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Run amok, they have

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43 replies

by santeewelding

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These spammers.

I can only hope that our TR wizards are using this latest onslaught -- this coming out into the clearing -- to more perfectly calibrate windage, elevation, and other attributes to deadly effect.

Of course, the wizards may also have thrown up their hands; gone home in the face of a New Normal. I know I'm about ready to.

43 replies

by nicknielsen

If we could flag the spammer and not just the spam. Or better yet, for the hard-core spammers, let the system flag them: more than 25% of your posts flagged as spam AND not subscribed to any discussions gets you cut off.

Not sure how easy (or hard) that would be to do

by jamesrl

Yesterday it was too early to go home, too late to start a new project, so I found the spammers and chased them around. They must have bots, they could post quicker than I could flag.

I was on this morning and they were back. Sad to see.

There must be a way once a repetitive post is identified to reject it.

by seanferd

You know that flagging spam uses the email method, yes? So when I flag one jackass with 100 posts, each of those goes as an individual email to poor Tammy or Mark Kaelin or someone. (I know Mark gets them because of some delivery failure notices.)

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I get nailed by my ESP as a spammer due to sheer volume of mail, all going to one site, with the damned spam post contents inserted, apparently.

All this should go through the site back end, and our dear Tammy, and whomever else, should have a dashboard with which to operate.

by nicknielsen

They definitely need a different notification method. I've gotten delivery failure or out-of-office messages for Jason, Soni, Toni, and Bill, as well.

I caught up with one this morning and nailed a bunch. Poor Tammy's inbox must be screaming for relief right now.

by Tammy.Cavadias

Spammer days... Wednesday, Thursday... Spammer days... Friday, what a day, Spamming all week-end with you... (sung to the tune of Happy Days)
I'm pooped.... My fingers are cramped...

On the plus-side, we are almost at the point of having some new things coming out to combat all this onslaught recently.

Hang in there, I am by the tip of little fingers..and toes

-Tammy [_]3

PS: Yes, the Notifications are by email, but I am in the trenches long before I get them notifications. Just take what you see by ten-fold (which is how much you don't see, but I do) and add 1 and there you have it

by seanferd

I'm sure the posts have been flagged by someone overlapping anyway, but did you want email bounce info for diagnostics? I probably have a couple.

edit: Yep. Same error in all of them.

The following message to <(recipient)> was undeliverable.
The reason for the problem:
5.x.1 - Maximum number of delivery attempts exceeded. [Mailstorm] 'Connection Lost'
__________________________
Reporting-MTA: dns; c12-ito-mail-relay1.cnet.com

Final-Recipient: rfc822;(recipient)
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0 (permanent failure)
Remote-MTA: dns; [74.125.148.10]
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 5.x.1 - Maximum number of delivery attempts exceeded. [Mailstorm] 'Connection Lost' (delivery attempts: 0)

I don't have a lot of bounces, especially considering the quantity of submissions.

by santeewelding

Of any kind in Discussions for, now, 2+ hours.

Do you suppose our people -- our wizards -- have been taking names and are about to kick some ass?

by oh smeg

A Blue Link like that I just report it as Spam.

Seems that the Spammers use it more than anyone else here and just about all entires I see like that are Spam.

I had to catch myself from Flagging one of Jason???s Posts where he linked to the Article. :^0

Col

by purpleskys

without a doubt. Feels like almost everytime i log in, i nail at least one post for spam while surfing around. And I too feel bad for the folks that get all the spam alerts emailed to them, it must be quite frustrating :|

by ansugisalas

someone have it all redirected to the CNET big cheeses... this is a job for a teflon-coated back-end, and someone with deciding power has to see the problem.

This could be a world-wide phenomenon, by the way.
Major botnets could be getting involved, too.

by ansugisalas

A month more of this and we'll all be all "Frag the Lt.", all over the place.
Which is ironic, because they now have assigned someone to look at our concerns...
The stress of non-stop bombardment will get to even the sanest ones... luckily we all were (I wager) a few shakes short of sane to begin with, so we'll last a while longer.

by hal 9000

TR Coverage of Anon activities have upset some people and we are seeing the Low End Attack.

I've just gone through my TR Notifications and I think that there where 3 New Posts not from a spammer.

But no matter what I'm betting [b]PTB[/b] @ TR are wetting themselves when they look at the Site Traffic. of course getting another increase like the one that they got after the Site Redesign is going to be very hard to top. I just wonder how many will be left after the next redesign fails to get similar results. :^0

Col

by seanferd

Aliens did it. They brought their own one of them things.

You, HAL, could probably have a look into this, given your unique abilities.

by Wizard57M-TR

then maybe the only way to get the PTB's attention is to not visit for awhile...
not answer Q&A, no comments on blogs. After a few weeks of nothing but
spam, perhaps they will implement something to help.
<{;-)

by Wizard57M-TR

Yes, it's very simple to spot the spam posts...some even brown-nose the author
of the blog post "Thanks for this information, I'll visit all you blogs (insert links here)".
I don't know if any of the PTBs at TR read these WC discussions, BUT, at least
for the time being, maybe just turning off HTML and BBCode would help? Yes,
those of us that use legitimate links to URLs would find it cumbersome, but I'd much
rather "cut 'n paste" a link to some information than have to drill down through the
spam posts. The other thing I've noticed is the spammers are taking over the Top 100,
sheesh, nothing is sacred!
<{;-)

by Wizard57M-TR

Maybe the PTBs will take notice of the increase in email notifications
in their Inbox, I know I would. I too received a bounce message on
a spam notice, to Mark Kaelin. I'm trying to remain positive, and
hopefully we will not have to storm the weapons locker and force
them to walk the plank...ARRRRR! However I refuse to remain on
deck playing "Nearer My God to Thee" as the sound of waves grows
louder and closer.

by hal 9000

I've had several posts just disappear over the past few days. 1 new discussion has disappeared within 5 minutes and I'm beginning to think that I've been listed for removal because I've been Flagging Spam. :^0

Interesting concept I fill up the In Boxes of the PTB and as a reward I get my posts deleted as I'm abusing the system. :D

I looked through the TR Alerts this morning and found about 3 of the 100+ that I received that where not spam.

So no new discussions and very few new questions, the TR Site is so busy that it's impossible to keep up with what's happening. ;)

Col

by santeewelding

They are left wide open. Now it's the "grout stain guy" horning in.

Update: he's doubling down. Now, it's the "grout colorant guy".

by oh smeg

I'm under the understanding that it likes to open both Air Lock Doors 1/32 if an inch and watch the people close by get sucked through.

Apparently HAL claims to like the sound of Breaking Skulls as they get sucked through the opening. Though looking at HAL's Video Archive it's also has Full Videos of every person that has been sucked through any Air Lock in Discovery and it plays them over and over laughing. ;)

Col

by ansugisalas

Lots of blogs with zero comments... should we try and push the spam off the front page list?
Assignment for this week : Pick a new blog-entry, write a reply.
Let's push the zombies off the Discussions list, at least when sorted by date.

by seanferd

Your answer to a Q had been there around a day, then went missing.

OTOH, I had one disappear when I posted, didn't bother to re-post anything, but now its show up after about a day.

Whatevs!

by hal 9000

Perhaps I've just had all the posts that I make with Links to the Technical Stuff reported as Spam and it's being removed. :^0

Actually I'm finding it difficult keeping up with the [b]Going On's[/b] @ TR over the past few days. At first I just thought I was sillier than normal but things defiantly are just plain screwy and I'm OK. :p

I've even checked and made sure that I was logged on as Smeggy and when I submit a post it shows as being posted by Hal. Well as the Ancient Chinese Curse Goes [b]May You Live In Interesting Times[/b] and right at the moment TR is nothing if not Interesting. :D

Col [/maniacal laughter]

by ansugisalas

Opening the furthest airlock, seeing the guy propelled towards it and closing it just before that guy'd have gone through it.
What, 41 times, or so.
The time after that the door stayed open... "42's the charm" said He.

by ansugisalas

You can be pretty certain that the PTBs are among the ones not receiving Spam notices. The others are cannon fodder.

Now, what would Egon Olsen do... something about a crate of cheap beer, two dozen eggs, a set of tin soldiers, three elderly ladies and a whole lot of carbon paper...

But how'd Mark Kaelin get to the top 3?
I don't recall him posting much more than the starter message of blogs... with a few exceptions when he's the author of the blog.
Oh wait, he's not anymore... Palmetto is down to 3rd, and the damned yarinsiz is #2.

by seanferd

Part of this thread just disappeared.

[edit: Or maybe I'm mistaken. I can't tell anymore. :^0 That's what They want, isn't it? Darn alien upstart types.]

I've just posted another post that didn't post, elsewhere. Maybe it will show up tomorrow.

Interesting times, indeed. :^0

by jamesrl

Heck I think most of us knew you were busy. Friday seemed to be either two different spammers, or a switch from one to the other. I stopped flagging on Saturday a) because I had things to do and b) it seemed to be under control.

So does flagging help you at all?

by Tammy.Cavadias

As while I could be buried in the trenches doing some clean up of a spammer already banned, the emails grab my attention to a "new" spammer that needs my attention for immediate "stop in the tracks body slam" ;-)

Now, the old feature of all replies gone, is back in effect :-)

And I do open up each spammers profile to see all their posts (so if it saves your fingers to only flag a few from the same one, please feel free to make mention in the comment section of the alert)

Not said often enough - but I appreciate all the eyeballs everyone here provides :-)

-Tammy [_]3

by hal 9000

Only flagging Spam to keep you busy.

After all with all the generated E Mail it must do something to help justify your position to the Higher-up's. ;)

Col

by ansugisalas

Now they're disguising their links in periods...I guess that means they are in fact concerned about what eyes can see.
Empty spaces may be next... as well as white text.
Do you think it would be possible to get an unavoidable colored background for all link text? Maybe a pale green... would foil some of their countermeasures.

by jamesrl

Tammy,

You are amazing (hey flattery will get me everywhere).

I found a spammer (by happenstance), flagged them, then checked their profile. Poof, they had no postings. I tried the URL hack to see all their postings, they were all gone.

If you have given me the power to be executioner of all spammers -woo hoo!

Or, is it just a coincidence and you found it before me. (It was the once from Lousiana)

by seanferd

-ine. And that it is a mere shadow of the dashboard to come, requiring far fewer keystrokes and enabling you with extraordinary powers of spamhammering.

Best wishes, my dear. Best wishes. v/ v/ :ar!

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