Fight the bots

Jon Walker · Post by **Jon Walker** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:55 am

I know Cass and Greg have a lot on their hands but...I think there's a fairly easy way to cut down on some of these bot posts for porn, sex drugs, stock tips etc...Frequently when I log on to the main forum page I notice that the "newest registered user" listed at the bottom of the page is often a bot. It's easy to establish because when you link to their member profile it has a link to an obvious commercial website like www.cheapviagra.com (or the like). Couldn't you guys just purge these bot members fairly easily by just combing through the new member list daily?

I know it's more work for you both. I'd be happy to help if there's a practical way to do so.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:19 pm

Generally, the bots will register, post, and then disappear, never to be seen again. So removing them from the user list won't do much good - by the time they're there, they've already posted.

Basically, all we can really do is delete the posts as we see them. All I would ask is that people not bother replying to the posts. It just draws undue attention to them, and is a waste of your time. Cass or I will delete them as soon as we see them. At worst, they will remain on the site for a few hours.

Jon Walker · Post by **Jon Walker** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:26 pm

Fair enough. But here's an example. Luise Fed www, registered today. Profile mentions the website http://www.cheapills.info/
This user registered, but hasn't yet posted. Worth deleting before they do?

If you scroll through the end of the member list you'll find more than fifty new signups, most of which haven't posted and link to websites that are clearly spam/bot driven. Almost none of them have posted yet but...why wait for them to do so?

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:15 pm

Odds are that most of the ones you mention won't ever post. Some of these bots seem to just create a bunch of accounts with associated web links, and never actually post. Doesn't seem like very effective spamming to me, but what do I know?

Anyway, my admin rights don't extend to removing users, so we'll have to see what Cass thinks. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them nuked, simply because they clutter up the user list.

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:22 pm

personally, I appreciate any post which can offer me ways to increase the size of my penis. ..manual stimulation doesn't seem to work..so far... but I'm only 54 years old and perhaps a bit impatient.

Gunny · Post by **Gunny** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:59 pm

esprit wrote:personally, I appreciate any post which can offer me ways to increase the size of my penis. ..manual stimulation doesn't seem to work..so far... but I'm only 54 years old and perhaps a bit impatient.

Peter,
I thought you knew that "it" shrinks as it gets older, hwen "it" is wet, cold,etc.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:57 pm

Alright, spent some time with the forum today. I've upgraded the forum software to the latest version, and installed a couple of add-on pieces specifically for bots. Let's see how this goes. Let me know if anything in the forum seems funny.

Wheatsheaf · Post by **Wheatsheaf** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:09 pm

Cass wrote:Let me know if anything in the forum seems funny.

I'm not seeing any avatars, just a bunch of red x's. Reloaded my own and it's back up.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:36 pm

Wheatsheaf wrote:
Cass wrote:Let me know if anything in the forum seems funny.
I'm not seeing any avatars, just a bunch of red x's. Reloaded my own and it's back up.

Yeah, looks like they all got nuked.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:09 pm

Wheatsheaf wrote:
Cass wrote:Let me know if anything in the forum seems funny.
I'm not seeing any avatars, just a bunch of red x's. Reloaded my own and it's back up.

I think I was able to restore them.

inertiaboy · Post by **inertiaboy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:31 am

Is there a way to configure the board software to present one of those distorted images with a verification code to the registrant? That would prevent a bot from registering since it probably can't interpret the image. I think the mods you want to look at deal with things called CAPTCHAs.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:57 pm

inertiaboy wrote:Is there a way to configure the board software to present one of those distorted images with a verification code to the registrant? That would prevent a bot from registering since it probably can't interpret the image. I think the mods you want to look at deal with things called CAPTCHAs.

The registration already has this.

inertiaboy · Post by **inertiaboy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:04 pm

Cass wrote:
inertiaboy wrote:Is there a way to configure the board software to present one of those distorted images with a verification code to the registrant? That would prevent a bot from registering since it probably can't interpret the image. I think the mods you want to look at deal with things called CAPTCHAs.
The registration already has this.

I guess that explains that other comment I read about bots possibly being able to defeat this process... Maybe the bots outsource this work to humans.

Jon Walker · Post by **Jon Walker** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:24 pm

I think, sadly for Cass and Greg, it comes down to administration. It's hard to keep the bots off the site, it's easier (but more time consuming) to delete them.

If a new member has a link to an obvious BOT/SPAM site...BOOT
If a new member posts SPAM...BOOT
If a new member doesn't post within 60 days...BOOT

The memberlist currently contains one hundred+ BOT members (estimate).

What about a "mailback" feature where you have to get authorized by e-mailing back the site from a registration e-mail sent to new users e-mail account? Lots of sites do this...no idea how effective it is?

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:37 pm

I believe the software also does a registration email where you have to click on a link to authenticate the account.

Alas I feel most of the "bots" are in fact people just spamming the board.