Author Topic: Spam Attempts  (Read 4711 times)

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Offline Erik L (OP)

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Spam Attempts
« on: January 24, 2017, 01:21:06 PM »
Just as an FYI, I implemented a new anti-spam feature. In the last week, this feature blocked 710 spam attempts, both bot registrations and guest posts. It does make my life a lot easier :D
 
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Offline 83athom

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2017, 01:28:22 PM »
You mind sharing some of those features, or do you not want to let the spammers know what those features are?
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2017, 01:36:24 PM »
It's a plugin to the forum software that compares the IP addresses to spam blacklists.
 
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Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2017, 01:47:45 PM »
If you look at http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?action=stats at the bottom, you'll see various stats, posts, new users, etc. From 2011 to 2015 there was around 1000 new users per year. 2016 had 11.5k. Not all of these users were approved. But that is definitely when the spam picked up pace fairly hardcore. January's numbers for this year were shaping up to follow suit. But that's when I put in the plugin.

Since then, there have been maybe a dozen new users and 1 or 2 guest posts.
 
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Offline 83athom

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2017, 01:58:25 PM »
Going further into the data, it seems it all started to blow up right after quill18 started his lets play at the end of 2015.
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Offline sloanjh

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2017, 07:08:21 AM »
Thanks Erik - I've noticed the reduction in "new user" messages in my inbox already.

John
 
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Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2017, 10:44:20 AM »
Just an update...

Reporting period Jan 24 2017 - Jan 31 2017

Signups
Spam    Users    Total
1 864       42            1 906


Comments
Spam    Legitimate    Total
48            3                      51


 
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Offline TheDeadlyShoe

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2017, 06:40:33 PM »
what's defined as a comment?
 

Offline MarcAFK

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2017, 09:25:15 PM »
what's defined as a comment?
This, or erm, this?
" Why is this godforsaken hellhole worth dying for? "
". . .  We know nothing about them, their language, their history or what they look like.  But we can assume this.  They stand for everything we don't stand for.  Also they told me you guys look like dorks. "
"Stop exploding, you cowards.  "
 

Offline Erik L (OP)

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Re: Spam Attempts
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2017, 10:44:07 PM »
Comments by guests or unregistered people.