New Spam Tool: Email Domain & IP Banning at Sign-Up

[Eric Suesz]

We're no fan of spam at Ning. We know it can be an annoyance, especially for Ning Creators who choose not to moderate membership. While we can't solve for every type of spam attack, we have put in place a number of spam tools in the last two years that can make a difference. If you haven't turned all of those on yet, we encourage you to take a minute to make sure you're Preventing Spam in the best ways you can.

Today, we're releasing another spam tool that allows Ning Plus and Pro to perform both email domain and IP banning. 

IP banning is a request we've had over time from people here on Creators, so we are sure that a few folks who've wanted to see this will be happy that it's now available. The feature is fairly straightforward, and it's entirely optional. You'll see a new column in Member Management for IP addresses, and you'll see the option to block in the Sign-up/Sign-in area.

Block IP addresses at sign-up

You can prevent anyone coming from a specific IP address from signing up for your site. Just enter the IP address you want to block, and no one will be able to sign up from that IP address.

Block email domains at sign-up

Similarly, you can choose email domains that you want to block from signing up for your community. If you see spam coming from an email domain like [e-mail], you can block all sign-ups that come from the @sharklasers.com domain.

Of course, these are powerful tools, so we recommend using them carefully and thoughtfully. If you ban an IP that hundreds of thousands of people potentially use, you cut off access to thousands of potential members.

• These options are only available to the Network Creator; not admins.
• You can remove the bans you put in place at any time.
• If someone is unable to sign in because of these blocks, they will see a specific message. The specific message is located in the Language Editor and can be customized.
• If someone is unable to sign in, they can still contact you, provided you have not turned off that option. That option is located in your own personal Email Settings area (Feedback and problem reports).
• The reports you receive from members having trouble includes the email and IP address, as well as whether either is blocked.

One other thing to note about this feature is that you may see that an IP record is "unavailable" in your listings. In most cases, this will be because the member joined before we were able to capture their IP address (i.e., before this tool was turned on a few weeks ago).

Want to know where an IP is geographically located? Look it up on InfoSniper

You can read all about how to Block an Email Domain or IP Address from Signing Up in the Help Center.

[westy]

Thank you @Eric :)

[John "JC" Colyer]

Thanks for this! :)

[Paul Scholes]

Thanks Eric, Thanks a lot.  I have been asking for this from day one and finally we got this feature which I think it helps way more than the spam filter or other tools were a great idea but did not end up being as effective.

This is great because you are giving us the option to block by ip or even better, just see the ip.  That's the real deal, seen the ip rocks because i can see where the members come from and as they try to join again, i will likely be able to match the person.

Thanks again, one comment, the cherry on the pie would be if we could organize the list of members by ip too.  I mean, if you look at the member list on our networks (under members=>management) you will see that we can click on "name", "role" and "date joined".  When I click on any of those the list is organized either by name, role or the date joined, it would be nice to have the same option with the ip.  If I could do the same with the ip then I would be able to check in 2 minutes if there are members that have more than one account and they are hiding it away.

Anyway, thanks for finally giving us this feature.  Its my favorite improvement this, year, I like it even more than the new chat room :-)

[Eric Suesz]

Yeah, Paul, I know exactly what you mean about this being useful for spotting bad actors. Knowing the IP is crucial in those situations. I don't know if we'll ever provide a way to sort by IP, but I know that is something people want and our product team has been following the conversation, so your voice is heard. 

[Kos]

"If someone is unable to sign in because of these blocks, they will see a specific message. The specific message is located in the Language Editor and can be customized."

Eric what is the specific message so that we can search it out in Language Editor?

[Eric Suesz]

Check out the screenshots in the Help Center article. Note the message that starts with "based on the information". That's the one you're looking for. 

[Kos]

"Based on the information you have provided, you are ineligible to register for a new account."

Great - thank you!

[Apostle Solael]

Well - I have changed it, and I am not one who candy coats the truth - therefore, this is it:

Based on the information you have provided, you are a known spammer - therefore, you are not welcome and your application will not be approved.

[EDWIN]

Great news. Keep up the good work.

[Andrea Cortiano]

Tremendous! Now is Perfect ☺ :)

thanks

[Writer Chick {Diane}]

Just noticed that the IP addresses don't show for members who leave the site on their own.  This is necessary. Some members leave disgruntled before you can suspend them, and then they try to come back later and start trouble.  We need to see THEIR IP addresses as well.

[Damien Hannah]

Would you not acquire their IP address when they sign back up to heckle?

I personally don't like this banning function, especially by email, that's just silly in my opinion. Block thousands, if not millions of potential members, just to block a certain spammer?

Instead of blocking IP addresses, Ning should be tracking them. Find out the source of the junk sign ups, Ning has GOT to have some kind of main monitoring system, watching users, visitors, network creators, etc. Ning, you're not just blindly operating. You have every bit of information you need to track, find, and control these spam bot sources. Ning just has not dedicated to it.

Other things seem more important than crucial security flaws. I'm not impressed AT ALL.