Accessing ea over brokers metatrader server

 
Hello,

I'm using my own ea in my pc at home. I dont want others to access my robot that's why I prefer to run it over my pc.
However I heard the possibility that broker company which i have account could reach my /experts folder and copy my expert.
Is this possible?

Some broker companies have their own metatrader version and they can use some protocols between client and server. But is this enough to reach my folders in my pc?

If this is possible what are the steps to protect my ea?

Thanks in advance.
 
aed71: Is this possible?
No. And do you really think a broker that does tens of millions of dollars per day is going to care about your $100 trade?
 
WHRoeder:
No. And do you really think a broker that does tens of millions of dollars per day is going to care about your $100 trade?

Thanks. So there is no possibility that anybody else can reach my ea if i run it my pc. By the way my balance and protift is much more than you estimated :-) but thanks for your comment as well.
 
aed71:
Thanks. So there is no possibility that anybody else can reach my ea if i run it my pc. By the way my balance and protift is much more than you estimated :-) but thanks for your comment as well.
How secure is your PC ? how good is your Antivirus and Antimalware software ? how secure is your home ?
 
RaptorUK:
How secure is your PC ? how good is your Antivirus and Antimalware software ? how secure is your home ?


Good point Raptor, my home is not 100% secure of course but normally nobody knows that I'm running a meta-trader with a robot. Currently I'm not considering attacks from Internet but treads from my broker company only. And I do not think that having %100 security is possible although %99 is possible with some good investment. :-)

On the other hand, I see many discussions and also rumors that broker companies are seeking profitable robots and download it by using the metatrader server. They somehow has connection to their software but I really do not know what can they able to do technically? Legally they should not reach my computer but technically what are the limits that a broker company could do in my PC is a question mark. Thanks to WHRoeder, he stated that it's not possible. This really helped me but frankly speaking I still have some concerns...

One point that still concerns me that many of the metatrader brokers have their own version and different setups. Could they include some additional programs/scripts that they can able to reach some folders? (since client and server sw is from the same company). May be they have some kind of communication channel if I download the same metatrader client that my broker has in their website. If this is the case I also wonder if using a different client metatrader will help to reduce such risks for security. Eg. if I'm using broker A and normally should download broker A's client, if I download from broker B and manually try to connect it to broker A server. Will such a set-up help?

One point to protect the robot is to make it DLL and put some security code inside DLL such as account number check. But this case is valid when someone stolen your robot. I'm currently trying to find if my robot is %100 safe from the broker company attacks. Thanks.

 
aed71:


Good point Raptor, my home is not 100% secure of course but normally nobody knows that I'm running a meta-trader with a robot. Currently I'm not considering attacks from Internet but treads from my broker company only. And I do not think that having %100 security is possible although %99 is possible with some good investment. :-)

On the other hand, I see many discussions and also rumors that broker companies are seeking profitable robots and download it by using the metatrader server. They somehow has connection to their software but I really do not know what can they able to do technically? Legally they should not reach my computer but technically what are the limits that a broker company could do in my PC is a question mark. Thanks to WHRoeder, he stated that it's not possible. This really helped me but frankly speaking I still have some concerns...

One point that still concerns me that many of the metatrader brokers have their own version and different setups. Could they include some additional programs/scripts that they can able to reach some folders? (since client and server sw is from the same company). May be they have some kind of communication channel if I download the same metatrader client that my broker has in their website. If this is the case I also wonder if using a different client metatrader will help to reduce such risks for security. Eg. if I'm using broker A and normally should download broker A's client, if I download from broker B and manually try to connect it to broker A server. Will such a set-up help?

One point to protect the robot is to make it DLL and put some security code inside DLL such as account number check. But this case is valid when someone stolen your robot. I'm currently trying to find if my robot is %100 safe from the broker company attacks. Thanks.


It was possible for brokers to tamper the terminal, and they did so. They installed some additions that enhanced the terminal features, like one-click trading, but the user had no guarantee that there were no more stealth features implemented. But it is not possible any longer, since the MQ strictly disabled tampering earlier this year.
 
Just relax and do your trading.
 
aed71:


Good point Raptor, my home is not 100% secure of course but normally nobody knows that I'm running a meta-trader with a robot. Currently I'm not considering attacks from Internet but treads from my broker company only. And I do not think that having %100 security is possible although %99 is possible with some good investment. :-)

On the other hand, I see many discussions and also rumors that broker companies are seeking profitable robots and download it by using the metatrader server. They somehow has connection to their software but I really do not know what can they able to do technically? Legally they should not reach my computer but technically what are the limits that a broker company could do in my PC is a question mark. Thanks to WHRoeder, he stated that it's not possible.

Do you know WHRoeder ? why would you take the word of any User on this forum and not bother to establish the facts for yourself ?
 
RaptorUK:
how secure is your home ?

Buy some guard dogs, electrify all your fences, install CCTV and start taking anti-psychotic medication before the paranoia gets to you. Don't trust the curtain twitchers in your neighbourhood either.

 

Ovo:

It was possible for brokers to tamper the terminal, and they did so. They installed some additions that enhanced the terminal features, like one-click trading, but the user had no guarantee that there were no more stealth features implemented. But it is not possible any longer, since the MQ strictly disabled tampering earlier this year.

Which brokers? And what did they do to the terminal which wasn't just installing an EA?

Leaving that aside... Any EA, indicator, or script can read the .ex4 or .mq4 files on your hard disk and send them anywhere. Any EA at all: anything you download from your broker, or install from ForexFactory, or whatever. (Having "Allow DLL imports" makes this easier, but it's possible for any MT4 code to call a DLL without this setting turned on. Before anyone says "No, it isn't", because they don't know how to do it, yes it is, with one easy pre-condition).

And any installer which you run for an EA, indicator, or script could be doing anything: reading and transmitting the .ex4 or .mq4 files on your computer, sending files from My Documents, anything. Unless all the internet communication is sent in plain text, and you know how to log it, and you do log it, and you do then check the logs, you don't actually know what's going on. Similarly, the MT4 terminal itself could be doing anything. It's continually exchanging data in a proprietary encrypted format with MetaQuotes as well as communicating with your broker.

But, nevertheless, I agree with properkhunt and tonny. Paranoia.

 

I think the Paranoia theories are groundless. Most of us start out this way but have to grow-up at some point. Of all the pieces of software which transfer encrypted data from our computer to software companies like Microsoft Windows, Adobe, Browsers && Websites which holds our personal life savings, we decide to get Paranoid about Expert Advisors.

1st) We're giving meta-Quotes and Brokers way-too-much credit if we think that somehow they've been stealing Expert Advisor codes and No-One who've ever used this piece of software has-had the skill-set to sniff-and-decrypt what it's sending across the Internet.

2nd) Whenever brokers get such capability, their very own employees || ex-employees leak-out this information. I do-not believe that this type of information could be kept secret for very long. What brokers can and have done with 3rd parties add-on is very well published. Stealing EA from customers is-not one of them.

I mean come on all-ready... Do you guys still believe in the super-duper expert advisor which make you a billionaire? If you had the choice between Stealing an EA and Keeping a Brokerage_Firm which would you choose? Remember, the broker already have all your trading records ... as well as everyone else's ... does anyone really believe there's something these guys haven't already seen?

Reason: