So it looks like email confirmation for new accounts and ReCAPTCHA for new links are both enabled, but clearly spam is still a problem. Are there any additional measures we can take to cut down on spam?
For the record, if we need to move to a manual approval process for new accounts, I would be willing to help. -Brent On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 08:39:30PM -0400, Gwern Branwen wrote: > I recently moved, and when I returned to the Internet a few days > later, I was greeted with several hundred spam pages in Recent > Changes. The torrent of spam has not let up, and I estimate that I > have blocked 3-500 accounts and deleted as many pages. (I blocked > another 5 or so while composing this email.) Certainly the deletion > and block logs are long enough: > > - > http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=delete&user=&page= > - > http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/index.php?title=Special:Ipblocklist&limit=500 > > I have asked Ashley Yakeley to turn on additional anti-spam measures, > but he has not been active on the wiki since January > (http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Special:Contributions/Ashley_Y > http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/index.php?title=Special:Log&user=Ashley_Y), > and has not replied to my talk messages or accompanying emails. > > I had to do this single-handedly as there are no other administrators. > This took up a good chunk of today and yesterday, and the spam is > continuing. I cannot handle it much longer: it's incredibly tedious > and using up far more time than I have to give it. Measures need to be > taken: > > 1. Email confirmation needs to be checked that Ashley did in fact > enable it. I suspect he did not, since I also administrate the > LessWrong wiki - which I know for certain has email confirmation is > enabled - is being attacked by the same spammers (similar or identical > templates & spam) but at a much reduced scale. > 2. Additional administrators must be created. I suggest: > > - dons > - Magnus Therning > - Neil Mitchell > - byorgey > - Henk-Jan van Tuyl > > I am sure there are others who can be trusted. > 3. Additional bureaucrats should be created. I suggest myself. > 4. ReCAPTCHA enabled for 'edits adding new, unrecognized external > links' - which is all of the spam. Further reading: > http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Combating_spam & > http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Anti-spam_features > 5. if Ashley is inactive, his account may be a security risk. The > English Wikipedia now removes administrator bits after a year of > inactivity; we should consider a similar policy. > > None of these can be taken by myself, as I am neither a sysadmin on > Haskell.org nor a bureaucrat on the wiki. > > If none of these steps are taken and spam continues to remain a > problem in 2 months (15 September 2012), I will cease patrolling > Recent Changes. I no longer have the time or patience. > > -- > gwern > http://www.gwern.net _______________________________________________ Haskell mailing list [email protected] http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell
