computer question on PPOT
 

Why do we get these "Bots", what ever they are called, repost our threads. like the last post in the dishwasher thread? Is it my computer or how are they hacking it?

What are they trying to do?

They are joining the board so has nothing to do with your computer.

They hide a link in their post.

It's a fairly benign attempt to increase search engine ranking for something or someone else.

The bots are "attacking" the forum by creating accounts and posting nonsense. No idea what their end game is.

These bots are more than likely being dispatched from compromised machines.

^^^This is correct. It is usually a 1x1 pixel picture which is white. It hotlink to a webpage and counts as a view. It is either to bump search engine results or it is a way to increase "clicks" in a pay per click scheme.

Like my machine?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/815243-need-buy-dishwasher-advice-3.html


This last post. Its a direct copy of post #2

Technically, it could be your machine, but not likely.

Botnets get created via various malware vectors, and somewhere in a dark Russian basement, there's a guy who's dispatching them on the whims of the highest bidder "Fly my pretties!

Some more info here:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/899579-spambots.html

Got another related question: on some of the threads, like the DOG thread, if you go to post something, at the bottom section it has a part labeled "trackbacks" or something and there are a whole bunch of websites listed, some with commercial sounding names, what's gives?

When someone posts content that has an active link back to another source it generates a trackback.

It lets the the original author know their content has been linked to.

Think of it as a bibliography for forum posts.