Author Topic: PMS (Personal Message Spam)  (Read 6675 times)

Nux

  • Posts: 1778
  • Turrets: +258/-69
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« on: March 09, 2007, 03:53:48 am »
I was on the Zilla Public server just now. Winning against some guy called 'SecUnder' managed to hurt his feelings. So he PM'd me the word 'fag'.

Now if that were it, this wouldn't have bothered me one bit. But he then managed to spam that message so much and so fast that it disconnected me from the server. I went back and he did it again. And again. And so on.

It didn't seem to effect anyone but me. So he effectively could boot anyone he chose from the server. It seems like this could even be used on admins.

Ignoring the fact that I should be sleeping instead of playing tremulous >.>... Does anybody know about this? Can this be done on other servers? (pressumably not with those that enforce anti-flood).

Any thoughts?

Matt2k10

  • Posts: 144
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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2007, 03:58:42 am »
On BB, you can vote-mute someone, which keeps them from PMing, calling votes, and changing names. Or you can just call a vote to kick them(it's against the rules to spam in any way). Or you can notfiy an admin. SecUnder tried to do this to me before when I owned him. Kicked.  :D

Nux

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2007, 04:13:23 am »
The only trouble with a vote system or an admin tool is the former requires the majority of the people playing to agree (which they aren't so likely to do when they don't see what has happened) and the latter depends on there being an admin present.

So even on servers with measures in place, there's trouble to be had with this bug. The best way, I can think of, to stop this is having a restriction to the amount of messages you can make in a short amount of time.

Seffylight

  • Posts: 490
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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2007, 04:23:34 am »
Just have the Zilla guys ban Secunder. He's a nob anyway.
Stop it. Seriously.

Nux

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2007, 04:54:35 am »
TBH, I'm not concerned about SecUnder or that server in particular. I can always choose to not go there and I'm not so likely to see SecUnder again.

I want to address the bug itself and how it could be controlled. The restriction I suggested (to have a limit to the amount of messages you can send in a short space of time) works fine in the servers I've seen it used. The only trouble with that, is that binds seem to be included and I've been temporarily muted for using my 'join the alien team' bind too much during the loading period.

Mantra

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2007, 05:36:23 am »
/bind key "m name word; m name word; m name word; m name word; m name word.......................; m name word"
Replace name by recipient's name and word by anything, rnaging from a dot to a phrase upon life's never ending paradox(Yup, I got that one once or twice)
Then you hold that key.

The ugly part is that you also get booted.


This bug is inniciated by sending a number of lines so long that your computer can't handle in a short amount of time. This is refered to buffer overun, and some hacks for other games exist that do that(Though usually those hacks don't cause the user to disconect)

And since the program closes off when you get buffered, and I do not beleive the game keeps track of such error problem, then there is no way of prooving wether someone did use it or not.

As for addressing the bug, flood controls helps a lot, which unfortunatelly our server doesn't have(I've been bugging smokey to get risujin's patch, but he keeps saying no, so can't fix that.)
What would be doable is a program that would automatically condump your console each time you log off with a date and time into a nice folder. This would help in many more matter then just this case.

There's nothing much more we can do really, since the bug exploits a limit in the amount of data your computer can handle at once.

PS: I'm demoting sec to level 0 until he answers to this and it as been sorted out. If you can bring proof, or if he doesn't answer properly, he'll be banned from our server.

PHREAK

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2007, 06:51:36 am »
Or you could use Dyins !ignore command which will ignore any chat coming from the said person, global, team or PM.

Think simple people.
Yelling at team mates since 2006!

Nux

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2007, 07:16:45 am »
Thanks Mantra, that was very informative. =)

Quote from: "PHREAK"
Or you could use Dyins !ignore command which will ignore any chat coming from the said person, global, team or PM.

Think simple people.


That's a good suggestion. The only trouble is that you have to be aware that the person is about to do it.

PHREAK

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2007, 07:45:59 am »
Not really.
Someone has to PM spam you for a few seconds in order to "overflow" you.
All you need to do in the meanwhile is type !ignore <name>

I beleive Dyin is also allowing one to !ignore all.
If you bind this, it will prevent him from kicking you while giving you time to !ignore the right person and disable ignore for the rest of the players.
Maybe it sounds a bit slow but it's great in practice.
I believe Potato patch is still running it and some other servers are as well.
Yelling at team mates since 2006!

Lava Croft

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2007, 08:26:40 am »
Just disable that obsolete private messaging system in the server config.

Caveman

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2007, 10:07:50 am »
Or patch in the spam-counter...

Lava Croft

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2007, 10:54:13 am »
Quote from: "Caveman"
Or patch in the spam-counter...

You would patch your own mother if you had the chance.

Caveman

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2007, 11:10:24 am »
Affirmative :D

daenyth

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2007, 02:50:49 pm »
If I see behavior like that on Zilla servers again, I will take action against him.
Quote from: Bullislander05
It's like trying to take apple seeds out of a zebra to plant a giraffe tree.

Mantra

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2007, 03:32:33 pm »
Actually, he doesn't need to pm you a few sec  for it to work, he can send you about 60 lines a second, which you computer, expecially windows, can't handle(Thus you overflow).

Also, if he's using a hack, there are ways to go around the ignore thing, I'm sure of it.

whitebear

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PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2007, 05:15:10 pm »
this is extremely anoying command beacouse there is no spam control
/bind <key> "m <name> lol"
and holding the button crashes target under two seconds
target can even be whole clan

techhead

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    • My (Virtually) Infinite Source of Knowledge (and Trivia)
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2007, 08:56:12 pm »
/bind a "/m Unna Service Denied!!!"
Everyone Unnamed Player simultaneously disconnects.

There is also the slow, but less malicious, way to spam.
/m target Spam
Then:
1. Up-arrow
2. Enter
3. Repeat
I'm playing Tremulous on a Mac!
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Techhead||TH
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Smokey

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    • Zilla Clan
Re: PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2007, 09:55:30 pm »
Quote from: "Nux"
I was on the Zilla Public server just now. Winning against some guy called 'SecUnder' managed to hurt his feelings. So he PM'd me the word 'fag'.

Now if that were it, this wouldn't have bothered me one bit. But he then managed to spam that message so much and so fast that it disconnected me from the server. I went back and he did it again. And again. And so on.

It didn't seem to effect anyone but me. So he effectively could boot anyone he chose from the server. It seems like this could even be used on admins.

Ignoring the fact that I should be sleeping instead of playing tremulous >.>... Does anybody know about this? Can this be done on other servers? (pressumably not with those that enforce anti-flood).Zilla Server..as soon as I find his IP. (checks logs)

Also, I would use the spam patch if it wasen't annoying during



Any thoughts?

I'm sorry that this happened to you, he is as good as banned from Zilla Server..as soon as I find his IP. (checks logs)

Also, I would use the spam patch if it wasen't annoying during clan matches when spamming is sometimes needed for recon.

Raytray

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    • http://trem-null.com
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2007, 10:38:17 pm »
What smokey means in the last post is...

Clan matches sometimes have trouble going because once the server is locked, many players forget to enter in the password.  Smokey created a way to circumvent that by... spamming instructions to enter in the password.

Though, creating something like !spamfilter on/off would help. :p
}MG{Raytray

Paradox

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    • Paradox Designs
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #19 on: March 09, 2007, 11:16:55 pm »
Play on a server that has flood protection, as ANY spam of ANY sort = mute (SST has this)

∧OMG ENTROPY∧

Caveman

  • Guest
PMS (Personal Message Spam)
« Reply #20 on: March 10, 2007, 12:17:49 am »
Quote from: "Paradox"
Play on a server that has flood protection...


Like I wrote... use the patch...