Developed by: bad-antics Development Team & antX
Copyright © 2026

Both Hive-Mind (master) and Spawn (client) applications have been hardened with enterprise-grade security features to protect your home network.

• 256-bit Shared Secret Key - All Spawn clients must provide the correct authentication key
• Automatic Key Generation - Hive-Mind generates a cryptographically secure random key on first run
• Secure Key Storage - Keys stored in %APPDATA%\HiveMind\security.key with hidden/read-only attributes

• Military-Grade Encryption - All network communication encrypted with AES-256
• Unique Keys Per Installation - Each Hive-Mind installation has unique encryption keys
• Encrypted Messages - Commands and responses fully encrypted in transit

• Connection Throttling - Maximum 1 connection every 2 seconds per IP address
• Prevents Spam - Blocks rapid-fire connection attempts
• Automatic Cleanup - Old connection records automatically purged

• Failed Attempt Tracking - Monitors authentication failures per IP
• Automatic Lockout - 5 failed attempts = 15 minute lockout
• IP-Based Blocking - Attackers automatically blocked

• XSS Protection - Dangerous characters escaped
• Length Limits - Input capped at 1000 characters
• Injection Prevention - SQL/Command injection attacks blocked

• Windows DPAPI - Credentials encrypted at rest on Windows
• File Permissions - chmod 600 on Linux/macOS (owner read/write only)
• Secure Delete - Credentials can be safely removed

• Port 49152 - Dynamic/private port range (less targeted)
• Local Network Only - Not exposed to internet by default
• Connection Validation - Every message validated and authenticated

1. First Launch

   • Run as Administrator: Start-Process "dotnet" -ArgumentList "run" -Verb RunAs
   • Watch the boot sequence - you'll see security initialization
   • Security keys automatically generated and saved

2. Getting the Authentication Key

   • Click [SHOW AUTH KEY] button
   • Key is displayed in terminal and copied to clipboard
   • KEEP THIS KEY SECURE - anyone with this key can connect

3. Starting the Command Server

   • Click [START SERVER] to listen on port 49152
   • DEFCON level changes to 3 (heightened readiness)
   • Server now accepts authenticated Spawn connections

4. Security Best Practices

   • Only give the auth key to trusted machines
   • Don't share the key publicly or over unsecured channels
   • Regenerate keys if compromised (manually delete security.key)

1. First Setup

   • Run Spawn on remote machine
   • When prompted, enter the authentication key from Hive-Mind
   • Choose whether to save credentials (recommended)

2. Saved Credentials

   • Credentials encrypted and stored locally
   • Windows: Protected with DPAPI (user-level encryption)
   • Linux/macOS: File permissions 600 (owner only)

3. Automatic Check-In

   • Spawn checks in every 5 seconds
   • Each check-in is authenticated and encrypted
   • Failed authentication stops the client

4. Security Indicators

   • ✓ Green checkmark = Successful authentication
   • ✗ Red X = Authentication failed
   • Yellow warning = Connection issue

• AES-256-CBC - Industry standard symmetric encryption
• 256-bit Keys - Maximum security strength
• Unique IV - Prevents pattern analysis

1. Spawn creates message: AUTH|<token>|<command>
2. Spawn encrypts entire message with AES-256
3. Hive-Mind receives encrypted message
4. Hive-Mind decrypts and validates token
5. Hive-Mind checks rate limits and lockouts
6. If valid, Hive-Mind processes command and sends encrypted response

• Sliding Window: 2-second minimum between connections from same IP
• Lockout Duration: 15 minutes after 5 failed authentication attempts
• Automatic Cleanup: Old records purged every connection check

• Hive-Mind Keys: %APPDATA%\HiveMind\security.key
• Spawn Credentials (Windows): %APPDATA%\Spawn\credentials.dat
• Spawn Credentials (Linux/macOS): ~/.config/Spawn/credentials.dat

• This system is designed for local network use only
• Do NOT port forward port 49152 on your router
• Do NOT expose Hive-Mind to the public internet

If you need internet exposure, add:

• TLS/SSL - Transport layer encryption (HTTPS equivalent)
• Certificate Pinning - Prevent man-in-the-middle attacks
• IP Whitelisting - Only allow specific IPs to connect
• VPN - Use VPN instead of direct internet exposure

• Protect machines with Hive-Mind installed (they have the master keys)
• Use full-disk encryption on all machines
• Strong passwords on all accounts

If you believe your keys have been compromised:

1. Stop Hive-Mind
2. Delete %APPDATA%\HiveMind\security.key
3. Restart Hive-Mind - New keys will be generated
4. Get new auth key and distribute to all Spawn clients
5. Update all Spawn clients with new credentials

• > AUTHENTICATION FAILED - ACCESS DENIED - Someone tried wrong key
• Multiple rapid connection attempts - Possible attack
• Connections from unexpected IPs - Investigate

• ✗ Authentication failed - Check if auth key is correct
• Repeated connection failures - Hive-Mind may be down or keys changed

1. Verify you copied the correct auth key from Hive-Mind
2. Click [SHOW AUTH KEY] in Hive-Mind to see current key
3. Delete Spawn credentials and re-enter key

1. Check if IP is locked out (wait 15 minutes)
2. Verify Spawn has correct authentication key
3. Check Hive-Mind terminal for specific error messages

1. Verify Hive-Mind server is running
2. Check firewall isn't blocking port 49152
3. Verify IP address and port number are correct

v1.0 HARDENED (2026-01-01)

• Added AES-256 encryption for all network communication
• Implemented 256-bit authentication system
• Added rate limiting and brute force protection
• Input sanitization and validation
• Secure credential storage with DPAPI/file permissions
• Changed default port to 49152 (dynamic/private range)
• Security status displayed in boot sequence
• [SHOW AUTH KEY] button for easy key distribution

Developed by: bad-antics Development Team & antX
Copyright: © 2026 All Rights Reserved

This software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk.

KEEP YOUR AUTHENTICATION KEY SECURE!