posted
Hello admins, the amount of spam on the boards has obviously gotten out of control. Looking back at threads and memberships, it seems the spamming attack has been going on since around December 2011. It also looks like close to 8,700 of the current 19,000 members of this board have signed up since the spamming started and are spammer accounts (based on the usernames and info I see in the directory). I would like to offer some help if I may. I was reading the UBB Classic 6.7.0 Admin's Guide (http://www.ubbcentral.com/support/docs/ubbclassic/UBB6all.html) and came up with two possible ways to keep the spammers away.
In the guide under "Membership" there are two areas of interest. The first is titled "Add custom fields to the profile/registration". This would allow you to add a custom question to the registration page that only a human could answer, not a spam-bot. This could be enough to get rid of most spammers by itself, but there is one more option you could enable/use. It's under the heading "Checking the registration queue". In that section, it mentions that you can set up a registration queue, which can be used to screen new membership applications as they come. This would give you the ability to stop the spammers before they create an account and gain access to the site. I think it would be pretty easy to spot the spammers as they register, because they use irrelevant usernames and info.
Yes, this means extra work for you, the admins, but it could really make a difference and restore the site. I hope you don't take any of this the wrong way - I really am trying to be helpful. I've never operated a message board before and I have no idea how hard it is or what you are already doing to combat the spammers. Thank you for providing us a place to share our passion.
Posts: 45 | From: a 35 year old american male's perspective | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Im new to this forum, and it seems like a cool place, but I was initially put off by the amount of spam on here. It's the most i've ever seen on a forum of this kind. I was actually guided here by a friend of mine, who's a really knowledgable film buff, but he said he was only a lurker, and not an active poster due to the insane amount of spam that got in the way of the actual threads by members. It's a real shame that stuff like that keeps away true movie lovers. Was it always this bad?
Posts: 8 | From: US army base, Fort Sonora, Phillipines | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Ok, what a shame. I hate spammers! They should all feel the cold hard steel of my ninja sword! But yeah, some of the ideas that the op suggested might be necessary.must be a bitch for the mods to delete all that crap every day.
Posts: 8 | From: US army base, Fort Sonora, Phillipines | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
It usually is spam free site and it's usually pleasure to visit the site due to that too so don't be put off by it. The moderators are trying the'r best to get rid of it. They hate it probably more than us cos they have to deal with it.
Posts: 1994 | From: Kamp Komfort | Registered: Jan 2010 | Site Updates: 2
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posted
Welcome to the board, American Ninja. With a username like that, it seems like you'll fit right in. It's awesome that you decided to post. Now you need to get your friend to come out of the shadows.
Posts: 45 | From: a 35 year old american male's perspective | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Thanks, seems like a cool forum, despite the massive spam problem. My friend just had a kid, so he will probably be busy for a while.
Posts: 8 | From: US army base, Fort Sonora, Phillipines | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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If you think the spam is a problem for regular members, think yourself lucky that you are not moderators.
To address the points made above, the member registration queue isn't a viable idea, simply because this isn't a paid-for site that remunerates those who run it - Nick, Devo and I all have families and regular jobs, and do this site for the love of the 80s and movies in general, so we don't get a penny from it. The thought of pre-checking each and every new member, only to find that 99% are spam, would mean that the site may need to close because nobody would do the job.
As for the idea of a custom field, we already have that, but it's not something that can be validated (favorite 80s movie). We could add another one, but it only takes one person to register and see the question, and all the spambots would be updated within minutes. We can't constantly change the question (I don't think that the board software allows this) and again, you're talking a large increase in the administration burden on a very small number of volunteers.
The spam issue is real, but there's not a simple solution at the moment, except for people to obey the rules - never respond to a spam message, and never click on the links.
Thanks for the suggestions though, and thanks for sticking with us through the pain....
Edit - I have tweaked the settings a little, let's see if that (plus the 200-or-so spam accounts I have just banned) make any difference....
[ 18. March 2013, 04:04: Message edited by: P_a_u_l ]
Posts: 3399 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
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Thanks for responding, Paul. I understand that the admins and mods are overburdened. The suggestions I made were based on trying not to upgrade or spend any money. I do believe there are other ways to secure the board, but it would probably cost a few bucks. Maybe the users here would be willing to donate to help out with the cost of some upgrades? Other than that, if moderators are busy, maybe it's time to add a few more? That way it spreads the load of work around. I think it's safe to assume that the members here would be willing to help out if given the chance.
Posts: 45 | From: a 35 year old american male's perspective | Registered: Mar 2013 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
I have what is probably a silly question to a computer whiz. How come the KK section has not been hit by these spammers?
Posts: 588 | From: The deep end | Registered: Jun 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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Would it be possible to require a captcha for each post? That would weed out spambots for sure.
Posts: 3838 | From: Wangaratta, Vic, Australia | Registered: Jun 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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The spambots are all pointing towards the 70s and 80s boards, with a few random ones hitting 80s Music.
Posts: 3399 | From: Shermer, IL - where else? | Registered: Mar 2001 | Site Updates: 37
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i like a fried spam sandwhich, on toast, fried egg, and a piece of cheese. hashbrowns on the side
Posts: 1605 | From: Lake Chicamocomico | Registered: Feb 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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quote:Originally posted by P_a_u_l: The spambots are all pointing towards the 70s and 80s boards, with a few random ones hitting 80s Music.
Maybe it's not spam - perhaps it's old 70's and 80's one hit wonders trying to resurrect their careers??
Posts: 3838 | From: Wangaratta, Vic, Australia | Registered: Jun 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Can't we bombard them with spam back,it would be like a good old fashioned food fight Posts: 976 | From: canterbury united kingdom | Registered: Mar 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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This just in, we've found out who has been behind the cyber attacks of Fast-Rewind.....North Korea.
Posts: 405 | From: Ohio | Registered: Apr 2006 | Site Updates: 0
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I was going to mention this before, but the spamming will never stop me dropping by.... Posts: 73 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Feb 2012 | Site Updates: 0
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