Dammit, it's offical, subsim's been pegged by spambots.

[Ducimus]

Two user profiles are all you need to see this.

Spambot Number 1:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/search.php?searchid=60852

Spambot Number 2:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/search.php?searchid=60847


Son of a bitch. This is going to royally suck. Last online community i was involved with that got hit by this bull**** had to shut down new user regestration to put an end to it.

[Syxx_Killer]

I had asked this in the spambot thread just below this one. Since that will probably be bye-bye in short order, I'll ask here: how do spambots work? I haven't seen a forum spam-attacked before.

[Ducimus]

Im not sure exactly how they work. Im assuming its a bot honestly, but what they seem to do is find a forum, somehow script their way through the regestration process, and then post the same crap over and over again in random forums.

Ever see a forum or picture hosting place that, as a verification key to continue, puts up a PICTURE of a word? A script can't scan a picture, but it an scan for text. The picture of a word i think is one methord of trying to break the bot's scripted process, but this is conjecture on my part.

I remember though, they had to shut down new user regestration, and i think every friday the site owner would open it up again, and place bets as to how fast the bot would regester a new user account and place more spam.

Think of a form spam bot in the same way your email address gets into a spam list. Its basically the same thing, only instead of just spaming your inbox, it spams a forum.

Neal can try and ban the IP, or change the regestration process somehow. Only problem with IP banning is that whoever is responsibe for the bots, probably has a series of IP's to use. Not just a single C series, but a wide range of IP's. Many people who get infected with spyware or adware become unwilling hosts, with their machines launching "attacks" and not even be aware of it.

[Ducimus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_spam#Spambots

[The Noob]

Son of a bitch. This is going to royally suck. Yes. :roll:

I am on another forum where spambots are a problem too, and it SUCKS. Every 5 hours a new thread with 3 pages of stinkin' ads.

Pain in the behind! :damn:

[Gizzmoe]

I think we had four or five spambots in the past 24 hours. This wasn´t the first time, we kicked dozens of them in the past 6 months or so.

[HunterICX]

:x I hate spambots that attack Communities!
a similar case: My dad has a own Website where he shows his Tours. now you can make contact via email with that by filling in a simple form. but the spambots managed to send my dad over the 300 - 500 spam mails a day!. and he cant really get rid of it:x the norton spam filter throws them in the Spambox and deletes after they all have been received. but its that the mail just come in , while its has been made for clients to fill it in.

[AG124]

I haven't seen any spam posts in the last week - have you managed to get rid of them all for now? :hmm: Or have you just been more efficient at removing the offending posts lately?

[Gizzmoe]

I haven't seen any spam posts in the last week - have you managed to get rid of them all for now? :hmm:
No, they are still there! :) Most of the time we can remove them very quickly.

[AG124]

Well, that is better than being stuck with them in the forum, I guess.:hmm: If I see any more, I will let one of the moderators or Neal know about it.:yep:

[Gizzmoe]

If I see any more, I will let one of the moderators or Neal know about it.:yep:

Please use the "Report Bad Post" button (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/smartdark/report.gif). Thanks! :up:

[Onkel Neal]

Actually, it's easier to PM me with the title Spammer and all you have to put in the message is the spammer's username (spelled correctly). It's only two clicks to remove all his posts and delete his account. Then I can add his IP and main part of his e-mail to the ban.

[bookworm_020]

I think there back!!:eek: I spot 2 already this morning, and have reported both.

[AG124]

There's another one named Pitasac or something in the general topics forum now.:nope: I've reported him to Neal Stevens.

Now he's gone.:o That was quick. Still, this forum is facing a lot of them lately.:-?

[Onkel Neal]

All from @web.de e-mails, I've blocked it for now.

[HunterICX]

:hmm: about spambots, I heard about Forum registration that they use
generic codes as a confirmation
like with MSN
you registrate, name,email etc etc
and at the bottom a small field with a weird code appears for you to confirm the account registration

for example http://www.szoborpark.hu/lib/antispam/antispam-image.php (if you refresh this thread page this code changes as well , check it )

and that one keeps changing when making an new account or you refreshed the page.

maybe will it prevent spambots to create an account?

[Gizzmoe]

maybe will it prevent spambots to create an account?
We have an image verification system and spambots can decode that.

[HunterICX]

:damn: I,ve been a member of subsim for too long that I dont remember the Registration page :rotfl:

I read here on wiki about a method against spambots on forums , interesting thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA

[Gizzmoe]

I read here on wiki about a method against spambots on forums , interesting thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA
vBulletin uses CAPTCHA. Bots like "XRumer" can decode many different kinds:
http://www.botmaster.net/pictocod/

[Albrecht Von Hesse]

Might be more effort than you want to go to, but you could discourage spambots by having a first-post authorization required.

By that I mean that, after registering, a new member would have to post first in an 'introduction' area (and is blocked from posting everywhere else) and can only post in the main forums after having their first post approved.

[TteFAboB]

Gizzmoe how about finding a system that uses images instead of letters.

For example:

:D :shifty: :x

To register click on the Angry face.

You can't decode that can you?

Make it a sequence then. Select the boxes according to the order in which the objects appear: Tree, car, submarine, man, tree.

What the hell, make it an IQ test! :rotfl:

Which is the odd one out?

Apple, Peach, Tomato, Torpedo.

Lucky I'm already registered and don't have to go through the shame of failing it.:rotfl:

[Onkel Neal]

:ahoy:Ok, Gizzmoe made a mod to defeat spambots. As suggested by TteFAboB and Ducimus, the mod adds a "No Spam" question to the registration process.

Question: Which describes Neal?
Great!
Wise!
Brave!
A total tard



A spambot will not be able to answer correctly "automatically"... so we will see how it goes.

All hail Gizzmoe! :()1:

[Gizzmoe]

Gizzmoe made a mod to defeat spambots.
Or to be precise, I gave him the link to a mod that some other guy had made. :)

[HunterICX]

:ahoy:Ok, Gizzmoe made a mod to defeat spambots. As suggested by TteFAboB and Ducimus, the mod adds a "No Spam" question to the registration process.

Question: Which describes Neal?
Great!
Wise!
Brave!
A total tard



A spambot will not be able to answer correctly "automatically"... so we will see how it goes.

All hail Gizzmoe! :()1:

the Answer on the Anti Spam bot mod
is


Neal is a Total Tard :rotfl:

[The Noob]

:ahoy:Ok, Gizzmoe made a mod to defeat spambots. As suggested by TteFAboB and Ducimus, the mod adds a "No Spam" question to the registration process.

Question: Which describes Neal?
Great!
Wise!
Brave!
A total tard


A spambot will not be able to answer correctly "automatically"... so we will see how it goes.

All hail Gizzmoe! :()1:
lol... don't tell me you mean that serious...lol! HAHA! LOL! :rotfl::rotfl: :up:

[Onkel Neal]

Of course I am. I hate spam :lol:

[The Noob]

Of course I am. I hate spam :lol:
And whats the right answere? :D :rotfl:

[HunterICX]

Of course I am. I hate spam :lol: And whats the right answere? :D :rotfl:

Total Tard :up:

[AG124]

There is still a Nokia N95 ad visible from the main forum page in the Sub Command forum, even though the post is actually gone.:huh: Shouldn't that be gone, or will it only disappear when someone else posts there?

EDIT - OK, it is gone now.