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A lot of forums are now under attack by spam makers.

General discussion
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Please look at the below screenshots, a lot of Microsoft MSDN/TechNet forums are now filling with hundreds of spams in each page.
I just wondered how could a spam maker register a new account and send spam with this large of amount SO EASILY?
And how could a forum moderator delete these spams or block the spam maker SO DIFFICULT?
As a moderator, if I find a forum is filling with 100 spam posts, I can do nothing but just to mark one of them as ABUSE. If I want to delet them all, I have to operate 100 times with 100 reasons submitted!
I anxiously suggust that this forum could add some restrictions to the new registgers to prevent potential spam maker, and add some spam maker block options to the moderators to help delete these junks easier.
- Changed type Dave PatrickMVP Wednesday, July 8, 2020 12:35 PM
All replies
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I just reported about 600 of them to fissues. Looks to be gone now but more to come.
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. -
I just reported about 600 of them to fissues. Looks to be gone now but more to come.
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights.
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You can provide this suggestion over here but given the MSDN/TechNet forums will close soon its unlikely any new features will be added.
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=suggest
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights.
- Edited by Dave PatrickMVP Monday, July 6, 2020 1:44 AM
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Thank you.
So, what do you mean by "the MSDN/TechNet forums will close soon"? Already an announcement about this?
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| You can provide this suggestion over here but given the MSDN/TechNet forums will close soon its unlikely any new features will be added.
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Thanks. Yes I am using NNTP Bridge.
So does the new QnA forums still support NNTP Bridge?
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| Your reply didn't show up in forums. Maybe an NNTP bridge issue? | Yes MSDN/TechNet forums are currently in migration mode to QnA forums
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Thank you.
So, what do you mean by "the MSDN/TechNet forums will close soon"? Already an announcement about this?
Yes MSDN/TechNet forums are currently in migration mode to QnA forums https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/index.html
and will close by years end.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/teamblog/msdn-technet-migration
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. -
It was never discussed during preview and testing so as far as I know it wouldn't. It does support RSS feeds so maybe something possible there.
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. -
I'm personally upset about that migration. These forums are not perfect and there are lots of issues, but many users (myself included) have been there for many years and are quite comfortable with these forums as they are, also gained some reputation, etc.
The new platform is absolutely new and it means you start building your profile from scratch again.
Also, I subscribed to the Azure forums about two months before migration and now I'm not having them (because I don't check another platform) :( I feel like I'm missing a lot.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Becker's Law
My blog
My TechNet articles -
Btw, if all those spams are created with same account, I think marking only 1 of them as spam will be enough. The forum admins will open the user's profile and see what the account has posted, and group delete it if appropriate.
I think I've done something similar in the past and warned not to mark every of them as spam because it creates notification to them.
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No, based on my observation, the spam maker always registers a new account, sends hundreds of spams in a short time, then gives up this account and never use it again. Registers another account, continues another hundreds of spams, and goes on....
That's the reason why they are difficult to be tracked and blocked. It is too easy for these spam makers to register new accounts, which makes the admins always have to be left behind.
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| Btw, if all those spams are created with same account, I think marking only 1 of them as spam will be enough. The forum admins will open the user's profile and see what the account has posted, and group delete it if appropriate.
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Opps, I am very disappointed to hear about this. I always think that the news reader is the best way for technical issue discussions, from the original Microsoft newsgroups to the NNTP Bridge to forums.
If there will be no NNTP Birdge available, perhaps I will never be willing to be back here again.
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| It was never discussed during preview and testing so as far as I know it wouldn't. It does support RSS feeds so maybe something possible there.
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Strongly agree with you, Naomi.
So is there anyone who can pass on our ideas to the MS decision makers?
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| I'm personally upset about that migration. These forums are not perfect and there are lots of issues, but many users (myself included) have been there for many years and are quite comfortable with these forums as they are, also gained some
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based on my observation, the spam maker always registers a new account, sends hundreds of spams in a short time, then gives up this account and never use it again. Registers another account, continues another hundreds of spams, and goes on....
That's the reason why they are difficult to be tracked and blocked.
No, just the opposite. This is a very clear pattern, and the question is why it still is not blocked. The bottom line - Microsoft is repeatedly defaced. It makes clear to everyone that this company indeed cannot be trusted to develop AI solutions for the government.
-- pa
- Edited by Pavel A Friday, July 10, 2020 6:38 PM
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Are you sure about that?
Every time when I see a forum is messed by spams, it must be sent from an account which is just newly created, and this account must have nothing activities except hundreds of spam posts in a very short time.
For example, look at this span maker account "qqq112" :
https://social.microsoft.com/Profile/qqq112/activityThis account was created very recently (Today, July.12 2020). And see what activites it has: Nothing but just 10 spam posts within an hour.
I am pretty sure this account will never be used by the spam maker as soon as one of its posts is deleted. And there will be another account created soon.
Alexis Zhang
http://mvp.microsoft.com/zh-cn/mvp/Jie%20Zhang-4000545
| No, just the opposite. This is a very clear pattern, and the question is why it still is not blocked. The bottom line - Microsoft is repeatedly defaced.
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So is there anyone who can pass on our ideas to the MS decision makers?
The migration is already well under way. You can make suggestions for the new site here by using the Site Feedback button (upper right)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/content/idea/list.html
Regards, Dave Patrick ....
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights. -
Are you sure about that?
Every time when I see a forum is messed by spams, it must be sent from an account which is just newly created, and this account must have nothing activities except hundreds of spam posts in a very short time.
- Edited by Pavel A Monday, July 13, 2020 11:51 PM