13 May 2006
Another Comment SPAM Attack

SPAMThese people just don't know when to quit: I got a note from my upstream provider that my server seemed to be having a real traffic spike last night. At 2am PDT. All of it from the web, on port 80, and all of it involving a Perl script.

This blog is the only thing running on my server that's 100% Perl.

Taking a gander at the logs they sent, I finally deduced the cause: a massive comment SPAM attack by a bunch of bots. All of which failed to post, due to my little bit of obfuscation. But the cumulative effect was that of a denial of service attack on the entire server.

So, once more, I've fudged the writeback scripting - now you won't even see a 'Post' button if JavaScript is not enabled in your browser. Not many bots have JavaScript engines. This should take care of it for a while.

But I have no doubt that this is not the last post I'll make about comment SPAM. Bastards.

19:36 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Seeded pastures sustain cattle

Those of us who live east of the Mississippi and don't have access to the open range of the west have had to rely on these techniques for generations... sounds like rotational grazing has finally made it's way west.

Miles City, Mont. - Reducing grazing pressure on native rangelands and keeping herds of cattle adequately nourished can be compatible goals, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.

(link) [The Prairie Star]

08:36 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link