[Imc-web] Re: [Imc-tech] Temporarily Shutting Down Comments?

[Mike Lehman]

Arun and everyone else looking into things,
I realized it was probably going to be a mess when the poker spam 
started. I tend to agree the CAPTCHas are probably the only solution 
that is really viable. Thanks for all your work and maybe a solution 
will appear -- the problem certainly rates it.

Basically, manual deletion is just more trouble than the time spent is 
worth. I estimate approximately 2,100 spams since I quit deleting them a 
couple of days ago, by looking at the Latest Comments page and clicking 
back until I get to the point where it becomes nearly all spam. We could 
deputize a whole posse, but most people will get tired of this dreary 
exercise pretty quick so I don't think it is a viable solution for now.

As for our other problem area, well, he's had several hints he's just a 
hemmorhoid we could flick off anytime we really wanted to and he also 
reads the list mail, so he'll have no one to blame but himself if push 
ever comes to shove. I kind of hope he keeps pissing into this poker 
wind -- and he thinks he's wasting our time? -- all two seconds it takes 
to zap him like a crippled mosquito whenever I even happen to care 
anymore, which isn't often? -- yeah, what a laugh. The only one he is 
important to is himself -- and maybe Anna, because she's the only one 
who'll talk to him now.
;>)
Mike Lehman

Arun Bhalla wrote:

> I took a look at the logs looking for, to the best of my ability, the IPs
> responsible for these 5 comments.  This is what I found:
> 
> host 62.0.13.2
> 2.13.0.62.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer webshield.beitberl.ac.il.
> 
> host 211.114.68.60
> Host 60.68.114.211.in-addr.arpa not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)
> 
> host 210.105.204.13
> Host 13.204.105.210.in-addr.arpa not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)
> 
> host 200.13.230.243
> 243.230.13.200.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer client22.epm.net.co.230.13.200.in-addr.arpa.
> 
> host 140.131.110.4
> 4.110.131.140.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer 110_PC4.ntcb.edu.tw.
> 
> Not too much in common except that they're all from abroad.  The second and
> third IPs (210.*, 211.*) are both from South Korea, however.  I continue
> to think this is the work of distributed spambots.  Until CAPTCHAs are
> added to Dada, it seems that the only temporary solutions are to moderate
> all comments or to zealously delete the spammy comments as we see it.
> Having no experience as an IMC web editor, I can't say which is easier.
> 
> Along the lines of spam and junk, I believe I know Jack Ryan's IP address,
> too...
> 
> Arun
> 
> 
> Mike Lehman writes:
> 
>>Zach,
>>I think that the captchas probably are the ultimate solution, but we'll 
>>have to wait and see.
>>
>>Here's a block of 5 spams that popped up within 2 minutes of each other. 
>>I will not delete them so that you can have a chance to look at things.
>>http://www.ucimc.org/editor/index.php?class=Article&function=editor_display&i
>>d=39115
>>http://www.ucimc.org/editor/index.php?class=Article&function=editor_display&i
>>d=39116
>>http://www.ucimc.org/editor/index.php?class=Article&function=editor_display&i
>>d=39117
>>http://www.ucimc.org/editor/index.php?class=Article&function=editor_display&i
>>d=39118
>>http://www.ucimc.org/editor/index.php?class=Article&function=editor_display&i
>>d=39119
>>
>>Depending on how deep things get in the meantime, I may delete and purge 
>>subsequent spams. Let me know if you want me to hold off. I'm getting 
>>ready to leave for the IMC for a couple of hours, and there are already 
>>about thirty of these damn things since I last cleaned up. I'll leave 
>>the mess and come back and cleanup later, except for the above cited 
>>messages, unless I hear otherwise in the meantime.
>>
>>Thanks, Zach.
>>Mike Lehman
>>
>>Zachary C. Miller wrote:
>>
>>
>>>The only real solution to the spamming is to implement captchas (the
>>>little graphical number thing that some human has to read and enter). 
>>>
>>>Does anyone know if there is Dada support for captchas? 
>>>
>>>(Mike, I've been putting off the research effort to block the spam
>>>because I haven't had the time to track down the URLs of the incoming
>>>spam. If you could email me the URLs of some example spam messages I
>>>can check the logs to see if there's anything easy to block.)
>>>
>>>Mike Lehman wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Having dealt with ever-increasing amounts of poker spam and having made 
>>>>several appeals for aid on this issue and having appealed to Steering 
>>>>for the authority to log and block this abuse, yet not having any action 
>>>>taken, I want to propose shutting down the Comment portion of the 
>>>>website temporarily to see if this will disrupt the spamming of poker 
>>>>offers to it.
>>>>
>>>>I realize this is a drastic step, but I (or anyone else, for that 
>>>>matter) really can't afford to spend a half hour or more every morning 
>>>>deleting hundreds of these items in order for the editing screen to be 
>>>>useful. Until a better technical fix is available in the form of a 
>>>>software update or the previously authorized blocking of the source IPs 
>>>>can be attempted as a solution (which, AFAIK, was never actually carried 
>>>>through, even though it has been specifically authorized in this case), 
>>>>this seems to be one last thing that might be tried.
>>>>
>>>>I am open to other ideas, ANY ideas, but I do not think that allowing 
>>>>the site to be taken over as an advertising medium is at all consistent 
>>>>with Indymedia principles. It has reached this point -- where drastic 
>>>>action is required.
>>>>Mike Lehman
>>
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>>
> 
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