Spammer and or Misfunction

1 amoun Apr 03, 2008 11:57

EDIT 2My b2evolution Version: 2.4.1

Hi folks

I've only had my b2evol for a few days and am setting it up. Only notable content is on a protected blog.

I have just received an email that someone has tried to register and there are a few issues around this.

a) I have only just installed a widget that would allow registration.
b) There's no content so why would anyone register just yet.
c) The link in the email goes nowhere, well except a blank page
EDIT 1 Ah I've just noticed that the link works if I login first.

An email address was provided so I will e-form the person and see If I get any sensible response.

I don't want to just accept them as I'm concerned that they may just dump a load of crap that I will have to delete.

Is this the beginning of what to expect, after only a few days.

Maybe I should remove the option of registering and put a note on the site asking people to comment on a specific topic beore they can be registered, and that's me after making such a fuss that it was difficult to find how anyone would register without having to install this damn silly widget thing.

Ah! Such are the joys of earthly lots

2 yabba Apr 03, 2008 12:01

The chances are that if you look at their profile then the email hasn't been validated and their preferred local is "Czech - CZ" ;)

3 amoun Apr 03, 2008 12:57

Thanks ¥åßßå

Just been to Users and they are listed, presumably that means they are registered.?

I only have the English[BG] local option, so that can't help ??

And the;

Has this email address been validated (through confirmation email)?

Checkbox is ticked ???

The IP address is [IP removed. ref to Laurent C comment] and I get a page with only this code

<html><body><h1>It works!</h1></body></html>

4 laurent_c_ Apr 03, 2008 13:36

Thanks to put my IP address in a public forum.
It was not a bot, it was a real human. I just follow a link in this forum.
And click to register in your blog.
Sorry.

5 laurent_c_ Apr 03, 2008 13:40

this one > [[removed by another request]] - EdB

6 edb Apr 03, 2008 14:17

When you allow people to register that is what you can expect: people will register. WHY they register is not something you can control or predict yah?

Trust me: when a spammer registers you will damn sure know it. They know exactly how to promote their product, and it does NOT happen by being confusing or unclear: they will have a URL in their profile that happens to be the "payload" they want to deliver through registration. Fortunately the motivation for them is extremely low because a user's URL is not displayed on any available page in a b2evolution installation.

So lets see... I don't think there is a way for you to not "accept" them, although you do not have to give a registrant any permissions to do anything in any blog. Set it up so that new registrants go into the "basic users" blog, then make sure that blog has no posting permissions. There: they can't "dump crap" on your blog.

Laurent C. if that is your IP address I wouldn't worry about it too much ... espcially now that it has been removed :)

7 john Apr 03, 2008 14:47

I removed the IP address from amoun's post, in consideration of Lauren C's comment.

8 amoun Apr 03, 2008 14:58

Laurent

Apologies if you have been slighted :oops:

Thanks for your effort and please comment on one of the posts if you would like me to get an idea of what you are interested in. It very early days for me.

As far as your ip address goes I know what you mean. One of my concerns was that I had made it available on this forum and that some bot had grabbed it. I'm so new to this blog thing I'm being very sceptical and suspicious of what is happening with it.

You may have noticed that I have removed my URL after having been asked for it. I only displayed mine temporarily as reference for help, not as an advert. So you could remove mine from your post if you will. :-/

All the best

EdB Thanks for removing the IP, and all this means the blog is working well, people are curious and there's no spam yet.
I did wonder about it's legitimacy as I have a phpBB where I have hacked the script to dump anyone who tries to add an URL etc. Knowing that, if I wanted to spam me I would leave it out to get registered and then spam, but maybe that's too big a deal for the bots, they haven't been programmed well enough - yet

9 amoun Apr 03, 2008 15:14

John

Thanks.

Ah! It was thee who removed Laurent's Ip

I see that Ed must have got there after thou had done the deed.

Wouldst thou remove mine from Laurent's post also, oh gracious one?

???? what a load of twaddle I'm, responsible for :oops:

10 edb Apr 03, 2008 15:35

amoun wrote:

... I did wonder about it's legitimacy as I have a phpBB where I have hacked the script ...

Yeah the bots go after phpbb installations because of the page that lists forum members. In a stock installation if a member has a URL then the URL gets listed, so it is an instant advert for spammers ... and regular people who think it is fair to do that. On a forum I run for a niche hobby I get "members" all the time who never bother posting but do make it a point to include a URL and sometimes an avatar. But never spam. I killed the spammers there with a couple of MODs :p

For b2evolution it used to be referer spam that was the big problem. Removing publicly listed referer stats pretty much convinced the spam-bots to stop doing that. Now it's comment spam, but there are enough tools out there to make that be no problem. The "last great place" for them is trackbacks, which I wish was a plugin so I could simply delete the plugin and never have to worry about it turning on by default.

11 edb Apr 03, 2008 15:37

By the way that is the LAST time I will edit a post that was freely and fairly made. Laurent C. posted a url to a publicly available blog. If for some reason having your link on the internet is a problem then don't have a website because websites get linked on websites >:-<

12 amoun Apr 03, 2008 15:42

Ed, Laurent and John

It's been a bit scary - my expectations and concerns - but you all seem a great bunch. Glad to have found you.

Thanks : over and out

Oh! and a :cookie: for Laurent : Trying to keep him sweet ::

13 laurent_c_ Apr 03, 2008 16:16

Sorry for the intrusion, it was just for testing the system.

14 amoun Apr 03, 2008 16:18

Ed Oops! I spoke too soon.

I'll have that biscuit back if you haven't eaten it :(

Of course you are right about sites being out there anyway, I just didn't want to advertise; any more than Laurent did.

It was only a request not a demand, if it hadn't been removed I would use your other point.

It's a publicly available option and if I don't like it I should 'not have a website'.

Although I agree with you Ed I feel it undiplomatic of you to have been so harsh :`(

Also that you chose to tell me off about what you did after you did it and not mention your discomfort in the other post.

Surely its not such a perverse thing to ask - that someone removes a link :?:

Well lots of love to you all out there. B)

15 amoun Apr 03, 2008 16:21

Laurent

It' fine. Thanks for being here. :)

Amoun

16 edb Apr 03, 2008 16:45

I have no intention of promoting the idea that someone asking us to edit someone else's post is acceptable. It will not happen again. Period.

This topic is closed as it is obviously going nowhere.

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