Introduction
Rip Hunter is an innovative web security tool developed by Farham Aghdasi for the Khwarizmi Youth Festival in the programming category. It prevents unauthorized website ripping (downloading entire websites offline) and copying across platforms like HTML, PHP, Node.js, and React. Tailored for website owners and template sellers on platforms like RTL-Theme.com, Rip Hunter blocks malicious rippers, monitors traffic in real-time, and offers customizable protections with zero performance impact. It secured 2nd place in national skills competitions and 3rd place in the Khwarizmi festival.
Core Features
Rip Hunter includes a landing page, a comprehensive user dashboard, a server-side firewall (PHP and Node.js), and client-side scripts (Vanilla JS/jQuery and React versions). Key features include:
- Real-time monitoring of visitors and rippers via interactive charts and logs.
- Automated blocking of suspicious IPs, stored in .htaccess or databases.
- Customizable restrictions: disable right-click, source code viewing, and domain/protocol limits.
- Telegram bot alerts for detected threats.
- HTML file encryption and decryption tools.
- Crawler simulator to test protections.
- Backup/restore database, account management, and light/dark theme toggles.
Detection Algorithms
Rip Hunter uses four advanced algorithms to detect and block rippers:
- User Agent Analysis: Identifies non-browser agents (e.g., Python-urllib vs. Chrome) using a predefined ripper list.
- Traffic Monitoring: Tracks data consumption and request rates over 60 seconds, blocking IPs exceeding thresholds (>10MB or >100 requests).
- Malicious Link Trap: Inserts hidden links that only rippers follow, triggering instant blocks.
- Machine Learning: Stacked models classify users as normal (2), suspicious (1), or malicious (0) based on live data.
Additional algorithms handle subdomain checks, XSS prevention, and data logging.
Client-Side Protections
The client-side module enhances security by restricting:
- Domain and protocol enforcement.
- Disabled developer tools, right-click, and source viewing.
- React pre-render protections to prevent early source access.
Innovation and Advantages
Rip Hunter’s lightweight design ensures no performance overhead, unlike competitors. It reduces server load, analyzes ripper origins (ISP, country), and provides graphical analytics for visitor vs. ripper ratios.
Comparison with Competitors:
| Feature | Rip Hunter | Cloudflare (Competitor) |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Impact | None (background processing) | High (slows down site loading) |
| Ripper Blocking Guarantee | High (multi-algorithm + ML) | Variable (no specific anti-ripper focus) |
| Customization | Extensive (per-platform configs, real-time dashboard) | Limited to general security rules |
| Cost | Free/Open for integration, commercial use in templates | Paid tiers for advanced features |
| Platform Support | HTML, PHP, Node.js, React | General web, less targeted |
Rip Hunter excels with its targeted anti-ripping focus, ML-driven detection, and seamless integration for high-value content sites.
Commercialization
Integrated into HTML templates sold on RTL-Theme.com (Rastchin), Rip Hunter protects templates from unauthorized copying, enhancing sales security. Examples include dashboards like 'Daftar' and 'Gridya'. It prevents offline ripping, ensuring buyers cannot redistribute content, boosting trust and revenue for template sellers.
Screenshots
For more details, explore the full project documentation.
