ModGuard: Mod Malware Protection v1.5
UPDATE v1.5
Sorry for the frequent updates, they should be slowing down soon, as the tracker gets honed in. v1.4 resolves some scenarios that caused "Inconclusive" and false-positive results.
If you've found ModGuard or my other mods helpful,
please consider joining me on Patreon. Thank you! 😊
Change Log:
v1.5
Tweaks to detection and one additional vector blocked.
Removed Script Mod Dialog fix as EA has added it natively.
v1.4
Refined mod tracker to further avoid false positives or inconclusive results.
Resolved a false-positive specifically related to some mods that save settings to file.
v1.3
Fixed game crashing when used on Mac.
Blocked 4 more possible attack vectors.
Improved ModGuard's defensive measures.
Improved telemetry for any future troubleshooting.
Fixed an issue where ModGuard would incorrectly report itself.
Fixed an issue causing reports for "Inconclusive" and "shutil".
v1.1
Corrected a flaw in v1.0's prevention and beefed up detection.
Added two more possible vectors to the ModGuard's detection and prevention.
Added an in-game update notification so staying protected is easier.
Added a welcome notification per user feedback, to ensure ModGuard is active.
=====================
Some of you may be aware of the recent events in the community, involving someone accessing modder accounts and "updating" their mod files with a virus downloader.
If you aren't aware, then The Sims After Dark discord has quite a few announcements covering what has been breached so far, what the virus does, and what steps you need to take if you were affected. Here is a page from their site covering the topic. I'd recommend taking a look
It's become clear this isn't going to be a one-and-done thing, as more breaches have occurred over the last week. In response, I have created a new mod to counter it.
ModGuard blocks common virus vectors, tracks the mod file that attempted to download it, notifies you, and shares the mod name with our team so compromised modder accounts can be notified as soon as possible.
This will help not just protect you, but to protect everyone else by minimizing the time compromised downloads remain available.
Think of ModGuard as a safety net:
I'd like to emphasize that all hacks and anti-hack tools are a cat-and-mouse game. There is always potential for a workaround to pop up. As such, please continue to use discretion when downloading mods, especially from small or unknown modders. In addition, be skeptical of any mods that suddenly "update" without providing detailed notes on what the update is for. Be on the lookout for imposter accounts as well. If the name is mispelled, or the account is new, for a modder you know has been around for a long time, it's likely an imposter.
This is going straight to public release of course, as the community needs a tool quick to prevent the spread of this and other viruses.
It also goes without saying:
Make sure you only ever download ModGuard from my official platforms - Patreon, TwistedMexi.com, TwistedMexi on CurseForge.
Features:
Prevents common virus vectors.
Finds the responsible mod
Notifies the user of the compromised mod.
Alerts our team of the compromised mod.
Install Instructions
⚠ FOLLOW IT WORD FOR WORD. ⚠
1. Delete any existing copies you have for ModGuard
2. DONT use any zip extract options. Instead, OPEN the "TwistedMexi's ModGuard v1.3 Official" zip by clicking it and drag the "Tmex-ModGuard.ts4script" inside to your mods root. That's it!
Comments (63)
why am I getting this message," lastException_63922370015.txt", what should I do ?
same! all of my mods are good and the BE report wont pull anything up that could be wrong either i even did the 50/50 method and i ONLY get the last exception error so im at a loss :(
thank u !! also i came here from plumbuddy they reccomened me to u plumbuddy is a mod scanner and im in love w it
Mod saved my life today. I LOVE YOU
thank you
Hello, with the recent malware issues going around right now... is this mod going to need any updates or is it still working for the current string of issues? I just want to double check to make sure it's working right!
It usually survives patches.
thank you <3
hey, is the mod updated?
LastExceptions error with ModGuard v1.5 after May 12th patch
Thank you ! is it compatible with the virsion 1.110 ?
thank you so much!
The work you do, gives me hope in my humanity.Me love you long time
BE is giving me this error when I load a save: [BetterExceptions] 'TuningAttrCleanupHelper' object attribute 'register_for_cleanup' is read-only (AttributeError: 'TuningAttrCleanupHelper' object attribute 'register_for_cleanup' is read-only). The possible cause it tells me is as follows: Mods\TMex Mods 2023\Tmex-ModGuard\tmex-ModGuard.py
Means your BE or mod guard is not up to date
😍☀️😍
Thank you for giving us tools. You rock.
You're awesome! Thanks for this :)
Sent you a very important message in dms,could you check it out?
Immediately joined your Patreon!! Thank you soo much for this and what you're doing!! <3
✨☀️✨
Thank you for your hard work! We appreciate it 💜
Thank you for all you are doing for our community - we are all internally grateful!!
Thanks for doing this! Been fighting malware since (probably nobody remembers) some guy brought in a 51/4" floppy disk and it had malware on it. Retired now but geez, I had to pull the p.c. out and lug it to IT so they could fix it. Thank goodness we got better stuff, but more problems, eh?
I remember those days too! My first Commodore PET used a cassette drive!
Thank you!
Thank you for all of your hard work to make our games better and, now, even safer!
Thank you so much
You are amazing! Please make sure you get some sleep, my friend! 🐐🐐🐐
There are not enough words to describe how wonderful it is to have you protecting us. Thank you and may your life be filled with joy and love always!
Thank you for always looking out for us!
Thank you im new to this. x
As a simmer I have to say THANK YOU for always finding a way to help us when something goes wrong!
Hi Mexi! I just want to let you know that ModGuard is causing my game to crash during the plumbob loading screen. I thought that maybe my computer was the problem, but I launched the game with and without and it's for sure the issue is the mod. I recorded my screen and I can send it to you if you'd like.
This is also happening to me! I also took the mod out and relaunched the game without the mod and had no more problems with the crashing during loading.
Hi ! How can I avoid viruses when I haven't updated the game? (Many players like me haven't updated the game) I'm waiting for the bugs in the For rent pack to be resolved before updating. I used the ModGuard but unfortunately I got a BE immediately.
Unfortunately you'd need to update the game. As long as you avoid using the rental system, the game is fairly stable.
🔆✨🔆
Thank You so much!!!! I literally owe you my simulated life!
Thank you for all that you do.
Should it give a message when you start your save like BE? I'm not sure it's working.
Thank you so much for all you do!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this and for all you do!!
Thank you so much!
You're a gem! Thank you for this!
You are truly amazing! Thank you for your awesome mods and looking out for all of us!
Thank you so much for always looking out for the community. It’s a massive shame that you have to make such a mod, but do grateful you have xxx
Thank you, my friend! You are the GOAT! ❣️🔥🐐🔥❣️
Sorry, I'm pretty daft. How do I move the script file without extracting it? Opening it still brings up the Winrar extraction screen, and I presume I'm meant to be doing it differently. Thanks in advance!
No that's fine, drag it out of the WinRAR screen info your mods folder. This way avoids people from accidentally extracting it too deep into their mods
ty!
Hi! Do I need to have updated my game to use this mod? I haven't updated my game yet, because there are too many bugs that haven't been fixed with the For rent pack, and I'd rather wait. Nevertheless, I wanted to test this mod, taking care to protect my saves, and I got a BE and an MC exception immediately.
Thank you!! Appreciate all you do; you're always looking out for the community 💜💜
You are the best! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Thank you so much for all you do for us.
Thank you
awesome! Thank you, Mexi!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much 💚💚
Thank you so very much for this very useful tool!
Would this work for Mac users? This malware stuff’s got me worried and I want to protect my info.
Because they are .exe files, as far as I know, you do not have to worry on a Mac. Someone will correct me if I am wrong though.