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harveyc
02-19-2016, 02:20 PM
Shortly after 8am an alert was posted by a member about numerous spam posts. I got to work on it quite quickly, deleteting 346 spam posts but quickly learned more were being posted by other users with the same IP address. I banned all 13 or 14 users but could not afford taking any more time to delete what appears to be at least a couple of thousand posts. I sent am email to forum owner/admin Jarred (MediaHound) in hopes he could use some mechanism to delete them more readily as well as block this IP address from future attacks.

We do not need any more alerts from members about the spam messages, I know they are there. I'll work on them as time allows if Jarred doesn't get to them first.

Mark Dragt
02-19-2016, 11:05 PM
Harvey,
Thank you for the thankless job you do for the org and its members.
:nanadrink:

CGameProgrammer
02-20-2016, 12:45 AM
The posts are not the only problem; it's that there's no filter for fake accounts. This one IP is creating thousands of accounts and there's no check to prevent that. There's also no captcha.

harveyc
02-20-2016, 01:20 AM
The posts are not the only problem; it's that there's no filter for fake accounts. This one IP is creating thousands of accounts and there's no check to prevent that. There's also no captcha.

For a period of time we had an annual membership fee which eliminated 100% of this sort of thing but it was somewhat controversial. Once the membership fee was eliminated, it became open season.

I have no control over admin features like that. The last I checked, there were not any other accounts created by this user but I'll keep checking and hope that our admin blocks them.

EDIT: rats, spoke too soon, more users under a different IP address. :(

Sorry, but I've got to suspend my efforts on this. I just banned the latest round of spammer accounts and will send Jarred another email. This sucks.

crazy banana
02-20-2016, 01:51 AM
For a period of time we had an annual membership fee which eliminated 100% of this sort of thing but it was somewhat controversial. Once the membership fee was eliminated, it became open season.

I have no control over admin features like that. The last I checked, there were not any other accounts created by this user but I'll keep checking and hope that our admin blocks them.

EDIT: rats, spoke too soon, more users under a different IP address. :(

Sorry, but I've got to suspend my efforts on this. I just banned the latest round of spammer accounts and will send Jarred another email. This sucks.

Thanks for all you do, Harvey.
I would not mind a membership fee if we could eliminate problems like that.

harveyc
02-20-2016, 11:16 AM
Jarred has said he will look into this problem. Sorry for having to put up with this.

Snarkie
02-20-2016, 11:59 AM
We all understand. Thank you for your efforts. :08:

I used to be an admin on a huge firearms forum, and we had a ton of mods to oversee things. Each forum had its own group of moderators, plus super moderators that oversaw all forums, and of course, the admins who had full control over everything. I'm sure there enough regulars on here to get a full set of mods to help keep this sort of thing in check.

CGameProgrammer
02-20-2016, 12:21 PM
A membership fee sucks because that would severely reduce the number of new people joining. Often someone would want to make a quick account just to ask about bananas once, or identify one variety, etc. They won't pay just for that; they'd go somewhere else. Also hardly any forums have membership fees yet they can still combat spam.

You need a captcha for creating accounts, possibly a captcha for creating new threads, and if you want you can require either a certain amount of time to pass or a certain number of posts before new accounts are allowed to create threads.

griphuz
02-20-2016, 12:35 PM
Good luck fighting this crap, much appreciated!
I don't understand why people write scripts like this,...what's there to win?

Kind regards,
Remko.

Mark Dragt
02-20-2016, 12:52 PM
Good luck fighting this crap, much appreciated!
I don't understand why people write scripts like this,...what's there to win?

Kind regards,
Remko.

I agree. What's the prize? What's the goal? Are these users upset at the org? Did they eat a bad banana? Pointless posting!

37.667910
02-20-2016, 01:18 PM
Bunch of idiots

Snarkie
02-20-2016, 02:19 PM
I agree. What's the prize? What's the goal? Are these users upset at the org? Did they eat a bad banana? Pointless posting!I reported one last month for a babysitter! There are all kinds of spam posts on here, but this one looks like a targeted hit. I don't think it's ire against this forum; just a flood that probably hit a lot of forums.

To them, if they make one sale out of it, it is worth the effort. In all honesty, how many of us have actually followed a spam link on email at some point? It does work, and that is why they continue to use it.

I hate captchas; I can't read them half the time. There is an alternative that asks you to answer a simple question, like "What is the Name of This Site" or "2+2=", or "The Cat in the ____".

JP
02-20-2016, 03:29 PM
Many thanks! Your work is appreciated.

Mark Dragt
02-20-2016, 05:00 PM
Do all of these spam posts have to be deleted one at a time? Or can a user name and all the posts that go with it be deleted all at once? If it's one at a time, that's a lot of work for the moderators.

harveyc
02-20-2016, 05:10 PM
Do all of these spam posts have to be deleted one at a time? Or can a user name and all the posts that go with it be deleted all at once? If it's one at a time, that's a lot of work for the moderators.

I'm able to delete 25 at a time, but I still couldn't keep up unless I could stay at it full time. I'm sure Jarred can figure out another way, he's quite experienced at dealing with such things.

HMelendez
02-20-2016, 08:09 PM
Thank you harveyc!.....Your effort is appreciated!.....

crazy banana
02-20-2016, 08:18 PM
A membership fee sucks because that would severely reduce the number of new people joining. Often someone would want to make a quick account just to ask about bananas once, or identify one variety, etc. They won't pay just for that; they'd go somewhere else. Also hardly any forums have membership fees yet they can still combat spam.

You need a captcha for creating accounts, possibly a captcha for creating new threads, and if you want you can require either a certain amount of time to pass or a certain number of posts before new accounts are allowed to create threads.

I agree that membership fees suck, but oftentimes they are well worth it.
It might sound a little snarky, but how many times have we seen the same questions asked over and over, even though the answers were already there and just needed a little search. Or PMs with questions that were covered many times before or would have been interesting to other forum members. Bottom line, some forums just burn themselves out by letting new people in without limitations, subsequently leading to lower quality questions, answers and discussions. I would hate to see that happen to bananas.org.

Snarkie
02-21-2016, 12:08 PM
Thanks to CraigSS who translated the characters and determined that this is advertising Cambodian casinos. :2182:

Gabe15
02-21-2016, 02:49 PM
What a bummer. I noticed it not long after it started and thought maybe I could try and delete some and ban the users, but as Harvey stated, the extent is way too extreme, and it's kind of pointless until we can figure out how to stop it from happening.

Snarkie
02-21-2016, 03:01 PM
What a bummer. I noticed it not long after it started and thought maybe I could try and delete some and ban the users, but as Harvey stated, the extent is way too extreme, and it's kind of pointless until we can figure out how to stop it from happening.It's a drastic measure, but you can check the IP addresses and ban the entire slate until you set up a checkpoint like Captchas.

For example, if you determine they're all coming from Yahoo accounts, block all new accounts with Yahoo addresses for the next few days until you can get it under control. It's drastic, but temporary.

Gabe15
02-21-2016, 03:19 PM
It's a drastic measure, but you can check the IP addresses and ban the entire slate until you set up a checkpoint like Captchas.

For example, if you determine they're all coming from Yahoo accounts, block all new accounts with Yahoo addresses for the next few days until you can get it under control. It's drastic, but temporary.

That would be great, except as moderators we don't have that much power, that takes an admin. We can delete posts, edit posts, ban users, and move stuff around, but that's about it. I don't think there is any way we can set up some kind of filter. It would be somewhat manageable even if we could ban users or IP addresses and threads in bulk, but we can't, and there is just too much to keep up with. I looked at a few of the IP addresses, and as Harvey stated there are multiple ones being used, and a few that seem to have blocked access to view their IP address. We can look up IP addresses but I haven't found any tool to block them, only usernames.

I know a lot about bananas, but not so much about computers and software, and this far beyond my, or I would think any of our moderators, expertise, and definitely out of our power. We just have to wait until Jarred can step in and press some of his magic admin buttons.

Snarkie
02-21-2016, 04:09 PM
Yes, it does take admin access; I had forgotten about that, but we had to do it a few times when enemies tried to spike our punch. It's fairly simple if you understand the VBulletin software, but it's been about ten years since I've had that access and I've forgotten a lot of it.

As an example: I cannot register at Plenty of Fish because I have a Compuserve email addy, and that site blocks all @cs.com addies.

Snarkie
02-21-2016, 07:41 PM
Once you get an admin on this, here is what to look for:

AdminCP > Settings > Options > User Banning Options

Under the last option, you can block an entire IP range. Hope this helps you guys!


User Banning Options
vBulletin Options > vBulletin Options > User Banning Options

This section of the Admin Control Panel allows you to set the Banning Options for your forum along with IP bans.

Enable Banning Options
Banning allows you to stop certain IP addresses and email addresses from registering and posting to the forum.
Banned IP Addresses
Use this option to prevent certain IP addresses from accessing any part of your board.

If you enter a complete IP address (242.21.11.7), only that IP will be banned.
If you enter a partial IP (243.21.11. or 243.21.11), any IPs that begin with the partial IP will be banned. For example, banning 243.21.11 will prevent 243.21.11.7 from accessing your board. However, 243.21.115.7 would still be able to access your board.

You may also use an '*' as a wildcard for increased flexibility. For example, if you enter 243.21.11*, many IPs will be banned including: 243.21.11.7, 243.21.115.7, 243.21.119.225.
Warning:
Use this option with caution. Entering an incorrect IP can result in banning yourself or other genuine users from your forums.

CGameProgrammer
02-21-2016, 08:56 PM
Blocking an IP range may not solve the problem and can block legitimate users. IPs do not identify people. Measures need to be added to block any and all spam bots.

Kegas76
02-21-2016, 09:35 PM
I hate captchas; I can't read them half the time. There is an alternative that asks you to answer a simple question, like "What is the Name of This Site" or "2+2=", or "The Cat in the ____".

Yeah they can be rough sometimes, I like the ones that have a number on a building or house.

Richard
02-22-2016, 03:21 AM
Blocking an IP range may not solve the problem and can block legitimate users. IPs do not identify people. Measures need to be added to block any and all spam bots.

This site was set up in 2005 by some banana and media affectionados. The site software (vBulletin) was chosen by constraints of the parties. Since then, scripts have been designed to exploit it.

What resources are you willing to donate to remedy the situation?

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 08:17 AM
Blocking an IP range may not solve the problem and can block legitimate users. IPs do not identify people.No, but they identify hosts/servers and locations. As far as I know, we do not have any legitimate users on this site from North Korea or Cambodia.

Do we? :confused:

Even if we do, it's still a temporary way to stop the onslaught until we can find a can of Internet DDT to wipe these vermin out of the forum. I couldn't find the machine gun banana, this will have to suffice instead: :rollerbananadone:

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 08:20 AM
Yeah they can be rough sometimes, I like the ones that have a number on a building or house.Yes, those are good too. I still don't understand why "The Cat in the Ferrari" was not the correct answer. :confused:

JP
02-22-2016, 09:23 AM
This site was set up in 2005 by some banana and media affectionados. The site software (vBulletin) was chosen by constraints of the parties. Since then, scripts have been designed to exploit it.

What resources are you willing to donate to remedy the situation?

I could give time. I've got time to delete a bunch of these unwanted posts. That's what I can do to help.

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 09:53 AM
I could give time. I've got time to delete a bunch of these unwanted posts. That's what I can do to help.I think there are dozens of us on here that would gladly jump on these posts if we were deputized.

harveyc
02-22-2016, 10:56 AM
Anybody wishing to be a moderator should send a PM or email to MediaHound, the forum admin. I am working crazy hours with my nursery work right now and already spent more time than I could afford.

JP
02-22-2016, 11:08 AM
Anybody wishing to be a moderator should send a PM or email to MediaHound, the forum admin. I am working crazy hours with my nursery work right now and already spent more time than I could afford.

I did. I'll be glad to help you guys out to preserve that site. Till then, continue your good work. We appreciate it.

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 11:18 AM
Anybody wishing to be a moderator should send a PM or email to MediaHound, the forum admin. I am working crazy hours with my nursery work right now and already spent more time than I could afford.I actually offered that last year. I'll send him a followup, thanks. :08:

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 12:57 PM
Thanks to everyone who PMed me about getting this done. I sent an email to Jarred, but unless he gives me admin powers, my hands are tied.

CGameProgrammer
02-22-2016, 01:23 PM
The solution is to prevent this problem, not try to delete the posts as they occur. They could occur constantly. I recommend using the reCaptcha bot for new account sign-ups at the very least, and probably also for creating new threads, if the account is less than a month old. ReCaptcha does not require you to enter a captcha unless it suspects you're a bot; it tracks your mouse movements, clicks, and typing on the form to deduce whether or not you're human. It generally guesses correctly except on touch-screens (which have no mouse movements).

You can also write server-side code to ensure new threads can't be created too soon after account creation or too soon after the last created thread from that account, and you can even add a filter specifically looking for this Cambodian spam and deleting both it and the account that created it.

The only way I can contribute is to be given access to the source code with FTP privileges. Otherwise it is up to the admin.

Snarkie
02-22-2016, 03:18 PM
So you DO have something to offer! :woohoonaner:

Between my banning an IP range and you setting up a reCaptcha, we can knock this out.

Let's hope we're given the credentials.

Peace?

Caline
02-23-2016, 07:50 PM
CGameProgrammer has a good idea and hopefully you'll be able to set up what is needed. I'm not familiar with vbulletin but I work with WordPress and Drupal and antispam measures are certainly needed everywhere.

In the meantime, it would be sweet to deleted these malicious threads in bulk, many show similar titles. That way members can actually find new posts, rather than pages of spam threads.

Mark Dragt
02-23-2016, 08:45 PM
I could give time. I've got time to delete a bunch of these unwanted posts. That's what I can do to help.

Me too. Put me in coach. Just so me how.
I can't help with the smart people stuff, but I can help with the spring cleaning afterward. Just show me how.

Mark Dragt
02-23-2016, 09:06 PM
Anybody wishing to be a moderator should send a PM or email to MediaHound, the forum admin. I am working crazy hours with my nursery work right now and already spent more time than I could afford.

Sent pm to MediaHound. If possible, my boots will be on the ground.

bigdog
02-24-2016, 12:54 AM
Wow. I haven't checked in here too often, but did today to check on some reports...I started deleting a few hundred posts, but they are endless. Several hundred pages of spam posts, deleting them 20 at a time, could be a while. I wish there was a way to delete all posts by one user. Might speed things up a bit. I'll check back tomorrow and see if I can find some time to delete some more.

CGameProgrammer
02-24-2016, 02:08 AM
Someone with database access needs to delete all threads whose title contains that domain name.

JP
02-24-2016, 06:16 AM
Wow. I haven't checked in here too often, but did today to check on some reports...I started deleting a few hundred posts, but they are endless. Several hundred pages of spam posts, deleting them 20 at a time, could be a while. I wish there was a way to delete all posts by one user. Might speed things up a bit. I'll check back tomorrow and see if I can find some time to delete some more.

There's a bunch of nice people ready to help out here but most of all, we need Admin. without Admin, nothing can be done. PM's and emails do not seem to reach him. I'm not judging, these things happen. We all have lives outside this forum. If someone knows another way to reach him, now would be the time to do so.

Snarkie
02-24-2016, 08:10 AM
That may be in Admin Tools, Bigdog. It's been so long that I honestly don't remember.

Caline
02-24-2016, 09:38 AM
Someone with database access needs to delete all threads whose title contains that domain name.

Yep that's the ticket!
Lydie

Caline
02-24-2016, 09:42 AM
Wow. I haven't checked in here too often, but did today to check on some reports...I started deleting a few hundred posts, but they are endless. Several hundred pages of spam posts, deleting them 20 at a time, could be a while. I wish there was a way to delete all posts by one user. Might speed things up a bit. I'll check back tomorrow and see if I can find some time to delete some more.

Is there a search function where you could put in the domain name that comes up in every post, then select all results and delete all?

Lydie

JP
02-24-2016, 06:23 PM
Looks like it stopped, finally!

Kegas76
02-24-2016, 09:41 PM
You spoke too soon, looks like they were just napping.

bigdog
02-25-2016, 01:35 AM
OK, I discovered a way to prune all threads by a specific user, and think I deleted all the spam posts in 15 minutes, lol.

For Mods, go to the forum where the offensive posts are, then click on "forum tools", then under admin tools, click on "mass prune threads." That takes you to the moderator control panel, then scroll down and under "other options" you can enter the user name, then hit the "prune threads" button. Problem solved!

Yay! I'm sure they'll be back, but at least we can get rid of the threads quickly now.

harveyc
02-25-2016, 02:04 AM
OK, I discovered a way to prune all threads by a specific user, and think I deleted all the spam posts in 15 minutes, lol.

For Mods, go to the forum where the offensive posts are, then click on "forum tools", then under admin tools, click on "mass prune threads." That takes you to the moderator control panel, then scroll down and under "other options" you can enter the user name, then hit the "prune threads" button. Problem solved!

Yay! I'm sure they'll be back, but at least we can get rid of the threads quickly now.

Great find. Note to folks, we were made moderators but given no instruction manual. I helped give instructions to Chong the other day just so he knew how to ban someone.

I'll work on posts in the Banana Identification subforum now.

harveyc
02-25-2016, 02:10 AM
Frank, have you been banning them also?

I now see that prune function in the moderator control panel where I already have been going to ban folks, search common IP addresses, etc. Had no idea what "pruning" was in this context, but I like it!

crazy banana
02-25-2016, 02:12 AM
Forum has not looked as good as it does at the moment for quite a while. Thanks Bigdog and Harvey.

bigdog
02-25-2016, 09:07 AM
Frank, have you been banning them also?

I now see that prune function in the moderator control panel where I already have been going to ban folks, search common IP addresses, etc. Had no idea what "pruning" was in this context, but I like it!

Yes, I banned them too, if they weren't already. It was quite satisfying when it asked "prune 486 threads?" Yes! LMAO! I didn't even look in the other forums. Thanks, harvey. Hopefully this helps to make up for my absence as a moderator, lol! :08:

JP
02-25-2016, 09:19 AM
Special thanks to the mod's for their hard work!

Snarkie
02-25-2016, 03:00 PM
Looks like you found the function. ;)

harveyc
02-25-2016, 03:34 PM
I recently did another type of pruning, this new pruner made me feel like Rambo in my fig orchard: https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics/videos/vb.556076651119419/1001485526578527/?type=3&theater

This "pruning" feature in the moderator control panel that bigdog discovered makes us the Rambo fighting spammers. :)

HMelendez
02-25-2016, 07:33 PM
Thank you guys!......


Forum moderators, harveyc and bigdog for the job well done!.....


Other forum members for the good suggestions and advices!....


At least the forum is back to normal!......

Kegas76
02-25-2016, 08:36 PM
I recently did another type of pruning, this new pruner made me feel like Rambo in my fig orchard: https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics/videos/vb.556076651119419/1001485526578527/?type=3&theater


I bet that thing loves to eat fingers.

Gabe15
02-25-2016, 09:17 PM
Just did my first thread pruning job, SO SATISFYING! 100 pots deleted in seconds. Not a permanent solution but definitely manageable for now.

Thank you Frank!!

Grannycore
02-25-2016, 09:41 PM
Thanks, everyone. I don't post much here because I really don't know enough to have much to say, but I'm definitely an avid reader, and the forum has allowed my banana gardening to go from a naive, haphazard dabble into a well-informed, successful obsession (my poor husband). I was crushed when I thought it might collapse from all the spam, and am thankful it is back. Thanks!!!

Mark Dragt
02-25-2016, 10:32 PM
Thank you everyone that helped out with little hiccup with the org. Thank you moderators for all the banning and deleting. Thanks to the others for all the great ideas to fix the problem permanently.


This one is on me!:nanadrink:

harveyc
02-26-2016, 01:09 AM
I bet that thing loves to eat fingers.

It's possible, but I've never even come close to having an accident. I experience much less fatigue and might even be less likely to have an accident as a result.

Caline
02-26-2016, 09:29 PM
The spambot is posting about every minute. Not good...It's not going to go away. It's a bot.
When this spurious activity overloads the server, your hosting company is going to take this site down (500) to stop the attack. Been there.
Suggestion:
1. Block the IP (at least temporarily) and implement solutions ASAP.
Cordially,
Lydie

harveyc
02-26-2016, 10:17 PM
The spambot is posting about every minute. Not good...It's not going to go away. It's a bot.
When this spurious activity overloads the server, your hosting company is going to take this site down (500) to stop the attack. Been there.
Suggestion:
1. Block the IP (at least temporarily) and implement solutions ASAP.
Cordially,
Lydie
You're talking to the wrong people. Only moderators are watching the shop right now and we have none of those powers, as previously discussed. There are different IP addresses being used but when I ban someone I check to see if there are other registered users with the same IP address and delete those. Both accounts that were spamming this evening were from different IP addresses.

cincinnana
02-27-2016, 10:12 PM
just when you thought it was safe to get into the water....

Mark Dragt
02-27-2016, 10:48 PM
just when you thought it was safe to get into the water....

the sharks come swimming around again..........
:lurk:

Caline
02-27-2016, 11:25 PM
You're talking to the wrong people. Only moderators are watching the shop right now and we have none of those powers, as previously discussed. There are different IP addresses being used but when I ban someone I check to see if there are other registered users with the same IP address and delete those. Both accounts that were spamming this evening were from different IP addresses.


I understand. In that case, there is not much that can be done, aside from banning the users.

Cordially,
Lydie

crazy banana
02-27-2016, 11:26 PM
You're talking to the wrong people. Only moderators are watching the shop right now and we have none of those powers, as previously discussed. There are different IP addresses being used but when I ban someone I check to see if there are other registered users with the same IP address and delete those. Both accounts that were spamming this evening were from different IP addresses.

I am not a computer geek, but it probably still comes from the same computer. There are static IP addresses (most likely all of us "normal" people use this) and there are dynamic IP addresses which can be changed constantly through certain programs for the purpose of spamming or other nuisances.
Sooner than later we need something like the proposed Captcha or similar things in place.
Big "Thanks" again to all the moderators and hopefully the founder and administrator of this great forum still shows a little interest in it.

harveyc
02-28-2016, 02:10 AM
I am not a computer geek, but it probably still comes from the same computer. There are static IP addresses (most likely all of us "normal" people use this) and there are dynamic IP addresses which can be changed constantly through certain programs for the purpose of spamming or other nuisances.
Sooner than later we need something like the proposed Captcha or similar things in place.
Big "Thanks" again to all the moderators and hopefully the founder and administrator of this great forum still shows a little interest in it.

I have little doubt that it's coming from the same computer. My response was in regards to Celine's suggestion of blocking the IP address. That would not work in this case.

In addition, that's not something that I or other moderators can do nor the implementation of a captcha registration process. These things have already been discussed and continuing to bring them up is of no benefit to this thread. The people reading the thread already understand what would help.

The moderators are acting on problems and just putting out fires before they get big again because that's the best we can do.

harveyc
02-28-2016, 02:16 AM
The Admin does reply to most of my emails eventually so I did just email him asking if he could look into implementing such as a Captcha in the registration process. We'll see....

harveyc
02-28-2016, 05:14 PM
FYI - Jarred replied to my email and said he will make some changes to help get this taken care of. Like many of us, I think he has a busy family life.

JP
02-28-2016, 06:32 PM
And a lot of emails to read!!!

cincinnana
02-29-2016, 09:03 AM
Today's Attack is Chinese and this is what it says.



Q / micro-channel 541 520 157 diploma transcript return proof of qualifications certified letter remain permanently available online archive

★ apply to stay telecommunications network certification. (After the national professional certification center certificate issued warehousing, query personal identification information in the network, synchronous reads talent network storage information.)
-------------------------------- Information Service Center for Scholarly abroad contacts key --------- -------------------------

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◆ handle each university diploma States (one to one the world's elite professional services, can monitor the whole track progress)

◆ full range of services: Diplomas, transcripts, real embassy notarization, the Ministry of Education's certification. Allowing you to return to the development of confidence!

◆ can provide stamp, watermark, bronzing, laser security, convex version, the latest version of the diploma, so you absolutely one hundred percent satisfied with the design, printing, DHL Express; diploma, transcripts, certified by the Ministry of Education's embassy, ​​fast.

We sincerely remind the majority of students Friends:
A The industry market confusion, do not just freeloaders, whether real or top-level version 1: 1 copy version, will have a corresponding cost on the inside, we absolutely guarantee you pay for!
II.'s Real embassy certification and certified by the Ministry of Education, in full accordance with the formal process of formalities. Free to go to Beijing to submit the Ministry of Education and the window to get results! ! ! There are a number of peers can only handle authentication queries out 1-3 months or so, is not the official website of the Ministry of Education in the fake website, it is impossible to permanently archived. Is the student as irresponsible, when in the process must be careful!
III. Progress can be monitored at any time, we'll give you clearly see, every penny you invested can really pay off if you do not think is worth, can suspend payment.

Notify ------- The company recruit agents all over the city, all matters relating to the lowest price, quality and efficiency to ensure credibility, customers' personal information confidential.

------------------------- More Information Please keep for emergencies, sincere cooperation, and sincerely make! ! Welcome new and old customers to handle! !
hgbv8880 is offline

Mark Dragt
02-29-2016, 10:32 PM
Today's Attack is Chinese and this is what it says.



Q / micro-channel 541 520 157 diploma transcript return proof of qualifications certified letter remain permanently available online archive

★ apply to stay telecommunications network certification. (After the national professional certification center certificate issued warehousing, query personal identification information in the network, synchronous reads talent network storage information.)
-------------------------------- Information Service Center for Scholarly abroad contacts key --------- -------------------------

◆ handle the real embassy notarization (ie, returned overseas students to prove unsuccessful charge !!!)

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hgbv8880 is offline

I didn't see anything about bananas in there.:ha:

siege2050
03-01-2016, 12:40 AM
Just use captcha.

Worm_Farmer
03-01-2016, 09:32 PM
Cant you just add an Audio captcha or picture based one and delete all their current accounts?

harveyc
03-01-2016, 10:42 PM
Folks, please read prior comments. The moderators have no ability to perform administrative tasks such as changing the registration process. A captcha has been recommended numerous times, there is no benefit to doing so again. Jarred, our forum admin, did say he would get to work on this but all of us have other responsibilities in life also.

edzone9
03-05-2016, 08:44 AM
Has the General Discussion been hacked ?
All i see is Chinese Font on all Subjects , Haven't click on the links for fear of Virus!.

Ed

CGameProgrammer
03-05-2016, 05:44 PM
No hacking; just a bot spamming the forum. The admin can't be bothered to do anything about it.

Kat2
03-05-2016, 07:27 PM
No hacking; just a bot spamming the forum. The admin can't be bothered to do anything about it.They are doing what they can within their power to handle this. Besides not being paid for their work and having their own lives, I don't believe they have the tools to alter the membership process; they can only ban and delete. I certainly appreciate their efforts.

harveyc
03-05-2016, 08:28 PM
Sorry, was working too late last night and today was busy, finally got to it and deleted the 412 spam messages and banned the member. Stay tuned for next round.

JP
03-05-2016, 09:24 PM
Thanks Harvey. Appreciated.

CGameProgrammer
03-08-2016, 02:20 PM
They are doing what they can within their power to handle this. Besides not being paid for their work and having their own lives, I don't believe they have the tools to alter the membership process; they can only ban and delete. I certainly appreciate their efforts.
You're confusing moderators with the administrator. The moderators are doing what they can to delete the spam after it occurs but the only one that can actually prevent the spam from occurring at all is the administrator and it seems he can't be bothered.

JP
03-08-2016, 04:52 PM
You're confusing moderators with the administrator. The moderators are doing what they can to delete the spam after it occurs but the only one that can actually prevent the spam from occurring at all is the administrator and it seems he can't be bothered.

Admin's got a private life too outside this forum. We all do. It's not like he's making a fortune with this site. He's providing a nice place for us all to share and learn with each other for free. You should cut him some slack. We don't know what's happening with him and we shouldn't judge. But hey, that's my opinion...

Kat2
03-08-2016, 07:03 PM
You're confusing moderators with the administrator. The moderators are doing what they can to delete the spam after it occurs but the only one that can actually prevent the spam from occurring at all is the administrator and it seems he can't be bothered.Actually, Ed, I'm not confused. If you bothered, Ed, to read more than my reply to you on this thread you'd know that the admin did not delegate super powers to mods. Did you understand that, Ed? Do you wonder why? How about the fact that, until now, there have only been sporadic spam posts; banning and deletion worked just fine. This time more effort is needed it seems.

I pay nothing to be here; I have a feeling you don't either. Do you grow bananas or just like to complain?

crazy banana
04-23-2016, 10:06 PM
More than two month later and we still have no solution for all the spam. How frustrating. Never seen that happen for that long to any other forum I regularly visit.
Thank you to all the moderators for your hard work deleting the spam over and over again. It is highly appreciated.
Hope it will not take another two month to get a permanent fix.

harveyc
04-23-2016, 10:42 PM
I don't know if some action has been taken or not, but the frequency of the spam posts has definitely decreased.

Snarkie
04-24-2016, 10:51 AM
You're confusing moderators with the administrator. The moderators are doing what they can to delete the spam after it occurs but the only one that can actually prevent the spam from occurring at all is the administrator and it seems he can't be bothered.The owner of this site is an extremely busy man. This is why he has mods to help him out.

While you are correct in your statement that only admins can prevent this, I will again reiterate, that the owner is rarely on here. This is his site, and sees fit to not have additional admins for what are probably personal reasons. I have seen many sites hijacked and mutinied by admins who want someone else's site for their own. I have seen instances where the owner has been locked out of his own site!

With only one admin, this cannot happen, and I'm sure why things are set up the way that they are. It is inconvenient yes, but after all, this is HIS site and not ours.

Caline
04-27-2016, 12:31 AM
Humbling requesting an admin perform a bulk delete as they did in March. there are maybe 9 pages of spam posts in chinese characters.

Cordially,
Caline :goteam:

harveyc
04-27-2016, 12:45 AM
Humbling requesting an admin perform a bulk delete as they did in March. there are maybe 9 pages of spam posts in chinese characters.

Cordially,
Caline :goteam:

I think I got them all, yours was the first notice of the spam. It's best if you use the feature to report one of the spammers offending posts so we know where to look. I forget, I either deleted spam from 2 or 3 users in 2 or 3 subforums. When viewing the main page some of those still show up in the preview for that subforum even though they have been deleted but that will go away as soon as someone posts in that subforum.

harveyc
05-02-2016, 11:39 PM
Thanks to "Alastria" who has recently been promptly reporting spammers to us so that they can be dealt with.

Alastria
05-02-2016, 11:44 PM
Thanks to "Alastria" who has recently been promptly reporting spammers to us so that they can be dealt with.
You're very welcome. :)

barbc
05-03-2016, 01:00 AM
Still seeing Korean characters as "last post" for cold hardy bananas thread. Thanks mods and admin for all your efforts!:08: Confusing stuff.

harveyc
05-03-2016, 01:43 AM
Still seeing Korean characters as "last post" for cold hardy bananas thread. Thanks mods and admin for all your efforts!:08: Confusing stuff.

I mentioned recently that it seems to stay that way until someone posts in that subforum. Nothing I can do about that (other than post).

Paulzie32
05-03-2016, 09:08 PM
Wow! EVen More tonight! What is the Point of SOOOO many BS Posts?

Paulzie32
05-04-2016, 07:48 AM
Sorry Harvey... I should have read your post last night. I could have posted something to stop a few more pages of posts :-(

harveyc
05-04-2016, 11:56 PM
Okay, cleaned up 3 more accounts. Had a long day and will go to bed early tonight and I won't be a bit surprised if there's more garbage by morning.

I'm guessing that these spam posts are a method used to try to improve search engine ranking of the site they link, but just a guess.

Snarkie
05-05-2016, 02:55 PM
Okay, cleaned up 3 more accounts. Had a long day and will go to bed early tonight and I won't be a bit surprised if there's more garbage by morning.

I'm guessing that these spam posts are a method used to try to improve search engine ranking of the site they link, but just a guess.That's a good observation. I think though, that one link per site is enough; extras don't count and can even degrade the ranking. I REALLY hope that's the case!!!!!!!

I will admit though, that is the reason the links to my IMDb listing and CRDRP are in my sig. Every little bit helps. :08:

Thanks again, for all of your hard work!

harveyc
05-19-2016, 03:11 PM
Thanks for your continued help in notifying me of spammers. Again, the most effective way is to click on the little red & white triangle "report post" button on the left side below the offending poster's ID. This gives me a link to the post as well as notify other moderators if I'm not available.

I wrote to site owner Jarred about this continuing problem. He thanked me for my help and I'll continue doing so as time allows (takes just a couple of minutes now to ban and delete hundreds of spam posts). He indicated he did add a captcha requirement with the registration but that this is easily defeated. He said he'd like to do a more modern update to the site that would help take care of the problem but there are many features in our site (gallery, wiki, auction, bananabucks, etc. that would be lost without spending a few weeks of time to make the change and he just does not have that time now. So I ask you to persevere and hope that these folks will eventually give up. We can nope, at least.

JP
05-19-2016, 07:40 PM
Thanks! I am still happy to use this site and it will take a whole lot more to stop me from coming. Thanks to Jarred too for letting us in for free.

sputinc7
05-19-2016, 10:22 PM
I hit the triangle whenever I see em. I try to tell you if there are many, but I suppose you can see that.

harveyc
05-19-2016, 10:43 PM
Just reporting once even if multiple spammers is sufficient as I have got the pattern down and am now able to deal with it all pretty quickly. Sometimes I search to see if there are other registered users with the same IP address to ban them before they get started but pretty much every spammer has a different IP address which makes it more difficult to stop this.