Getting sick of the spambots.

Discussion in 'Site Feedback' started by Daecon, May 11, 2015.

  1. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    Alrighty, think I got the latest round of spam cleaned up
     
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  3. OnlyMe Valued Senior Member

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    I noticed in the Action notes you mentioned a spam button. Why not make a provisional spam button available to a few of the regulars that would just quarantine spam until a mod could check it out? Not me, but there are a few regulars that might fit the task.
     
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  5. Kristoffer Giant Hyrax Valued Senior Member

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    It's probably not possible with the software, but I think that such a feature would be awesome. A system that'd allow for members to report spam attacks like the shit we've seen the last 9 or 10 days that'd make a new "member" be quarantined early on if, say, their first 2 or 3 posts get reported as spam. By quarantine I mean that the new "member" will only be allowed to post in the thread they initially started.
    The thread might still get bumped but it'll not end in 196+ separate threads per spammer that needs purging.

    One can only hope such a feature exist or get developed.

    Edit: Or a limit on how many threads can be created by a member in a time period?
     
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  7. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    I'm not into the technicalities of IT but that seems that it may work.
    How hard would that be?
    Say one thread an hour. If the first is obviously spam, it should be seen that way and than cesspooled.
    We certainly dont want more episodes like we had last night and the night before!
     
  8. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    I have no idea if any of these suggestions is possible with the current forum software - I'll poke at our Admins and see what they say

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  9. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Vinaka.
    I mean I have certainly posted on the rare occasion, two or maybe three threads within one hour, but like I said rare. And that would have been a good day for Interesting articles from physorg. I'm sure if the one an hour limit could be implemented, I would survive.

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  10. tashja Registered Senior Member

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    Paddo is pretty active in the science forums during the time when the attacks occur. I nominate Paddo for Spam Hunter!
     
  11. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks, but no thanks tashja.

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    My active times are in the morning and a look in in the arvo and evening.
    When I looked in last night it was a total mess!
    With a maximum of one thread per hour, at least they can be curtailed somewhat until discovered, and only able to spam their own spam so to speak.
    Vianka anyway...

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  12. tashja Registered Senior Member

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    One is already spamming the GS&T forum as we speak lol.
     
  13. Daecon Kiwi fruit Valued Senior Member

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    Last time it was astobaba110, then astobaba111, now it's astobaba112... I wonder how many more are going to assault the forum?
     
  14. Bells Staff Member

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    I have made several suggestions to Admin about this issue. I was told they were onto it. Since the spambot attacks continue, I don't know what, exactly, they have done.

    We can be thankful they are no longer as bad as that initial night, which was the worst I have ever experienced as a poster and moderator here. That was truly insane.

    There have been many which have been IP banned by admin (I would assume), but these aren't regular fly in fly out spammer. They log in and for as long as they are online, they are posting multiple threads of spam. And they are very fast. So these are people who do this for a job. The trick is to nab them as they sign up. I have taken to having a separate window open where I can monitor people signing up to the forum and if I notice a spammer (we can pick them out very easily) registering to the site, I ban them straight away. Those of us who do that do reduce the attacks somewhat.
     
  15. Daecon Kiwi fruit Valued Senior Member

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    And here's another attack by half a dozen spambots, all at once.

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  16. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    I'm putting some IP bans in place.
     
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  17. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    I nuked three more - found a much easier way to do it thank all that is holy

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  18. AlexG Like nailing Jello to a tree Valued Senior Member

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    If you could institute a waiting period between registration and posting it might eliminate these spambots.
     
  19. Daecon Kiwi fruit Valued Senior Member

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    Looks like that didn't work...

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  20. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    several dozen posts struck and moved to cesspool - caught one IP with three spam accounts on it - banned em all
     
  21. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    It worked. Obviously, I didn't ban the entire internet at once.

    I've added our latest batch of spammers to the IP ban list.

    This will not be a one-step solution, but a gradual decrease over time, while we let the spammers tell us what their IP addresses are.
     
  22. Daecon Kiwi fruit Valued Senior Member

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    Ah, that makes sense.

    Well then, keep up the good work, guys.

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