About these Chinese Bots

[DubWolf 17,263]

So I'm not sure what's happening regarding these bots; is someone/are some people out to get us? It seems innocent and spammy now, but assuming this has continued and will continue, I'm wondering if we'll eventually see more than just Chinese spam....

[strongwilled_pegasus 5,156]

blogs have a plug in called akismet, i wonder if there are any plug ins like that for discussion boards?

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

I report them the moment I notice them, I am hoping the next time staff positions open up, and I apply, I can get it so I can be a better help at keeping the forums clear of these darn bots

[Lunarpalette 2,175]

Oh. I see what the people mean by spam bots now.... Ponies unite to take them out!

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

I've been flagging the shit out of them, and I contacted @PathfinderCS on Discord to let him know.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Think we got em; apologies for that. The dev team knows, but not sure if a solution for this is around the corner, unfortunately.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

3 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

I've been flagging the shit out of them, and I contacted @PathfinderCS on Discord to let him know.

the more people that flag/report them, the more notice that the staff will have about them. Thank you for your contributions

[DubWolf 17,263]

52 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Think we got em; apologies for that. The dev team knows, but not sure if a solution for this is around the corner, unfortunately.

Any intel on where these bots are coming from?

[H0MeBr0nY 62]

when scammers are so desperate they raid a forum dedicated to a show about multicolored horses... that's when you know they've run out of ideas.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

37 minutes ago, Wacko Wolf said:

Any intel on where these bots are coming from?

That's something I'm unaware of, and I doubt anyone else really knows at this point, unfortunately.

[Rikifive 24,183]

Bots like this are common these days.  

 

No need to worry - they're coming to advertise their stuff, such as medical sites (BUY OUR PILLS WITH 30% DISCOUNT!!!) or gaming sites (poker online, for example) etc. etc..
It may seem like harmless spam, but clicking their links actually might bring you problems, so that's a thing to consider. - Don't click anything.  

6 hours ago, Wacko Wolf said:

I'm wondering if we'll eventually see more than just Chinese spam....

Do you mean inappropriate images? Then yep, they totally can appear as well.

[Dark Horse 12,961]

In any case, I appreciate the quick response we get from everyone reporting these bots when they do show. Most of them usually don't manage to clutter the forum up for very long as a result.

We'll keep looking into any feasible solutions for pre-emptively dealing with them in the meantime. Thanks all for your understanding.

3 minutes ago, Rikifive said:

It may seem like harmless spam, but clicking their links actually might bring you problems, so that's a thing to consider. - Don't click anything.

And absolutely this. You never really know what's behind those links, Even if it seems straightforward. Some of them can be cunningly deceptive, so play it safe! Out there be monsters.

[Jeric 46,851]

 

Bot spam is exceedingly common, whether automated or done with manual inclusion. There are bot programs with site vulnerabilities already programmed into the software. It's kinda an arms race too, though diligence has favored web site owners for some time. 

There are ways you can programmatically slow them down, anything from tokens to form fields hidden from real people but visible to the bots. As the Forum staff said, anything not provided to the Administration as a stock solution by IPS needs development.