...life can be translucent

Menu

About this topic!

hilary

Administrator
Joined
Apr 8, 1970
Messages
19,149
Reaction score
3,418
This is meant as a place for book reviews, good links, site reviews, and announcements of new publications. How does that sound? (And can anyone think of a more descriptive title?)

I've added it now so I'll know what URL the board creates for it, and can add this to the navigation for the new site!

Posting is for Friends only, as a simple anti-spam precaution. My fellow diviners are welcome to post links to their own sites, provided there's something there of real interest besides an order form
wink.gif
.

Looking forward to some good recommendations to browse during my holiday
happy.gif
 

Sparhawk

One of those men your mother warned you about...
Clarity Supporter
Joined
Sep 17, 1971
Messages
5,120
Reaction score
107
Hi Hilary,

Most likely you are talking to a machine that is scanning the forum Subjects for old messages and trying to post automatically to them. It finds the bump of username and password and stops there. The interesting thing is that Discuss is posting the rejection notice.

Also, the scanning-posting program is likely accessing your Discuss posting files directly, that is, bypassing the web page and accessing your cgi-bin directory or the Discuss directory (how, since it uses a random name, I don't have a clue). I would check with the Discuss people about this problem and how to solve spam issues. Some of those rejection messages are posted by online casinos and such.

People that have blogs are familiar with this issue a receive tons of spam comments. I do on a daily basis and is a pain to weed all out, even changing suggested configurations.

Sorry I don't have much else to offer.

Luis
 

hilary

Administrator
Joined
Apr 8, 1970
Messages
19,149
Reaction score
3,418
Thanks, Luis,

I thought it must be a machine, as all 21 posts (hooray :-|) were made at the same time. I think they were all to areas that still allowed Anon posting, so I've removed the option. Hopefully that will keep the critter at bay.

I'm pretty sure the cgi-bin is inaccessible to passing software. The Discus data directory might be less well-protected - though like you say, there is that random name. But it's still very creepy indeed.
 

Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom

Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).

Top