VPN Usage and Blockage

[Bruce]

We are getting a lot of fake accounts and spam / scam posting from inexpensive VPN services.

As a result we are blocking traffic from VPN gateways that are abusing our forum. So far this has almost entirely effected bad actors.

We have not seen bad traffic from corporate VPN providers this has exclusively been from the smaller, less legitimate, providers.

If you are using a less legitimate VPN provider and find that your VPN IP is blocked by the forum just turn off your VPN and enjoy your time here.

@Administrative

 

[zipper]

Thank You

 

[Bruce]

Thank You

Thank You for donating your time to eliminate the majority of fake accounts.

 

[zipper]

You are welcome. I like it here.

 

[Dave burke]

Thx. I’m using Surfshark @Bruce, is that a problem?

 

[Bruce]

Thx. I’m using Surfshark @Bruce, is that a problem?

I have not seen Surfshark used by fake accounts.

Why do you use it?

Communications with the forum are SSL encrypted avoiding anyone spying on you beyond your ISP knowing that you connected to the forum.

Your IPs are bouncing all over the place. Connecting through the UK or Egypt slows down your browsing experience.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Today was a crazy invasion of the forum by these spammers. Glad you closed their portal! Zipper will have time to make smokey hay the rest of the week!

 

[Dave burke]

I’ve been reading about VPNs for a while and read that Surfshark is one of the better ones (according to CNET). I didn’t buy it specifically for this forum.

I’m still learning how to use it and have had a few glitches (slow internet searches, some apps are slow, etc).

Noted about the UK. Haven’t used Egypt yet. What countries work best?

 

[Bruce]

I’ve been reading about VPNs for a while and read that Surfshark is one of the better ones (according to CNET). I didn’t buy it specifically for this forum.

I’m still learning how to use it and have had a few glitches (slow internet searches, some apps are slow, etc).

Noted about the UK. Haven’t used Egypt yet. What countries work best?

In the last week your account has accessed the forum from real IPs in Canada and New York as well as VPNs in the UK, Egypt, Illinois and California. The California VPN is a reported spam source.

Those VPNs were registered to Hydra Communications Ltd, HopOne Internet and M247 Ltd Quebec.



VPNs can be useful for hiding your location or getting traffic through a firewall if you had a reason to do that. They do not improve security. If you connect to a bad website that will infect your computer through a VPN it still infects your computer. They may reduce tracking of your computer but you likely already have tracking cookies that allow you to be tracked through the VPN. What they do do is to send your communications through a little known company that could decrypt and monitor your communications. I look at these things and ask why they would provide the service for a few dollars per month if not to monitor traffic. The VPN provider knows who you are, your billing address, your contact info, where you use the internet from, every domain you visit, and every internet service you use even if they do not decrypt your communications.

I operate a private VPN that a teacher has used to access educational YouTube content through the school firewall but now she mainly tethers to her phone to do that. I also use my private VPN to access servers in my home office when traveling.

 

[zipper]

Today was a crazy invasion of the forum by these spammers. Glad you closed their portal! Zipper will have time to make smokey hay the rest of the week!

Raining, today was spent down in a hole swapping out a 20 yo hydrant that leaked, between spammers, we carry on!



Glad all you guys were around.

 

[Dave burke]

In the last week your account has accessed the forum from real IPs in Canada and New York as well as VPNs in the UK, Egypt, Illinois and California. The California VPN is a reported spam source.

Those VPNs were registered to Hydra Communications Ltd, HopOne Internet and M247 Ltd Quebec.

View attachment 201673

VPNs can be useful for hiding your location or getting traffic through a firewall if you had a reason to do that. They do not improve security. If you connect to a bad website that will infect your computer through a VPN it still infects your computer. They may reduce tracking of your computer but you likely already have tracking cookies that allow you to be tracked through the VPN. What they do do is to send your communications through a little known company that could decrypt and monitor your communications. I look at these things and ask why they would provide the service for a few dollars per month if not to monitor traffic. The VPN provider knows who you are, your billing address, your contact info, where you use the internet from, every domain you visit, and every internet service you use even if they do not decrypt your communications.

I operate a private VPN that a teacher has used to access educational YouTube content through the school firewall but now she mainly tethers to her phone to do that. I also use my private VPN to access servers in my home office when traveling.

interesting. Many thanks Bruce

 

[Julian]

Many of you may not know, but @zipper is our #1 SPAM Slayer! Thank you zipper for all the time you spend keeping our home here clean and tidy!

And thanks to @Bruce for his research and technology insights helping block these aholes from getting in!

 

[Bruce]

@Dave burke, I took a peak at Surf Shark’s website. Look who is stalking me now.

 

[zipper]

Many of you may not know, but @zipper is our #1 SPAM Slayer! Thank you zipper for all the time you spend keeping our home here clean and tidy!

And thanks to @Bruce for his research and technology insights helping block these aholes from getting in!

Ah shucks...it's just another day in paradise. We keep "plinking" them as they set them up. Good team here.

 

[zipper]

I thank @Bruce for the tweeks and support all night...as well as the other @Administrative who answered the call and were there to plug the holes during the 105+ spam post attack event. Well done! Most of those posts were on multiple threads, so X more.

 

[zipper]

Thanks to all who tagged me last night about the Russian porn King. @Bruce took care of them for us. Thank you Bruce. I started my day here at 5:30am. Conducted forum business while in the pyo blueberry field until 5pm. I think I was last seen here around 7pm before dinner and falling asleep at 9pm. My apologies to those who had to endure all that porn, a link, for so long (1:44 mins) without being deleted, I know, temptation. I have spam cleaned that Russian spammer a half a dozen times before. I do the best I can for free here. I am not looking for a divorce after 32 years of bliss, lol.

 

[Coult45]

"Sorry for all that porn you guys had to endure"...

Sincerely, thanks for all you do, admins!

 

[Bruce]

I blocked several more VPNs that were used to compromise a user's account then list fake items for sale.

I suspect that over time our forum will become much less reachable via VPN.

 

[zipper]

Thank you for that.