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#1 2011-05-23 15:33:49

123ronnie321
Member
Registered: 2010-09-28
Posts: 128

This looks mischievous

When I would glance at the newest registered user list I would often see the username - caty_____x
This is what I found http://www.mathisfunforum.com/userlist. … =ASC&p=389
and look at the following pages too!

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#2 2011-05-23 18:51:26

bobbym
bumpkin
From: Bumpkinland
Registered: 2009-04-12
Posts: 109,606

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi 123ronnie321;

That is a popular username for some reason.


In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

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#3 2011-05-23 20:21:26

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,713

Re: This looks mischievous

May be a candidate for mass delete.

But what if catyhopofex is a real person? Or catylopyhex?


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#4 2011-05-23 22:05:23

123ronnie321
Member
Registered: 2010-09-28
Posts: 128

Re: This looks mischievous

That is a popular username for some reason.

And it has become extremely popular since March 2011.

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#5 2011-05-23 23:49:18

gAr
Member
Registered: 2011-01-09
Posts: 3,482

Re: This looks mischievous

Perhaps somebody is learning combinatorics with names!

And out of more than 118856 registered users, less than 4000 users have at least one post. Less than 4% !


"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"  - Buddha?

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

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#6 2011-05-24 00:28:09

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,713

Re: This looks mischievous

Lurkers or bots.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#7 2011-05-24 00:39:02

gAr
Member
Registered: 2011-01-09
Posts: 3,482

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi MathsIsFun,

Yes, maybe.
Can something be done to make registration more difficult, like sending a verification code to the email address and user requiring to enter that during registration?


"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"  - Buddha?

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

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#8 2011-05-24 09:42:11

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,713

Re: This looks mischievous

Currently: you get sent a password in an email, so the "caty*" must be automatically reading that and responding. So annoying.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#9 2011-05-24 14:34:40

gAr
Member
Registered: 2011-01-09
Posts: 3,482

Re: This looks mischievous

Hmmm, I thought it was the same password we enter.

How about sending a simple equation to solve (addition, multiplication etc.), in a captcha if possible?


"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"  - Buddha?

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

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#10 2011-05-24 14:54:08

bobbym
bumpkin
From: Bumpkinland
Registered: 2009-04-12
Posts: 109,606

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi all;

How about this, another member just signed up. Guess what the username is, catyfopywex.

gAr wrote:

And out of more than 118856 registered users, less than 4000 users have at least one post. Less than 4% !

That has been like that since before I joined. That 96% could be spammers waiting and watching for the signal to launch a single, massive spam attack.

Okay, bear with me now. Imagine all 114,000 posting e-cigarettes, viagra, homes for sale, organ enhancements etc at the same time. It would surely crash us and would be a dilly trying to delete all those posts later. It would be sort of like a Spamaggedon.


In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

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#11 2011-05-24 17:32:10

gAr
Member
Registered: 2011-01-09
Posts: 3,482

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi,

Yes, that's a possibility.

But many of those accounts are more than a year old.


"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"  - Buddha?

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

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#12 2011-05-24 22:17:02

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,713

Re: This looks mischievous

gAr wrote:

But many of those accounts are more than a year old.

They are all waiting ... patiently ...

Hmmm, better take a backup.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#13 2011-05-24 22:49:26

123ronnie321
Member
Registered: 2010-09-28
Posts: 128

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi all,

I would like to give some ideas.

1 - While creating an account at gmail, Google asked me my cell phone no. and sent me a verification code through it.
If you allow only one username per phone no. then this may be stopped.

2 - Delete users that are inactive for a long time.

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#14 2011-05-25 00:26:32

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,713

Re: This looks mischievous

Deleting old inactive users is something I should examine.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#15 2011-05-25 00:35:41

gAr
Member
Registered: 2011-01-09
Posts: 3,482

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi MIF,

Take care that the number of posts = 0 before deleting.

Also, many users use signatures for advertising, is it better to disable hyperlinks in the signature section?


"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense"  - Buddha?

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

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#16 2011-05-25 02:39:01

bobbym
bumpkin
From: Bumpkinland
Registered: 2009-04-12
Posts: 109,606

Re: This looks mischievous

Hi all;

Also, many users use signatures for advertising, is it better to disable hyperlinks in the signature section?

I agree. Or at least have that a user needs 100 posts before he can use a link in his signature.

Update:

We have another! catywopmoex


In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

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