"War is at first like a beautiful girl with whom all men long to play, but in the end like a repulsive hag whose suitors all weep and ache."
                -- Samuel Hanagid (993-1056)
« previous next »
Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Down

Author Topic: Spammers vs new members  (Read 20590 times)

Sir Edward

  • Forum Admin
  • Commander of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,340
  • Verum et Honorem.
    • ed.toton.org
Spammers vs new members
« on: 2010-07-28, 14:29:08 »
I'm still having to keep the forum on manual-verification of new users. Anyone signing up, please feel free to email me (contact info up in the "NOTE" section in the upper part of the page) to make sure you get signed up.

We're getting new users every few days, but they're all spammers. I'm getting to the point where I'm just deleting them as soon as I see them, since they have odd or simplistic usernames and tend to use gmail and other free email systems.

If I delete any real new users by accident, please forgive me, and send me an email!
Logged
Sir Ed T. Toton III
Knight Commander, Order of the Marshal

( Personal Site | My Facebook )

Sir Edward

  • Forum Admin
  • Commander of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,340
  • Verum et Honorem.
    • ed.toton.org
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #1 on: 2010-12-09, 14:34:55 »
Quote from: Sir Edward on 2008-01-26, 14:13:18
If you have difficulty joining the forum or creating an account, I can be contact at bones /at/ toton.org.

I've started getting very aggressive about deleting spam-bot accounts, and it's getting harder to tell from email addresses and chosen usernames which ones truly aren't legit. Please, when signing up for an account, send me an email at the above address to let me know you're a real person, so I won't accidentally delete your account.

I deleted seven bots this morning alone.
« Last Edit: 2010-12-09, 14:35:12 by Sir Edward »
Logged
Sir Ed T. Toton III
Knight Commander, Order of the Marshal

( Personal Site | My Facebook )

Sir William

  • Cogito ergo sum
  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,154
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #2 on: 2010-12-09, 15:30:00 »
Wow...they are really trying hard aren't they?  To do what though, I wonder...
Logged
The Black Knight, Order of the Marshal
'Per Pale Azure and Sable, a Chevron counterchanged fimbriated argent.' 
“Pride makes a man, it drives him, it is the shield wall around his reputation.  Men die, but reputation does not.â€

Sir Wolf

  • He Who is Not to be Named
  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 5,389
  • i have too many hats
    • man e faces
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #3 on: 2010-12-09, 16:49:30 »
its cause were elitists and they want into the club hehe
Logged

Sir William

  • Cogito ergo sum
  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,154
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #4 on: 2010-12-09, 19:00:09 »
Ha ha, good point!
Logged
The Black Knight, Order of the Marshal
'Per Pale Azure and Sable, a Chevron counterchanged fimbriated argent.' 
“Pride makes a man, it drives him, it is the shield wall around his reputation.  Men die, but reputation does not.â€

SirNathanQ

  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Acolyte
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,742
  • "Nobiscum Deus" "Libertas ad omnes civitates"
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #5 on: 2010-12-10, 02:18:19 »
Well, obviously the bots want in to send information about earth's secret historically-based line of defense back to the mothership.  ;D
Logged
"The maximum use of force is in no way incompatible with the simultaneous use of the intellect." -Carl Von Clausewitz
"He is truly a fearless knight and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith just as his body is protected by armor of steel." -Saint Bernard of Clairvoux

Sir James A

  • Weapons & Armor addict
  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 6,043
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #6 on: 2010-12-10, 23:53:04 »
The bots will generally make a post or two like "Wow, great, been looking for this info" in a few threads to make it seem like a "good" new user. But then they create their sig, and the user profile website links, to link to a site generally along the lines of v!agr@ and things of that ilk.

Then as search engines start indexing the forum threads, and since part of the ranking of sites in a search is based on how many pages have linked to the site searched for ... bots with the same link across hundreds or thousands of forums shoots up their rankings in search results.

Better mousetraps make better mice, as they say. :(
Logged
Knight, Order of the Marshal
Sable, a chevron between three lions statant Argent

Sir Edward

  • Forum Admin
  • Commander of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,340
  • Verum et Honorem.
    • ed.toton.org
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #7 on: 2010-12-13, 14:25:00 »

Well, I let the new sign-ups pile up over the weekend and deleted 11 this morning. It's gotten to the point that I'm just outright deleting anything in the formats of "FirstnameLastname" or "FirstnameLastnameX" (where X is some number of digits or possibly random letters), especially if they use a free email service like hotmail or gmail for the account. They tend to use actual email accounts, because most forums require you to reply to an automatic email before you're allowed to post. They got through those AND the captchas before I switched new sign-ups to manual activation.
Logged
Sir Ed T. Toton III
Knight Commander, Order of the Marshal

( Personal Site | My Facebook )

SirNathanQ

  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Acolyte
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,742
  • "Nobiscum Deus" "Libertas ad omnes civitates"
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #8 on: 2010-12-16, 19:59:08 »
ugh, just think how much info they're sending to the mothership? Man, we're in trouble when the main bot visits earth from the home planet!
But really, thats GOT to be damn annoying   >:(
You computer programmers are better folks than I....
Logged
"The maximum use of force is in no way incompatible with the simultaneous use of the intellect." -Carl Von Clausewitz
"He is truly a fearless knight and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith just as his body is protected by armor of steel." -Saint Bernard of Clairvoux

Sir William

  • Cogito ergo sum
  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,154
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #9 on: 2010-12-20, 19:55:35 »
Sir Nathan...you, uh...haven't been a 'guest' on the mothership previously, have you?  lol
Logged
The Black Knight, Order of the Marshal
'Per Pale Azure and Sable, a Chevron counterchanged fimbriated argent.' 
“Pride makes a man, it drives him, it is the shield wall around his reputation.  Men die, but reputation does not.â€

Sir Edward

  • Forum Admin
  • Commander of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,340
  • Verum et Honorem.
    • ed.toton.org
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #10 on: 2011-01-10, 14:14:41 »

Hah, a spam bot tried to sign up this morning named "AntiSpamServerSoftware333". I've never known a knight by that name, have you? :)
Logged
Sir Ed T. Toton III
Knight Commander, Order of the Marshal

( Personal Site | My Facebook )

Sir Brian

  • Knight of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 4,735
  • Felix uxor beatam vitam - Happy Wife Happy Life
    • Order of the Marshal
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #11 on: 2011-01-10, 14:25:20 »
Isn't he the less known half-brother of Sir Spamalot and lady Gwenaspam!  :D
Logged
"Chivalry our Strength, Brotherhood our sword"
Vert, on a Chief wavy Argent a Rose Sable,
a Gryphon Segreant Or
[img width=100 height=100]
<a href="http://s221.photobucket.com/user/Tah908/media/LP_Medals_zpsq7zzdvve.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i221.photobucket.

Sir Andrew

  • Squire of the Order
  • Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 67
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #12 on: 2011-01-10, 15:15:24 »
 Also known as the son of SirSpamarama2733636.....+1     :D
Logged

Thorsteinn

  • Squire of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,470
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #13 on: 2011-02-17, 23:12:50 »
Well, I'm a new guy, and not a spammer, and am currently watching 'The Universe' while it snows here in Sparks, NV.

I hate being sick.
Logged
Fall down seven, get up eight.

Sir Edward

  • Forum Admin
  • Commander of the Order
  • Forum Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,340
  • Verum et Honorem.
    • ed.toton.org
Re: Spammers vs new members
« Reply #14 on: 2011-02-18, 00:22:59 »
Quote from: RauttSkegg on 2011-02-17, 23:12:50
Well, I'm a new guy, and not a spammer, and am currently watching 'The Universe' while it snows here in Sparks, NV.

I hate being sick.

BTW, Welcome to the forum! :)
Logged
Sir Ed T. Toton III
Knight Commander, Order of the Marshal

( Personal Site | My Facebook )
Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Up
« previous next »