stopping the spammers

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
How many members apply per day? Perhaps we could require that new members request via e-mail? I could handle some of that load.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
The latest onslaught of spam accounts was about 40 a day. I could try the request via e-mail, but they have to confirm by e-mail any ways. How would the request by e-mail be fulfilled, or rather, what would the requirements be in the e-mail request?
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
I upgraded the forum last night and implemented a fixed version of reCAPTCHA tool...it doesn't seem to work very well. The one that keeps spamming is coming from the same domain, but now the tool for blocking email registrations isn't working <sigh>. Before last night I've had the new forum registrations option disabled because we were getting some bad spam with porn attachments.
 

rebecca12

What is this storage?
Joined
Apr 14, 2009
Messages
6
Mmmmmmmmmmm! SPAM!!! I love the smell of SPAM in the morning. Well, not as much as the smell of napalm in the morning. But, otherwise, thanks for the free SPAM, Patricia!


:rofl: :rotfl: :bglaugh:
- lol.. food? viand? spam? hahha.. :bglaugh:
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
16,624
Location
USA
I don't know about that last member to sign up today. :scratch: Joker or spammer?
 

MaxBurn

Storage Is My Life
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
3,245
Location
SC
It was entertaining, I'll say that. I didn't follow the link to find out.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
Great, now we have spammers posting pornographic images with their SPAM.

Can't we implement something where embedded links and images are restricted to users with at least 10 posts or something? I've seen that on other forums before.
 

timwhit

Hairy Aussie
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
5,278
Location
Chicago, IL
Maybe we could add a couple moderators to delete the spam a bit quicker. I will volunteer for this.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
That would be a nice feature. Do you have any example forums you visit that you could send me a link to? I want to see what software they are using so I can try and track down a feature like you suggested.

I'll get the moderator thing going again. I know we discussed it before and I didn't implement it.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
Thanks for the example. I've been searching a bit and it turns out there is a way to do this native with vbulletin and I didn't know about it. I need to create two user groups. one will not have the ability to post or link images and then promote users into a group that can post images after they have posted n number of times.

reference
 

MaxBurn

Storage Is My Life
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
3,245
Location
SC
This board blocks posts in certain parts until you have like 15 posts. After that you can post in the for sale section.

http://www.rolexforums.com/

Glad you are looking into this, I think a couple tweaks will make your life easier.
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
They go away. I'm still in Canada, yes, so some got through during my time away from the inter tubes.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
16,624
Location
USA
Good for you. I've been to the far corners of the earth, but never Canada.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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USA
That's a lot closer than my last vacation - 37 hours including stopovers.
 

MaxBurn

Storage Is My Life
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
3,245
Location
SC
Does a captcha plugin cost money to add on to the forum?
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
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Messages
16,624
Location
USA
I'm not sure that is the answer. Spammers can manually create accounts, too.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
Preventing users with less than 5-10 posts from inserting links and images combined with a few other people with mod privileges would basically solve the problem I think.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Preventing users with less than 5-10 posts from inserting links and images combined with a few other people with mod privileges would basically solve the problem I think.

Agreed. 5 would probably be enough, we get the occasional "Hi" post before the spam, but 5 should be good. Just 1 or 2 people with mod privileges would be enough, just give them the ability to delete new-ish accounts and all their posts.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
21,562
Location
I am omnipresent
Handy, there are pictures of dicks in every forum today.
While I am not a prude and do not particularly mind dicks, I would appreciate it if the moderation system somehow turned them in to boobs, because like every right-thinking person, boobs are what I would rather look at.
 

udaman

Wannabe Storage Freak
Joined
Sep 20, 2006
Messages
1,209
Handy, there are pictures of dicks in every forum today.
While I am not a prude and do not particularly mind dicks, I would appreciate it if the moderation system somehow turned them in to boobs, because like every right-thinking person, boobs are what I would rather look at.

F**k Merc, if yer going to use d**K everywhere then please, for the sake of this October's breast cancer awareness month, learn what to call breasts...like those things with nips on your chest that can kill U if you get a tumor there< ya really, men get breast cancer and die from it too.

Otherwise call them what they are, equal to d**ks in common usage, like our Canadian-French fur trappers who must have been on Madonna like/Gaultier cone bustiere hallucinating *pointy* warped mindset...when they named our National Park in Wyoming, Grand Teton NP...<French slang for Big Tits NP :salut::salut::salut:

Boobs = guys (&Pelosi :p ) in Washington running the country...as in 'don't have a brain'.

I think we only need to make Merc & dd mods for deleting spam accts, as they are both on SF nearly 24/7 :D
 

MaxBurn

Storage Is My Life
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
3,245
Location
SC
OK I give, it would be nice to just have a couple mods with spam deletion duties only.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
I did my part and reported every one of the posts.

Of course if nothing is done the problem will get worse once the spammers notice how poorly protected this forum is. :thumbright:
 

jtr1962

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 25, 2002
Messages
4,168
Location
Flushing, New York
Did anyone look at the RSS feed? It's a combination of nonsense text plus vulgar images. Where's Doug lately? Some of these spam threads have been here for over a day.

We really need to give a few long-time members privileges to remove spam and/or delete accounts which post spam.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
Handy went on vacation to Canada. Apparently the spammers have figured this out and are having a field day while he's gone.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
Joined
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Messages
16,624
Location
USA
I don't understand the foreign characters. What is the purpose - to make money somehow?
 

Handruin

Administrator
Joined
Jan 13, 2002
Messages
13,737
Location
USA
Preventing users with less than 5-10 posts from inserting links and images combined with a few other people with mod privileges would basically solve the problem I think.

Yes, this is the answer. I will start with adding mods until I can get the delayed image posting ability added.
 
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