I'm guessing this is BOT activity??
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I'm guessing this is BOT activity??
That would be my guess also.
It looks that way... but they were all in the "Registering" phase, and a check on a few of those names shows that they didn't manage to register.
Welcome to our nightmare:wave:
Luckily we have a LOT of filters in place.... An Ex Sister site (webdev) was rebuilt with a beta software and we lost all of the filters etc.... It's a spam magnet.
But even here, there's a member online right now who join September 5, 2018 ...... Never posted till today and BOOM... Filters marked the post as spam and needed Site Staff approval...
I'm always shocked at how MUCH spam is really out there. We see a fair amount, but it really isn't the tip of the iceberg, since icebergs float relatively high in the water. We likely don't see 0.1% of the spam.
And they are sneaky.... Does anyone see the URL I placed in the quote?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
Six million dollar question, does a hidden URL still have "Juice?" Meaning will bots still pick it up or do people have to click on it?
Does anyone know if info in vBulletin User Profiles can be "Googled?"
I'm used to spotting that for new users, but wouldn't have looked in your posts (if you had bad intentions, you'd create far bigger issues than links!).Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve R Jones
People are very unlikely to click them, I think the aim is getting search engines to find them - which is unlikely to work with that technique (and techniques that are likely to be picked up by search engines are also much easier for us to spot and stop).Quote:
Six million dollar question, does a hidden URL still have "Juice?" Meaning will bots still pick it up or do people have to click on it?
I have been told in the past that they can't, but don't rely on my old and second-hand knowledge. :)Quote:
Does anyone know if info in vBulletin User Profiles can be "Googled?"
VBF has 138 members that have the exact same phrase in their Biography that reads->
I am expert in web developer
The first several accounts were created in 2013.... The most recent was November 2022. They never made or post OR came back to the site.... Most of the sister sites have the same type of members.
VERY WEIRD
I am a bit confused. What would be the purpose to create an account by a bot and not use it to post adds or links to some commercial stuff?
Your guess will be as good as any:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Delaney
That's why I'm wondering if vBulletin User Profiles can be "Googled?" Maybe the BOT maker thinks the info can be handy... There user profiles ALL have a URL in the Home Page line of the profile.
I'm just waiting for the day when bots start posting stuff that is actually useful. A bot well-skilled in VB6 or an AI that is able to answer real questions based upon the combined knowledge of VBforums.
With ChatGPT showing the power of AI, it is clear that bots are going to get more intelligent. I can see posts happening now based on that technology that will be solid technical comments and possibly even responses to questions that are made without a human being involved. The irony will be when the bots start responding to the bots.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by yereverluvinuncleber
My guess is that there are "schools" out there teaching this stuff and VBF is one of the targets recommended as homework.
Interestingly, there have been two (that I've noticed, perhaps more) crypto spam posts recently by accounts with just a few total posts, but have been around since 2017. So, accounts getting created now could just be dormant placeholders for future nonsense.
I often tell myself I've seen it all... And it does seem very weird for an account that is more then two years old, suddenly become active and post spam.
I've always thought it was crazy to post spam in the Feedback section... In theory, if there is a Site Staff person, they will always check the Feedback section and read all new posts.
And they probably post homework questions here, lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by dilettante