Registrations currently disabled
- crfriend
- Master Barista
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Registrations currently disabled
It looks like we're under attack from the Russians at the moment and my e-mail inbox is getting hammered by bounced e-mails from would-be users from Russia. Thus, in an act nearing desperation, I have temporarily disabled new-user registrations in an attempt to stem the flow.
I'll turn it back on in a couple of days once the storm has passed.
I'll turn it back on in a couple of days once the storm has passed.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
I don't see what's the point with bothering that way a site like this one. Sad to read.
I wish you that it will cease soon and won't start again later!
I wish you that it will cease soon and won't start again later!
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Geopolitics knows no boundaries.
In any event, I likely have a couple of aces up my sleeve -- and a big bag of tools.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Re: Registrations currently disabled
I seem to remember this had to be done with China, about 10 (+/-) years ago.
The "Spammers" got so bad, you had to BLOCK the entire countries IP addresses.
Now, it seems like the "Sexperts" from Russia, are realizing that they can't peddle their
wares on/at Skirt Cafe', are trying different 'venues' to get their viewpoint out to the world.
And it's not just "Sexperts", the spammers are pushing anything, from cell phones to wall
paper. I have no problem with anyone trying to promote their business but - PLEASE - when
posting on an English speaking site, USE English. If not, that's an automatic block of the poster.
Now, back to your regular scheduled programming
Uncle Al
The "Spammers" got so bad, you had to BLOCK the entire countries IP addresses.
Now, it seems like the "Sexperts" from Russia, are realizing that they can't peddle their
wares on/at Skirt Cafe', are trying different 'venues' to get their viewpoint out to the world.
And it's not just "Sexperts", the spammers are pushing anything, from cell phones to wall
paper. I have no problem with anyone trying to promote their business but - PLEASE - when
posting on an English speaking site, USE English. If not, that's an automatic block of the poster.
Now, back to your regular scheduled programming
Uncle Al
Kilted Organist/Musician
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Some of those tactics are still in place, and it's sad that they had to be put in. In addition to virtually all of the "large" netblocks in China, several large data-centres in the US had to be blocked as they were very spammer friendly (in other words, vacant in their jobs) and a couple of other small countries went in as well.
I freely admit that's ham-fisted, but sometimes it needs to be done so we don't spend all our time dealing with trash. Russia is very close to gettting the same treatment, but Russia is busted up into hundreds of little tiny netblocks thanks to the Cold War, and that makes it a problem to deal with. Face it, the admins and the mods need some downtime just as much as any other human.
The full registration shutdown is going to last only until I can think of a work-around.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
- Fred in Skirts
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Are you a robot? Then use some sort of data based photos for them to have to solve before they even get to the registration area. Maybe that would help.
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
I tried that in the past and found out that humans are not as good as robots in figuring the things out -- in fact I got several complaints, especially from older guys, they they couldn't work them because of vision problems, hence I dropped the notion.Fred in Skirts wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 7:48 pmAre you a robot? Then use some sort of data based photos for them to have to solve before they even get to the registration area. Maybe that would help.
What I'm likely to do tomorrow is to use today's access logs to pick out registration attempts, look up the IP addresses from them, and make a decision based on the findings therefrom. I like old-school solutions to old-world problems, and this can likely be boiled down to precisely that.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
I appreciate all that you and the other mods do to maintain this website.
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Well, I turned things back on earlier this morning and the abuse started almost immediately with 70+ new "registrations" -- all from Russia -- in the span of about an hour and a half. This was localised down to 5 netblocks, all of which are now prohibited from accessing the site at all.
Researching the thing a bit further, I found that to completely block the Russian Federation would take over 7,000 lines of verbiage in the configuration files, and that'd tax the web-server so I'm targetting the bad actors individually. I'm actually surprised the list of miscreants is so small considering there's a war on.
Researching the thing a bit further, I found that to completely block the Russian Federation would take over 7,000 lines of verbiage in the configuration files, and that'd tax the web-server so I'm targetting the bad actors individually. I'm actually surprised the list of miscreants is so small considering there's a war on.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Re: Registrations currently disabled
So I’m just a curious bugger. Why? What’s the deal with them asking to be part of skirt cafe? Is there so nefarious thing that these people could gain from this? I’m not completely computer illiterate but I just don’t see what their purpose is? Can one of you computer experts enlighten me?crfriend wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2023 4:56 pm Well, I turned things back on earlier this morning and the abuse started almost immediately with 70+ new "registrations" -- all from Russia -- in the span of about an hour and a half. This was localised down to 5 netblocks, all of which are now prohibited from accessing the site at all.
Researching the thing a bit further, I found that to completely block the Russian Federation would take over 7,000 lines of verbiage in the configuration files, and that'd tax the web-server so I'm targetting the bad actors individually. I'm actually surprised the list of miscreants is so small considering there's a war on.
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
1) We have never had so many as even one valid user from Russia
2) All of the accounts have obviously bot-generated names
3) Most of the e-mail accounts are blatantly multi-dot obfuscations of g-mail addresses
4) These things clutter up the main database
5) We were starting to get regarded as a spamming site by the indications of the mail logs I saw yesterday.
6) Anything else?
2) All of the accounts have obviously bot-generated names
3) Most of the e-mail accounts are blatantly multi-dot obfuscations of g-mail addresses
4) These things clutter up the main database
5) We were starting to get regarded as a spamming site by the indications of the mail logs I saw yesterday.
6) Anything else?
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Re: Registrations currently disabled
Not sure if you were answering my inquiry or not.crfriend wrote: ↑Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:03 am 1) We have never had so many as even one valid user from Russia
2) All of the accounts have obviously bot-generated names
3) Most of the e-mail accounts are blatantly multi-dot obfuscations of g-mail addresses
4) These things clutter up the main database
5) We were starting to get regarded as a spamming site by the indications of the mail logs I saw yesterday.
6) Anything else?
I’m wondering why are they doing this not what does it do to the site.
What’s the advantage to the person who started the bot in terms of making so many accounts in this cafe?
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Here are a few:
- To scam other people out of personal information
- To spam the site with links to affiliate sites where they might earn a small commission
- To get an account and then hack the site when a vulnerability is discovered (some vulnerabilities of web systems require access to certain parts of a site)
- crfriend
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Also, in case anybody hasn't noticed:
1) There's a war on, and the United States is in it by proxy against the Russians.
2) Russia has always been a hotbed for this sort of shady activity
Now, in the unlikely event that this is tangentially related to the current war, it's merely an annoyance, and the security tactics I use are more than capable of dealing with it, and a scalpel works a lot better than a chain-saw for precision work. I shut down six moderate-size netblocks and the problem has vanished.
To the second point, the USA does not have its hands clean in this, either, and there are several US netblocks for large data-centres that are in the "Deny" list as well.
1) There's a war on, and the United States is in it by proxy against the Russians.
2) Russia has always been a hotbed for this sort of shady activity
Now, in the unlikely event that this is tangentially related to the current war, it's merely an annoyance, and the security tactics I use are more than capable of dealing with it, and a scalpel works a lot better than a chain-saw for precision work. I shut down six moderate-size netblocks and the problem has vanished.
To the second point, the USA does not have its hands clean in this, either, and there are several US netblocks for large data-centres that are in the "Deny" list as well.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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Re: Registrations currently disabled
Well done Carl. Thank you.