10mo ago

✋ node operators enable a ban list

The Monero Research Lab (MRL) has decided to recommend that all Monero node operators enable a ban list

https://github.com/Boog900/monero-ban-list/blob/main/ban_list.txt

Download the ban list and:

./monerod --ban-list

<file-path-to-ban-list>

🧐 https://gist.github.com/Rucknium/76edd249c363b9ecf2517db4fab42e88

20 comments

Monero GUI wallet
If your run your own local node through the GUI wallet, go to Settings. In the "Daemon startup flags" box, input "--ban-list
<file-path-to-ban-list>
". Then click the orange "Stop daemon" button. It will take a few seconds for the daemon to shut down. Then click the orange "Start daemon" button. If you use a remote node, whoever operates the remote node will decide if the ban list is enabled.
Just added this to my node and posted the url to my nostr followers
All the subnet addresses are not banned and shows error when adding any subnet, other IPs without the subnet format are added successfully : "
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 91.198.115.0/24
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 100.42.27.0/24
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 162.218.65.0/24
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 193.142.4.0/24
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 199.116.84.0/24
2024-12-08 22:08:06.735 E Invalid IP address or IPv4 subnet: 209.222.252.0/24 "
These IPs account for more than half the problem and do not seem to be banned properly by the ban list.
If the subnet format does not work we could enumerate the subnet and have each individual IP from that subnet on the list as a workaround.
- https://github.com/ErikASD/enum-monero-ban-list/blob/main/ban_list.txt seems to fix the issue above for me.
  All I modified was the subnets, expanding them into individual IPs to be banned properly.
- Node operators who use this list should subscribe to Boog900/monero-ban-list updates so that a new version can be added when changes are made to the list.
  
  Is this a common issue of ban lists unable to parse subnets or am I the only one because if no one is banning these subnets due to parsing error that is small problem.
Im a monero noob. Can someone explain the need of a ban list? And how it works?
- It removes the spy nodes from network so they cant do a timing attack (If one spy node receives a transaction unseen by the 100s of other spy nodes, they can logically deduce that the first instance seen was the originator of the transaction/block). The current list above has a parsing error for the subnets (IPs with 0/24) and those are important because each single subnet contains 256 possible IPs. These possible IPs are fully actively being utilized for the attack as I have seen first hand. I hope Boog900 or one of the list maintainers can address this parsing error somehow so I can remove my temporary fixed list. This could be somehow a personal error somehow but most probably these unparsed subnets are a unnoticed issue.
  
  But with dandelion++ it should be infeasible to deduce anything about a transaction on receipt, no?
  
  The biggest risk is actually the manual selection of decoys by remote nodes
- explain the need of a ban list? And how it works?
  Adding the ban-list to your Monero GUI wallet or your Monero node prevents connections from being made to other nodes that are suspected of harming the Monero network. You don't have to add a ban list, it's voluntary, just an official recommendation. But everyone who adds a ban-list contributes to the security of Monero.

20 comments