About the Hypixel Watchdog System
In this article, we will explain what Watchdog is, why you may have been banned by it, how you can prevent yourself from being banned, and other commonly asked questions.
If your appeal has been denied by the Hypixel Appeals Team on the forums, this support service cannot change their decision — it is final.
What is Watchdog?
Watchdog is our Cheat Detection System. Watchdog actively monitors all players on the network detecting irregularities from a vanilla client or improbable behavior to determine if a person is using unfair advantages or not.
When Watchdog detects a user using unfair advantages, it records the data of the player to be punished at a later time, or is immediately removed from the game depending on the severity of the unfair advantage.
Why was I banned?
You were monitored, caught, and confirmed to be in one or more of the following categories:
- Actively using one or more unfair advantages on the network
- A mod you were running was sending irregular data to the server
- The use of a macro or AutoClicker
How do I appeal my ban?
To appeal a punishment, please go here: https://hypixel.net/appeals/create
You MUST have your account linked to appeal.
Appeals sent in any other way (e.g. private message, email, etc) will be directed back to the appeals section here with no further answer. If you have received a response on your appeal that decision is final and it will not change.
What can I do to stop this from happening?
1. Make sure to read and follow our latest network rules.
2. Check to see if your modifications are allowed on our network.
3. Do not use any automated or toggling macros.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is X modification allowed on the server?
You can find out more about allowed modifications here. If the modification provides any form of advantage over other users then we strongly recommend removing it.
OptiFine is allowed as it’s main purpose is to provide an FPS (Frames-Per-Second) boost to players.
Will I ever be 100% sure that my modification(s) are safe?
No. For that reason we recommend a 100% vanilla client when possible.
Can a staff member tell me if a modification is allowed?
No. We DO NOT approve modifications on request. If you want to know if a modification is allowed on the network, our recommendation is not to use it, we can refer you to our whitelisted modifications thread here.
If I have modifications installed but aren’t actively using them, am I at risk?
If the modification is still running but you are not using its features, you are still at risk of being punished. Some modifications interact with the server even if you aren’t actively using them. But, simply having modifications downloaded on your computer will not put you at risk. Although beware that some cheats often contain malicious code to steal information or install other malicious software on your computer. Use good judgment when running programs downloaded online.
I have used modifications in the past, am I at risk of being banned?
No, as long as they are no longer installed and you are no longer using them on the server.
Does Watchdog access any of my computer’s files?
No, Watchdog is entirely server side.
Will I be banned if I have a glitchy/laggy connection?
No. Lag does not affect Watchdog. Players may experience increased rollbacks as a result of lag, but lag itself will not cause Watchdog to ban players.
Is there a chance I can be falsely banned by Watchdog?
We will only ever confirm and commit to 100% positive bans which fit into one or more «Why was I banned?» categories. If you believe you have been falsely banned by Watchdog please submit an appeal in on the forums.
How does the stat wipe system work?
On a Watchdog punishment the user will receive a wipe from all leaderboards. Once the users temporary ban has expired and before returning to the leaderboard system their stat’s will be wiped.
Does Watchdog differentiate between ranks?
No, justice is blind. It does not care which rank you have.
What can I do if I spot a cheater in my game?
You can report the player using /report and a report will be forwarded for review by our game masters. It is important to report cheaters you encounter, as that way if a cheater is not being detected by Watchdog, our game masters can remove the cheater from the game as quickly as possible. We can also learn why Watchdog was unable to detect the player for cheating and improve our cheat detection methods.
Why are some cheaters not banned by Watchdog?
Watchdog is not a perfect system and can sometimes miss cheaters that are using certain methods to cheat. Additionally, some players may be using cheats that are not detectable by Watchdog, due to cheat developers constantly changing their methods. It is a constant mouse and cat game between us and the client developers, we just have to try our best to be one step ahead of the cheaters.
If you come across a cheater who has only recently started cheating, it may take us some time to determine whether they are actually cheating or not. In order to prevent cheaters from learning how to avoid getting banned, we may also decide to ban them at a later point. That is why it is crucial to report any cheaters you encounter — as you will also receive a message letting you know if the cheater was removed from the network. By reporting cheaters, you are helping us keep the game fair for everyone.
Will Hypixel ever be cheater free?
No, it is impossible for any game to be completely free from cheaters. Cheaters will always find new methods to gain an unfair advantage. But, we can slowly work towards the goal of heavily limiting the cheaters impact on gameplay, to the point where cheating is no longer fun, or where the cheater has little to no advantage over a normal player.
Watchdog Cheat Detection
The Watchdog Cheat Detection™ is a private cheat detection used by the Hypixel Server, invented by CryptKeeper.
Contents
Reporting
watchdogreport
Adds a player to the reports queue (Reports a player).
Alias
Syntax
/watchdogreport <player> <module> <module> <module> .
Every time you report someone, you should always report them at the official website!
Watchdog Cheat Detection
What is /watchdogreport and how does it work?
/wdr stands for “Watchdog report” and was designed to make reporting players who are using blacklisted modifications, or modules, faster and easier for our community. Here’s how it works, when you type /wdr sends a flag to Watchdog saying something like “Hey Watchdog, this player might be employing KillAura (or whatever hacks the player fills for the arguments)” and Watchdog will respond, saying “I will check it out as soon as possible,” then it compares the data of known cheats to the reported player’s data to determine if action needs to be taken. In addition, running /wdr will notify available moderators with a message saying “Hey this player might be hacking,” and they may take action. /wdr also helps train Watchdog making it better at catching cheaters.
Why doesn’t /watchdogreport instantly ban hackers?
Simply put /wdr is not a /ban tool and as said before it only tells Watchdog “Hey watch this player.” Watchdog then takes this into account with as it observes the players using YOUR input to better make a decision, sometimes it still needs to gather more data to be 100% sure.
Why was I banned by Watchdog?
If you were banned by Watchdog your provided ban reason will include: [WATCHDOG CHEAT DETECTION]
You were monitored, caught and confirmed to be in one or more of the following categories:
- Actively cheating by using one or more blacklisted modifications.
- Previously used one or more blacklisted modifications which has outstanding effects on your Minecraft folder.
- Using one or more disallowed modifications such as but not limited to TCP edit, Better Sprint, Laby Mod or macros.
What can I do to stop this from happening?
- Make sure read and follow our latest network rules: HERE
- Check to see if your modifications are allowed on our network: HERE
- Make sure your Minecraft is clean.
- Do not edit your registry files on your OS and if you have make sure to remove it by restoring your registry files from your backup.
- Do not use any automated or toggling macros.
Watchdog’s System
Watchdog is not a ban system due to the employment of an attempt to make the player unclear of what module they were banned for.
- Why don’t they want you to know what you’re getting banned for?
Otherwise the hacked client creators may know exactly what hack is getting players banned and will fix it immediately.
Watchdog is slowly advancing because they want time to try to overwhelm the hacked client creators, so they can patch a trick of bypasses rather than a flood.
- Example: Let’s say we use Scaffold, and we get banned in approximately two seconds, we obviously know we are getting banned for Scaffold. The client creators may find a way to code against bans, and enhance their modules.
The more players hack, the more players get banned, and Watchdog receives more data. Applying more data makes it easier to match hacker data to actual legit player data.
The Watchdog Entity
After someone makes a /watchdogreport , it will tell watchdog «Hey Watchdog, this guy might be using KillAura!» The player is then sent to a queue where certain players that have been released red flags upon are present. On a consistent interval of 30 minutes, Watchdog entities will be released upon all the players present in the queue concurrently, and circle the player under strictly circumscribed movements.
NOTE: If one hits the Watchdog entity 10-15 times continuously, it will assume they are using the KillAura, AimAssist, or AutoClicker modules, and will immediately ban the player. This only happens very rarely. To refrain this unfortunate event from ever taking place, please follow the recommendation below.
Recommendation: Safe users that fear getting falsely-banned stay calm and try, as hard as possible, not to hit the Watchdog entity, or avoid vector contact with it. If you click at a very high pace, please feel free to employ this safety technique.
Module List
Common Hacks/Modules
- KillAura/Forcefield — Allows the player to hit more than one player at a time, or hitting a player when they’re close enough.
- This module can be easy, but sometimes hard to detect. If the player is hitting their opponent without facing them, they might most likely be using this module. If the player toggles KillAura on and off efficiently, it may be hard to detect.
- This module is detectable by the Watchdog Cheat Detection entities.
- This module can be easily detected if the player is making sharp head-snaps that destine directly towards their opponent.
- A normal client would allow the player to eat at an time interval of approximately two seconds.
- This module can easily be detected if the player heals up all their health almost instantly. Some exceptions to this would be if the player drinks a Potion of Healing, etc.
- This module is very suspicious and hard to detect.
- This module is detectable by the Watchdog Cheat Detection if the player is caught clicking at a certain rate per second.
Movement Modules
- Fly — This gives the hacker the ability to fly in servers that don’t enable flying.
- Speed — This gives the hacker incredibly fast movement.
- This is common with BHop/BunnyHop. As it is speed, it jumps while moving, making BHop easier to spot.
- When a player hits their strafing key-binds, the reaction of the strafe will be instant and there would be no delay for the momentum of the strafes the player makes.
- This module is very difficult to notice as the difference is not very explicit. But you can think of it like this: If the player does not have speed, and they strafe very sharply, they are most likely using this module.
- Note that not every player that strafes very sharply might be using this module. A player may have speed, which leads to the assumption that the player is using this module, but they are actually not.
- Scaffold modules often include a «SafeWalk» option which stops players from walking off blocks (similar to crouching/sneaking) but without the slow-down.
- Scaffold can include a «Tower» option in which if the hacker is holding space, and not jumping like usual, it is a tower.
- This module can easily be detected if the player is seen running wildly into the air, placing blocks rapidly under themselves, and rotating their head crazily.
- Easily detectable if the player is seen sneaking and running around at a fast pace.
Other Modules
- Tracers — This mod (module if you will) shows a line to other players and invisibles.
- ESP — This module reveals the location of all entities present in the current world or loaded chunks. This is accomplished via lines created around entities that can be seen through walls.
- HealthTags — This module shows the health of other entities.
- AntiAFK — AntiAFK mods will automatically move the player around consistently, preventing them to be AFK-kicked.
- FastBreak — Fast-Breaking modules makes the player break blocks faster than regularly possible.
- FastPlace — Fast-Place modules makes the player’s right click not delayed, as they can place blocks a lot faster.
- SafeWalk — SafeWalk moduless will prevent as player from walking off a high place, or into the void, as if they were sneaking, but not.
- HoloInventory — Includes mods that shows content of chests.
- AutoArmor — This module will make the player automatically equip and un-equip certain armour, making sure the player is wearing the best possible armour present in their inventory on every tick update.
- ChestAura — Allows the player to open any chest present around them without facing directly towards the chest.
- ChestSteal — This module automatically picks up all items present in the current opened chest directly into the player’s inventory.
- AntiBot Hypixel — Allows the player to bypass Hypixel Watchdog Cheat Detection entities.
- Usually configurable to bypass Mineplex’s GWEN Guardians and Hypixel’s Watchdog Cheat Detection entities.
- Commonly referred to as the most dreadful and sneaky module.
Approved Modifications
WARNING: NO SERVER MODIFICATIONS ARE ALLOWED. THIS WILL RESULT IN AN IMMEDIATE KICK OR BAN EXECUTED AUTOMATICALLY SERVER-SIDE, AS A FLAG OF A THREAT CLIENT.
- Armor & Status Effects
- Armor Status, Effect Status, HudPixel, 5Zig, etc.
- Client modifications which add armor and/or potion effects to the Minecraft GUI (Graphical User Interface), outside of the inventory. Do note that Health Indicators, displaying players or other entities health or distance are not allowed.
- Replay
- Client modification that allows users to record replays of their Minecraft gameplay as if it was an inherent feature of the game.
- Excellent tool for YouTube recordings.
- Employs a 3rd person omniscient perspective (Spectator mode).
- Minimaps
- Client modifications which add a minimap to a player’s GUI (Graphical User Interface), usually in one of the corners of the screen.
- If you choose to use a minimap, it must not show other entities, entity vectors, and cave systems. If it does, one must expect to get banned.
- OptiFine (HD)
- Client modification which has the main goal of improving client FPS (Frames Per Second)
- Brightness & Gamma Adjustments.
- Client modification in which the only modifiable feature is gamma/brightness level.
- Shaders
- Shaders Mod, Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders, etc.
- Client modifications which change the visual appearance of the game to make it more aesthetically appeasing.
* Any modifications that are NOT present in this list are considered either bannable, or «use at your own risk» modifications.
Approved Minecraft Utilities
- Hitboxes (F3 + B)
- A hitbox, often referred to as an AxisAlignedBoundingBox in Minecraft code, is the 3-dimensional quadrilateral that circumscribes all entities in Minecraft and provides the direct borders in which hits will or will not register. It also determines the amount of blocks, distance, or tiny holes an entity can pass through. Note: Hitboxes do not limit orientation.
- Hitboxes are not shown in Minecraft initially, but still carry out their function.
- Toggled by pressing the «F3» and «B» keybindings concurrently.
- Example: the player cannot pass through 1-block holes because the player’s hitbox is larger than the size of a block.
Recommendation: Safe users that fear getting banned for Blacklisted Modifications only use approved modifications. Note: Most of the time, bans that deal with Blacklisted Modifications are permanent for the first time.
Common Blacklisted Modifications
- Minimaps (Showing entities and/or caves, etc.)
- Client modifications which add a minimap to a player’s GUI (Graphical User Interface), usually in one of the corners of the screen, that portray entities, caves, caverns, ravines, and underground potholes are blacklisted.
- AimAssist Modifications
- Client modifications which have the main goal of assisting the player’s aim, whether it be improving the player’s look vector, constantly aiming at nearby players, or etc.
- Item/Block-adding Modifications
- Client modifications in which blocks and items are added to the game and rendered.
Blacklisted Minecraft Utilities
- Reload Chunks [F3 + S / F3 + A (Post-1.8.9)]
- Reloads all rendered chunks on the client and objects within the chunks.
- Misinterpreted by many players as a spamming utility employed to inevitably «lag back.»
- Executed by pressing the «F3» and «S,» or (for 1.9 and above) «F3» and «A,» keybindings concurrently.
- Example: the player is knocked into the void and does not want to die. They perform this function multiple times until their Minecraft Client freezes and they eventually lag back to the last block they were recorded standing on.
- If used the incorrect way as aforementioned, this may cause client crashes.
Recommendation: Safe users that fear getting banned for Blacklisted Modifications only use approved modifications. Note: Most of the time, bans that deal with Blacklisted Modifications are permanent for the first time.
Appeal(s)
With the new appeal system, you can only appeal one time per punishment. It is easier for the players to make an appeal without having to find the format, not use it, etc. Especially with the Appeals Team getting spammed.
- Account Name
- Punishment Type
- Provided Reason
- Up to this part should be automated if you have a linked account. If not, you have to enter your Ban ID, (Given to you in-game) then it will pop up.
Note: It is best to respond to all of the questions.
Appeals sent in any other way (e.g. private message, email, on this wikia etc) will be directed back to the appeals section here with no further information. We can only deal with appeals for the server in the appeals section on the Hypixel Forums.
If you believe you were falsely banned, you can read about appealing here, and then appeal here.
How to get unbanned from Hypixel without appealing 2021
Are you looking for how to get unbanned from Hypixel watchdog ? If yes, you are in the right place. In this article, I will show you how to get unbanned from Hypixel without appealing.
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Hypixel watchdog : Why Hypixel Users Get Banned
Table of Contents
Hypixel has a Cheat Detection System called the “Hypixel watchdog”. The Hypixel Watchdog watch users to find out if they are cheating or not. Whenever the Hypixel Watchdog detects a user cheating, it adds them to a queue known as a Banwave (Hypixel account security alert). Here, we will show you the step-by-step guide on how to get unbanned from Hypixel account security alert. There are other reasons to get banned too. See the full reasons below;
17 Reasons to get banned from Hypixel
- WATCHDOG CHEAT DETECTION
- Cheating through the use of unfair game advantages
- Boosting your account to improve your stats
- Boosting detected on one or multiple SkyBlock profiles.
- Creating a build or drawing which is not appropriate on the server
- Creating or using an item that has an inappropriate name
- Using pets or cosmetics in an inappropriate way
- Using inappropriate skins or capes on the server
- Cross teaming, you were found to be working with another team or player
- You were found to be negatively affecting your fellow team members
- Misleading others to believe you are a youtuber or staff member
- Discussing or acting in a manner which encourages cheating or rule breaking
- Attempting to obtain information or something of value from players
- Acting in a manner that is extremely disrespectful to members within the community
- Talking or sharing inappropriate content with explicit themes on the server
- Attempting to gain access to other user’s accounts/information
- Attempting to sell Minecraft accounts
How to get unbanned from Hypixel 2020
One of the surest ways to get unbanned from Hypixel is to submit a ban appeal Hypixel via the forum. As stated on the Hypixel support page, Hypixel Help Desk does not process ban or mute appeals themselves unless specified in the ban or mute reason. Hence all appeals must be done on the Hypixel Forums.
If you believe you were banned in error, or that your punishment is too severe, you need to appeal on the Hypixel Forums, using the appeals form.
If you believe you were falsely banned from the Hypixel Forums, you need to create a forum ban appeal. You can appeal your ban in the Ban Appeal section on the Hypixel forums.
How long does it take for a Hypixel ban appeal
Should take anywhere from 12 hours to a week depending on how busy they are. Please note that chances that your appeal get denied are high. Unless you provided really good evidence/proof that you didn’t hack or break the rules, your appeal will most likely get denied. I can tell that the Hypixel staff team has been overwhelmed recently, so just give it time.
How to get unbanned from Hypixel without appealing
You might be looking for how to get unbanned from Hypixel hack. Well, there are very few hacks to get this done without appealing. You can only get unbanned through an appeal. You’ll only be unbanned if you are falsely banned. However, Hypixel doesn’t want the server to be full of people who make it a habit of breaking the rules.
How Hypixel security/ ip bans work and how to bypass them (guide for noobies)
Hey so as I've seen many newcomers in the community asking questions about Hypixel ban system. I felt like addressing it and sharing our experience was a good way to "educate" noobies on the matter.
Alright so by and large there are 3 types of bans on Hypixel:
— Watchdog Bans
— Staff Bans
— Security BansBoth Watchdog Bans and Staff bans will ban your ip
What is a Security ban?
A security ban is basically an ip protection that Hypixel put into place around 2018 to enforce security over compromised accounts.
Let's say you get watchdog banned or staff banned after hacking on Hypixel. Your ip will also get banned (with proper terms, it will get blacklisted). If you try to reconnect on Hypixel with a new unbanned alt but with the same ip that got blacklisted, you will get the alt security banned.
So basically Hypixel tracks your blacklisted ip and security bans every account that connects with this IPYou don't even have time to start a game, the alt will get Security banned right away as soon as you connect on Hypixel.
And there is no real way to know if a IP is blacklisted or not.
At some point in the past, if you tried to connect on a banned account it would also blacklist your ip (eventhough you didn't hack on hypixel cause the account was already banned, and even if your ip was "clean" and not banned) thus getting all the new alts you try banned as well since your ip would be blacklisted. But I don't think they are doing this anymore (I don't think they are banning your ip anymore if you connect on a banned alt, but I'm not sure, they may still be doing this).
What do you need to do to prevent a Security ban?
First don't panic! Hear me out your noobies, stop fricking out and trying all your alts to see which one is unbanned cause you will end up making the matter worse by getting them all banned.
First always hack on a vpn (it's like one of the founding principles of the hacking community anyway).
When you get watchdog banned or staff banned, change your ip right away (by changing location on your vpn software, or by restarting your router).
If you try/ log on an alt on Hypixel and it says the alt is security banned, also change your ip, because it could mean that the ip you are playing on is already blacklisted on Hypixel (remember we are thousands and thousands in the community to hack on hypickle, to share the same alts sometimes, share the same vpns services and ips, so if an ip is banned it's most likely because one of your fellow haxor got it banned).
The watchword basically is: change your ip constantly just to be sure and to avoid security bansAre Security bans permanent?
Security ban system is a very very strict measure that Hypixel put on their server, no other server would dare to do that since it gets a ton and ton of legit players false banned.
If you play on a banned ip, even if you are legit, you are screwed and get banned automatically.So let's say your brother hacks on Hypixel with his account and gets banned with the local ip, you will also get banned as soon as you connect on Hypixel with your account.
Hypixel is aware that this is a very strict measure that hurts both hackers but also the legit community, so to make up for this they unban people massively and in waves. If you got security banned, you can just appeal on the Hypixel forums without even needing to provide an appeal reason and you will get both the account and the ip linked to the ban unbanned within hours.
The bet that Hypixel is making is that Hackers wont take the time to make an appeal on the forums and will just switch to another alt.
SO if you ever run out of alts, or judge you don't want to waste alts, you can just appeal on the forums alls the alts you have that are security banned and they will all get unbanned (it will also unban the ip that was linked to the banned account), and you will be free to go and haxerino on your favorite server 🙂
If you want a full tutorial on how to get a Security banned account unbanned check out this video:
https://youtu.be/c70NSG1kq14If you want to add additional informations to my explanation feel free to do that in the comments 🙂
If you want to correct me on any mistake I made, do it as well, will be glad to fix them haha.Last but not least, if you want to help noobies as well and share your past experience, make sure to comment what in your opinion is the best vpn service, what are the best locations to chose to get unbanned ips, etc .