Pro Level Redboarding

[George]

Over the last year I have become convinced that there is someone(s) capable of wagering after the race is over at many tracks. Am more convinced of it after a little internet surfing.

With very little time and difficulty found two different pieces of software capable of intercepting the flow of data from simulcast to track totalizator. Both are designed to work with TAB system which is used primarily in Australia but also at least by winticket in USA.

Either of these would require only a knowledge of timestamp format to insert an after the race record of a "winning" ticket. Also would have to be inserted before the simul transmission batch ends.

Has been my experience in life that whenever people can cheat, someone does.
Way to stop this if it is occuring is to cut off all betting and simul transmits BEFORE the gates open. Also using faster transmits would help.

Could I interest anyone in a little wagering system I am working on.
Guaranteed winner :)

[hurrikane]

you may be right George. My guess is there is much more security going on than it appears to us on the surface. I find it hard to believe that anyone could just pick up a piece of software off the internet just jump in and make an after post bet. Maybe I'm naive. Without some specific unix programming skills I'm not so sure it would be very easy to do this at all. Now my son with more hacking skills than anyone should posses (which he uses only for the destruction of evil and the pursuit of life, liberty and the American way :D )
could perhaps with a lot of time and the desire to go to jail, break in and make some bets. But just anyone with a piece of internet software, Find it hard to believe.

Of course Winticket has been a mess since the move with lost bets, lost money and poor customer service.

I suppose anything is possible.

[Donnie]

I would think that the encryption methods that should be used by the tracks would be 128 bit encryption, thus making it virtually impossible for someone to break the code. Also I would imagine that they are using one-time passwords or keys that are only good during that session. You would have to be super-human to analyze anything and still get a bet down on the right horse....but the encryption alone would take much longer to break than the life of the session. I find it impossible for anyone to do what some are reporting.....

Now if they are not using secure networks to transmit, then you may have a completely different animal...but I doubt that is the case!!

[George]

Donnie/Hurrikane...I at first had the same thoughts on security. Have looked at the "batches" and there is no encryption. Easy to change packet headers/counts. Real problem is getting the "win" ticket on your account.

The fact unix servers are in use would make that easier. I can "grab" the superuser password on any unix system with any one of a hundred "traps" that can be laid. A good database admin would still have update authority blocked even if I had that superuser password.

Therefore, only way I can see past posting really happening would be with the cooperation of a database admin. Hope that's not happening, but not convinced 4-1 animals can drop to 6-5 just because simulcast totals come in late. That means all OTB bettors are four times smarter than local money.

[Donnie]

Wow George! Scary thought that there is no encryption going on! Banks would be bust if they did that. But what is it that puts them onto a winning horse...the final flash normally always appears after they leave the gate but before the race ends...still too early to tell the winner... nice edge though if a horse has trouble on the break. Maybe tracks need to limit simulcast signals at 2 minutes to post...? May help our odds the other way then?

[Donnie]

ohhhh one other comment....most "good" administrators know to change default settings "out of the box". Others don't know what that can do to their security!

YIKES!!