Spam & IP Block

Spam & IP Block

Ken Kash 17 Jan 2010 10:40

For two weeks now I've had someone spamming a site. I block the user name but they just create a new account and spam yet again. Tired of going back and forth with this person I decided to block their IP address.

When I add the address 74.127.32.201 I get the error:

74.127.32.201 - Blocking from private ranges is not allowed

The only other way to stop this is by upping security which I really do not want to do.

Re: Spam & IP Block

pieterh 17 Jan 2010 11:33

Can I ask that you log this as a bug report on http://bugs.wikidot.com? 74.* is not a private IP address, so this is a bug.

Is this spammer just a general sort, or specifically targeting your site? Most general spammers give up when their comment are deleted rapidly.

---

Portfolio

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 17 Jan 2010 11:44

He's been spamming on one of my wikis as well, and I have the same problem.

Oh, and I apparently do not have the permission to create new pages on bugs.wikidot.com…

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Last edited on 17 Jan 2010 11:47 by jhubert + Show more

Re: Spam & IP Block

Ken Kash 17 Jan 2010 12:17

Will do, thanks for the response

Last edited on 17 Jan 2010 12:23 by Ken Kash + Show more

Re: Spam & IP Block

Ken Kash 17 Jan 2010 12:21

It's definitely a person and not a machine. The spam is corrected rapidly but it appears he is determined to create new accounts to re-add the spam.

Re: Spam & IP Block

gerdami 17 Jan 2010 14:49

Oh, and I apparently do not have the permission to create new pages on bugs.wikidot.com…

Did you join the site ?

---

gerdami - Visit Handbook en Français - Rate this howto:import-simple-excel-tables-into-wikidot up!

Re: Spam & IP Block

RobElliott 17 Jan 2010 14:56

Pieter hasn't added the join button onto the start page, so go to http://bugs.wikidot.com/system:join to join the site and post a buglet.

Edit: oh, I replied before I saw your post gerdami.

---

Rob Elliott - Strathpeffer, Scotland - member of the Wikidot first line support team.
Strathview ~ Wikidot-based wikis, websites & intranets and online database development
community groups, villages, charities, business and government.

Last edited on 17 Jan 2010 15:03 by RobElliott + Show more

Re: Spam & IP Block

gerdami 17 Jan 2010 16:04

But your post is more explicit …

---

gerdami - Visit Handbook en Français - Rate this howto:import-simple-excel-tables-into-wikidot up!

Re: Spam & IP Block

pieterh 18 Jan 2010 09:33

Pieter hasn't added the join button onto the start page, so go to http://bugs.wikidot.com/system:join to join the site and post a buglet.

There is a HUGE join button on the site and has been since you asked for it last time.

---

Portfolio

Re: Spam & IP Block

RobElliott 18 Jan 2010 09:58

Not for the first time I had forgotten that you have to log out to see the button.

---

Rob Elliott - Strathpeffer, Scotland - member of the Wikidot first line support team.
Strathview ~ Wikidot-based wikis, websites & intranets and online database development
community groups, villages, charities, business and government.

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 18 Jan 2010 13:43

OK, the IP block issue has been resolved.

But apparently this hasn't stopped the guy who has been doing the spamming - he has now registered under the name EdgarPageView and still adds spam to the navigation bars at the sides of wiki.

I've naturally banned him from my side. Still, could anyone of the Wikidot.Com admins please permaban his ass?

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Re: Spam & IP Block

pieterh 18 Jan 2010 14:27

I'm waiting for the 'shoot to kill' feature that will let us just zap varmints like this one. Can't you protect the nav:side from such edits? If he's really persistent he'll just make a new account once we kill his old one.

---

Portfolio

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 18 Jan 2010 14:34

Good point - I've locked it so that only admins and mods can change it.

And the guy really is persistent - he has done the same thing as the users John Lemmons, MaryRussell and Mark diggit. And quite possibly others.

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Last edited on 18 Jan 2010 14:41 by jhubert + Show more

Re: Spam & IP Block

Helmuti_pdorf 18 Jan 2010 15:31

I wrote him a private messsage:
"Spamming other wikis nav:side"

We detected you inserted your link to your print service more than 3 times ( this is not a limit) into other nav:sides.
You are removed as a member and blocked from the community site now.

He was a member of our community site ….

---

Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.

Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 29 Jan 2010 12:15

The spammer is back under the name of bastaboy.

Is there a more permanent solution to this guy, or do we really have to ban each incarnation individually?

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Re: Spam & IP Block

leiger 30 Jan 2010 04:14

You can ban by IP, but if he is using a corporate (school or work) computer, you'd be banning numerous others as well from the same area. And even then, he can use a proxy to falsify his IP address anyway if he is determined enough.

On the internet, there is an unlimited number of ways for spammers to get what they want.

You might need to end up restricting membership to application only, and to prevent anyone except members from posting and editing content.

---

Shane Smith ★ Website: Wikidot Development & Programming. ★ STE Wikidot Editor: Windows. Mac. Linux. ★ Twitter. Google+.

Re: Spam & IP Block

Ken Kash 30 Jan 2010 15:19

Tried banning by IP already but still made edits using the same IP but a different Wikidot account. My guess is that the order of precedence for bans is Account first…then IP address.

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 01 Feb 2010 08:23

Today something curious happened which might or might not be the same spammer - but I thought I should mention it anyway in case it is so that people here can look out for it.

An anonymous user (IP was listed as 60.242.216.x) created a new empty page in my wiki, using the default template. However, he mangled the "Rate" module (which is included in the template) in the following way:

[[>]]
[[module Ratehdsahfchfchfchfckneslkwaueueueueueueueueueuemnfdslyhffffffffjrewajrewajrewajrewajrewa.gae]]
[[/>]]

Has anyone plagued by the same spammer experienced something like this?

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Re: Spam & IP Block

Helmuti_pdorf 01 Feb 2010 08:54

Looks like (s)he was sitting on the keyboard ….

---

Service is my success. My webtips:www.blender.org (Open source), Wikidot-Handbook.

Sie können fragen und mitwirken in der deutschsprachigen » User-Gemeinschaft für WikidotNutzer oder
im deutschen » Wikidot Handbuch ?

Re: Spam & IP Block

jhubert 22 Feb 2010 12:30

The same guy - or a similar one with the same Modus Operandi - has showed up. He goes under the name justingravey, and so far has vandalized three wikis with spam for a website about pool supplies.

I have reverted his edits, but he will likely show up again sooner or later. And those who maintain large wikis he hasn't vandalized yet: Consider limiting edits to members only.

EDIT: Users masini, e2kkot, and john kerry seem to be working in similar ways.

(I wonder: Have the Wikidot.com admins actually ever banned anyone after they were flagged as abusive? None of the spammers mentioned in this thread seem to have been banned yet…)

---

The Spambot Death Wall
Arcana Wiki - Distilling the Real World for Gaming
Urbis - A World of Cities - an urban fantasy setting of industrial magic
LiveJournal

Last edited on 22 Feb 2010 13:01 by jhubert + Show more