Keeping a Step Ahead of Spammers

Yes, and it annoys me that forum developers are fast to add Twitter and Facebook features in the software. Yet, when it comes to things we really need, like having StopForumSpam added for using, or being able to use both reCaptcha and Questions and Answers (combined). They avoid doing it when you look and both XenForo and vBulletin for example. Neither have taken advantage of the StopForumSpam service, yet you can find it there in other free forum software by default such as UseBB.

Your talking about a service that stops human spam registrations, reCaptcha and Q/A doesn't stop them, so why do they always seem to avoid adding it when they know it's needed today? I've mentioned this a number of times on XenForo now, so have others also. But I bet you SFP never gets added.

There isn't even a compatible STP mod anymore posted to work with XenForo 1.1, the last version is broken and unsupported. I've had no option but to manually active all new memberships on my forum, but luckily vBulletin 3 sends you out an admin email to alert on them, plus it's not as though I'm getting 100 new registrations per day! Also, because I allow guest postings it's not that bad really, new member "awaiting account activation" can still post on all the general discussion forums as a guest regardless - while they wait.

Your OK using IPB because you can use both reCaptcha and Q/A together, plus it has the Anti Spam service you can use to stop Human Spammers. That's not the case with the other two vBulletin and XenForo. You could actually easy block 90% of human spammer by not allowing both "Yahoo and Gmail" accounts to be used on your forum, but you can't really block "Gmail". I have Yahoo email blocked however.

 

Does your software have administrative control over allowing use of the signature box? Your software must have some PRE-moderation features.To use for making safety settings for new members?

I use a plug in at myBB.That I think should be standard in ALL forum software.To allow administrators to make a set number of new members postings be subject to moderation.If it is spam.It is never visible.It also eliminates filling up a forum with a thousand spmmed postings.Since they will be in the MOD cp box.They can be deleted quickly.

Since the forum is a slow one.I set it at TWO.After that they can post without moderation.

Spammers main opportunity for damage is right after they "join".So if the controls are in place for them in the beginning.The problem should confined to the MOD cp box area.

 

The first member usergroup on my forum is not allowed to use signatures, only after 1o posts and you get moved into Novice Usegroup from Newbie can use signatures.

 

Any new members have to have 5 posts before they can use a sig, had problems with that in the past. The IPB spam service does a great job with known spammers, bans them as soon as they register.

 

Turn the registration switch to off. No spammer will be able to register. Rocket science.

 

The best method I have found is Q&A anti-spam features.

Most forums have the addon or the feature is built in...

Now don't enable the commonly used math questions like 14x2= and so on, don't enable the "are you a bot?" type questions either. The reason is because they are used so much that xrumor and spammer can easily get pass them...

Instead make your questions related to your niche and make a lot of them and enabling theme to rotate and randomly choose one per registration Make the questions a bit difficult as well... A real user will look it up, a spammer will most likely pass and go to its next victim

I have done this on one test forum that got over a 1000 spammers a day, when I enabled the Q&A with no other anti-spam options enabled, I got 1 spammer in 6 months...

 

Soon after I added the myBB registration questions.I deleted the default questions.They were too well known.A few losers were getting through.

But the new set of questions I made.They stopped showing up.

It is a good idea to get rid of the defaul questions.

 

this is something i know i will have to deal with and is scary! right now i don;t have to worry about spam, i've turned of the signature feature but even still, spam is a problem for all site owners and can be difficult to combat.

 

I haven't noticed tons of spam with IPB or Xenforo that i have to worry about. Maybe one or two.

However as much as I Love SMF(Simple Machines), I swear that is the most spamtastic software ever.
I set up a new SMF site the other day(it is used as a chatbox for my members since ajax doesn't integrate with IPB or XF) and
i literally have 11,000 spam members and thousands of spam posts within the first 2-3 days.

 

I have a three step approach that virtually stops all spammers.

First, I use stopforumspam.com (via the vB plugin)

Second, I have an anti spammer question. The questions are related to the specific forum.. (ie, classic mopar forum has questions like: There are 3 Classic Mopar Brands, Dodge, Chrysler and:________ (plymouth)

If they get by all that.... I have a plugin that scans the new user's first 5 posts looking for keywords like sex, porn, a url... stuff like that. If it contains any of that it tosses the post into moderation to be approved by a moderator or me.

I have virtually zero spam that reaches my members. Not bad considering I get about 1500 active threads a day across my several forums.

 

I hate to say it but keeping a step ahead of spammers is not at all easy to do. Firstly because they're always thinking of new ways to combat the defenses you've set up, and secondly because they're the ones thinking of the new ideas - guessing what they're going to do next is almost like guessing the lottery.

 

When my forums got hit with spam, I went ahead and started catching up.

I added SolveMedia's CAPTCHA plugin, and xenUtilies to fight spam.