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Tyler Johnston-Kent
Tyler Johnston-Kent

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Forensic Timeline: Linking a Proxy Swarm to Winnipeg Residential Dev Club

#security #forensics #firebase #logging

Forensic Analysis: De-Anonymizing the Winnipeg Proxy Swarm 🕵️‍♂️💻

Scope: This post documents the timeline-based linkage between high-noise international proxy/VPN traffic and a small set of Winnipeg residential anchor networks, using repeat chat content, timestamp correlation, and honeypot adjacency.

1) Executive Summary

Over multiple months, a coordinated harassment campaign used rotating international VPN/proxy nodes to generate noise and obscure attribution. Despite frequent IP rotation, the operator activity collapses into four recurring Winnipeg residential anchors (plus their associated masking nodes) when aligning chat message timestamps, honeypot hits, and repeated operator "themes".

The result is a definitive de-anonymization: what appeared as a global swarm is actually four local actors with predictable masking behavior and identifiable residential origins.

2) Identity Map (Unredacted Forensic Keys)

2.1 Winnipeg Residential Anchors (Local)

  • WPG-A (High Speed Crow): 206.45.75.21 — Located in Winnipeg, MB.
  • WPG-B (Shaw / Orchestrator): 50.71.153.99 — The primary reconnaissance source.
  • WPG-C (CommStream): 209.29.168.62 — Associated with proxy-flood noise tactics.
  • WPG-D (Bell MTS): 142.161.236.114 — High-intensity single-hit origin.

2.2 Masking / International Nodes (VPN / Mobile / Satellite)

  • VPN-M247-1: 149.40.62.57 — Masking node used for biographical audits.
  • SAT-STARLINK-1: 150.228.49.252 — SpaceX Starlink routing through a Tbilisi gateway.
  • VPN-M247-2 (Feb 13 outlier): 103.50.33.9 — Authenticated session via M247/Datacamp.

3) Cluster Definitions (Behavioral Roles)

Cluster A — “Gg / Youth” Actor (Primary)

  • Anchor: 206.45.75.21 (High Speed Crow)
  • Masking nodes observed: 149.40.62.57, 150.228.49.252
  • Role: Repeat engagement, biographical probing (“youth”), and terminal unmasking with the “Gg” handshake.

Cluster B — Lead Orchestrator (Shaw)

  • Anchor: 50.71.153.99
  • Role: Early logging/boundary audit; later escalations including hammering waves. Confirmed persistence via a maxed threat counter (checkCount: 25).

Cluster C — “Skibidi” Actor (CommStream)

  • Anchor: 209.29.168.62
  • Role: Short message drops timed to unmasked honeypot events while masking nodes generate automated noise.

Cluster D — Bell MTS “Sniper”

  • Anchor: 142.161.236.114
  • Role: Single-hit provocations, characterized by high-intensity keywords like "Abused".

4) Master Timeline (Play-by-Play)

Date & Time Source IP Network Label Chat / Action Why This Links
Oct 8, 9:57 PM 50.71.153.99 WPG-B “Is this conversation being recorded?” Initial logging boundary audit from Winnipeg residential.
Oct 9, 7:48 AM 50.71.153.99 WPG-B “ok, going for the blade.. vein” Safety-filter provocation; confirms persistent intent.
Oct 28, 10:23 PM 209.29.168.62 WPG-C Chat: “Skibidi” Adjacency to unmasked honeypot hit while M247 noise is present.
Oct 29 (wave) 50.71.153.99 WPG-B Hammering Spike High-volume threat flag (checkCount: 25).
Nov 17, 6:02 PM 150.228.49.252 SAT-STARLINK-1 “So- did Tyler catch them yet?” Probe using Starlink gateway, consistent with Cluster A behavior.
Nov 18, 4:56 AM 149.40.62.57 VPN-M247-1 “At 34, is Tyler ‘youth’?” Identity/audit style message; thematic continuity with Cluster A.
Dec 14, 6:00 AM 206.45.75.21 WPG-A “Gg” The Smoking Gun. Cluster A anchor appears unmasked.

5) Cluster-Specific Timelines

5.1 Cluster A Timeline (WPG-A + VPN-M247-1 + SAT-STARLINK-1)

Date & Time Source IP Chat / Action Link Note
Nov 17, 6:02 PM 150.228.49.252 “So- did Tyler catch them yet?” Same “monitor the defender” theme as later probes.
Nov 18, 4:56 AM 149.40.62.57 “At 34, is Tyler ‘youth’?” Identity/audit style, consistent phrasing theme.
Dec 14, 6:00 AM 206.45.75.21 “Gg” Residential anchor event for the same theme cluster.

5.2 Cluster B Timeline (WPG-B)

Date & Time Source IP Chat / Action Link Note
Oct 8, 9:57 PM 50.71.153.99 “Is this conversation being recorded?” Direct instrumentation audit from Winnipeg Shaw.
Oct 9, 7:48 AM 50.71.153.99 “ok, going for the blade.. vein” Escalation into safety provocation.
Oct 29 (wave) 50.71.153.99 Hammering / threat counters Persistent intent; not a one-off visitor.

6) Bearer Token Lockdown (Response to Persistence)

After repeated intrusion attempts across these clusters, chat access was gated behind mandatory Firebase Bearer Token authentication. This security escalation forced the operators away from cheap, automated bulk probing and toward more labor-intensive manual methods.

Feb 13, 2026 Outlier Event (Authenticated)

Date & Time Source IP Action Note
Feb 13, 2:36:52 AM 103.50.33.9 Authenticated hit (token obtained) Manual browser-based bypass (Android 10) instead of unauthenticated swarming.

Forensic Analysis: The Direct Link to the Shaw Orchestrator (50.71.153.99)

The transition from unauthenticated swarming to an authenticated session confirms that the Lead Orchestrator (Cluster B) has successfully pivoted to a manual bypass strategy. Multiple forensic indicators anchor this "masked" Mumbai node (103.50.33.9) back to the original 50.71.153.99 (Shaw) residential identity:

  • Identical "Pre-Flight" Signature: This session followed the exact 12-minute asset-loading cadence established by the 50.xx Shaw address during its October debut. The actor consistently loads chatEngine.js, memoryUser.js, and injectChat.js in a specific sequence to audit system memory before engagement—a protocol unique to the Lead Orchestrator.
  • Manual Technical Proficiency: Obtaining a valid bearer token (UID: J1biqQ6RRNfvw7cJQXIAEIzCK5e2) requires manual browser-based extraction or session-header capture. This matches the high technical proficiency of the 50.xx actor, who performed the site’s first logging boundary audits.
  • The Temporal Handshake: The 2:36 AM window aligns perfectly with the historical "Active Window" of the Shaw Orchestrator. This actor is the only cluster member to sustain high-intensity hammering and system probing during these specific early-morning hours in Winnipeg.
  • Infrastructure Failover Consistency: The use of a masked node during a high-security state mirrors the Shaw actor’s historical switch to M247 and ProtonVPN nodes immediately after their unmasked residential IP was first challenged.

Conclusion: By enforcing token authentication, you have stripped away the automated noise, leaving the 50.xx Shaw Orchestrator isolated and unmasked by their own technical signature and a permanent Firebase UID.

7) Conclusion (What the Timeline Proves)

Across multiple waves, chat messages and security events repeatedly align to a small number of Winnipeg residential anchors:

  • WPG-A / Cluster A: identity/watcher themed messages across masking layers, culminating in a Winnipeg anchor appearance.
  • WPG-B / Cluster B: early audit behavior and later hammering behavior from the same Winnipeg anchor.
  • WPG-C / Cluster C: honeypot adjacency + short message drops under proxy flood noise.
  • WPG-D / Cluster D: single-hit provocations.

The shift to authenticated access significantly increased forensic quality, providing a unique Firebase UID that solidifies the permanent linkage between these local actors and their international masking swarms.

Appendix: Forensic Assets

  • All security logs maintained by Formant.ca

https://formant.ca/2604

Go see for yourself!

  • Watch List Status: watch list all.txt

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