Dell complaints

Rocke_T_Sinetist · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 3:30 pm Post subject: Spam--All Users

We apologize to all users for the clutter of spam the site has experienced. I'm sure everyone recognizes it from its subject line and can avoid it. Meanwhile, thanks for wading through it. We've lost some key participants though.

We've turned some of the threads into jokes, deleted all links, but we leave the posts for audit purposes. I've just contacted two ISPs with address and timestamp of abuse of their systems. Posts are being launched and proxied from every continent, it's not a single-point target. No one address is used more than 3 times, so blocking at the BB level is ineffective. However, proxy-blocking has been mentioned--if valid for this version of phpBB, only one person has the authority to invoke that.

We concede the site's ability to keep rubbish out is inadequate compared to other current BB operations. Only excuse, budget. Watch for improvement, but don't set a deadline. Stick with us if you can.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

hotrodlincoln · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject: Re: Spam--All Users

Rocke_T_Sinetist · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:10 pm Post subject:

Delete as you see fit, Linc.

One ISP contacted me back. It seems they cannot audit system use without data to which we have no access--port numbers, destination IP. So mods auditing the intrusions is not going to be productive. Like with a broken appliance, I wanted to try all the buttons before I gave up.

Though I'm here roughly every 3 hours and I usually nail them before they've been up 2 hours, none of us can sit here all day deleting spam, which evidently is what it would take without effective action from the top.

Today we were hit every hour for 8 hours. I am not going to delete it because someone besides me needs to know how bad it is. Seeing as how I've tried everything in my bag of tricks, and we know we have lost the participation of at least one moderator and likely 3 or 4.

Even digs at Dell last as long as 24 hours on the Dell site before a mod nabs them--but they do NOT have spam, ever. There IS a solution to this and we need it, we are losing longterm contributors.
_________________
Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

Mele20 · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 6:05 pm Post subject:

Isn't this new security login an attempt at a solution? This new login is quite similar to the one used at castlecops.com that I mentioned earlier. This one is awfully small....my eye sight is not good (facing cataract surgery sometime this year and I am not that old!) but by putting my nose right up to the screen, I could read it and I was able to confidently type it correctly the first time. While I wish the box was a bit larger (I suppose my screen resolution has something to do with that too and I can't change it) this is a VAST improvement over the earlier security login. I can live with putting my nose near the screen since this security login is only once (at least I assume I will not have to type it in again when I go to preview/post this).

I'm sure glad to see further attempt to fix this spam problem and I hope this is successful. I kow this kind of security login was a huge help to Castlecops who not only had spam but endured Denial of Service attacks (severe ones).

I have noticed not only mods absence but some of the regular posters here too seem to have abandoned the site. I hope everyone comes back once this problem is in hand.