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Regarding recent deluge of spam posts


Likely Guy

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I myself have reported many spam posts and threads, and they're usually gone within a minute or so of being reported. I find the current system in place, fine. Also, don't be afraid to use the ignore button. I'm also against a 10 post minimum for starting a thread. There are already over-posting done by many members here, this minimum requirement, will only make it worse.

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We also had caramel cake and custard! (read it and weep)

That scalding hot speck of custard that you got in your eye when you're a child, that was me!

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I'm also against a 10 post minimum for starting a thread. There are already over-posting done by many members here, this minimum requirement, will only make it worse.

I appreciate your effort against spammers as well. I'm just not sure how a minimum requirement would make things worse. :)

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i would rather have an inbox of spam then having to eat actual Spam.. that stuff should be banned.. *dog food*

When you are starving, taste matters not a jot.

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"Spam posts are already replies to existing topics", comeone Waspy Dwarf. Over the last two days, every, and I do mean every spam post was written by a new memeber with 2 or 3 posts.Some now have '0' posts and promote kindle books, or concrete polishing on their status updates.

Too right, the number of "New threads" that are something like "Goochy bags 75% off!"

of course, Status updates is the other thing, in fact perhaps the main thing. I find it hard to believe that a spambot would be clever enough to bother to post 25 spam posts in various threads before it could post a "Status" update. I really don't see how any kind of minimum threshold could possibly be "disastrous"; it might also have a useful function in deterring those who think that no one has ever seen a thread about how the Bush Government was responsible for 9/11 or how Obama is going to enslave all the People, and perhaps encourage them to make an effort to look for and participate in one of the many existing threads on the subject.

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When you are starving, taste matters not a jot.

i guess, if i was starving i would that crap.. luckily at school we had good old Aussie meat pies for lunch (f knows what was in them?) but they tasted good, smothered in tomato sauce.. ahhhh the good life down under.. (beats Glasgow for weather, as thats where most of my ancestors were from)

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If I come to this thread without signing in, my above post is full of words that bring up advertizing. If anyone knows how this happens and what I can do to prevent it, I would like to know.

Those are contextual guest adverts, these will not appear to registered members who are logged in.

"Spam posts are already replies to existing topics", comeone Waspy Dwarf. Over the last two days, every, and I do mean every spam post was written by a new memeber with 2 or 3 posts.Some now have '0' posts and promote kindle books, or concrete polishing on their status updates.

Waspie is quite correct in that if we stop spam users from starting new threads until they reach a minimum post threshold then what we will get is more spam posts in existing threads instead, something that a lot of spammers do already. The difference is that new threads are easy to spot, hence you are aware of them, whereas spam posts in topics are not. You may have run in to some without even knowing that they are spam.

The minimum post restriction is simply trading one type of spam tactic for another while inconveniencing new members in the process.

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Ooooh! There you go go, waving your, "I had spam when I was a kid and I survived" existence! We were too poor, we had the ghastly meat by-product known as, PREM!

luxury...

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Well, there's about half a dozen new threads all spamming opportunities to dowmnload various TV shows completely cluttering up the "New Threads" even as I speak.

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Folks, actually there are times when no mods are on-line ... hard as that may be to believe. :P

Edit to add: Thanks to everyone who reported the spam post! That made it easy and quick to delete them. :tu:

Edited by Karlis
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What would also help is if more members would report spam posts when they see something obvious. I don't mean just post "spam" in the thread, I mean hit the report button.

Some spam posts are hard to spot and you'd be surprised how often members will reply to them in threads not realising they're spam.

I do that almost every day, sometimes like 4 times in a row.

There is an way to prevent spambots from registering: ask a question, and is the answer right then you can continue with the registration.

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I do that almost every day, sometimes like 4 times in a row.

There is an way to prevent spambots from registering: ask a question, and is the answer right then you can continue with the registration.

that was an idea that another Forum uses; a simple question, related to the subject of the forum, which any human person would know the answer to, and so wouldn't be a kind of test as to whether someone would be qualified to join, but which spammers wouldn't have the patience to work their way around.

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I have no objection to occasionally reporting spam. It tends to be gone pretty fast and doesn't disrupt my use of the site. As stated many bots are perfectly able to add to existing threads instead of starting new topics. Ten posts doesn't take long to type but in the end anyone joining who really wants to start a topic will feel the need to add pointless comments to a bunch of threads. I have never felt the occasionally flurry of spam posts to hinder my enjoyment of the site.

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There is an way to prevent spambots from registering: ask a question, and is the answer right then you can continue with the registration.

We do actually already have this on the registration form, the forum also interfaces with a central spam database which allows the system to recognize the e-mail addresses of known spam users when they try to register, disabling their account before they can post anything.

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  • 2 months later...

We do actually already have this on the registration form, the forum also interfaces with a central spam database which allows the system to recognize the e-mail addresses of known spam users when they try to register, disabling their account before they can post anything.

Email addresses are easily created (in minutes), and I just tried your 'spambot preventing method', and it's very easy to overcome. And no, I was not the one trying to spam the board, I was the one being annoyed by it, and I reported it.

A good question for the registering form would be: "Where was Einstein born? Was it Israel, Russia, Germany, or America?"

I will bet a dime you will never see a spambot again because it works like a charm.

It will also get rid of the 'brain dead', lol. But that's another thing.

Anyone with a healthy set of brains is able to Google the answer, and spambots won't take all that trouble to register.

.

Edited by Abramelin
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Email addresses are easily created (in minutes), and I just tried your 'spambot preventing method', and it's very easy to overcome.

You have the wrong idea about spam prevention - none of these are guaranteed ways of stopping spam users, all they do is provide a deterrent by making things as difficult as possible for spam users to register an account without negatively affecting legitimate new members.

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You have the wrong idea about spam prevention - none of these are guaranteed ways of stopping spam users, all they do is provide a deterrent by making things as difficult as possible for spam users to register an account without negatively affecting legitimate new members.

I think my idea is quite right:

Forum spambots surf the web, looking for guestbooks, wikis, blogs, forums and other types of web forms which it can then use to submit bogus content. These often use OCR technology to bypass CAPTCHAs [like UM uses]

---

Using methods such as security questions [my idea]are also proven to be effective in curbing posts generated by spambots, as they are usually unable to answer it upon registering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spambot

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I must have purchased the spam free version because the only spam I really see is my own. Thanks for your diligent work mods. :tu:

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I must have purchased the spam free version because the only spam I really see is my own. Thanks for your diligent work mods. :tu:

LOL, most probably it has already been removed when you login.

=

What I would like is not only create a safe and sound defense system, but a system that counter-attacks.

.

Edited by Abramelin
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LOL, most probably it has already been removed when you login.

=

What I would like is not only create a safe and sound defense system, but a system that counter-attacks.

.

I nominate Abe as our counter spam bots with extreme intent initiative mission leader ... All in favor say ... it

"aye"

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I nominate Abe as our counter spam bots with extreme intent initiative mission leader ... All in favor say ... it

"aye"

Lol. Man, I only wish.

I have had to deal with these spambots on my own site. My site was peanuts compared to a site like UM, but I have had people trying to hack it and spambots trying to post.

Maybe I have not always behaved like a 'nice boy' here (and therefore being banned and such; and they were right in doing so), but if I can find a way to sort of 'counter-attack' these spambots on UM, I will sure let the admins know.

I always get a bit furious when I see posts by spambots with their crap ads.

.

Edited by Abramelin
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Email addresses are easily created (in minutes), and I just tried your 'spambot preventing method', and it's very easy to overcome. And no, I was not the one trying to spam the board, I was the one being annoyed by it, and I reported it.

A good question for the registering form would be: "Where was Einstein born? Was it Israel, Russia, Germany, or America?"

I will bet a dime you will never see a spambot again because it works like a charm.

It will also get rid of the 'brain dead', lol. But that's another thing.

Anyone with a healthy set of brains is able to Google the answer, and spambots won't take all that trouble to register.

.

How about "What was the Great Pyramid for?"

Only those who give the correct answer can get through.

:D

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