Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos Topic is solved

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The Squash
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Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by The Squash » 2021-05-11, 00:19

I was just browsing through the (relatively) new Gitea instance that is hosted by Moonchild Productions (I suppose that's the proper name... is it?), and I noticed a rather suspicious set of repositories:
lio.png
Looking further inside the repositories, it's clear that they are both totally empty; only the description seems to serve a purpose, and as you'll notice the description is full of links to a website which claims (in fine print at the bottom of the page) to not be affiliated with Ancestry at all. (Not even to mention all the grammatical errors in the repo descriptions.)

To me, the uninformed newbie, this looks like a typical SEO plot. It certainly does not seem to have anything to do with Moonchild Productions. Could somebody look into this and explain to me what is up?

Thank you.
Last edited by The Squash on 2021-05-11, 00:49, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by New Tobin Paradigm » 2021-05-11, 00:26

What will they think of next.

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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by The Squash » 2021-05-11, 00:31

So has this abuse happened before?
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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by New Tobin Paradigm » 2021-05-11, 00:40

Well it happens constantly on the forum but it is stopped by pending approval on the first couple posts.. But never heard of doing it on a forge before. That's new or at least new to us. Will have to wait until the Moonchild becomes active again though. He will surely EX-TER-MIN-ATE the spammer.

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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by The Squash » 2021-05-11, 00:51

Thank you for the info. I'll mark this as solved when Moonchild acts, eventually.
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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by Pentium4User » 2021-05-11, 03:57

Well it happens constantly on the forum but it is stopped by pending approval on the first couple posts..
New users now use the website field in their profile to provide spam links.
Maybe that should also be blocked for new users.

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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by Moonchild » 2021-05-11, 11:28

I've removed Harry LIO's repos (done similar before) and cleaned up some more obvious issues on the forge.
Website URL on the forum will now be hidden from the memberlist so it will not be indexed unless they make a post (in which case they will get banhammered). There doesn't seem to be a restriction available based on groups... Which I seem to distinctly remember there was before but seems phpBB did away with that...? At least all of the fields have been made "custom fields" now and they can't be restricted...

As for gitea... Sorry everyone but nobody (except admins) is allowed to create organizations any more as a result of this. if you need an org created for you ask me and I will do so. "This is why we can't have nice things". Reason is that deleting organizations even as an admin is a PITA.
Repo creation can't be prevented, but that is easily cleaned up.
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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by WiseWolf » 2021-05-13, 14:22

I saw this spam a while ago, and sent word to Moonchild a bit ago via pm.

That being said, spam is annoying whenever its you who gets it, aka the person who receives it.

Glad to see Moonchild taking action on those nutcases.

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Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by Moonchild » 2021-05-13, 14:29

WiseWolf wrote:
2021-05-13, 14:22
I saw this spam a while ago, and sent word to Moonchild a bit ago via pm.
I already took action on that one too. They just came back, apparently.
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WiseWolf

Re: Possible SEO Spam Alert -- User harrylio76 registered with Gitea server and created empty repos

Unread post by WiseWolf » 2021-05-13, 14:36

Moonchild wrote:
2021-05-13, 14:29
WiseWolf wrote:
2021-05-13, 14:22
I saw this spam a while ago, and sent word to Moonchild a bit ago via pm.
I already took action on that one too. They just came back, apparently.
It must be annoying having them being so damn persistent...

:/

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