Someone is continually adding subscribers

  • I have set up a website and I am ready to start building up subscribers, but before I even publicised the website, someone started adding subscribers. Whoever it is is adding subscribers with correct email addresses and confirming and setting the passwords.

    They create about 20 a day, so it’s not panic stations. I have no idea why they are doing this, because it only gives them access to make comments (which they don’t) and receive the newsletter (which hasn’t been started yet).

    What can I do? I suppose I could implement Google Recaptcha with a plugin, but I suspect that won’t stop them.

    Here’s an example of their registration (they are all different user names and email domains):

    New user registration on your site Finsbury Park and Stroud Green Neighbourhood Plan:

    [email redacted]

    • This topic was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Steven Stern (sterndata).
    • This topic was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by Jan Dembowski. Reason: Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress topic
Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

  • Hi @ahardy42

    I recommend using Akismet Anti-Spam WordPress plugin.

    The same issue also came to me but after installing the plugin I noticed a decrease in spam requests, and yes you can also use Google Recaptcha plugin. ??

    Hallo ??

    Please do not post other people’s information without their consent.
    Particularly when a username contains a full name and surname, plus an e-mail address.

    Thread Starter Adam

    (@ahardy42)

    @carike did you read my post? That account no longer exists because I deleted it from my website and that email is similar in pattern to about 200 others that I also deleted. I doubt they are actual email addresses – just 200 aliases that are either caught by pattern matching on their server. I’d be grateful to hear why you think they are real – honestly – it might help me stop the abuse.

    @bizanimesh thanks. I forgot about Akismet! I’m using it on my other sites, so I’ll install it straight away. Fingers crossed.

    I did read your post.

    The fact that you have deleted these accounts from your site does not change the fact that they should not be posted here.

    In such an instance, one specific example adds no value to your post – and while there is a chance that these details are real, they do not belong on these forums.
    We assume neutral intent until such time as we have concrete evidence to the contrary.
    At this time, there is still a real possibility that, if those details are real, they were used to create accounts on your website without the person’s consent.

    Moderator Jan Dembowski

    (@jdembowski)

    Forum Moderator and Brute Squad

    Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress topic.

    *Drinks coffee*

    Posting emails, regardless if you think they are real or not, is not for this site. If it’s spam or registration spam then those plugins may help you.

    This is a good article for registration spam.
    https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-stop-spam-registrations-on-your-wordpress-membership-site/

    Thread Starter Adam

    (@ahardy42)

    Thanks. The plugins in the article rely on services like Akismet which I’m already using now, but “registration spam” is a good search term!

    It baffles me that there is any point for the spammer to set up these spam registrations. I suspect the plan is based on finding a security flaw in the future at some point with which they can do something nasty although that seems like a lot of effort for little & uncertain returns.

    It’s a matter of scale.
    The bot may be checking if user registration is allowed in order to identify which sites may be vulnerable to further exploits – if user registration is not allowed, just for example, then the next bot doesn’t target that site.

    There is also the possibility that the intention is to make bot registrations on OTHER sites (social media mainly) seem legit.

    There are other possibilities as well, but I’d prefer not to address them on public forums.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • The topic ‘Someone is continually adding subscribers’ is closed to new replies.