Some spambots can beat CAPTCHA. Since it seems that CAPTCHA is not working at all, I think all the spambots were programmed by one person, and that all the spambots had a way to beat this CAPTCHA.
It was suggested to only be during the registration. Apparently when that failed, it seemed like a good idea to code one into the forums as well, for some reason.
So now annoyances have gone from spambots to spambots and having to deal with a bunch of stuff before being able to post. HOWEVER! I do believe we all need to remember the fact that the staff is actually trying to help now, instead of leaving people to it and only deleting flagged posts and what not. The CAPTCHA is there as a help, even if it isn't helping at all. Good intentions and all that. But they might need to look at the situation and try something else... Alternately, stop the registration process entirely until all the spambots have been deleted and their spam removed, and then work from there. It might mean people can't make an account, but it also means the spambots won't be able to, and I think we all would be grateful for that!
I don't mind the captchas as long as I can read clearly what to type.
I hope everyone is still flagging the new adbot ----? I have noticed 18 pages of spam missing since last night and that was from only one thread. There are still some forums that haven't been affected or infected, yet...
Seems like an April Fool's joke to me.....There are other simple ways to get around the bot problem such as honeypots and hashes unless the bot themselves are getting smarter. CAPTCHA's aren't the only way, and either way bots have been breaking Microsoft's and Google's CAPTCHAs for quite a while already, I would think the admins would have known that before implementing such a feature.
Doesn't anyone find the humorous "Are you human?" touch fishy? Or that AG didn't release a newspost before adding the CAPTCHAs like they did to apologize for the earlier server malfunction?
Its so annoying that it didn't seem to work. i 'spoes they'll have to think of something else. But what more can they do. The freezing of making new accounts could just fix it. It may annoy some people but i think it will be worth it if it stops all that spamming. it just might be a last resort. it seems the tavern is free for now. i hope i didn't just jinx it o.O
Alternately, stop the registration process entirely until all the spambots have been deleted and their spam removed, and then work from there. It might mean people can't make an account, but it also means the spambots won't be able to, and I think we all would be grateful for that!
I'd definitely support that, it's radical but probably one of the last thing to do that surely works.
But I appreciate that the CAPTCHA thing has been instored, I appreciate the effort to get rid of the spambots.
Now I have a question, probably stupid, but are the CAPTCHA only for registration and forum posts, or also for forum creation?
Now I have a question, probably stupid, but are the CAPTCHA only for registration and forum posts, or also for forum creation?
I had a quick check and it seems that it also has the CAPTCHA.
Now this spamming is just becoming really annoying. It's becoming hard to find threads when most of the page is filled with the livestream thread. The CAPTCHA does nothing to solve this problem and I'm already getting annoyed at having to do this CAPTCHA thing every time I want to post.
If this entire spambot thing was just an April Fools joke, which I highly doubt it is, then that was a horrible way of doing it.
Do remember that this site uses reCAPTCHA and just not plain old CAPTCHA. The difference probably involves better security, but I am pretty certain that reCAPTCHAS help digitize books.
I'm out of the loop here, but it seems the CAPTCHAs aren't stopping a bunch of annoying spammers. Why spam rugby and Aussie rules football? Barely anyone on AG even pays attention to those sports?
And if this is an April Fool's joke, it sure is an *** one. I hope there's something in store for the AG loyalists that have been here for the past four years. :P
Oh my gosh, the spam is worse than ever, even with a CAPTCHA. I hopes that this is an April Fool's joke so the spam will eventually stop. But if it doesn't stop in a week or two... I just might leave the AG community forever.
Like the spam matters much, it's not a big deal to just click back a few pages and snoop around to find threads. Consider yourselves lucky the spam isn't inside the discussion threads itself.
Like the spam matters much, it's not a big deal to just click back a few pages and snoop around to find threads.
Browsing through 10 pages of crap takes even longer than entering the CAPTCHA. I still think the spam is a big deal and AG really should have a permanent solution for it by now.
Consider yourselves lucky the spam isn't inside the discussion threads itself.
Actually, it wouldn't be all that terrible if it were in the discussions because it would get flagged by a few dozen people who are in the discussion. Thus, all the flags would make it easier to get the spam out of the discussion...... And now to type in the pointless CAPTCHA.........
