This spam thing is killing me.

[Divisive Cotton]

Originally Posted by argh2xxx

If you are using apache server, just install mod_secure and I believed that this mod is actually help your server prevents spams somewhat. Just remember to go to Got Root : Welcome and copy the rules to insert into the mod_secure's configuration file. Restart httpd or apache2 after you save the configuration file. Hope this help.

Mod_secure also helps you prevent php's injections, mysql injections, remote attack, command line attack, and so on... Depend on your server setting and your scripts, if you use the exact rule sets on gotroot.com you may encounter a problem such as it's impossible for things to run smoothly, and so I suggest you copy and paste only necessary rules that work with your server's environment well.

Don't blame me if you configure the mod wrong and don't know how to install the mod correctly, and render your server useless, you have been warned! Just google up for more info.

My advice with this is, if you rent server space, email your host and ask them to do it for you - you may also find that that it is already installed.

[Divisive Cotton]

Originally Posted by blaze

Bad Behavior was a ROYAL PAIN IN THE ARSE for me. I had it on my Joomla site last year and yes, it did stopped all robots, that's for sure... including Technorati, Yahoo and any other bots dropping by from being pinged. My feedburner feeds went from good to none after a few short weeks of installing the thing. I have no idea what happened, but it wasn't only me, as many Joomla site owners were complaining about it and ditched it altogether.

I am not sure if it was a bug or not, but what a nightmare it is if they didn't fix it. But damn, Bad Behavior does work, that's for sure! (Ha!) Just be cautious when using it and be watchful for your site, feed reads, pings, etc.

Does anyone know if they actually fixed it and if it runs better now? It waaaaay too sensitive back then.

Edit: Just tested Bad Behavior again on Pligg and it's still waaaaaaaaay too sensitive. I couldn't register because it flagged my IP ADDRESS as a possible spammer. This is the problem with it - it's just too sensitive and will flag ANY IP Address on the blacklist. If your ISP had a spammer on it (which most do), and it got reported, Bad Behavior won't allow you to register. Be cautious if using this on any site.

I did use Bad Behaviour when it first appeared on Joomla, and I then uninstalled it because it was too sensitive.
But that was about a year ago - I don't know if it has improved since then (although you say it hasn't)

[davemackey]

I still think Akismet is an optimal solution.

[Jefferey]

Is the spam occurring in the comments sections??

[finalwebsites]

Hi Jefferey,

most of the spam is about new submissions. I added some captcha to the registration but this doesn't help. I think those spammer will register manually and post the links with a kind of bot.

In my case I approve the good submissions (once a day) first and disapprove the others with some sql statement quick and dirty but much faster

[Yankidank]

AshDigg is working on an askimeet-based solution to help reduce spam. Keep tuned...

[The Humanaught]

Just an update from my end. I've killed all captcha crap (none of the captcha stuff did a thing to cut down on spam).

I've implemented a simple (somewhat easily changeable) question and answer verification in the registration process. This has cut down on quite a bit of the spam. It does require that I change the question about once a week as spammers eventually see their stuff isn't getting submitted and come to the site to figure out why.

I agree that Akismet is a great way to go.

[Divisive Cotton]

I see you've got spam on your site now - that PR6 must be very tempting for spammers.

Your solution must surely be the way to go - a question that can be written by the webmaster rather than a capatcha.

[bbrian017]

Originally Posted by Yankidank

AshDigg is working on an askimeet-based solution to help reduce spam. Keep tuned...

This is great because I foresee my site getting hit by the same issues.

Thanks Ash!

[richrf]

Originally Posted by Divisive Cotton

I did use Bad Behaviour when it first appeared on Joomla, and I then uninstalled it because it was too sensitive.
But that was about a year ago - I don't know if it has improved since then (although you say it hasn't)

Hi,

I do not have any experience with the Joomla implementation of Bad Behavior, but I have considerable experience with the Wordpress implementation.

It is true, that Bad Behavior is sensitive and could block legitimate visitors. However, for sites with lots of visitors, it is almost imperative to have this type of capability available.

For a while, I turned off Bad Behavior and just relied on Akismet. This setup was fine, until a spammer targeted my site (I know who it was). The bots were bombarding my site and overwhelming Akismet. The only solution was to turn Bad Behavior on again to stop the bots at the door, dead in their tracks.

It is very easy for a bot (or spammer) to target a site and bring it down. Given all the work it takes to build a site, and the necessity to keep a site up and running once it is deployed, it is imperative that a Bad Behavior solution be in place. Otherwise, I could lose my site and all of my work within a matter of seconds without any notice. Too big of a risk for me. This is why lots of large Wordpress sites rely on a combination of Akismet and Bad Behavior.

Rich