What's with all the spam threads?

[Mnyb]

If threads cannot be created without membership (assumed), then the membership admission process warrants closer scrutiny/tighter buttoning down.

Just my $0.02.

+1

 

[amirm]

This spammer is quite clever and likely uses automated tools to post so rapidly. Usually our spam filters catch such attempts but this one is written in Chinese and the filters for that don't seem to work. He comes and goes though. So I suspect he will get bored and leave us for a while again.

FYI we delete dozens of spam logins and messages per day that are caught by our spam filters (and hence invisible to membership). So what you see is a drop in the bucket!

 

[JSmith]

So what you see is a drop in the bucket!

Tricky buggers aren't they?

I gather the site has Cloudfare DDOS protection too.


JSmith

 

[Beave]

This spammer is quite clever and likely uses automated tools to post so rapidly. Usually our spam filters catch such attempts but this one is written in Chinese and the filters for that don't seem to work. He comes and goes though. So I suspect he will get bored and leave us for a while again.

FYI we delete dozens of spam logins and messages per day that are caught by our spam filters (and hence invisible to membership). So what you see is a drop in the bucket!

They start out by making several posts with simple titles and messages like
thread title: kj
and
body of message: wvw
Then after a few minutes they go back and edit each of the posts with copy-and-paste spam messages.

I've seen the exact same spam messages on another forum, a few years ago, with the exact same technique.

A google search of some of the text shows that they're hitting other forums too, almost every day.

 

[dfuller]

They start out by making several posts with simple titles and messages like
thread title: kj
and
body of message: wvw
Then after a few minutes they go back and edit each of the posts with copy-and-paste spam messages.

I've seen the exact same spam messages on another forum, a few years ago, with the exact same technique.

A google search of some of the text shows that they're hitting other forums too, almost every day.

Yep exactly this. The whole point is to get around basic spam filters.

 

[NiagaraPete]

I'm guessing the ASR site uses the WordPress framework?
Perhaps @amirm or @Thomas savage can confirm.

I just tried a fresh signup and it seems to me that the reCAPTCHA checkbox ("I am not a robot") would be super-easy for spambots to defeat.
As in, "why bother", easy...

So, a couple of suggestions from here:
1) use the CAPTCHA option requiring new users answer a simple arithmetic question, or
2) use the Honeypot feature (invisible widget to lure spambots into completing it), or
3) have new-user submissions go to human moderators for approval/admission

1) or 2) are cheap to try, requiring a small investment in an admin's time.
3) is significantly more demanding of resources.

No it’s a Xenforo framework. I’m on this site a lot and I see very little spam. If you see it click the report link it’s handled quickly.

 

[JSmith]

Wow! They are really going for it today.

Indeed;

JSmith

 

[iMickey503]

Best way to deal with this:

Got to the Users Profile and Click the IGNORE button.
Gone.
Reported about all of them. Mods will clean it up in a bit.
Whoever is the Mod, Someone needs to send him a coupon for a Free Steak dinner or something.

 

[rdenney]

I'm sure many of us have reported it, and Amir or Adam will be along momentarily to banish it.

On a forum I help moderate, we have a feature called "Spam-o-matic". Mods select the offending message (just one of them), and click Spam-o-matic. The user is banned, all the threads started by the user are permanently deleted, all the user's posts are permanently deleted, and the spammer is reported to StopForumSpam. Getting rid of a rash of attacks like the present one takes one step.

But the mods gotta be awake and online.

Rick "finding the reports often outnumber the spam messages by 10:1 if not caught immediately" Denney

 

[Beave]

All I know is that I now have 17 degrees from universities all around the world.

I'm kicking back and waiting for the job offers to come rolling in.

 

[Chrispy]

Yep pretty busy tonight

 

[threni]

Whoever is the Mod, Someone needs to send him a coupon for a Free Steak dinner or something.

I can get him some cheap Chinese shoes...

 

[iMickey503]

Shoes you say?

 

[BDWoody]

Getting rid of a rash of attacks like the present one takes one step.

We have a similar function...as long as they don't have more than 10 posts one button basically flushes all their posts down the toilet and marks the IP for online spam listings.

It has been pretty nutty lately...

 

[Rick Sykora]

Returned just in time to give Amir a holiday barrage. He cleaned up another spew of Chinese posts last night.

Did not know this is a repeat offender.