermines the integrity of the network and harms legitimate hosts who are providing valuable coverage to the network.

Furthermore, while the use of MiddleMan and Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer to exploit vulnerabilities in the Helium network may be a cause for concern, it is important to note that these issues can only be fixed by Helium by introducing secure gateways. This would require replacing all hotspots on the network, which is a significant undertaking and may not be feasible. As a result, the Helium community needs to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing the challenges posed by gaming on the network.

It is also worth noting that the Helium team has been aware of the issue for some time and has taken steps to address it, but more action is required to resolve the issue. The community is calling for real action to be taken to address these vulnerabilities and to ensure that the network can continue to scale and grow in a secure and trustworthy manner.

By writing this article, we hope to raise awareness of the issue of gaming on the Helium network and the use of MiddleMan and Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer to exploit vulnerabilities in the system. We believe that by shedding light on this issue and bringing more publicity to it, the Helium community and the broader blockchain and cryptocurrency community can come together to address the issue and work towards a more secure and trustworthy network.

Moreover, by highlighting this problem, we hope to encourage the Helium team to take more decisive action in addressing the vulnerabilities in the network and to implement more robust security measures to prevent gaming in the future. We believe that it is important for the Helium team to be transparent about their efforts to address this issue and to communicate with the community about their progress in fixing these vulnerabilities.

Finally, by bringing more publicity to this issue, we hope to encourage greater awareness and education about the risks and consequences of gaming on the Helium network. It is important for users to understand the importance of ethical behavior on the network and the potential harm that can be caused by gaming. By working together to address these issues, we can help ensure the continued growth and success of the Helium network.

In summary, gaming the Helium network is not condoned by the community or by us, and we encourage users to act ethically and legally when participating in the network. While there are vulnerabilities in the network that can be exploited, it is important to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing these issues and to work towards a more secure and reliable network for all users.

How to Game the Helium Network with MiddleMan and Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer

The Helium network is a decentralized LoRaWAN® network that compensates those who host physical hotspots by rewarding them with Helium tokens, or $HNT. This system is known as Proof-of-Coverage (PoC). As the network has grown and awareness of this project has increased, there have been an increasingly large number of cheaters who are exploiting the protocol and reward mechanisms. In this article, we will discuss how to game the Helium network using MiddleMan and Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer.

Understanding the Helium Network Gaming Problem

The Helium network relies on Proof-of-Coverage to ensure that hotspots are providing coverage where it is needed. However, this system is vulnerable to gaming, spoofing, hacking, and other types of bad behavior that can harm the network. The gaming problem on the Helium network is costing legitimate hosts thousands of $HNT per month. Helium, Inc, along with DeWi, has taken aggressive action in early 2022 to help root out this problem.

Required Hardware

Using MiddleMan to Game the Helium Network

One way to game the Helium network is by using MiddleMan. MiddleMan is a software tool that can be used to create a fake hotspot that appears to be providing coverage in a specific location. By using MiddleMan, a user can create a fake hotspot that will receive rewards for providing coverage in a particular area, even though the hotspot is not physically located in that area.

To use MiddleMan, a user needs to install the software and create a fake hotspot. The user can then configure the hotspot to report its location to the Helium network using a GPS spoofing tool. The Helium network will believe that the fake hotspot is providing coverage in the specified location and will reward the user with $HNT.

You would setup your lorawan gateway to point at this software and it manipulates the values so that all received PoC’s are considered valid. Using the semtech forwarder is one of the various standards in the LoraWAN community. Fixing the manipulation issue would require reinventing the wheel and implementing their own protocal from the ground up. Things like checksums and encryption would prevent this from happening. But would also make it more difficult for vendors with different hardware to make hotspots. Not to mention it is a supported usecase to have one helium miner and multiple lora gateways for improved coverage. Though this is more of an enterprise level issue.

Using Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer to Game the Helium Network

Another way to game the Helium network is by using Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer. Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer is a tool that can be used to create a virtual hotspot that can receive packets from multiple physical hotspots. By using Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer, a user can create a virtual hotspot that receives packets from physical hotspots in multiple locations, which will increase the rewards earned.

To use Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer, a user needs to install the software and configure it to receive packets from physical hotspots or lorawan gateways in multiple locations. The hotspot will receive the packets and report its location to the Helium network, which will reward the user with $HNT.

This allows for multiple forwarders in and multiple gateways out. There are legitimate use cases for this software in the LoraWAN community, but using it in helium is a grey area in best. It depends on how you use it and also what your intent is.

Setting up this one requires some config files. But it can be done in 5 minutes or less.

Risks and Consequences of Gaming the Helium Network

Gaming the Helium network is a risky and illegal activity that can have serious consequences. Helium, Inc, along with DeWi, is actively working to detect and prevent gaming on the network, and users who are caught gaming the network will be penalized.

The penalties for gaming the Helium network can include losing access to the network, having hotspots permanently banned, and losing any $HNT that was earned through gaming. In addition, gaming the Helium network undermines the integrity of the network and harms the legitimate hosts who are providing valuable coverage to the network.

Conclusion

While the Helium network provides opportunities for legitimate hotspot hosts to earn rewards through Proof-of-Coverage, it also presents an attractive target for malicious actors looking to game the system. The use of MiddleMan and Chirp Stack Packet Multiplexer, while not condoned by Helium Inc. or the broader community, is an example of how some bad actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in the network to reap rewards at the expense of others.

It is important for the Helium community to continue to work together to identify and address gaming on the network, as it threatens the integrity of the system and undermines the efforts of legitimate hosts. This can include efforts to develop and implement more sophisticated detection and prevention measures, as well as increasing awareness and education about the risks and consequences of gaming on the network.

Ultimately, the success of the Helium network depends on the willingness of its stakeholders to work together to build a secure, reliable, and trustworthy system that provides real value to its users. By staying vigilant and proactive in addressing the challenges posed by gaming, the community can help ensure that the Helium network continues to grow and evolve in a positive direction.