Request for automatic spam control on the forum

[rb07]

After the recent deluge of spam on the forum, I would like to request the addition of any automatic spam control measures.

After seeing phpBB's available modifications, I think any of the following would be helpful:

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/editing_limiter/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/post_count_requirements/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/rc_automoderation_and_spam_protect/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/advanced_block_blacklisted_sites/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/advanced_block_mod/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/one_click_ban/

​https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/mod/anti_spam_acp/

[John Clay]

We already use a number of anti-spam methods, but obviously that wasn't sufficient. I've upgraded phpBB to the latest version, installed a new CAPTCHA during registration, and enabled an anti-spam question. Hopefully, these combined will reduce the number of successful bot registrations.

[cfpp2p]

The forum seems heavily spammed again :( ​https://forum.transmissionbt.com/search.php?keywords=[the|and]&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sr=topics&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search Makes it a little difficult to sort through the junk. I'm not sure what can be done, perhaps only allow accredited members the ability to place hyper links, not really sure. Hopefully someone can come up with a good idea.

[x190]

Mother used to say "moderation in all things". I may have gone astray anyway, but still, that is what we need here. Therefore and thusly, I hereby nominate cfpp2p as forum moderator, with my oversight of course.

[cfpp2p]

This ticket was suggesting "automatic spam control" might be a solution and that's what I was in line with. A manual implementation might help too. rb07 included several ideas in the description as a starting point and John Clay installed and enabled some features, but we are still deluged by spam for some reason.

[x190]

The forum has always been "deluged by spam". The problem is that there is no forum moderator to delete spammer accounts immediately. We don't need those horrible indecipherable captcha type deterrents that only shut out legitimate posters.

[Robby]

A spambot countermeasure which seems to work well is the ​Q&A plugin.

For every form submission where you have enabled the Q&A plugin, users will be asked one of the questions specified here. To use this plugin at least one question must be set in the default language. These questions should be easy for your target audience to answer but beyond the ability of a bot capable of running a Google™ search. Using a large and regularly changed set of questions will yield the best results. Enable the strict setting if your question relies on mixed case, punctuation or whitespace.

[John Clay]

I've deleted all of the reported spam on the forum (and their users). I've also switched back to the Q&A anti-spam, with a hopefully more obscure/hard to automate answer than the last time we used it.

I'm open to suggestions for good questions, too. If you see more spam on the forum, please report it and update this ticket.

Thanks.

[x190]

Just what you were looking for --- right JC? *lol* ​ Ways to Recycle Your Prom Dress

[John Clay]

Replying to x190:

Just what you were looking for --- right JC? *lol* ​ Ways to Recycle Your Prom Dress

Just what I always wanted!

It looks like, however, all of the recent spam posts have been from accounts made before the latest tweak. Hopefully it stays that way.

[Robby]

Yay! That’s the way it went with the forum I am an admin on. On the plus side, those spam posts help identify remaining spam accounts.

[x190]

Replying to Robby:

Yay! That’s the way it went with the forum I am an admin on. On the plus side, those spam posts help identify remaining spam accounts.

A ​ moderate amount of ​ moderation would help.

[Robby]

​I would be willing to help out.