Influx of spambots

[Surkow]

Currently the forum suffers from an influx of spambots. You can recognize them easily. It's either humans setting up accounts to spam later on or guests posting spam immediately. I'm thinking of adding additional spam protection.

[redxii]

Ban them. Delete the posts. Add approval for new users posting links in post or signature and not allow guests to post links, etc.

I can help with cleanup when you nor rvm are on..

[Surkow]

Although we can handle it at the moment - after a while the banning and deleting gets tiresome. I think not allowing new users to post links or signatures would be an excellent solution.

[redxii]

I'm a mod of a different forum, they make ALL anon/guest posts require approval as well as new registered users posting links. Some slip through like those posters in that thread claiming to have problems with the installer, and so their posts are retroactively deleted with their account. Sometimes the spammers keep posting and posting but their post ends up in approval mode, but they can't win. Eventually they give up and we have a dedicated thread to request the deletion of those accounts (I can't do it myself and only the supers can).

[Surkow]

Actually, we have to approve posts before they are visible to the general public. At the moment this is done for new threads. When we explicitly need more moderators you are the first to know.

[redxii]

Apparently I already do have powers but aren't a moderator.

I think you should enable confirmation By User, and change 'New member post limit:' to say 3, and edit Newly Registered Users group to deny (No or Never):

Post
- Can use signature

Profile
- Can change e-mail address

Misc
- Can ignore flood limit
- Can send e-mails

Private messages
- Can send messages to multiple users
- Can send messages to groups
- Can attach files in private messages
- Can use BBCode in private messages
- Can e-mail private messages
- Can use [flash] BBCode tag in private messages
- Can forward private messages
- Can use [img] BBCode tag in private messages

And so after so many posts they'll be a "Registered User".

[Surkow]

"New member post limit" has been set to 3. This however does not solve the issue (new accounts for every post). I also disabled links in the "Newly Registered Users group". You are currently a registered member, not a moderator. You have received administrative powers to manage users. This includes banning and removing users.

[redxii]

I just found out yesterday, didn't even how long it was there.

I enabled By User confirmation, they are sent an e-mail to activate clicking a link, like most forums. Immediately this seems to have stemmed the tide, where previously there were new spam accounts literally every couple of minutes.

There are already 135 accounts in Newly Registered Users as of this post..

EDIT: It seems to have slowed down tremendously actually. Still 135 Newly as of this edit.

[alieen]

I think you should enable confirmation By User, and change 'New member post limit:' to say 3, and edit Newly Registered Users group to deny (No or Never):

Post