/srv/irclogs.ubuntu.com/2010/08/24/#ubuntu-ops.txt

thune3rww suggested I come in here to discuss the #ubuntu anti-spam strategy. As I am not one to register (and I don't think casual new ubuntu users would be either); I'm wondering if a strategy that preserves the welcoming nature of #ubuntu, while protecting the channel against spam, might be implemented.03:37
IdleOneany suggestions on how to accomplish that03:40
thune3it depends on the nature of the spam, if it is distributed, or automated03:41
bazhangshare it with #freenode ##linux and the other major channels as well03:41
bazhangand I doubt new users feel welcomed when they witness flood of spam, registered or not03:43
thune3i do understand that spam==bad03:43
thune3i assume that banning a few addresses is insufficient. i've seen capcha style implementations, or send this message to the bot to get voice03:43
IdleOnethune3: the spam problem is not just in #ubuntu it effects the entire network, unfortunately or fortunately #ubuntu is a very large channel. freenode does not require registration to be on the network and neither do Ubuntu IRC channels but in times of high spam there is at this point no better method.03:43
bazhang+m ?03:44
bazhangthat seems extreme03:44
thune3of course that's not an option03:45
bazhangthe ask bot for voice is just that03:45
thune3oh i thought +m was something else, oops03:46
IdleOnenot to mention probably not difficult to script03:46
IdleOne+m means only voiced users can speak in channel03:46
bazhang#defocus has it, though the bot needs prompting from a staff member03:46
IdleOnescripting a bot to ask the bot for voice would not be complicated to accomplish03:46
bazhangand spambots would use the very same script, so nothing blocked03:47
thune3that's sort of gets back to the question: what is the nature of the attack. Do you have someone writing a bot to specifically attack #ubuntu?03:47
bazhangfreenode03:48
IdleOnethey attack freenode03:48
bazhangall major channels get hit afaict03:48
IdleOne#ubuntu is a 1300+ user channel so a BIG target03:48
thune3all the #ubuntu-xx channels don't seem to require protection. if the attack is bots on freenode, how is that possible?03:49
bazhangloco channels?03:49
IdleOnethune3: I can understand your reluctance to register but you could setup a gmail account for the specific purpose of registering to freenode and then never look at it again.03:49
IdleOnethune3: the target is as many users as possible, why would you attack a channel with 200 users when you got a 1000 user channel to hit and annoy03:50
bazhangsome loco channels get almost zero traffic. probably not enough thrills involved03:51
thune3IdleOne: if I came to #ubuntu on freenode for the first time, and saw I had to register, I would not ever bother coming again. I imagine the unregged/register strategy puts off lots of legitimate users with questions.03:52
bazhangodd03:52
thune3btw, the freenode 'interim privacy policy' is also uninspiring.03:53
bazhangubuntuforums require registration, as do every other major source of help outside of irc.03:53
IdleOnethune3: it may put off some new users but in the end the protection of existing users can't be comprimised either03:53
IdleOneit's a catch 22, we lose some I'm sure but we also keep the existing user base.03:54
bazhang1222 at last count had no problems with it. I'd imagine the majority are new users03:54
thune3right and it's normally running 1400-1600.03:54
bazhang150 or so in -unregged03:55
thune3question: do ops in #ubuntu have kickban powers?03:55
thune3do you guys ban ips?03:55
bazhangyes03:55
IdleOnealso if it was a simple matter of banning a few ip addresses it would be done but these spam attacks are coordinated and they have thousands of compromised systems to attack from.03:56
IdleOnewe could ban all day long and they would just keep coming03:56
bazhangshell providers as well (at least some)03:56
IdleOnethe less reputable ones03:57
bazhangmibbit was outright banned from all of freenode03:57
IdleOneactually I saw a mibbit account not long ago03:57
bazhangthat was an ident afaict03:58
IdleOneah maybe yeah03:58
thune3why is voiceless join on #ubuntu during incidences of high spam a bad thing?03:59
bazhangand lets face it, those disreputable shell accounts are the major source of issues, as well as various unregged spam/flood bots03:59
thune3why is unregged preferred?03:59
bazhangthat's quite extreme if you mean +q ~a04:00
IdleOnethune3: because they could join 50 bots over a few hours and just sit idle, send in one bot to spam and have the channel be set to +m then we have to voice all the users in the channel ( we HAVE to assume they are all legit users) and then they start an 50 bot attack with voice.04:00
bazhangthe entire channel would be shut down as a result04:01
IdleOneexactly04:01
bazhangjust their goal in fact04:01
IdleOnethis is the only viable solution at this time04:01
bazhangso +r is the least of all possible options, in terms of usable channel and letting others get on with receiving help04:02
IdleOnethune3: it isn't perfect, we know that.04:02
thune3may i ask, how do you determine the "safe to end lockdown point"?04:03
bazhangas short as possible04:03
bazhangthere is not a magic 8-ball04:04
bazhangI'd imagine when jr. high gets back then it'll be less severe04:04
IdleOneanother week or so04:05
thune3lol04:05
bazhangyep04:05
bazhangwe dislike it as much as you do.04:06
IdleOneNow if you can figure out a better way to prevent these attacks network wide then I am sure #freenode would be happy to implement it.04:07
bazhangbut keeping the channel accessible for the majority of users is the best of all possible options at this stage04:07
thune3if the bots were not being actively scripted to counter-countermeasures, it would seem a capcha style voice granting or message floodbot a random string to get voice would be sufficient.04:07
bazhangwrite it and share it with freenode then04:07
IdleOnejust FYI in 4 years, 33 weeks, 2 days, 23:50:00 I have received a total of 4 emails from freenode.04:09
thune3so the structure is that #ubuntu ops use the tools adopted by the more central ops in freenod?04:09
bazhangthey are staff. we administer independently of them04:10
thune3IdleOne: i would be more worried about the security of the list than its use by freenode04:10
thune3bazhang: ah ok.04:10
IdleOnethune3: I gave you a possible solution for that04:11
bazhangwe have kick, mute, quiet. they have kill and kline04:11
bazhangwhoops s/mute/ban/04:11
thune3IdleOne: i know, i'm in the midst of standing on some shaky principle right now ;)04:11
thune3thanks guys, i'm still frustrated and i appreciate your advice and clarifications.04:12
IdleOneheh, I know where you're coming from dude. Sometimes you just got to try and work with the system.04:12
thune3thanks and good luck!04:13
IdleOnethank you.04:13
ubottuIn ubottu, dzup said: !no Hi is hi08:31
ubottuIn #ubuntu-offtopic, magnetron said: !napster is what makes Lars Ulrich cry at night.08:41
=== Mamarok_ is now known as Mamarok
jpdsAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa09:44
Madpilot?09:45
jpds09:43:49 [Freenode] -NickServ(NickServ@services.)- #ubuntu is not registered.09:45
macogetting your args out of order?09:45
jpdsmaco: Oh yeah.09:46
* jpds → coffee.09:46
macoevery time i try to do something with irc commands without use of an alias, i get that error09:47
ubottuFloodBot2 called the ops in #ubuntu-ops-monitor (mass join (1157 users, 10 overflows, 1167 limit))10:06
ubottuFloodBot4 called the ops in #ubuntu-ops-monitor (mass join (1157 users, 11 overflows, 1168 limit))10:06
ubottuFloodBot3 called the ops in #ubuntu-ops-monitor (mass join (1156 users, 13 overflows, 1169 limit))10:07
ubottuFloodBot1 called the ops in #ubuntu-ops-monitor (mass join (1157 users, 13 overflows, 1170 limit))10:07
bazhangthat's annoying14:35
Picites14:35
Piciyes too14:35
bazhangpozic is annoying15:54
Piciodd.15:59
bazhangwhoa offensive nick16:53
jpdsbazhang: "nick" isn't in #ubuntu.16:55
bazhang* whore__ (~suchaputz@c-69-255-195-78.hsd1.va.comcast.net) has joined #ubuntu16:55
bazhangryaxnb is unbanned?17:16
ikoniaI thought so17:19
bazhangah just switched IP17:19
bazhangnope17:19
PiciI don't see a ban.17:19
bazhang12.106.45.217:20
ikonia?17:24
bazhangacepreshaw knows you?17:24
ikoniaI don't see it17:24
ikoniatroll17:24
bazhangits there17:24
ikoniaon shipit ?17:24
bazhangno the ban in -ot17:25
ikoniah17:25
PiciI just placed it.17:25
ikoniaI thought it had been removed17:25
ikoniahe came in here the other day and said his IP had chanced and he didn't know if the ban was in place17:25
ikoniabazhang: it's his standard junk he talks17:26
ikoniahe's asked where he can get cd's for $100 before17:26
ikoniahe knows the drill17:26
bazhangikonia, other nicks are known?17:26
ikonianot to me, just that one17:26
bazhangokay17:26
bazhangyeah, he has two different places to connect from.17:26
ikoniaBT and freenode17:27
ikoniaahhh and here is servertech for more pointless dribble17:27
PiciWow, someone actually posted a video on youtube of their problem and it wasn't a spam link.18:04
ikoniarare18:07
ryaxnbflannel is still not back :(18:24
=== gnomefreak76 is now known as gnomefreak
Picignomefreak: known troll19:24
gnomefreakah19:25
Piciprobably will get klined soon.19:25
ubottuZykoticK9_nothom called the ops in #ubuntu (laxative)19:25
gnomefreaki thought you were staff19:26
PiciNope19:26
gnomefreakoh19:26
PiciThats pricey.19:26
PiciWhom I haven't seen in forever.19:27
gnomefreakme neither but i am not here alot anymore19:27
macooh good im not the only one who confuses you two19:27
marienzyeah, I've given up on trying to talk to that one19:28
gnomefreaki stay confused unless im smoking. i guess sitting outside gives me time to think so it helps19:28
gnomefreakbrb smoke :)19:28
Seveas#ubuntu / efuse -- likely troll20:45
ubottuguntbert called the ops in #ubuntu (efuse)20:45
ubottuefuse called the ops in #ubuntu (guntbert)20:46
Piciyes20:50
PiciI didn't ban him.20:50
SeveasI know20:50
Seveasif you remove the n mode from here, I can send messages without joining :)20:51
ubottuSeveas called the ops in #ubuntu-offtopic (mtw and efuse troll/clone -- can we please get rid of them?)21:02
ubottuefuse20 called the ops in #ubuntu-offtopic (seveas defective retard)21:02
ubottuMTW called the ops in #ubuntu-offtopic (seveas defective retard)21:02
ryaxnbcan we get this ban over with pls?21:47
ryaxnbi still am waiting for flannel :/21:47
ryaxnbif you tell me when she/he will be back ill discuss it then.21:48
ryaxnb:/21:48
mneptokryaxnb: i have no idea what Flannel's IRC plans may be21:49
ryaxnbok21:49
ryaxnb:(21:49
ryaxnbi suppose i should /part then :/21:49
mneptokryaxnb: /whois says idle for 7 hours.21:50
ryaxnbmy window says away21:54
ryaxnbfaded, thus away :/21:54
ryaxnb--21:54
ryaxnbseeya21:54

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