Posted as a public service announcement …
So I’ve been noticing more and more trackback spam with a random number and the words “Blog Verification.” It’s getting now so that I’m getting them for pretty much every post I put up.
SpamLookup in MT catches them just fine, since the domain IP doesn’t match the ping IP. I was a scosh worried because the domain IP was showing up associated with a trackback CGI from my own site, but a Google search on this particular issue, plus looking at these guys, convinces me they’re spam.
Alas, the ping IP is either spoofed or being cycled through quickly, because there’s nothing consistent I can block. They also point to multiple major sources.
Annoying, but currently under control.
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I’d guess the rotating IPs probably mean it’s being done by zombies. Email spammers have been relying on botnets for a long time now, and I see the occasional blog spam run using them as well. Of course I see the occasional blog spam by hand, too. (Yesterday someone cut and pasted bits from earlier comments on a thread and tried to submit them as new comments…with links to their own website, of course!)
You almost have to respect such old school, hard working, hand-crafted efforts.
Almost.