Please nuke your fourm spammers from orbit.

[STSF Kent 0]

5: Kent will like this one. Don't use Internet Explorer! Especially 6. One of the hacker community's biggest tools now adays is what's called a cross-site script attack. The details are boring, but basically it's a piece of code written into a website than can be used to access data to your computer and in rare cases grant authorized access to your system. And Internet Explorer just isn't up to par. Get a real browser.

 

AMEN. ::waves a little "Web Standards" flag::

[will_marx 0]

One addendum to Wade's "Does and Don'ts":

 

Post who sent you spam here. Don't keep tying up the Questions and Comments board with irrelevant spammer stuff. There's usually a Host lurking on here, and the faster you let us know, the faster we can nuke'em. And all we need is a name, not what they sent, not are they or aren't they staff. By now, you should know who your GM team is.

[Eva Jaz 0]

Add Movieforyou to the list of spammers to be blocked .....

[Atragon9 0]

Add Movieforyou to the list of spammers to be blocked .....

Blocked, along with WilliamGreenn, thanks.

[Hannah McDowell 0]

I am wondering what good it does to list all the names here in the forums. You know they will be back under a new name. I for one would like to permanently block all PM messages if that is possible. That way none of them can spam me.

[Kansas 0]

I am wondering what good it does to list all the names here in the forums. You know they will be back under a new name. I for one would like to permanently block all PM messages if that is possible. That way none of them can spam me.

 

Go to My Controls, click "Board Settings". Set the PM controls to block all PMs.

 

As for the name listing in this topic? Other then the satisfaction of the board administrators zapping one SOB snert name out of the equation? Fight the little battles first and go for the proverbial leg sweep to bring down the larger problem.

 

In keeping with the cautions topic, please just use common sense when dealing with these spammers and *do not* click on any links.

 

Now, let's review what I like to refer to as The Great Viral Boo Yah of Late 2008. ::loud, foreboding Darth Vader music here::

 

I lost two (2) home computers. One new laptop, one older desktop that totally could have chugged on for a few more years.

 

Some of the GMs here are aware that I went a little...hmmm....Spazzy? OMG? Generally freaked out? Mm Hmmm?

 

Still don't know what got in, don't know how, don't know if I did it or someone in the family. I've suspected that it may have been a wallpaper download for a game, but regardless, the two computers got taken out by something or several bad azz somethings.

 

So, what changed after I got a new desktop, after four months of trying to save the two computers?

 

Computers: The desktop is now the only active PC. If/when I ever get a laptop replacement, the lappy will not be connected to a shared router and will instead be set up completely on it's own.

 

Common sense: I was cautious before, now I'm borderline manic. I stay where I know it is safe, such as STSF. If it looks suspicious, I stay da Hades away from it. Security scans are performed several times weekly.

 

Flash Drives: all hail the Tiny Yet Joyous Stick of Backup, and we worship you. w00t w00t.

 

As Wade Knight and others have commented - it's all about common sense, and just be careful.

[LT.Teros 0]

I don't know about anyone else but I, have had enough of spamm pm's I have been getting 2 or 3 a day now and I am finding it frustrating I don't know what we can do to change this but I am getting sick of it.

 

Please get rid of MichealTracy if you haven't done so already and Movieeforyou

 

Thanks

[LeftEar JoNs 0]

I don't know about anyone else but I, have had enough of spamm pm's I have been getting 2 or 3 a day now and I am finding it frustrating I don't know what we can do to change this but I am getting sick of it.

 

Please get rid of MichealTracy if you haven't done so already and Movieeforyou

 

Thanks

 

They've been zapped, Lieutenant.

 

And, the Board Administrators are working on the issue. If they were not, this problem would and could be much worse.

[WadeFKnight 0]

It seems to me that it could be a lot worse than it is. The captcha and email authorization cuts down on botting, but what we have here is someone who's willing to put forth the effort of going through all of these security checks to post these links. And I can only assume it's because he/they have found some measure of success here. So the best thing we can do is make sure not to click any links someone suggests to you over PM. Perhaps a membership-wide PM explaining the situation? I also notice that the message someone sends you on this board is copied in the email notification it sends you. In my mind this is only doubling the risk of an accidental click, or someone not getting the full context of the message. Perhaps that option can be disabled by the administrators?

 

I've also discussed this with Kent, but haven't gotten a full answer out of her yet, is there a range of IP's used by these spammers? If so, it may be possible to ban that IP range in it's entirety.

[Atragon9 0]

There is not a clear set of IP ranges or domain names that are being used, so we cannot stop these people from hopping around, spending the effort of creating accounts, verifying them and them SPAMming the user population.

 

Believe me, if there was a way we could keep them all out, we would do so. Thanks.