Efforts By Undesirable Sites

[Bobcat]

Hi Stranger,

I have probably deleted (i.e. banned) 200-300 new signups or better. Maybe 40 or so since just this morning. I try to ban the names before I delete the threads they start. The names are all computer generated. Many appear to be in Russian. Some in Chinese or Japanese (or some form of oriental script).

DTT probably needs some sort of Captcha type device in the sign in page to prevent computers from signing in.

Most are porn related. Some supposedly have to do with housecleaning, business opportunities, or some other oddball stuff. A few demand to speak with the site administrators. Some of them I have no idea what they are saying. They look like computer generated gibberish. But always they have links that lead to . . . who knows where. I'm sure they know.

Why they started to probe this site . . . I have no idea. So far I think I have prevented all of them from becoming visible. But they are at the gate trying to force their way in.


Bobcat

[Stranger]

Why they started to probe this site . . . I have no idea. So far I think I have prevented all of them from becoming visible. But they are at the gate trying to force their way in.

Thank you Bobcat for the update, and I'm sorry they have been occupying your valuable time with nonsense.

We are very fortunate to have you as the "Gatekeeper". Hopefully they will stop soon so you don't have to waste your time with them.


Stranger

[Marina]

Hi Bobcat - can you prevent new people joining full-stop, until some method has been devised to stop this?

[Bobcat]

Hi Marina,

Hi Bobcat - can you prevent new people joining full-stop, until some method has been devised to stop this?
M

If there is I haven't figured it out yet. (But I have tried looking sternly at the computer screen. Not totally sure of the results yet.)

I experimented with banning IP addresses early this morning . . . and I accidentally banned myself. When your IP address is banned you can't even see the forum as a guest! After I did this (it was in the wee hours of the morning) it occurred to me that these undesirable posters are probably using a ghosted IP address anyways.

I unbanned myself after I logged in at work.

I've blocked 65 posts (make that 66 now) in the last 24 hours. Mostly porn, essay, and fake document advertisers. Oh yea, and a few demanding to speak to the administrator for advertising reasons.


Bobcat

[AmosAu2]

Hi Bobcat,

With this forum system, Is it possible to make it so any prospective new members must email yourself before they are permitted to actually become a part of the forum?

This might work.

Regards, Amos.

[Bobcat]

Hi Amos,

I was thinking some sort of 'captcha' device might do the trick. This requires the user to type in the letters shown in graphical form within a box. Graphically depicted letters are (at the byte level) fundamentally different from keyboard inputted letters - to a computer that is. A human can see the similarity, where a computer can't. What I have seen so far is that the names of these posters are computer generated. For example, one poster might use "Amosxrf" as a screen name. I ban that name and his next post is "Amosxsg" or something like that.

I don't have access to the PhP forum software and setup. Apollos would have to do that (assuming the software would allow for that).


Bobcat

[Marina]

Hi Bobcat

At one point Apollos set it so that we had to answer a question or two on login. That'd act like an extra password.

[Bruno]

Hi Stranger,

They are all efforts to post new threads. Some of them are in Russian (Cyrillic?) but include links to other sites.

I have no idea why they suddenly started with this site. I hadn't seen efforts like this before.


Bobcat

Bobcat, if Putin is trying to login, let him through

[Bobcat]

Hey Bruno,

Da!


Bobcat (Nyet to all others. Comrade Bobcat at your service.)

[menrov]

When online, I remove these posts