UPDATE, August 27th 2:45 PM NST: Neopians are still getting blocked by StackPath, and it doesn't seem as if the sensitivity on the automatic banning has been turned down.
In order to get unblocked, you must file a ticket with Neopets support—make sure you include the "Reference ID" number on the page that tells you you're blocked. (That's how they'll identify who to unblock.)
You can create a support ticket by visiting the site below and clicking the blue "CREATE A TICKET" button at the bottom of the page:
TNT, please stop this shenanigans and turn off this firewall. Cheaters have known how to get around StackPath ever since the feature went live in 2019—it's trivial once you know how—so all StackPath is doing now is blocking cheaters not in the know and real Neopians who are just trying to play the game.
UPDATE, 1:00 PM NST: TNT has posted a statement asking anyone that has been blocked to open up a support ticket:
Hello, Neopians! We are currently fine-tuning and improving our site security. If you happen to experience a web page that says you’re blocked on our site, then please make a ticket so our Customer Support team can help you out. Please be sure to include that Reference ID you see on that page to better facilitate the process.We’re receiving a lot of feedback and greatly appreciate the messages. Many apologies for the inconvenience, we hope to get you back into Neopia soon!
You can create a support ticket by visiting the site below and clicking the blue "CREATE A TICKET" button at the bottom of the page:
It's unfortunate to see that TNT is simply not wiping the slate of banned users clean to start over—instead, this will create a bunch of unnecessary work for support and further delay access for Neopians who are simply playing the game.
Yesterday afternoon, a new StackPath feature was turned on that requires users visiting Neopets to complete a captcha to continue their visit. It also seems that users are now being banned by StackPath.
It's currently unknown exactly what sort of behavior triggers a ban, and we haven't seen any reports of anyone being unbanned yet. The bans seem to be IP-based, so visiting Neopets in another browser after being banned won't help.
One of Jellyneo's own staff members was banned yesterday evening, and is still banned as of 13 hours later. Prior to getting StackPath-banned, they were refreshing a few pages in multiple tabs. So it's likely that any "botlike" behavior will lead to a ban—unfortunate since Neopets has a lot of browser refreshing-intensive activities.
What is StackPath?
For those out of the loop, StackPath is a middleman security service that sits between your computer and Neopets servers. You must pass a bot check in order to continue visiting Neopets.com. The intent of the service is to prevent bad actor bots from visiting and using Neopets. Examples include cheating scripts like autobuyers, score senders, etc. However, we've seen that it's "easy" for cheaters to get around StackPath, so it really only ends up as an inconvenience for cheaters not in the know... and everyday Neopians who aren't trying to get around anything.
The StackPath settings seem to be tweaked by TNT every few months, as we've seen numerous times where StackPath gets more aggressive or disappears for periods of time. The captchas we're seeing today are completely new.
Have you been affected?
Were you banned by StackPath? Have you had to complete a captcha?
Share your experience in the comments so we can learn more about what activities to avoid and how other Neopians are being affected.
I've spent extensive time immersed in web security protocols and their application in various online gaming platforms, including Neopets. StackPath, a security intermediary service, was implemented to fortify Neopets' defenses against cheating scripts like autobuyers and score senders. This middleware scrutinizes user interactions through bot checks to deter malicious activities.
The recent complications with StackPath causing legitimate users to get blocked signify an algorithmic sensitivity escalation, likely triggered by patterns resembling automated behavior. This involves a ban that seems to be IP-based and persists even across different browsers.
The StackPath implementation has historically witnessed periodic adjustments by TNT (The Neopets Team) to fine-tune security measures. However, these alterations sometimes lead to inadvertent inconveniences for genuine users, as seen in the recent captchas and bans.
The resolution process involves filing support tickets to Neopets' Customer Support, referencing the provided "Reference ID" to facilitate unblocking. This approach aligns with typical security issue mitigation in online platforms, allowing manual intervention to differentiate between genuine users and potential threats.
The StackPath service aims to filter out automated cheating attempts, but its recurrent adjustments often disrupt regular user experiences. The recent captchas and bans underscore the need for a more nuanced algorithm to discern genuine user behavior from potentially harmful actions, reducing false positives that inconvenience dedicated players.
Ultimately, this situation emphasizes the delicate balance between stringent security measures and user accessibility in online gaming environments, highlighting the challenges faced by platforms like Neopets in safeguarding fair play while minimizing disruptions for their user base.
