Hi All!
Dan your Forum Administrator here...
As you've probably noticed, in the last two weeks we've been hit by comment spammers in a very clever and coordinated effort. I am cleaning it up as soon as I can for each occurrence and am taking steps behind the scenes to stem the tide. Despite appearances, it seems to be working as the comment spam that gets through is a tiny fraction of the whole.
For those who don't know the term, comment spammers register as members and then post largely nonsensical text laced with links to sell items or with links taking you to other sites. The idea is to put those links out there; if enough spam is posted, someone somewhere will click and then the spammer's goal is accomplished.
A few gentle cautions:
1) Never, ever click on the links. I use virtualized computers that "disappear" on restart and occasionally use them to check the links. All the items I have seen for sale so far are counterfeit and/or are designed to take your credit card numbers.
Investigating just one recent post infected my virtual machine with 147 pieces of malware, including ransomware (where the user's data is held hostage under threat of erasure unless money is paid). A majority of the sites employ "drive-by downloads" which can infect your machines simply by visiting, so avoid the hassle and protect yourself by not clicking the links.
2) Please don't reply to the spam on the Forum by making posts of your own. I've enjoyed some of the clever responses, but it makes removal a bit more difficult, as I have to remove the entire topic and not just the one post.
I'm working on solutions to this annoyance, but so long as you avoid clicking on the links in the comment spam, any real damage to you can be avoided.
Many thanks for your patience while I work on this.
All the best,
Dan.
Danneaux
Thorn Cycling Forum Administrator
