Wiki Vandal

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Wiki vandal (n., singular) A person of minimal intelligence who delights in defacing or maliciously deleting Wiki pages. This wretched creature longs to feel powerful and important, but lacks the ideas and patience to make original contributions to the discourse, and also lacks the courage even to try. Attempting to compensate for these deficiencies by attacking the work of others, the Wiki Vandal is doubly pathetic because they do not appear to realise that the work is easily restored, and that they can be traced, blocked and reported to their ISP. Vandalise if you will, but you will only make a fool of yourself.

Quote from a dictionary
vandal: a person who, out of malice or ignorance, destroys or spoils any public or private property, esp. that which is beautiful or artistic.

One type of Internet vandal will become more and more prevalent: The Unscrupulous Webmaster Vandal. These vandals visit as many public sites as possible, adding links to their own websites to increase the "page rank" of their site in web searches, such as google. This type of vandal will become most dangerous and annoying when they learn to automate their link-adding. I have seen this type of automated behavior on forums which allow anonymous public access, and I believe it is only a matter of time before the same automation is used on wikis. I blame capitalism. -Jared


Some notes

Don't add people to the list below unless you are sure they are vandals. Maybe someone was just removing junk from a page, or doing a wiki masteredit. Also please consider that often vandals just want the attention. Don't give it to them.

Librarians and admins can block IP adresses. These blocks are only temporary, as users using dial-up lines have a different IP address every time they dial in and connect. Blocking IP addresses is a good countermeassure to stop vandalism in progress.

Permanent blocks would only be possible by requiring username/password for everyone. However, this is against the wiki spirit and raises the bar for contributing. For example, dnerra reported that the number of contributions to the [ext] German Go federation's discussion forum was reduced by "95 percent or so".

Furthermore, the more users SL has, the smaller the burden on individuals to restore any pages. One vandal against 100+ sensible users is not a fair contest, really. Also, some wiki theorists normally say that the slightly dull, encyclopedia-like quality of a developed wiki is a defence :-)

(Currently) Wiki Vandals are not a real problem. There are many more people interested in improving the site rather than destroying it. Many more eyes and hands to fix the damage than to create the damage. The pages are archived and can be revived. There is no motivation to persistently vandalize the site: the vandals are anonymous; there is no monetary incentive to vandalize; the damage keeps getting fixed. Wiki's are the only case I know of where [ext] the Tragedy of the Commons does not apply. This is due to the lack of monetary incentive. So, the vandals will tire and go away. They will look for a place that provides them greater emotional payoff for their efforts. We have a community here that the vandals can not take from us. They can not join us unless they stop being vandals. We only need to continue our activities as we do today to win against the vandals every time.

(WME of comments by Morten, Arno, Stefan, Zarlan, Tamsin, Charles, wms, dnerra, Hu, Sebastian, Velobici)


Suggestion:

Could we have also a list of the IPs of the vandals in numerical order? tderz

Could we also have a list of logged in vandals? joukepouk?


Reviving pages

If a page has been defaced by a wiki vandal, the previous version can be revived. See reviving pages.


Vandal IP list

Most recent first (pages purposely not linked):

  • 169.149.200.195
  • lar789 account for adding spam - blocked by tapir.
  • 86.69.113.97 someone messing with KGSAdmins page for the 2nd time (soft blocked by tapir, can still read tsumego)
  • 213.43.3.206 front page and AOTW related pages. banned.
  • 82.234.165.224 modified KGS admin page to have swear words
  • 59.95.79.164 inserted links to adult content
  • 92.53.91.70 vandalised introductory text
  • 91.127.193.250 community adverts
    • Not vandalising, but providing a translation (though at the wrong place). Tapir.
  • 82.234.165.224 same as attack below
  • 86.69.113.97 vandalized kgs admins and assistants (soft blocked by tapir, can still read tsumego pages)
  • 82.234.165.224 vandalised the homepage of glue. (soft blocked by tapir, can still read tsumego pages)
  • 76.191.180.137 created a page for purpose of abuse
  • 208.75.10.42 on the front page if you please Spamming!
  • 72.74.124.183 went on a KGS admin page blanking spree. Warned by tapir.
  • 82.177.36.10 on KGSGoServer
  • 79.234.192.222 attacked A S R pages again
  • 98.169.59.173 on Markeronkgs, XNTrick, ACErose, Phantom
  • 209.148.101.210 using SL as a forum for abuse of No Knott
  • 76.212.212.227 vandalizing GreatWall.
  • 69.142.35.89 for vandalizing several pages including RulesOfGoIntroductory and GoHistory.
  • 87.176.247.68 deleted all of the Feng Yun entry
  • 194.68.140.237 for vandalism on Magnetic Go
  • 210.245.22.41 , 221.2.243.114 , 70.86.161.50 vandalizing successively Yahoo
  • 200.183.227.4, 201.113.13.x, 203.113.13.x, 209.203.227.139, 218.153.39.15, 218.75.87.37: Vandalized 5~8 pages. Of those, three pages (Shay, Froese, and RulesToGoIntroductory) were vandalized 6 times (and counting).
  • 212.227.92.144: Vandalized ~8 pages.
  • 154.35.1.12, 154.35.47.59, 149.9.0.27: vandalized the HuOfKGS page (possibly the same person).
  • Massive vandalism to many pages (spambots at work?) from several IP addresses including: 206.161.192.3, 205.252.23.8, 209.8.22.195, 206.161.192.7, etc.

Phelan: definitely spambots, since they keep changing ips instantly.

  • 194.223.93.252: Spamming the forum of Black page, total 30 off-topic posts.
  • 58.147.0.35, 58.151.7.220, 72.232.10.10, 82.245.188.240, 198.162.21.132, 207.44.236.99, 211.54.151.232, 213.249.155.239, 218.55.114.24, 218.55.114.25 (same user?), 220.55.56.231, and 220.86.192.190: Spamming the Guest/Anonymous page.

Phelan: I've just blocked 218.55.114.25 for spamming the guest page, but he was supposedly still blocked. Have they found a way around ip blocks?

MrTenuki: I reorganized this list of IP addresses to include all users who have spammed on the "guest" page since June 11, 2006. Please feel free to indicate whether these users are blocked.

unkx80: When the IP is a moving target, but the targeted page is constant, then locking the page is a possible solution.



  • 24.107.59.177: Spamming on Hikaru no Go about some game apparently.
  • 220.247.248.64: spamming some talk page for the kgs asian study group with some holiday advert
  • 216.11.139.175: gibberish and offensive content in the Go page
  • 220.247.248.12: spam in a talk page - http://senseis.xmp.net/?topic=428
  • 205.161.188.42: Possible vandal; this user added irrelevant outside links to the edit summary of TheEmptyTriangleIsBad, GoodEmptyTriangle, and Gukei.
  • 88.153.106.32: switched image on Shusaku page for a modern picture
  • 68.163.140.75:Vandalized the Hikaru no Go Page
  • 70.118.250.175: damaged the pages MichaelsCafe and JapaneseTitles (both have been restored). Possible vandalism?
  • 203.52.130.138 vandalized the page JaplishTalk
  • 24.227.48.170: putting crap on several pages, including the shusaku ones
  • 172.201.180.117 : deletion of content on wiki pages (twice)
  • 82.123.224.222: off-topic chat about racial issues
  • 220.174.176.247: FrontPage
  • 65.197.192.130: WwwStudsCom; vandalized UltimateGoServer/Wishlist
  • 82.131.23.119: LinkCollection
  • 209.191.8.200 : large number of erasures
  • 218.80.175.115 link spam in 9 pages, all minor edits, could be same person as 222.67.2.157
  • 222.67.2.157 link spam in 7 pages, including this page, some of them with minor edit.
  • 222.95.25.237 same change as 222.95.26.54 below
  • 222.95.26.54 added series of links to one page
  • 218.80.171.49, seems to have added ads to several pages
  • 211.161.242.239 : Text Formatting Rules
  • 194.66.96.100 : insults
  • 221.198.73.159
  • 218.1.142.53 , added huge amounts of off-topic links to several pages.
  • 60.25.119.199, disoriented keyboard abuse, several pages affected.
  • 66.48.159.32, 412.ATM0-0-0.DR2.TOR2.Alter.Net: (2004-09-05): Ad vertisment spam
  • 218.69.192.43: (2004-08-31 1000: several pages)
  • 218.1.141.201: among other things, wanted to sell us air-blowing hoses.
  • 213.122.83.174 (btopenworld.com), advertisment spam for several UK based companies
  • 68.47.73.61 from [ext] New Jersey 20/07/04: BentFourIntheCornerIsDead ?
  • 216.127.68.137: FrontPage, RecentChanges/Discussion, StartingPoints
  • 80.131.75.168: WikiVandal from Germany
  • 218.3.207.117: WikiNews, FrontPage
  • 80.144.242.92 / 80.144.242.94 : Wiki apprentice edit / SL Statistics
  • 211.30.218.159 HikaruNoGo
  • 65.41.234.115: user115.net813.nc.sprint-hsd.net (North Carolina)
  • 217.227.84.95 : pD9E3545F.dip.t-dialin.net FrontPage again
  • 212.195.80.100: f13m-5-100.d1.club-internet.fr: FrontPage
  • 160.79.136.50: GuoJuan, YourMom, AtomicBombGame
  • 80.28.104.69: 80-28-104-69.adsl.nuria.telefonica-data.net: DistanceFromFrontPage repeatedly vandalized. Probably same person who hit the front page also from telefonica-net.
  • 63.227.210.134: 63-227-210-134.ptld.qwest.net: FrontPage
  • 200.204.75.151: 200-204-75-151.dsl.telesp.net.br, FrontPage, probably same as two previous.
  • 152.163.252.131: cache-rg03.proxy.aol.com OldMottos
  • 200.101.127.77: FrontPage from Brazil
  • 200.97.213.216: FrontPage from Brazil
  • 217.184.227.196: wutf-d9b8e3c4.pool.mediaways.net: LaoTse
  • 203.118.169.218: 203-118-169-218.adsl.ihug.co.nz: FrontPage
  • 80.28.117.44: telefonica-net, Madrid, Spain: FrontPage
  • 216.61.101.251: 216-61-101-251.saisd.net (San Antonio Independent School District): defaced WikiEtiquette, SandBox, and created a page called !SEXConventions
  • 213.42.2.12: defaced CoffeeMachine and canceled WikiEtiquette
  • joniboy999: StartingPoints
  • 218.69.178.7: home page props changed
  • 148.243.192.254: Weiqi was modified.
  • 216.11.121.21: bess-proxy.rosd.k12.mi.us: FrontPage and others. Repeat offender, 20031005, 20031015.
  • 165.196.153.113: Los Rios Community College, Sacramento: FrontPage
  • 80.238.48.231: trn-dhcp-48-231.urbanet.ch: WikiWikiWeb
  • 24.62.166.60: h00c002ce10a1.ne.client2.attbi.com: HikaruNoGoManga
  • 68.146.71.23: h68-146-71-23.cg.shawcable.net; signed invidious
  • 209.239.31.110: ppp110.f1.56k.execulink.com; RankGupKoreanExplained
  • 66.112.95.245: p1-66-112-95-245-rt-bras.pell.centurytel.net WhyDontWeOpenAtTengen
  • 12.228.141.176: 12-228-141-176.client.attbi.com: messed up SenseiSLibrary, HikaruNoGo, CoffeeMachine!, RecentChanges! etc.
  • 80.14.207.127: ABordeaux-103-1-23-217.w80-14.abo.wanadoo.fr, Destroyed the frontpage, Nickname Chatouille, same "chatouille" of KGS.
  • 12.235.55.49: 12-235-55-49.client.attbi.com deleted the sandbox around the same time as 12.228.141.176 was active.
  • 66.13.203.194.in-addr.arpa: Naruto erased WikiWikiWeb and defaced a home page.
  • 213.67.171.45: h45n2fls34o884.telia.com
  • 80.50.231.59: vd59.neoplus.adsl.tpnet.pl
  • 212.44.43.20: complaints to abuse@dialnet.co.uk to complain.
  • 62.166.36.112: dslam112-36-166-62.adsl.zonnet.nl
  • 202.155.107.242: APNIC IP, somewhere in Pacific Asia
  • 129.188.33.222: wwwgate2.motorola.com
  • cableone.net user apologized in Sandbox. Removed IP address since there were no recurrences.
  • 24.175.248.144: cpe-24-175-248-144.gt.rr.com
  • 68.166.203.253: h-68-166-203-253.DLLATX.covad.net (see CastleGames)
  • 212.85.18.61:
  • 80.126.6.236: a80-126-6-236.adsl.xs4all.nl
  • 67.11.146.135: cs6711146-135.satx.rr.com
  • 68.120.129.255: adsl-68-120-129-255.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net: see NonJosekiExercise5Solution
  • 198.26.125.13: wcs2-scott.nipr.mil US Military!
  • 193.0.96.15: fw-gw-atm.mimuw.edu.pl
  • 203.170.132.181, Parker: dial-181.ras-9.bkk.c.cscoms.com
  • 64.168.21.1: adsl-64-168-21-1.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net
  • 148.78.247.10: cf2.mrt.starband.net
  • 202.56.138.198: APNIC block
  • 5.236.50.112 odd vandal
  • 117.197.254.142 spam
  • 179.61.255.72 spam
  • yahoocaree an account registered for spam!
  • 103.210.255.111 spam
  • another account registered to spam comments, purpose unclear
  • 188.101.192.187 adding links

Note: IP's change if the user logs in on a dynamic IP, as most big ISPs provide, but patterns may emerge. For example, 68.120.128.31 and 64.168.21.1 may be the same vandal. ISPs can be contacted to get them (possibly) to check their logs and to notify the user to stop defacing pages. After repeated notifications, they will cancel the account.


Wiki Vandal last edited by DudleyMoore on March 14, 2024 - 13:09
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