Question Quite a rise in spam bots recently.

[MusingWarboss]

Anyone else noticed a spammy post surge recently?

I keep reporting them but somehow they seem to be escaping filters.

Here’s one:

Post in thread 'Which 3rd party models to choose for catachan kill teams?'
https://yaktribe.games/community/th...ose-for-catachan-kill-teams.12894/post-303357

They all seem to be spamming links.

So annoying, I keep thinking we have legit posts!!

 

[daveh]

i think i just reported one

 

[Punktaku]

I’ve reported something like 5 recently. Always about crypto.

 

[MusingWarboss]

Yep, same. I report them when I see them but they keep on coming!! It’s veritable invasion.

 

[Punktaku]

Used to see maybe one a year or so

 

[Stoof]

Odd thing is it's old accounts doing it. Presumably they used the same username and password somewhere that's been compromised. The general mods don't have an ability to ban/block/restrict posting on the spamming accounts, or I'd have hammered them into submission weeks back. So we're fighting fires deleting them as either we spot them or you guys report them. Please keep reporting them - you don't get notified when we've acted but we do appreciate it.

 

[Malo]

Odd thing is it's old accounts doing it. Presumably they used the same username and password somewhere that's been compromised. The general mods don't have an ability to ban/block/restrict posting on the spamming accounts, or I'd have hammered them into submission weeks back. So we're fighting fires deleting them as either we spot them or you guys report them. Please keep reporting them - you don't get notified when we've acted but we do appreciate it.

Yeah I've been trying to figure out why the spam cleaner function went away, I can't even use it myself

The registration system blocks a lot of potential spammers, usually around 3-5 per day, but more are getting through unfortunately. I'll see if others using XF are having similar issues and I'll figure out why the spam cleaner isn't available to admin/staff anymore.

 

[Malo]

ok there's a reason the spam cleaner option doesn't show up all the time. There's limits currently set which take away the option if any of them are met:

• Maximum message count 30
• Maximum days registration 30
• Maximum reaction score 5

The example post given in this thread for example, the user registered in 2015 and was a valid user who contributed on the forums. It looks like in January this year the account was hacked and used to post spam here.

I could remove the limits completely and any of the staff could then utilize the spam cleaner functions, but that will also purge any past posts the user has made by default, though when using the tool you can option not to perform this specific function.

 

[Stoof]

I could remove the limits completely and any of the staff could then utilize the spam cleaner functions, but that will also purge any past posts the user has made by default, though when using the tool you can option not to perform this specific function.

Is there a way to pre-tick the "don't perform this function" option? Since we will have deleted the actual spam post anyway? So we stop them posting again but preserve any past content by default rather than relying on one of us remembering to tick the box.

 

[Malo]

Is there a way to pre-tick the "don't perform this function" option? Since we will have deleted the actual spam post anyway? So we stop them posting again but preserve any past content by default rather than relying on one of us remembering to tick the box.

Yeah that can be done.