Increase in Bot Activity....Just Me?

[Lotsoffishandthings]

Or bots not that evolved yet?

 

[Jexnell]

You’d think they’d post something fish keeping related on a fishkeeping forum then, no?

You would think so, but the forbidden is all that much more tempting. Like when you tell your child not to do something, it's the first thing they do when out of your site....

 

[jjohnwm]

I'm a member of a few forums and none of them have bot activity. If they do have bot activity it just goes to show how good their defences are, because I never see them, they must be zapped instantaneously.

But on here? It's been going on for months. We laugh and joke about it but yesterday's bot attack was nothing to laugh and joke about. At this moment we are at rock bottom.

At the moment I'm in ongoing PM talks with another member regarding my fibreglass tank. I'm seriously thinking of asking them for their phone number so I can get the f**k away from this place!

This ^ absolutely. MFK has insinuated its way into my normal daily routine, and I usually take a peak at it a couple times daily. Another forum, a Canadian one to which I have belonged for almost 20 years, has an Equipment Exchange area that I use extensively, so I check it religiously and much more often than MFK. On that forum, an obvious bot post is a rarity which might be spotted once every few months, and virtually all of them have been fairly inocuous, as opposed to the disgusting stuff that has suddenly appeared here. As often as I visit there, I only spot them if I happen to log on within a few minutes of their appearance. Otherwise, they simply vanish without a trace or a comment. It seems to be done on a completely automatic basis; how much human oversight and management is required to perform this function? And I just now noticed that the other forum also has the Report function in place, although nobody mentions it or discusses having used it.

Why such a difference? Is it truly just a matter of what type of anti-bot security software the two places use? The other forum has recently re-invented itself, using a template that seems to be the same one seen here; Likes, Awards, Conversations, etc. It's way too similar to be anything other than an adaptation or variant of the same "forum kit". So why is a bot such a relative rarity there as opposed to here?

As bad as the bot infection was all along...in the past week or so it seems to have turned into an all-out plague on MFK.

We always have people asking for help, but showing by their actions that they don't really want it. We always have people offering opinions and assistance when by their posts they show that they aren't qualified to give any. Human nature. But this latest twist is really taking the enjoyment out of this site.

 

[jjohnwm]

It is mere vandalism.

Just trying to get someone to actually press one of the links, so then backdoor thier way into your device, get your passwords, empty your bank accounts.

Billions are stolen everyday due to asshat scam hackers

As weird as it seems, I can at least understand the idea that stealing info and thus money is what motivates scammers and hackers. Greed is eternal.

But the idea that people do this as mere vandals, receiving nothing more than whatever warped sense of satisfaction they glean from inconveniencing and infuriating and offending others...is even worse.

 

[AR1]

What

This ^ absolutely. MFK has insinuated its way into my normal daily routine, and I usually take a peak at it a couple times daily. Another forum, a Canadian one to which I have belonged for almost 20 years, has an Equipment Exchange area that I use extensively, so I check it religiously and much more often than MFK. On that forum, an obvious bot post is a rarity which might be spotted once every few months, and virtually all of them have been fairly inocuous, as opposed to the disgusting stuff that has suddenly appeared here. As often as I visit there, I only spot them if I happen to log on within a few minutes of their appearance. Otherwise, they simply vanish without a trace or a comment. It seems to be done on a completely automatic basis; how much human oversight and management is required to perform this function? And I just now noticed that the other forum also has the Report function in place, although nobody mentions it or discusses having used it.

Why such a difference? Is it truly just a matter of what type of anti-bot security software the two places use? The other forum has recently re-invented itself, using a template that seems to be the same one seen here; Likes, Awards, Conversations, etc. It's way too similar to be anything other than an adaptation or variant of the same "forum kit". So why is a bot such a relative rarity there as opposed to here?

As bad as the bot infection was all along...in the past week or so it seems to have turned into an all-out plague on MFK.

We always have people asking for help, but showing by their actions that they don't really want it. We always have people offering opinions and assistance when by their posts they show that they aren't qualified to give any. Human nature. But this latest twist is really taking the enjoyment out of this site.

You shouldn't have made fun of them in the first place… lol

 

[troublesum]

I have a little bit of experience in marketing especially google guaranteed, google maps, addwords.
I think between the lawsuit the name Monster MFK scores high when googled certain key words
As most know or have seen, open up a google browser type in my fish is sick and MFK pops up on the first page
Which is a good thing and bad i know companies pay google $1000 to show up on the first page.
My company is a top google rated company each phone call we receive from google costs $150 per click

 

[Backfromthedead]

Im a naturally suspicious person and so have come to the immediate conclusion that MFK is being targeted for hacking by competing fish forums and/or disgruntled former members that we may have collectively served.

Lol, but troublesum probably right, MFK is one of the larger web presences among fish forums, not surprised were getting hit in our leaderless state.

 

[RD.]

Im a naturally suspicious person and so have come to the immediate conclusion that MFK is being targeted for hacking by competing fish forums and/or disgruntled former members that we may have collectively served.

Lol, but troublesum probably right, MFK is one of the larger web presences among fish forums, not surprised were getting hit in our leaderless state.

I think it may be the former. I can even think of someone who left (after suspension) not so long ago that may very well be behind all of this. Maybe not, just thinking out loud. MFK has always had bots/spam due to it's web presence, but it seems to have really ramped up not long after this person left.

 

[jjohnwm]

Im a naturally suspicious person and so have come to the immediate conclusion that MFK is being targeted for hacking by competing fish forums and/or disgruntled former members that we may have collectively served.

Lol, but troublesum probably right, MFK is one of the larger web presences among fish forums, not surprised were getting hit in our leaderless state.

I think it may be the former. I can even think of someone who left (after suspension) not so long ago that may very well be behind all of this. Maybe not, just thinking out loud. MFK has always had bots/spam due to it's web presence, but it seems to have really ramped up not long after this person left.

I honestly can't decide if this is a reasonable and simple explanation for what's going on...or if it's a bit paranoid. It seems to be painting the world of fishkeeping forums as a world of intrigue and danger...but people do weird things, so...?

RD. , can you provide a name and physical address for this person? It can be made to look like a tragic water-changing accident...

 

[Backfromthedead]

I honestly can't decide if this is a reasonable and simple explanation for what's going on...or if it's a bit paranoid. It seems to be painting the world of fishkeeping forums as a world of intrigue and danger...but people do weird things, so...?

RD. , can you provide a name and physical address for this person? It can be made to look like a tragic water-changing accident...

The child porn thing was suspiciously malicious...ly. kinda crazy to think a bot randomly dropped it here, but idk wth a robot would be into. Nothing good apparently.