User Name Password Register
DaniWeb IT Discussion Community
All
What is DaniWeb IT Discussion Community?
You're currently browsing the Promotion and Marketing Plans section within the Site Management category of DaniWeb, a massive community of 402,435 software developers, web developers, Internet marketers, and tech gurus who are all enthusiastic about making contacts, networking, and learning from each other. In fact, there are 2,903 IT professionals currently interacting right now! Registration is free, only takes a minute and lets you enjoy all of the interactive features of the site.
Please support our Promotion and Marketing Plans advertiser: Affiliate Marketing
Views: 5418 | Replies: 9
Reply
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 46
Reputation: shimon is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 3
Solved Threads: 0
shimon's Avatar
shimon shimon is offline Offline
Light Poster

Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #1  
Mar 14th, 2006
I have been getting tons of email spam from my own domain name. It is coming from a contact form that uses sendmail.php. My guess is someone is trying to use it to spam other people, but it keeps going directly into my inbox. I can't block sender. I can't flag as spam. And, I can't discover who the spammer is.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Kind regards,
Shimon Sandler
"PPC, SEO, and other Internet Marketing strategies"
AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 354
Reputation: DanceInstructor is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 4
Solved Threads: 12
DanceInstructor's Avatar
DanceInstructor DanceInstructor is offline Offline
Posting Whiz

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #2  
Mar 14th, 2006
Make sure that you are validating all of the data from your form and don't send mail unless all the data is filled in correctly.

Consider changing the names of the form elements. Bots are probably posting data to your mail script without actually checking the form. Changing the names will throw a hitch in the process.

You should be able to grab the senders ip from your script, include the ip in the email and block the ips from spammers.

If your script is in PHP I can help you if you like.
Clear Mind Hosting and Web Design

If I've helped you please consider adding to my reputation.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 67
Reputation: olddocks is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 4
Solved Threads: 0
olddocks's Avatar
olddocks olddocks is offline Offline
Junior Poster in Training

Solution Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #3  
Mar 30th, 2006
Originally Posted by shimon
I have been getting tons of email spam from my own domain name. It is coming from a contact form that uses sendmail.php. My guess is someone is trying to use it to spam other people, but it keeps going directly into my inbox. I can't block sender. I can't flag as spam. And, I can't discover who the spammer is.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The same exact problem i had, until i discovered these spammers particularly target servers with file names submit.php, sendmail.php

what you do is

1. Either rename the file sendmail.php as <any>sendmail.php
2. Use image verification (effective/recommended). Just generate a random no on image and ask your visitors to verify the image.

And, these spammers generate random data and i later found that whereever i had user submitted forms my database is inserted with full of junk atleast my database got inserted with about 5-10 junk a day. Everything was solved until i used image verification.

Hope this helps.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 157
Reputation: pulse is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 5
Solved Threads: 0
pulse's Avatar
pulse pulse is offline Offline
Posting Whiz in Training

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #4  
Apr 11th, 2006
The best way that I've found personally is to impliment an image verification system. Unfortunately some smart-ass spammers have also found a way around it (thankfully I've not been myself attacked)... but it is the best possible way currently.
StreetLessons.com - My Blog about Business, Life & Success!
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1
Reputation: Tom Hilliar is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 0
Solved Threads: 0
Tom Hilliar Tom Hilliar is offline Offline
Newbie Poster

Help Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #5  
Apr 14th, 2007
Originally Posted by pulse View Post
The best way that I've found personally is to impliment an image verification system. Unfortunately some smart-ass spammers have also found a way around it (thankfully I've not been myself attacked)... but it is the best possible way currently.


Hey guys... I run a forum
I was using Image Verification with many spammers still getting through so I switched to textual confirmation.

Ie "What is Musoc? The _______ Society" (ans=music)
Things like this work really well.

I am sorry to pester you all though, but I really need your help. On the same site I am having huge spam problems. I want to do a similar thing -- by putting in a random question with a set answer, but I don't know how.

Can anyone help?

Could I make a section in my form with a question like the above (What is MuSoc? The ______ Society). --> then how do I write the answer in my php form? Would it be something like;

I need a script that will achieve the following;

if ($blockspamanswer #doesnotequal# music) {
header( "Location: $errorurl" );
exit ;
}

I don't know if this makes sense guys, but I really need my php script to block the mail send if they get the answer wrong. Any help would be massively appreciated. So sorry for such a huge thread. but I really need to pick all of your brains for help please.

If I could have multiple corrent answers and help randomising the questions that appear on my contact.php location that would really help too. Thanks for your time guys and gals,

Honest best wishes and kind regards,
Tom Hilliar,
Sydney, NSW,
Australia.
Last edited by cscgal : Apr 15th, 2007 at 4:43 am. Reason: URLs snipped to comply with forum policy
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Lawn Guylen, NY
Posts: 10,890
Reputation: cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice 
Rep Power: 32
Solved Threads: 109
Admin
Staff Writer
cscgal's Avatar
cscgal cscgal is offline Offline
The Queen of DaniWeb

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #6  
Apr 15th, 2007
Originally Posted by shimon View Post
I have been getting tons of email spam from my own domain name. It is coming from a contact form that uses sendmail.php. My guess is someone is trying to use it to spam other people, but it keeps going directly into my inbox. I can't block sender. I can't flag as spam. And, I can't discover who the spammer is.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Implement something server-side to only process $_POST requests originating from your domain name.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 354
Reputation: DanceInstructor is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 4
Solved Threads: 12
DanceInstructor's Avatar
DanceInstructor DanceInstructor is offline Offline
Posting Whiz

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #7  
Apr 15th, 2007
Dani are you talking about checking the referer or something else?
Clear Mind Hosting and Web Design

If I've helped you please consider adding to my reputation.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Lawn Guylen, NY
Posts: 10,890
Reputation: cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice cscgal is just really nice 
Rep Power: 32
Solved Threads: 109
Admin
Staff Writer
cscgal's Avatar
cscgal cscgal is offline Offline
The Queen of DaniWeb

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #8  
Apr 15th, 2007
Checking the referer should do it.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 65
Reputation: Candy_ME is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 2
Solved Threads: 0
Candy_ME Candy_ME is offline Offline
Junior Poster in Training

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #9  
Apr 18th, 2007
you have to add a file input

<input type="file" name="upload">

then when it gets uploaded you have to get the temp name and load it into an array or variable tehn send it to the user they want. so basically you have to look into the headers and content through headers. if you don't understand php then it will be difficult to setup as it really gets into the headers and mime-types.
Reply With Quote  
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: India
Posts: 76
Reputation: dss is an unknown quantity at this point 
Rep Power: 3
Solved Threads: 0
dss's Avatar
dss dss is offline Offline
Junior Poster in Training

Re: Avoiding Spam from sendmail.php

  #10  
Apr 29th, 2007
Hello,

Easiest way make one confirmation page after form submission page.

Spammer and softwares never confirm that page.

Thanks
Reply With Quote  
Reply

Only community members can participate in forum threads. You must register or log in to contribute.

DaniWeb Promotion and Marketing Plans Marketplace
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

 

Thread Tools Display Modes

Similar Threads
Other Threads in the Promotion and Marketing Plans Forum

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 2:41 pm.
Forum system based on vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
©2003 - 2008 DaniWeb® LLC