Too much spam. Way way too much. Something needs to be done right now!

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Kingston

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
3,716
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Is something being done to the assault of spam behind the scenes already? I'm sure everyone is tired of pressing "report to moderator" and the mods are themselves equally tired of manually deleting the crap.

Some script or whatever the spammers are doing is seriously breaching in and many good solutions were presented here:

http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=42228.0

my favourites:

1. Not allowed to post ANY weblinks until maybe 10 posts. A simple REGEXP filter would do.
2. Mandatory introduction thread. You are not allowed to post ANYTHING at all until you have posted an introduction of yourself in an appropriate thread.
3. Security question for registering. Not captcha but maybe a simple ohs law (or similar) equation on the topic of the forum that randomizes itself.


Could these be implemented on the forum ASAP? the first two should be quite trivial at least.

And to spammers: F*ck off and die!

[edit]

whoops. I posted in the lab by accident. should be in brewery, sorry.
 
Should be slowing down - we reverted to manual authorizing of new users.

For the purpose of cleaning up the spam, please don't post answers in the threads started by SpamBot - we have to manually delete each answer before we can remove the threads..

Jakob E.
 
Been saving this for the right occasion, hope it is acceptable to post it here.

There is a prize if you recognize the bottom part.  :)


spambot.jpg


 
Perhaps blocking url posting for 30 days, and auto removal is they don't follow up with human posts during trial period. (I don't know if board software will support this).

Making the url block limited by number of posts will just encourage them to game that too.

JR
 
> Way way too much. Something needs to be done right now!

RIGHT NOW ! ??

Is it really so hard to skip it and move on?

> question for registering.

I saw a new one recently.

http://www.gatech.edu/contact/?id=e6494
2wlzdrr.jpg


Buzz moves on every load.

If it became common, it would be easy to script-around (the image filenames are strong clues).



> we have to manually delete each answer before we can remove the threads..

Should be possible, though you must go back to the threads-list instead of the thread messages page. Different forum and colors but same software:

 

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PRR said:
> we have to manually delete each answer before we can remove the threads..

Should be possible, though you must go back to the threads-list instead of the thread messages page. Different forum and colors but same software:

Sorry if it sounds like whining... just a simple request to not add to the work load involved in cleaning up the SPAM poo. 

I don't see a button for removing an entire thread, even when looking at the thread list. If it is a common BB option it isn't turned on.  It doesn't seem necessary to delete an entire threads just yet. and having that capability doesn't really reduce the mouse clicks involved unless there are a number of replies.

We all find the spam irritating, some more than others I suspect.  :D

Manually approving new members is more work too...   

I don't recall the figures but Spam and the like is a huge productivity drain on business.

JR

 
> I don't see a button for removing an entire thread, even when looking at the thread list.

Sorry, I forgot it was a per-account setting. See image.

Also: http://docs.simplemachines.org/index.php?topic=65.0 (that page displays screwy in MSIE 7).

This function (and the next) pop-up an "Are you sure?", so that careless clickery will not be instant disaster. (But keep the cat off the keyboard when in mod-mode.)

You might want to take my posts into the back room. None of this is secret (it's all on the SMF site) but no reason for non-mods to see it, and it will be available for future new mods to consult.
 

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PRR said:
I saw a new one recently.

http://www.gatech.edu/contact/?id=e6494
2wlzdrr.jpg


Buzz moves on every load.

If it became common, it would be easy to script-around (the image filenames are strong clues).

No anti-spam script would be that simple. You never give the filename outside. PHP runs server side and this kind of thing is trivial. As far as the end user is concerned the content of the image needs be understood, but for a script kiddie it's a deterrent. Can't automate a system so easily anymore with 5 files named asgeegh, fslkjhk, kljhjkfd, jhjk and iuyrr that change on each refresh.

But spammers are clever also. They've already got "processors" thwarting catpcha. For example reward-based schemes masquerading as games in many online chat services. "solve this catpcha and see more titty" being the most common type.
 
Ultimately, manual removing of spam threads or posts is a necessity, and kudos to the mods for doing it...

That's why we need to make this job as simple as possible, so it doesn't take too much of their precious time.
I guess the actual problem with the report to moderator function, is that it fills up their inbox, and each message has to be read in order to determine if it is common spam, or some more delicate issue like inappropriate language, flame war, or copyright infringement... Time consuming...
Maybe, another button, like 'report as spam', which, instead of sending an alert each time it is clicked, would just flag the related thread or post.
This flag would be visible in the thread list, so all the mod would have to do is, check for actual spam, and remove accordingly...

Axel
 
JohnRoberts said:
I don't see a button for removing an entire thread, even when looking at the thread list.

John,

If you're viewing the thread it's at the bottom left, "Remove Topic".
Let me know if you don't see it and I'll look into whether there's something different about your account.

On a brighter note, there's been no spam reported overnight.
Registration is now on manual activation...

Thanks.
E
 
PRR said:
Memorial service for W. Marshall Leach, Jr...

NO!!!!

-I'm absolutely horrified to read that.  Only last month I was talking to my wife about him (She's a hell of an electrical engineer).

That news -along with the death of Tom Walkinshaw- has destroyed my evening.

I'm crushed.

Keith
 

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