I get cluster-bombed by a spammer; undoing the damage takes up all of my blogging time today
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 9:56AM ;)
When I got up this morning and came out to check up on the online world, I was amazed to open up my email and see that a huge, huge, number of comments had come into my blog, dropped in all over the place. They were all spam, from someone claiming to sell football jerseys with links back to his site - a phishing site.
So I had to go through and remove every one. I have no more time left to blog today.
I have always resisted the idea of putting filters on my comments and have just left them open so that anyone could leave a comment at any time without having to type in any kind of code like you see on so many sites and without having to wait for my approval to see their comment appear.
For the most part, this has worked well. From time to time, a bit of spam has worked its way in but the numbers have been small enough that it was not that difficult to remove.
As bad and time consuming as today's cluster-bombing was, it occurs to me that it could be much worse, that the robot that did this could probably do the same to every single post that I have ever put up and multiple times - and could just keep them coming. It could create a situation that would be almost impossible to deal with.
So, sadly, with great reluctance, I have decided that I must put some filters up for my comments.
I would also note that yesterday in my statistics I saw a strange pattern emerge, where someone would come to visit from the "Bloggers Choice Awards" site and then would hop about my site, downloading pictures.* Later, the same thing would happen again.
My theory was that this was a very dedicated voter who was downloading pictures from various sites so that s/he could study and compare before casting an informed vote.
Now I think it was the spammer, because every site that I remember seeing appear in this manner got spammed. I do not know what they intend to do with my downloaded pictures.* The same pattern is repeating itself today, so I think the same perpetrator is preparing another cluster bomb attack for tonight.
As to the above image, I drove into Anchorage late yesterday afternoon to pick Margie up from her Jobe-babysitting stint in Anchorage, as Lavina has today off and so Margie would not be needed.
I am still jet-lagged and yesterday morning I woke up just before 2:00 AM and could not go back to sleep, so I got up at 2:30 and stayed up. I felt okay most of the day until I picked Margie up and then it all hit me, so I asked if she would drive home and she did. At one point, I was trying to nap but I opened my eyes and saw this blue pickup truck turn off the freeway onto the exit just ahead of us.
I thought what was about to happen might make a good picture, so I removed my pocket camera from my shirt pocket and shot. I then put my camera back in my pocket and closed my eyes again.
I may just wait until Sunday to post again. Now that it is summer, I find that on Saturday's the visits to my site drop way, way, down as people go out to play. I wouldn't mind playing a bit myself.
*Update: I have done a little research and have learned that anytime a viewer looks at one of my images in slideshow view, statistics shows it as a "picture download," even though no picture has actually been downloaded into someone else's computer. So this is a bit of a relief. It does not appear that the spammer downloaded my pictures at all.
Reader Comments (13)
Hopefully nothing nefarious afoot with your pictures. Spammers are a pain. Sorry you have to activate the filters. Won't keep your fans away though. Enjoy your weekend!
Very sorry to hear this Bill. I noticed some odd posting over at progressive Alaska too.
Bummer!
I have done a little research and have learned that anytime a viewer looks at one of my images in slideshow view, statistics shows it as a "picture download," even though no picture has actually been downloaded into someone else's computer. So this is a bit of a relief. It does not appear that the spammer downloaded my pictures at all.
I regularly get comments from some Asian person using Chinese or Japanese script (I can't tell the difference). But when I copy and paste into babelfish (an online translation place whose translation is slightly dubious in its accuracy) I get a translation that reads something akin to "lovely place flowers sweet garden voluptuous), etc. I figure it is a spammer and so I never publish those comments. I'd like to think I have a follower in the Asian realm but I can't get past my suspicious thoughts on this person's dubious sincerity . lol
Rest and play for a bit, Bill. We'll wait on you. You're worth it!
Have a great weekend.
Rebecca
What a pity that you have been forced to moderate your comments. A pox on all spammers.
Bill - I think the same thing happened to the Progressive Alaska Blog, too. I wonder if it was somehow geared to Alaskan bloggers?
i have no problem with filters, i understand the necessity . Get some rest
Have a wonderful Saturday off! Spammers suck!
Do what ya gotta do. As long as you don't stop taking your pictures or writing, that is.
PS People are poops sometimes.
a second before i checked your blog, i got my usual blogpost comment, similar to the one described above, in Korean, i blieve, from ??? i just automatically delete them & think nothing of it. welcome home, bill! on this relaxing saturday morning, here in suburban philly, w/a much-need rainfall for our drought-stricken reservoirs and lawns, i'm gonna chill by reading all about your trip to greenland. lucky me!!!
Oh dang... on the spammer thingy!
Good on finding out the download deal was/is someone(s) looking at your wonderful pics!