ColdFusion Muse

New Spam Bot Cracking Captcha Perhaps?

Mark Kruger November 16, 2009 9:58 AM Hosting and Networking Comments (2)

When I arrived at work this morning I found more than 280 spam links posted as comments to various entries on my blog. They were all for certain articles of clothing which shall remain nameless (but some of them are made for walking). Now occasionally, about 3 or 4 times a week, I'll see a single spammy comment posted and I just kill it - cased closed. The Captcha keeps out most automated spam, so I figure any spam I get is individuals paid to labouriously post links. This seemed like more than that - both in volume and in the systematic way it was perpetrated. I will be keeping a close eye on it - but it makes me wonder if there is a bot out there that has cracked my captcha.

Meanwhile, my sincerest apologies to anyone subscribed to any post of mine who had to suffer through these emails. The Muse will do what he can to make sure it is not a commmon occurance.

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2 Comments

  • Matt W's Gravatar
    Posted By
    Matt W | 11/16/09 11:04 AM
    I have seen some of the techniques used by captcha crackers. It is really not that difficult and yours looks pretty easy to crack. If possible, try turning one or more character sideways or at some angle. Also, patterns in the background and less contrast between characters and backgrounds make it more difficult.
  • Noah's Gravatar
    Posted By
    Noah | 11/16/09 12:26 PM
    I was just reading the other day about reCAPTCHA at RIAForge (http://recaptcha.riaforge.org/). You may want to look into that.