Spammers, Spammers, Spammers

[Freebird]

Just finished my morning ritual of banning the spammers. Every single day there are at least a dozen trying to get into our forum. Mostly from China but some from the Ukraine, Vietnam, and some from India. As well as a few other places but China is the majority. I'm going to see about blocking all traffic from China. It gets old. 99.9% get banned before they are ever able to post anything. I would guess that there are very few, if any at all, Ventures in China.

[Sylvester]

Maybe if one was shipped to China they could copy it. Send a Gen 3 and tell them it needs a V4 water cooled engine.

 

[CaseyJ955]

This is why we (cumulatively) pay you the big bucks!

 

Your efforts manifest in a really clean smooth forum, about the cleanest I've seen. I knew you were wading through a lot of this each day, but why so many from China, and do we have even one legit member from China? Is it advertising, or something more nefarious?

 

The vast majority of gross offending domains I block/appear on filter lists are American tech and Chinese everything (sadly in that order), but still plenty of others.

 

I wonder if there is even one Venture licensed in China. If I knew how to blanket block China as a whole from my network I would do so post haste! I try and think of things in a risk vs. reward/cost vs benefit manner, and it sounds like your doing a lot more work than your being rewarded for by not blocking. I vote for making your life a little easier and adding certainty that none of those spammers will slip through the cracks and reach the forums.

 

Block away, no objections here.

 

Oh, thank you for all the effort, it is working!

[cwtart]

Just finished my morning ritual of banning the spammers. Every single day there are at least a dozen trying to get into our forum. Mostly from China but some from the Ukraine, Vietnam, and some from India. As well as a few other places but China is the majority. I'm going to see about blocking all traffic from China. It gets old. 99.9% get banned before they are ever able to post anything. I would guess that there are very few, if any at all, Ventures in China.

 

I see you are using an Apache server. You can block entire countries fairly easily. See the link below:

 

https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-block-entire-countries-from-accessing-website/

[bpate4home]

This is why we (cumulatively) pay you the big bucks!

 

Your efforts manifest in a really clean smooth forum, about the cleanest I've seen. I knew you were wading through a lot of this each day, but why so many from China, and do we have even one legit member from China? Is it advertising, or something more nefarious?

 

The vast majority of gross offending domains I block/appear on filter lists are American tech and Chinese everything (sadly in that order), but still plenty of others.

 

I wonder if there is even one Venture licensed in China. If I knew how to blanket block China as a whole from my network I would do so post haste! I try and think of things in a risk vs. reward/cost vs benefit manner, and it sounds like your doing a lot more work than your being rewarded for by not blocking. I vote for making your life a little easier and adding certainty that none of those spammers will slip through the cracks and reach the forums.

 

Block away, no objections here.

 

Oh, thank you for all the effort, it is working!

 

The IP Address ranges could be used to Block China. IP address ranges are tightly controled and assigned by region. Here is a site with a good list

https://www.xmyip.com/ip-addresses/china

[Patch]

This is why we (cumulatively) pay you the big bucks!

 

Your efforts manifest in a really clean smooth forum, about the cleanest I've seen. I knew you were wading through a lot of this each day, but why so many from China, and do we have even one legit member from China? Is it advertising, or something more nefarious?

 

The vast majority of gross offending domains I block/appear on filter lists are American tech and Chinese everything (sadly in that order), but still plenty of others.

 

I wonder if there is even one Venture licensed in China. If I knew how to blanket block China as a whole from my network I would do so post haste! I try and think of things in a risk vs. reward/cost vs benefit manner, and it sounds like your doing a lot more work than your being rewarded for by not blocking. I vote for making your life a little easier and adding certainty that none of those spammers will slip through the cracks and reach the forums.

 

Block away, no objections here.

 

Oh, thank you for all the effort, it is working!

 

 

AWW Casey Because they know how you feel about them and, know we are family

[MiCarl]

I'm surprised China is #1 .

 

I guess the Russians are too busy working on the election.

[Flyinfool]

I remember that game well from back when I was running a forum. At that time it was mostly porn spam. ALL kinds of ways to try to trick you into going to their porn sites.

 

I can really appreciate what you are doing for us Don, and I sincerely thank you for it.

[rbig1]

Back when i worked on ih trucks there was a porn site one letter off of ih tec site. Would blow your mind the first time it happened. What they go crazy on there site. Then you would get emails from them then you had to block there path

[saddlebum]

I see you are using an Apache server. You can block entire countries fairly easily. See the link below:

 

https://www.sitepoint.com/how-to-block-entire-countries-from-accessing-website/

I need something like this to block all those phone calls from India and Nigeria etc. @Freebird is this why the last couple weeks the site has been going down. I have had maney occasion were I go to get on and it comes back site not found.

[uncledj]

I'm surprised China is #1 .

 

I guess the Russians are too busy working on the election.

That smells political...You, of all people should know better.

[N3FOL]

We should all be aware as to who are the Top 5 'Intellectual Property Stealers'. Thanks for keeping us safe here on Venturerider forum.

[Sailor]

A lot will be trying to break in to collect E-mail addresses and info to sell to other spammers. Thanks for your efforts to keep us safe.

[djh3]

Part of my reason for thinking about a VPN. Also looking in to using an internet TV service and they recommend a VPN to partially keep xfinity out of my business of what I watch.

[CaseyJ955]

I need something like this to block all those phone calls from India and Nigeria etc. Freebird is this why the last couple weeks the site has been going down. I have had maney occasion were I go to get on and it comes back site not found.

 

Maybe a browser hijack or redirect, I've noticed no outages to this site recently. When you get the page wont load screen make sure it's THIS address and not a redirect to a junk site. Has it happened with other sites or just this one?

 

I've tried everything for effective call blocking, and as you may guess I have found something that works quite well.

 

I ditched my $38/mo landline and went with an Ooma VOIP phone. The box is maybe $25-30 one time, and the premium is $12-ish/month. It has a community blacklist which took me from 5-15 calls/day to that many in a week, then after tailoring the private blacklist part of it I get 1-2 calls/month! Also, (and this is big) you can add names to the blacklist, so no matter how many times buttholes like "800service" or "autowarranty" call, they get fired off into cyberspace before it can ring even once. How those calls are handled is adjustable too. I LOVE THE QUIET!! Even if I DID have cell coverage at home I would use Ooma just for their stellar call blocking abilities. The private/individual block list works with the community blacklist to hush things up nicely. The community blacklist is an opt in-out thing too. Ooma customer service is hit/miss, but it does work as it should.

 

If anyone knows some way as good/better please do tell. I know there are ways to make a raspberry-pi into a call blocker, but I dont quite know how yet. I just ordered a couple more of them to play with and I'll be learning plenty in the coming weeks. I happy to pass on what I've learned/learning to anyone interested. Ideally I can drop Ooma premium and use an in home rasp-pi based device, and hope it works as well for phone as it has for internet.

 

Oh, dont block India or Nigeria! I know you dont want to miss a call from the prince!

[CaseyJ955]

Part of my reason for thinking about a VPN. Also looking in to using an internet TV service and they recommend a VPN to partially keep xfinity out of my business of what I watch.

 

I've been using Netflix and Hulu, and a pi-hole as a filtering device, same one filters the entire net and is designated as my DNS server.

 

I'm not familiar with xfinity, but my guess is there are a handful of domains they use to track/adserve, and you may be able to block those on your modem or router. many current routers have some area in advanced settings where you can block individual sites. Then you dont have to buy anything or mess with DNS settings.

 

A quick shot of my low end Centurylink zyxel pk5000z modem under advanced - website blocking. Yours probably will vary, but the basics should be there. I just added a few domains that are already blocked through the pi-hole, but if I need to pause pi-hole for any reason I'm still protected-ish from Microsoft. The solution for you may be just finding the domains to block for xfinity, since it's only one service you wish to block the modem by itself may be fine for the job.

 

cut/paste from modem advanced setup page.

 

Website BlockingWebsite blocking provides the ability to block websites from the LAN.

 

1. Select Device.

[TABLE=width: 485]

[TR]

[TD=width: 150, align: left]Select Device:[/TD]

[TD=align: left]Manually Enter IP Address All LAN Devicesandroid-d038254ee164f2ecdhcppc21dhcppc25am335x-optCaseyJ1700xGalaxy-S9raspberrypi[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=width: 150, align: left]Enter IP Address:[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

2. Enter the website below.

[TABLE=width: 485]

[TR]

[TD=width: 150, align: left]Website Address:[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

3. Click "Apply" to save your changes.

 

 

Blocked Websites List

[TABLE=width: 485]

[TR]

[TH=width: 39, align: left][/TH]

[TH=width: 60, align: left]Device

Name[/TH]

[TH=width: 80, align: left]IP ADDRESS[/TH]

[TH=width: 129, align: left]Website Blocked[/TH]

[TH=width: 89, align: left]EDIT[/TH]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]ctldl.windowsupdate.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]watson.telemetry.microsof...[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]au-bg-shim.trafficmanager...[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]sb.scorecardresearch.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]partner.googleadservices.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]app-measurement.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]doubleclick.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]www.googletagmanager.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]microsoft.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]windows.net[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]windows.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]microsoft.net[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: left]http://192.168.0.1/Images/icon_computer.png[/TD]

[TD=align: left]unknown[/TD]

[TD=align: left]All LAN Devices[/TD]

[TD=align: left]windowsupdate.com[/TD]

[TD=align: left][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[Freebird]

I know of no recent outages. I check the site many times per day and have had no issues.

[SpencerPJ]

I never have problems with the site. If it's hacked, my email address is not my main one, it's my forums / craigslist one. I use an app and my Voip home Comcast uses it, it's called Nomorobo. Seriously has eliminated 98% of my junk calls. I also am very cautious who I give my cell phone number to.

[Patch]

This is my fav theoretical physicist to follow. Just today she posted this thought I'd share it.

She always tires to find a way to explain in simple terms, this may seem like an add but the getting to the end is the point and as usual, a way around stuff

In the second video is her view on us mere men mortals lol

 

 

[Freebird]

I'm not sure what that has to do with the discussion of spammers trying to access our site except to say that maybe I am banning legit users that may be using a VPN. Not sure. I will say this though, I use a number of criteria to decide whether or not to ban anybody. I will also say that probably 100% of those who sign up and state that they are from New York, Alabama, and almost everywhere else you can think of but their IP addresses clearly show that they are from China, India, etc., get banned. Is it possible that I occasionally ban a legit member, possible but not likely in my opinion. If people are so paranoid that they falsify their information when signing up, I really don't care that they get banned. I can assure you that very few legit people get banned when I use the multiple criteria that I use. Not only IP addresses but other things also that I won't reveal publicly.

 

I very occasionally get an email from somebody who says that their registration was denied due to being on a spam list. That has never been one that I banned personally but was caught by anti-span software that I have installed. I usually trade a couple of emails with them to verify that they are legit and then set up their account manually. I have never, a single time, received an email from somebody that I personally banned based upon the criteria that I use.

 

I think that I go above and beyond to keep our site free of spammers. I will continue to do so and if I inadvertently ban a potential member then so be it. If they contact me, I will correct it but otherwise, I don't give it another thought. Mine is not a perfect system but it is serving us well.

[Patch]

You must have seen something in the video or know of something that it implies to something that, I just am not aware of.

You know me well enough that if I were to disagree with you or anybody then that is what I would have written.

What I enjoy about Sabina is this woman always finds a way to work thru the mountains standing before her. An example is her mention of inbox and the the sifting thru. Like many of us she finds a humorous approach to dealing with her challenges.

Strings of theories guided by logic and knowledge then shared: is a beautiful thing, is why we typically share "key molecules" as another example.

 

If support for the decision to reject a part of the world that believes their view of us is we're unable to defend our standards and choices then; I know the club knows where and on what side I will be found.

[CaseyJ955]

I feel like a VPN that drops through a Chinese IP range would only benefit someone that is supposed to be in China, and is not. If its happening to us then it's happening to countless other domestic forums too, so it would stand to reason that a Chinese IP would come with a decent amount of roadblocks for North American consumers. My guess (unsupported by any data) is that Chinese IPs would be very unpopular among most VPN users outside China.

 

What I also dont know is if VPN users can select the country or region they want their IP to reflect, or change it up by choice if need be. I want a VPN so badly, sooo very badly, but I cant afford the speed hit, I can barely stream a movie as it is.

[Freebird]

You must have seen something in the video or know of something that it implies to something that, I just am not aware of.

You know me well enough that if I were to disagree with you or anybody then that is what I would have written.

What I enjoy about Sabina is this woman always finds a way to work thru the mountains standing before her. An example is her mention of inbox and the the sifting thru. Like many of us she finds a humorous approach to dealing with her challenges.

Strings of theories guided by logic and knowledge then shared: is a beautiful thing, is why we typically share "key molecules" as another example.

 

If support for the decision to reject a part of the world that believes their view of us is we're unable to defend our standards and choices then; I know the club knows where and on what side I will be found.

 

Nothing in the video at all. I just wondered how it fit in with the discussion about people trying to spam our site. Nothing wrong with the video. When I saw that she works for a VPN provider, it just made me think of the other stuff I posted about. Somebody here had mentioned at some point that you shouldn't ban people based on their IP addresses because they could be using a VPN. I was just saying that the IPS address is only one of a list of criteria that I use. BUT...if the IP address is from China, Pakistan, India, etc., they are typically banned very quickly.

[Freebird]

I feel like a VPN that drops through a Chinese IP range would only benefit someone that is supposed to be in China, and is not. If its happening to us then it's happening to countless other domestic forums too, so it would stand to reason that a Chinese IP would come with a decent amount of roadblocks for North American consumers. My guess (unsupported by any data) is that Chinese IPs would be very unpopular among most VPN users outside China.

 

What I also dont know is if VPN users can select the country or region they want their IP to reflect, or change it up by choice if need be. I want a VPN so badly, sooo very badly, but I cant afford the speed hit, I can barely stream a movie as it is.

 

I agree with you. Don't think that most people would choose an IP address based in China. I have no doubt that the spammers who sign up here with Chinese IP addresses are actually located in China.

[Red Ryder]

Thank You Don!