Author Topic: Tools & Information for room hosts to hinder chat spam & proxy users (Read 28057 times)

Pri · « **Reply #20 on:** March 26, 2013, 06:57:41 pm »

Can this thread be deleted please? Thanks.

GhostShip · « **Reply #21 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:07:03 pm »

I'm not seeing patience here.

Pri · « **Reply #22 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:08:46 pm »

I'd prefer it was just removed, people know where to get the software if they want it, this thread is unnecessary.

I request it to be erased, thanks.

GhostShip · « **Reply #23 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:15:12 pm »

I wont be removing it as I want folks to have a chance to protect their rooms, I thought you also wanted that.

I'll ask Silicon to look at this thread and speak to you in PM as I think you are being a bit hotheaded but its not for us to force your post to remain here if thats what you really want.

Pri · « **Reply #24 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:18:10 pm »

I want people to protect their rooms also it's just this has happened a few times before like when I posted Pulse Protection and IMDB. I just don't wan't to be defending the stuff I make all the time, if people want it they know where to get it the software is pretty well established and many hosts who are tied in to the community know what it is and where to get it.

The main reason I made this thread was for those who maybe didn't know about it but yeah I just don't want to be defending it. The source code is there for all to see, very well commented so there's no confusion.

GhostShip · « **Reply #25 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:24:30 pm »

I fully understand that Pri, as you point out I was happy to make a whole page based around your last effort to help the users and look forward to doing so again when I have a few minutes to spare from my main work here.

You have set out your stall rather well and delivered on the fine details asked of you by those with concerns so tbh If I where you I would rest on my laurels and let the fruits of your efforts speak for themselves.

Pri · « **Reply #26 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:26:43 pm »

Also I just want to reply again and explain something else.

This guy the one spamming, I know who he is. He used to be a user of my chat room but he was banned for threatening behavior. I feel somewhat responsible for this rampage he is going on because it started a year ago and he is dragging more and more people in to it. In some of the messages he spams he tells people to come to my room and then I get hosts coming to me and saying hey why are you spamming my room for? And I have to explain to them it isn't me, it is this guy.

He has made threats against my administrators, he has posted their real names and what he thought were their addresses in to his messages, he has threatened their children and their grandchildren's lives he has DDoS'd my home line and my shared hosting account, in-fact on Sunday it was my daughters first birthday and while we are at the Zoo he is DDoSing my website so hard that my hosting company closed my account. It took the rest of the day and lots of phone calls to convince them to turn it back on and then yesterday (Monday) he tried it again and I had to use a DDoS mitigation service just to keep my websites (MXpulse, RenMX.com etc) online.

So I posted these fixes on here the other day, after trialing them against his spam for the last week or so. He turned to the DDoS attacks because these tools I made worked and he couldn't spam our room affectively. I also host the Help 4 Your PC room which is owned and run by Niko, he spams that room too and that too was protected.

When I read here that people said to you that they think it is me behind this spamming I was seriously shocked but really I was angry because all I've tried to do this whole time is stop this one guy. I provided these tools because I know he is now going after other rooms not just mine and I just wanted to help.

It has been a very stressful week.

GhostShip · « **Reply #27 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:41:28 pm »

I,m 100% sure your work will be appreciated, and I agree its nearly always the case that those who know how to deal with the attackers feel a moral duty to do so and are often the first to jump in and try to put a stop to such mindless activity, no one can fault you for anything you have done so far and I offer my thanks for taking the time to explain much of the key reasonings behind the creation of this solution, the logic of it is clear and acceptable to me at least.

Pri · « **Reply #28 on:** March 26, 2013, 07:52:52 pm »

Thank you for your kind words it means a lot to me that you think that way. I hope people will find it useful if they need it too.

You know making these solutions has painted a big target on my back, even going back to 2009 when I first released it I have been under constant attack by spammers and people who want to make a name for themselves by coming in to my room and defeating the solution I provide. It is amazing how much of a life some of these people lack to be able to just sit around for hours coming up with these automated spamming programs for entertainment.

reef · « **Reply #29 on:** March 26, 2013, 08:43:51 pm »

I also think it's commendable that you take the time and effort to provide an option that can help alleviate these annoying spammers who
try to ruin everyones chat experiences and fun with friends.I fully understand that your API's are needed for greater efficiency and to make things run smoother , i ran the proxy script for quite a long time, from it's early days up until a year ago or maybe slightly longer. Anyways i can understand peoples concerns about the possible invasion of privacy, but since (with the proxy script) it's not the users real details i don't see it being that big of an issue myself, and i give you credit Pri for caring enough and continuing to provide scripts, when it sometimes seems it's not worth the hassle due to somebody always having a gripe about something. That's the main reason why i gave up posting scripts, i'm not saying i was that great at it but i sure did get tired of all the BS that goes along with it. So keep up the good work it's appreciated by a lot of hosts and winmxer's out there. Currently i personally don't use any of your scripts, but it's nice to know they're out there if needed, and i admire your coding, i even borrow bits and pieces of it sometimes lol

Hmm actually i lie now that i think of it, i do use your wiki script lol. Thanks and again keep up the good work.

Pri · « **Reply #30 on:** March 26, 2013, 09:11:49 pm »

Thank you reef

And I think it is great that you make use of the stuff I release, makes all those comments I put in there worthwhile atleast

White Stripes · « **Reply #31 on:** March 26, 2013, 11:46:11 pm »

your peerblock lists will not download (as of this post) ... server timeout error...

Pri · « **Reply #32 on:** March 26, 2013, 11:51:17 pm »

I just tested all three of them after reading your post and they are working for me. However if you're using a Proxy Server, Bad Server/Vulnerable Server, Exploited Server or a server in Russia, South Korea, India or China then the requests will get denied and you won't be able to download them.

Are you able to load this: http://metis.mxpulse.com/script.compatibility.ini

It is hosted on the same server, if that works it must be something else.

White Stripes · « **Reply #33 on:** March 27, 2013, 12:11:10 am »

that url loads but http://blocklists.mxpulse.com/pri.bad.server.blocklist.php does not

Pri · « **Reply #34 on:** March 27, 2013, 12:13:16 am »

If you're loading that in your browser it may not work as it's very large. Several megabytes, the PHP will time out in 30 seconds if you've not got it by then. I recommend only loading that list in Peerblock as it can very quickly download it but viewing it inside your browser will take a very long time. I myself am not even able to load that list in my browser without the tab crashing/locking up.

White Stripes · « **Reply #35 on:** March 27, 2013, 12:16:30 am »

well... answers that question.. heh

Pri · « **Reply #36 on:** March 30, 2013, 11:22:15 pm »

Everyone this is an alert. Please stop using the Bad Server Blocklist immediately. The spammer has managed to get my own IP Address, the WinMX Peer Cache IP's and many other IP's in to that list by submitting fraudulent server reports to StopForumSpam.com - What htis means is by using this list your WinMX client will not connect nor will you be able to update the list itself.

I'm very sorry for this as I did not see this eventuation. I have already disabled the list on my side and I am acting immediately to change the IP of where the list resides to make sure that your Peerblocks will update to a new (and blank) list. I am going to stop offering the Bad Server Blocklist due to this way it has been exploited.

Again my apologies.

Pri · « **Reply #37 on:** March 30, 2013, 11:54:42 pm »

Just to update this it actually appears that he added every room that is being hosted to StopForumSpam by making fraudulent queries claiming all the IP's were sending spam. This is incredibly frustrating for all concerned. This is in addition to him also adding all the WinMX Peer Caches, my own update servers and other things.

I am completely stopping use of any API IP harvesters that I don't personally control as of my last post because I just cannot be assured the one spamming and attacking isn't meddling with the data.

I have already changed the IP of the update server for the Bad Server Blocklist so that Peerblock will at least update to a blank list which doesn't contain anyones IP's - It may take up to 48 hours before your Peerblock gets that update, I would advise you to just remove the Bad Server Blocklist from your Peerblock right now if you're reading this message instead of waiting as that blocklist itself will no longer be used from now on.

silicon_toad2000 · « **Reply #38 on:** March 31, 2013, 12:37:54 am »

could the automated lists still be used as they were in conjunction with a whitelist?

would it be difficult to automate a conversion for the room hashes from winmxunlimited to IP's for a whiltelist with the caches manually added?

Pri · « **Reply #39 on:** March 31, 2013, 12:40:08 am »

The Proxy Blocker List and the Tor Exit Node list are safe to keep using. This is only for the Bad Server Blocklist where the source data was being provided by a source that has no way to verify their entries.

I check the Proxy Blocker IP's to make sure they are actually working proxies and the Tor Exit Nodes come straight from Tor so they actually have to be active inside their network which he can't spoof.

I have already changed the IP of the Bad Server Blocklist and once peoples DNS update they will receive a new (and blank) update from me to undo the incorrect blocks he has been able to insert in to that blocklist.