Google Indexation -> Attracts Spam?

[moraidh]

This weekend I finally coverted my phpBB2 forum to SMF.  SMF installed flawlessly and the conversion was perfect.

It is such a relief to have basic things like hiding unapproved members form the memberlist, so spammers don't get free publicity.  For this alone it was worth the change!

I sweated countless hours with phpBB2 trying to install anti-spamming mods manually, failing to install a third-party mod installer (no in-built mod packaging in phpBB2!), and trying to edit code.

In fact, since conversion, I have not had a single spam registration whereas before I was getting about 6 a day!

Actually, I wonder if spammers target phpBB forums precisely because all registrants are automatically listed and most forum admins either don't know how or fail like me in trying to install mods....

So, a big thank you from my to the SMF development team!

[DaBoROE09]

i used phpbb before. currently i have a phpbb2 and smf 1.1.1 both test forums for a fire and ems house i am designing stuff for.  they love SMF they think it is much more neat then phpbb2. 

[moraidh]

Still over three weeks on and not a single spam registration! 

I just began to wonder, if this might be partly due to the fact that I opted not to allow google indexing when installing the software.  Posts on my phpBB2 forum were indexed by google.

This point had never occurred to be before until I was reading in the phpBB forum about the design of spambots.  (Yes, I have an occasional look there to see how the poor deluded souls who persevere with the spam magnet that is phpBB2 endure their endless torment and have a wry smile and thank my lucky stars I moved to SMF!)

QUOTE (with my emphasis):

I thought people here might be interested in the advertised features of one of the many spambots that are out there.

o Multithreaded submitting: over 50 simultaneously running threads possible! (30 threads are recommended for optimal performance under 128 Kbps bandwidth)
o Software can perform registration at forums (if necessary for posting messages) and automatically fill in the required fields. Upon successful registration posts the user-specified message and/or links.
o The powerful built-in proxy-server checking script locates available proxy-servers worldwide, choosing anonymous addresses among them.
o Software is able to work with lots of different types of forums and guestbooks: phpBB and PHP-Nuke with any modifications, yaBB, VBulletin, Invision Power Board, IconBoard, UltimateBB, exBB, phorum.org, wiki, different types of bulletin boards and even custom-written code.
o Attention: unique feature – software works around EVERY possible type of protection from automatic registration, including:
- Pictocode protection (tickets, captcha), which look something like: "Enter the number you see in the box". Details...
- E-mail activation protection. Details...
- Java-script protection. Details...
o During the process of posting a detailed log is created with precise path-links to posted messages so that you can check every link and every posted message afterwards.
o A built-in proprietary "Question-answer" system.
o A variations system, using which you can post up to 10000 messages all looking different but with similar contextual meaning and the user-defined hyperlinks in them. It helps to broaden the key queries (for Search Engine optimization) and protect your posts from being filtered out by Search Engines (that is, your posts will be included in SERPs).
o If the forum has more than one category, the software chooses the one most suitable for the message, otherwise it sends the message to off-top, flame sections or the like, and in case those do not exist - to the most visited category on the forum.
o BB-code can be used.
o The following forum base processing tools are included: repeated links deletion, hit descending sort, service denial according to customizable black list, and various filters. The program informs the users about availability of new versions and possesses many other powerful features.

The system is fully user-independent and requires minimum skills to handle: you only need to choose the proper links database, create a message text with one or several hyperlinks and hit the 'Start' button. THAT IS ALL.

Software package includes a databases with links to more than 102,000 forums.

--------------------------------
Improvements in the latest version of this spambot include:

o Significantly increased message posting speed. This is achieved by changing posting interval from 1 sec. down to 10 milliseconds. Some parts of the code were optimized to better handle productivity of mail posting.
o Anonymous posting improved - added new option "Do not post without proxy". The usage of the proxy has been significantly improved.
o Added automatic registration of mail accounts at web.de
o The program trained to decode the new pictures of protection (pictocodes, CAPTCHA's).
o The schedule system is added.
o A unique self-learning system is developed: the program analyzes unknown forms and stores it for future reference. Use of this system is more effective when posting in guestbooks, bulletin boards in foreign languages - German, French etc.
o New post-editing function of earlier created topics is added, which expands the opportunities of advertising actions.
o Profiles activation via e-mail now can be performed on background, which considerably increases the posting effect.
o Forum database updated: it is now consist of more then 102,000 links. All databases sorted by Google PR.
o User interface was improved and additional functionality was added: you can now preview your message in different formats: phpBB, IPB, VBulletin, YaBB before starting the posting process.
o "Question - answer" system now works on all forums, including those required account activation via e-mail.
o Significantly improved variation system you can now use embedded variations. New options add such as Co-variation, Binding by domain zone, which offer language tappgeting. For example, the program will post messages with Russian text in RU, BY, UA, KZ zone, in DE zone - in German, in all other zones - in English.
o Added new macros #hostname, #category, #random
o Added new macros #file=. You can now use message text from external files. This option enables to integrate the program with doorway generator.
o Starting with 3.0 version program can now send Personal Messages (mass PM) to registered users of forums - it works with phpBB forums and VBulletin.
o Software now can send messages to livejournal.com and blogger.com as anonymous user, improved postings to guestbooks and blogs.
o Program now will create more detailed reports.
o New options were added such as "Obligatory registration with posting", "Log the list of categories", "List of the most visited forums" etc.
o Number of error messages was fixed i.e. "Access Violation", "Canvas does not allow drawing", "Thread creation error". Pages processing in format UTF-8 is corrected. The work of program has become more stable.
o Program comes with new and improved version of parser - better parsing speed, fixed MSN parsing, better overall stability, improved sorting by Google PR. Database size now can go up to 100 millions links.
o New, more detailed documentation (Help.exe) was added.

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Any comments on this?  Is allowing your site to be indexed by search engines a risk then?

[motumbo]

Still over three weeks on and not a single spam registration! 

I just began to wonder, if this might be partly due to the fact that I opted not to allow google indexing when installing the software.  Posts on my phpBB2 forum were indexed by google.

___________________
Any comments on this?  Is allowing your site to be indexed by search engines a risk then?

Anything that makes people aware of your website is going to put you at risk of spam.  The only way to avoid spam is to not have a forum.

I wonder how well those spambots do at reading Captchas.  Because Captchas are about all we've got to reduce spam.

I don't get much spam, myself.  I don't have Captchas on my forum version, though. 

It is hard for me to believe that some jerks devote so much time and energy into developing automated spambots like this.  Such a waste of talent.

[moraidh]

Still no spam registrations after several months now.  Hurray for SMF!

[Ðyєgσv]

Welcome to the true happiness of a forum: SMF. I'm pretty sure you already know that what SMF aims for the first is security, and inside that goes the protection against spam. I still have to see an SMF forum being spammed, since that rarely happens.

Glad you're liking it

[moraidh]

It's interesting that even 8 months after changing from phpBB2, my log still shows that my phpBB2 forum (left there, but disabled and no longer linked to anywhere in the site) still gets about 150 hits a month.

Obviously its direct URL must be indexed by spambots still and visited by them!

[MrPhil]

I wonder how well those spambots do at reading Captchas.  Because Captchas are about all we've got to reduce spam.

If I use a graphical captcha to try to eliminate spambots, how should I accommodate blind/visually impaired users? Short of having them submit postings for review, or use an audio system, how does one present text without exposing it as plain text to a spambot? Can it be done with JavaScript obfuscation and assembly, like email addresses are (somewhat) protected? From some of the discussion above, it sounds like there are lists of forums with all the twists and turns described to get past spam protections. For the blind, do more complex text challenge/response systems work as well as a graphical captcha? Something like "What is the sum of two-hundred-eighty-three and one-hundred-twelve?" (with random numbers)?

It is hard for me to believe that some jerks devote so much time and energy into developing automated spambots like this.  Such a waste of talent.

Jerks do this for two reasons:

1) They are antisocial psychopaths who want to spread their fame by any means possible. It's like riding a motorcycle: the whole point is to make enough noise to force everyone for miles around to notice you. These guys vandalize in order to get noticed.

2) Spammers can pay well for ways to get their message in front of millions of people. If you get a track record of delivering the goods...