[Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

If you have issues or comments about the forums or website, post them here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Martenzo
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: Estonia

[Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Martenzo »

I think it would be a good idea to have clear rules on how to deal with spam threads. Like whether to post snarky comments in the spambot-created thread and such.

User avatar
Arioch
Site Admin
Posts: 4593
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:19 am
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Arioch »

I will delete spam threads as soon as I see them. It doesn't matter to me whether people post in them first.

Karst45
Posts: 785
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:03 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Karst45 »

I like to adresse the issus of the spam bots who seem to be increasing. I know that manual selection is kind of an overwork for you but am sure there other simple solution to prevent automated registering

User avatar
Arioch
Site Admin
Posts: 4593
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:19 am
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Arioch »

I have the anti-spambot features enabled, which requires both email verification and asks the registering user to read a graphic and decipher a series of letters and numbers. The graphic is a pretty good countermeasure against automated registrations.

The spammers who are posting here are probably registering manually, and then posting spam either using a bot or manually.

I don't think requiring moderator verification is a good idea at this stage. I don't want to end up in the same situation as the Digital Webbign forums (where people couldn't get verified)... for now, if I can't get into the forums for a few days I'd much rather have a spam message undeleted for a few days than have someone who wants to participate in the discussion wait for a few days to get validated.

If the situation gets worse, I will investigate other options, but for now it's just a nuisance.

User avatar
Ktrain
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 12:39 am

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Ktrain »

Suggestion: Is it possible to limit topic creation? For example, setting a barrier which prohibits a user from creating new topics if they have under a certain number of posts.
OUTSIDER UPDATE => HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED?

Karst45
Posts: 785
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:03 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Karst45 »

Could be interesting but am not sure of it efficiency, those bots sometime do their spam in any open post, so they would quickly fill that limit.

User avatar
Ktrain
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 12:39 am

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Ktrain »

I've never seen a bot go past five posts, though assuming that individuals are registering they might just program a work around (though I doubt they read anything here and they just do some automated process and fill in the blanks for registering. If they did read here they would notice that they are targeting an audience of 2 dozen people :P)
OUTSIDER UPDATE => HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED?

User avatar
Arioch
Site Admin
Posts: 4593
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:19 am
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Arioch »

That's an interesting idea, but I don't see a way to implement it within phpBB's scheme.

User avatar
Sorus
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:40 pm

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Sorus »

I believe it's possible to make it so that new user registrations are placed in the Newly Registered Users group. Then you can just edit the permissions for that group so they can't post without approval and can't start new threads. Add an intro forum (hide all other forums from them), with one thread that's basically a simple terms of use and make the new person post "I agree" or something and bam, you have a filter of sorts.

Also might want to change the CAPTCHA, default phpbb3 captcha got busted a year or two ago, and reCAPTCHA was cracked recently as well (though I did notice some changes in how it does things recently, it requires an API key to use, not difficult to acquire). Doing the 'fill in these special profile fields' countermeasure doesn't really work either.

The Question/Answer setup actually works well, but you need to be careful with the options. Can't be a simple math question, or what color is the sky/grass question, as bots can answer those. Make it something like "Who writes the science fiction comic Outsider?" with Arioch of Jim Francis as acceptable answers. Things people can find out if they don't know, but can't be easily solved by word matching.

Karst45
Posts: 785
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:03 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Karst45 »

Wonder how any company hope to accomplish something by annoying his potential customer with spam?

Michael
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:51 pm
Location: England

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Michael »

what language is that?
CJ Miller: How many millions must be banned before we stop having pointless arguments on the Internet?
fredgiblet: ALL OF THEM! Our banhammers will blot out the sun!
CptWinters: Then we will troll in the shade.!
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
Trantor
Posts: 780
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Hamburg, Germany

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Trantor »

Michael wrote:what language is that?
Try Google Translator until it makes sense. :mrgreen:
sapere aude.

Michael
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:51 pm
Location: England

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Michael »

well, on the problem of spam bots....KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!....or a Loroi WMD of some kind
CJ Miller: How many millions must be banned before we stop having pointless arguments on the Internet?
fredgiblet: ALL OF THEM! Our banhammers will blot out the sun!
CptWinters: Then we will troll in the shade.!
Image
Image
Image

Karst45
Posts: 785
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:03 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Karst45 »

Michael wrote:well, on the problem of spam bots....KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!....or a Loroi WMD of some kind
how about we turn their own weapon against them?

Michael
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:51 pm
Location: England

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Michael »

so long as WMDs are included i don't mind
CJ Miller: How many millions must be banned before we stop having pointless arguments on the Internet?
fredgiblet: ALL OF THEM! Our banhammers will blot out the sun!
CptWinters: Then we will troll in the shade.!
Image
Image
Image

Karst45
Posts: 785
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:03 pm
Location: Quebec, Canada
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Karst45 »

Michael wrote:so long as WMDs are included i don't mind
Loroi WMD? Women of Mass Desire?

Michael
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:51 pm
Location: England

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Michael »

that'll work, fry their circuits :)
CJ Miller: How many millions must be banned before we stop having pointless arguments on the Internet?
fredgiblet: ALL OF THEM! Our banhammers will blot out the sun!
CptWinters: Then we will troll in the shade.!
Image
Image
Image

Krulle
Posts: 1421
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 9:14 am

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Krulle »

yami12 wrote:[link to an alleged jobapplicationguide removed]
That a spambot is posting in this thread is.... wonderful.... ;)
The Ur-Quan Masters finally gets a continuation of the story! Late backing possible, click link.

User avatar
Arioch
Site Admin
Posts: 4593
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 4:19 am
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: [Suggestion] Spambot handling rules

Post by Arioch »

I know... ironic, isn't it?

Post Reply