Comments on: Automated content scan http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:10:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Search Engines WEB http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-7646 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 02:35:38 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-7646 Scripthost, for years, offered Free - NO ADS Guestbooks and Message Boards.. The abuse got so bad that they finally started charging EVERYONE $20 annually - even if you had an account in good standing for YEARS!!! EVERYONE was abruptly shut down - until they paid to have their sites back on line. If you didn't have a credit card - too bad. So many - once free sites - just couldn't take it any more, and had to end their free services. Google, in fact, has virtually eliminated Guestbooks from their SERPS, in an effort to discourage spamming for rankings. Scripthost, for years, offered Free - NO ADS Guestbooks and Message Boards..

The abuse got so bad that they finally started charging EVERYONE $20 annually - even if you had an account in good standing for YEARS!!!

EVERYONE was abruptly shut down - until they paid to have their sites back on line. If you didn’t have a credit card - too bad.

So many - once free sites - just couldn’t take it any more, and had to end their free services.

Google, in fact, has virtually eliminated Guestbooks from their SERPS, in an effort to discourage spamming for rankings.

]]> by: Administrator http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6372 Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:33:46 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6372 Is there any way to batch check loads of URL's against a specific host to see if they're valid or not? Unfortunately, Ripway serves up a 200 status code even when a site has been terminated, so doing automated scans only relying on status codes won't work. But since all their terminated sites pages are similar, it should be possible to make something that checks what comes back and then flags still active URL's? Is there any way to batch check loads of URL’s against a specific host to see if they’re valid or not?

Unfortunately, Ripway serves up a 200 status code even when a site has been terminated, so doing automated scans only relying on status codes won’t work.

But since all their terminated sites pages are similar, it should be possible to make something that checks what comes back and then flags still active URL’s?

]]> by: Michael Pollitt http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6370 Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:10:22 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6370 Hey Scott...checking some of the 28,100 spammy guestbook entries that have been left using my details, there are several hundred that spam ripway urls. Perhaps your spammer and my spammer are the same? Hey Scott…checking some of the 28,100 spammy guestbook entries that have been left using my details, there are several hundred that spam ripway urls. Perhaps your spammer and my spammer are the same?

]]> by: Michael Pollitt http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6357 Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:45:53 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6357 It's great to see Scott's hosting company is doing something positive about spammers despite the risks. As some of you may know, I've been battling the 'guestbook spammer' for several weeks as he's used my name and e-mail address to spam (resulting in a huge flood of guestbook acknowledgement e-mail to me). I just wish that EV1, where the spammed sites are hosted (the spamming is done from places like Russia), would follow his excellent example. But despite complaining very hard, absolutely nothing has been done. It’s great to see Scott’s hosting company is doing something positive about spammers despite the risks. As some of you may know, I’ve been battling the ‘guestbook spammer’ for several weeks as he’s used my name and e-mail address to spam (resulting in a huge flood of guestbook acknowledgement e-mail to me). I just wish that EV1, where the spammed sites are hosted (the spamming is done from places like Russia), would follow his excellent example. But despite complaining very hard, absolutely nothing has been done.

]]> by: Scott http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6340 Fri, 14 Apr 2006 23:29:38 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6340 Note that we've always been fighting this, we've just never had a way to do much about it until something was reported (this includes phishing too). With thousands of new accounts created each day its just not possible to do a manual review. But in the past we've always responded instantly to spam reports. Sometimes its easy, when we see a spike in signups, to detect a mass account-creation, to run through them and kill them off. But about a week ago, shortly after a mass-deletion of two thousand or so accounts from a single spammer, we were hit with a DoS attack from thousands of zombie PC's across the globe, which nearly took us offline. Luckily, we have a big enough system and the latest high-end Cisco firewalls, and we were able to handle the attack without suffering too much. It was a proud moment, to be able to say that we withstood the attack. But it shows what can happen when you fight these guys. Note that we’ve always been fighting this, we’ve just never had a way to do much about it until something was reported (this includes phishing too). With thousands of new accounts created each day its just not possible to do a manual review. But in the past we’ve always responded instantly to spam reports.

Sometimes its easy, when we see a spike in signups, to detect a mass account-creation, to run through them and kill them off.

But about a week ago, shortly after a mass-deletion of two thousand or so accounts from a single spammer, we were hit with a DoS attack from thousands of zombie PC’s across the globe, which nearly took us offline.

Luckily, we have a big enough system and the latest high-end Cisco firewalls, and we were able to handle the attack without suffering too much. It was a proud moment, to be able to say that we withstood the attack. But it shows what can happen when you fight these guys.

]]> by: Alden Bates http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6339 Fri, 14 Apr 2006 23:22:10 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6339 I got spammed with one on the 11th, but I see it's already been terminated - good job. :) I've been reporting quite a few sites which are on free hosting recently, but sadly a lot of the hosts seem to be taking no action. Zorpia even sent me a reply saying they didn't tolerate spam on their site and would review the accounts I reported, but both accounts are still there. I got spammed with one on the 11th, but I see it’s already been terminated - good job. :)

I’ve been reporting quite a few sites which are on free hosting recently, but sadly a lot of the hosts seem to be taking no action. Zorpia even sent me a reply saying they didn’t tolerate spam on their site and would review the accounts I reported, but both accounts are still there.

]]> by: Scott http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6338 Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:36:09 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2006/04/14/automated-content-scan/#comment-6338 I adjusted our filter for the spamverts you sent - those were easy. We'll keep adding keywords and patterns as they're reported, so yeah, feel free to send more. We have inadvertently closed a few valid accounts, with blog files discussing their personal adventures with viagra, so there is some more to do with the hueristic - but I'd rather kill 1,000 redirect sites and have 1 miss, then do nothing. I adjusted our filter for the spamverts you sent - those were easy. We’ll keep adding keywords and patterns as they’re reported, so yeah, feel free to send more.

We have inadvertently closed a few valid accounts, with blog files discussing their personal adventures with viagra, so there is some more to do with the hueristic - but I’d rather kill 1,000 redirect sites and have 1 miss, then do nothing.

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