Spam is Pervasive, Nothing Seems to Help

Started by Paleus, February 17, 2015, 11:35:56 AM

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Paleus

I am running a forum at forum DOT diginomics DOT com
I currently have a [Simple] CAPTCHA inlace for registration. I also have 2 mathematical verification questions:

What is 3 x 11?:
What is 2 x (8 + 12)?:

I have email verification enabled. Despite this I am getting boatloads of spam daily. Garbage links and postings for sex. Now looking into MODS for spam.

I'm not sure what else to do. It seems SMF is completely destroyed by spam. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

If I cannot fix this problem, I will be forced to close the forum down.

Irisado

The defences you currently have in place are insufficient I'm afraid.  You need a lot more verification questions which are randomised on a rotational basis.  I also strongly advise you to consider anti-spam mods.  Please look here for further ideas: http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Spam_-_my_forum_is_flooded_with_spam,_what_can_I_do
Soñando con una playa donde brilla el sol, un arco iris ilumina el cielo, y el mar espejea iridescentemente

margarett

Specifically, any search engine returns the result of those questions. Bots do use search engines!
So, as Irisado says, define a lot of questions (eg: 10) and set few to display (eg: 3) SMF will randomly choose 3 out of 10 to show. Also, try to use questions specific to your forum "niche". Questions should be as specific as possible.
Se forem conduzir, não bebam. Se forem beber... CHAMEM-ME!!!! :D

QuoteOver 90% of all computer problems can be traced back to the interface between the keyboard and the chair

Gwenwyfar

You can also use bbc on questions, so you can make some interesting ones with images or the like. Mathematical questions are no fun for humans and probably the easiest type for bots to answer ;)
"It is impossible to communicate with one that does not wish to communicate"

runningmom604

Quote from: Paleus on February 17, 2015, 11:35:56 AM
I am running a forum at forum DOT diginomics DOT com
I currently have a [Simple] CAPTCHA inlace for registration. I also have 2 mathematical verification questions:

What is 3 x 11?:
What is 2 x (8 + 12)?:

I have email verification enabled. Despite this I am getting boatloads of spam daily. Garbage links and postings for sex. Now looking into MODS for spam.

I'm not sure what else to do. It seems SMF is completely destroyed by spam. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

If I cannot fix this problem, I will be forced to close the forum down.

Do you have to pay human moderators or do they do it for free?
I love to run and run to love ;)

Rust


WillyP

I have installed all the usual anti spam mods, when installing any new mod it seems like it stumps them for a while but after a month or so they figure it out and get around it. And I was getting dozens of spam registrations every day, on top of complaints from legitimate users that their registration failed.

Here is what worked for me, stopped spammers completely: In the question form, I asked only one question, and a link to the answer which I included in a post in the forum, with instructions on how to register. My question is this:

QuoteEnter the invitation code:

I've asked new members if they thought this was difficult and the answer is no. I have not been made aware of a single failed registration since. And best of all, not one single spam reg to delete! I still have the reCapthca, Stop Spammer, Bad Behavior, and http BL mods active.

I had all those mods plus a few questions, and that didn't work. One day I had tried to reg on another forum and the math question stumped me, I'm no math professor but I am pretty good with math... I asked in my own forum and got several different answers, none worked. It turned out the admin of the forum in question put in an incorrect answer! So after that I was determined to get rid of math questions from my own forum. Spammers use human solvers anyway, so a few simple math questions doesn't stop them. I guess following a link to a forum post is just a little too time consuming for them, and they just move on to the next forum on the list.


Kindred

That will work. .  Until one of them DOES follow the link and documents the answer in the spam database...
Слaва
Украинi

Please do not PM, IM or Email me with support questions.  You will get better and faster responses in the support boards.  Thank you.

"Loki is not evil, although he is certainly not a force for good. Loki is... complicated."

WillyP

Exactly! But then I just change the invitation code.

Gwenwyfar

You can do the same thing by making interesting and varied questions, without even needing to change them as often, since you can also use images and so on.

Math is probably the worst type of question you could possibly add. Bots are controlled by computers. Computers are based off doing math, that's the most basic thing they do. You just manage to annoy your users with them.

It all depends on which questions you add.
"It is impossible to communicate with one that does not wish to communicate"

WillyP

Nearly 5 years, only changed the answer once. Not a single spam post, but changed it anyway.

Professor Sea

I also seem to have similar problems on my forum, sadly...
Visit my forum: http://endo.darkglass.net/

Kindred

Yes? And?

Did you read the faq article linked above?
Did you apply the recommendations?
Слaва
Украинi

Please do not PM, IM or Email me with support questions.  You will get better and faster responses in the support boards.  Thank you.

"Loki is not evil, although he is certainly not a force for good. Loki is... complicated."

margarett

SPAM is here, period. Everywhere.

It's clearly a "cat and mouse" game. Nothing we can do about it, except do our best to stay ahead of the cat :P
Se forem conduzir, não bebam. Se forem beber... CHAMEM-ME!!!! :D

QuoteOver 90% of all computer problems can be traced back to the interface between the keyboard and the chair

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