🛡️ TrustGuard v2.0.0 Released

TrustGuard v2.0.0 is now available.

This update introduces a completely redesigned verification system, expanded captcha options, improved administrative controls, and the foundation for advanced risk-based account protection.

✨ New Captcha Types

TrustGuard now supports multiple verification methods:

• 💬 Chat Captcha
• ➗ Math Captcha
• 🔤 Word Captcha
• 📦 GUI Captcha

Administrators can choose a single captcha type or allow TrustGuard to randomly select from multiple methods.

🎲 Random Verification Mode

TrustGuard can now automatically rotate between enabled captcha types, making verification less predictable and more effective against automation.

📦 Improved GUI Captcha

The GUI captcha has been redesigned with accessibility and client compatibility in mind.

• Verification instructions now appear directly inside the inventory
• Improved compatibility with modified Minecraft clients
• No reliance on chat visibility while a GUI is open
• Better overall user experience

⚙️ Enhanced Administrative Controls

Administrators can now force specific captcha types:

/tg force <player> CHAT
/tg force <player> MATH
/tg force <player> WORD
/tg force <player> GUI
/tg force <player> RANDOM

Perfect for testing, moderation, demonstrations, and troubleshooting.

🌐 VPN & Proxy Detection

TrustGuard now includes optional VPN and proxy detection support.

Features include:

• VPN/proxy risk scoring
• Local result caching
• API failure handling
• Configurable risk behaviour
• ProxyCheck.io support

VPN detection is disabled by default and can be enabled through the configuration.

🔧 Self-Healing Configuration

TrustGuard now automatically adds new configuration options during updates.

No more deleting configuration files after upgrading.

• Existing settings are preserved
• Missing options are automatically added
• Easier upgrades between versions

🏗️ Internal Improvements

• Major captcha system refactor
• Improved verification framework
• Better code organisation
• Improved future extensibility
• Foundation for future verification methods and security enhancements

TrustGuard v1.0.0

TrustGuard is a risk-based verification and account protection plugin for Paper servers.

Unlike traditional captcha plugins that challenge every player equally, TrustGuard evaluates player behaviour and only requests verification when suspicious activity is detected. This allows legitimate players to join normally while still protecting servers from compromised accounts, VPN abuse, bot activity, and suspicious login patterns.

Features

Adaptive Risk Scoring

TrustGuard calculates a configurable risk score using multiple factors:

• New player detection
• Trust status
• IP address changes
• Excessive relogging
• Customisable scoring system

Server owners have complete control over how much risk is required before verification is triggered.

Verification System

• Random captcha generation
• Configurable captcha length
• Configurable timeout duration
• Configurable attempt limits
• Automatic verification handling

Verification Lockdown

Players undergoing verification are unable to:

• Move
• Break blocks
• Place blocks
• Interact with the world
• Drop items
• Execute commands

This prevents interaction with the server until verification has been completed successfully.

Trust Database

TrustGuard maintains player trust information including:

• Trust expiry dates
• Last known IP address
• Last seen timestamps
• Relog history

Successfully verified players are trusted automatically for a configurable period.

IP Change Detection

TrustGuard can detect when a player connects from a different IP address and increase their risk score accordingly.

Relog Detection

Repeated reconnects within a configurable time window can increase risk and trigger verification.

Administrative Commands

/tg reload
/tg trust <player>
/tg untrust <player>
/tg force <player>
/tg info <player>

Staff Notifications

Staff with the appropriate permission receive alerts whenever a player triggers TrustGuard verification.

Audit Logging

TrustGuard records:

• Risk assessments
• Verification starts
• Verification successes
• Verification failures
• Administrative actions
• Configuration reloads

Logs are available both in the console and within the plugin's audit log.

Permissions

trustguard.admin
trustguard.bypass
trustguard.notify

Configuration

All major systems are configurable, including:

• Risk thresholds
• Risk scores
• Trust duration
• Captcha settings
• Relog detection settings
• Logging options
• Staff notifications

Compatibility

• Paper
• Purpur
• Modern Paper-based forks

Why TrustGuard?

Most verification plugins ask:

"Can this player solve a captcha?"

TrustGuard asks:

"Does this player actually look suspicious?"

This allows normal players to join uninterrupted while still providing protection when unusual behaviour is detected.

Thank You

More features are planned for future versions, but v1.0.0 represents the first complete production-ready release of TrustGuard.