[ILUG-Webdev] spambot detection and banning using PHP

[g whitley mott]

On Fri, 2003-12-12 at 16:28, kverens wrote:
> I was thinking about this earlier today, and wondering if anyone had already 
> implemented something similar.
> 
> Basically, I would have a script, linked to /index.php by aan element such 
> as this:
> <a href="/spbotBanner.php" style="display:none">.</a> 
> 
> Naturally, most humans would not see the link to follow it, and those that 
> did would see the following message: 
> 
> "If you email to the following email address, your IP will be banned from 
> this server: id1-spbot at contactjuggling.org" 
> 
> The page serving that notice takes note of the requestor's IP address, and 
> places it into a db. The email address is 'id' + db entry id + 
> '-spbot at contactjuggling.org' 
> 
> A cron job would periodically check the spbot at contactjuggling.org email 
> account, and ban the IP address of the server, as worked out from the email 
> address sent to. 
> 
> Any thoughts on this?

it's not clear from your description whether you intend to block the
http autobot or the smtp, and for either or both, given the
sophistication of some of the spammers, blocking by IP will have
disappointingly limited effect in an of itself, and will of course
unavoidably disrupt some innocent folk, even so it may help a bit..

-g
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