Wikiposts
Search
Computer/Internet Issues & Troubleshooting Anyone with questions about the terribly complex world of computers or the internet should try here. NOT FOR REPORTING ISSUES WITH PPRuNe FORUMS! Please use the subforum "PPRuNe Problems or Queries."

PPRUNE Spam

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 8th Jan 2007, 10:34
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: England
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Angry PPRUNE Spam

Recently I have started to get spam sent to the email address that I only ever used to register at PPRUNE.

Has anyone else had that problem?

Who should I aggratvate about this?

EG
ExGrunt is offline  
Old 8th Jan 2007, 16:45
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, EU
Posts: 3,443
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by ExGrunt
Who should I aggratvate about this?
I wouldn't dream of trying.

Even if you travelled to Russia or whever and managed to find the spammers, you'd probably find that they were handier with guns or whatever than you, and you might find that you never came home.
Gertrude the Wombat is offline  
Old 8th Jan 2007, 16:59
  #3 (permalink)  
Recidivist
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 1,239
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You seem to be implying or claiming that Pprune is responsible for your spam.

Unless you have been specially selected, I would very much doubt this.

I have never received spam on the address registered here.
frostbite is offline  
Old 10th Jan 2007, 08:33
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: France
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I continually get PPRuNe spam; an address I never use externally. Therefore the implication is that the email addresses were harvested in the past from PPRuNe (a common enough ploy by spammers).
matelot is offline  
Old 10th Jan 2007, 09:51
  #5 (permalink)  

Just another seat number
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NW UK
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I posted a thread about this a while ago. I get spam on a PPRuNe only address - which has not been made public. It's either been grabbed from here, or from the mailservers at 1&1 - my domain host.

It has never, ever, been shared or published. It doesn't even "exist" in the true sense - I have a catchall account for <anything>@mydomain.com. The good news is that I can change the address as necessary and tweak the spam filter once it gets rumbled.
Land After is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 10:17
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 1997
Location: UK
Posts: 7,737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Errr,
We show e-mails as an in line graphic, if you look behind the scenes by pulling up the raw coded page you can see email addresses are also encrypted. So, we stop the spybots and automated harvesters.

However, each complainer has chosen, has actually opted to make their e-mail address available to other users. You can check for youself by holding the mouse down over the username - try both matelot and Land After as examples.
If people chose to accept e-mail from others and there are low wage economies where they will go through the angst of stripping the contact details there's not a lot else we can do.

The reality however is that is not terribly cost effective and ISP's have a serious problem with staff, errr boosting their incomes.

Stables and bolted doors and all that: You can change your userCp up near the top of every page to block your email from being available to others. Personally I'd destroy the problem email address from your system, get a new address, go into userCP and change them over. At the same time check that you don't have the option for others to e-mail you selected.

Regards
Rob
PPRuNe Towers is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 13:15
  #7 (permalink)  
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 18,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You can check for youself by holding the mouse down over the username - try both matelot and Land After as examples.
- I think that is an 'admin's function', PPT and I do not see any email addresses through that route at my level, and of course at 'user's level' they will never see one. My understanding of the PPRune 'email a user' function is that the address remains hidden by the software?

One option we have, of course, ignored is that a trojan could be sitting on the relevant user's computer and is passing the email address to all its 'friends'.
BOAC is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 14:29
  #8 (permalink)  

PPRuNe Handmaiden
 
Join Date: Feb 1997
Location: Duit On Mon Dei
Posts: 4,672
Received 46 Likes on 24 Posts
BOAC,

When the mouse is over the username, click. Voila, all is revealed.
redsnail is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 15:20
  #9 (permalink)  
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 18,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
.............you see an email address? What do you see for mine?
BOAC is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 15:52
  #10 (permalink)  

PPRuNe Handmaiden
 
Join Date: Feb 1997
Location: Duit On Mon Dei
Posts: 4,672
Received 46 Likes on 24 Posts
I can't see your email but I can send you one.

Hmm, I wonder how the bots are doing it then? It would be a time consuming task to click on the links and send an email.
redsnail is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 16:07
  #11 (permalink)  


Moderator
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Orlando, Florida
Age: 68
Posts: 2,586
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Likewise - I can't "see" your e-mail address, but can send you one.

So the "hover over name and click" function is not available to all.
Keygrip is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 16:09
  #12 (permalink)  
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 18,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Exactly!
My understanding of the PPRune 'email a user' function is that the address remains hidden by the software?
It may be that PPT and Danny and other admins can actually 'see' the email address (would that explain the new cars.......?) but I suspect the real reason for the spam is far simpler.

This topic arises every now and then as you can see from the list at the page bottom.
BOAC is offline  
Old 11th Jan 2007, 17:41
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Sussex
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have a charity domain name email address that gets huge amounts of spam. The address is only used for charity work. All my other addresses are fine even the one used for this site. My 'man who does the technical bit' can't make head nor tail out of it either.
Mr Grumps is offline  
Old 12th Jan 2007, 08:51
  #14 (permalink)  

Just another seat number
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NW UK
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by PPRuNe Towers
Errr,
We show e-mails as an in line graphic, if you look behind the scenes by pulling up the raw coded page you can see email addresses are also encrypted. So, we stop the spybots and automated harvesters.
However, each complainer has chosen, has actually opted to make their e-mail address available to other users. You can check for youself by holding the mouse down over the username - try both matelot and Land After as examples.
If people chose to accept e-mail from others and there are low wage economies where they will go through the angst of stripping the contact details there's not a lot else we can do.
The reality however is that is not terribly cost effective and ISP's have a serious problem with staff, errr boosting their incomes.
Stables and bolted doors and all that: You can change your userCp up near the top of every page to block your email from being available to others. Personally I'd destroy the problem email address from your system, get a new address, go into userCP and change them over. At the same time check that you don't have the option for others to e-mail you selected.
Regards
Rob
I can't see an email for me, or matelot, with the mouse hover. I suspect that this is a mod facility in the BB software, more so as I have the "Accept mail from mods" box ticked.

The "send email" function does not have an address in the raw source either. Sending a mail from this form should preserve the anonymity of the receiver, though the senders email will be exposed when the mail arrives. This mail send does not use the senders normal mail client.

It's a work of seconds for me to create another PPRuNe address. If I need to turn off my acceptance of mails because holes in the BB software, so be it. If there is a problem with the security of PPRuNe address with options in the CP, perhaps a gentle warning it that area. It may save a few with only one email address getting swamped.
Land After is offline  
Old 12th Jan 2007, 08:55
  #15 (permalink)  

Just another seat number
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NW UK
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Mr Grumps
I have a charity domain name email address that gets huge amounts of spam. The address is only used for charity work. All my other addresses are fine even the one used for this site. My 'man who does the technical bit' can't make head nor tail out of it either.
My theory is that you have sent a mail to a contact who uses Outlook. They have saved your address in their address book. The address book has subsequently been harvested by a bot and your email address sent on to a spam list.
The best way to tackle spam is to own your own domain and use multiple addresses. Otherwise, I find that SpamSieve does an excellent job, though it is for Macs.
Land After is offline  
Old 12th Jan 2007, 09:20
  #16 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: England
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by PPRuNe Towers
Stables and bolted doors and all that: You can change your userCp up near the top of every page to block your email from being available to others. Personally I'd destroy the problem email address from your system, get a new address, go into userCP and change them over. At the same time check that you don't have the option for others to e-mail you selected.
Regards
Rob
Rob,

Thanks for pointing this out to me - Hopefully this will solve the issue. Although I am not sure I ever opted in for it nevertheless I will just put it down to experience.

Thanks

EG
ExGrunt is offline  
Old 12th Jan 2007, 10:56
  #17 (permalink)  
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 18,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ExG - be aware that I do not think it will solve your problem, as your email address is NOT directly available through PPRune to anyone other than mods.
BOAC is offline  
Old 12th Jan 2007, 16:21
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My theory is that you have sent a mail to a contact who uses Outlook. They have saved your address in their address book. The address book has subsequently been harvested by a bot and your email address sent on to a spam list.

I am sure that is the reason. I don't see how anybody (robot or human) could extract somebody's email address from pprune.

For what it's worth, I get zero spam to my pprune address, but get thousands of spams per day to other aliases on that domain.
IO540 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.