I recently had an user posting 0ver 6,000 new threads in a matter of minutes. I think it would be a great idea to create a limit related to the number of new moderated threads an user can create, i.e. maximum 10. @AndyB suggested this and I think is a great idea.
@Floren do you have "Bypass flood check" set to Not Set (No) for users? Also, what time do you have set for the flood check in Options in the ACP? If it's set to the default of 30 seconds and is enabled, then it would take a minimum of 50 hours for a user to create 6000 threads.
I just tested this, and I think Martok is correct. If the flood check length is 30 seconds, then any user cannot create more than one post every 30 seconds. I just tested this by creating a spam phrase and then making some posts containing that phrase as a test user. I can only make a post every 30 sec0nds, no more. So it all indicates that you don't have this set. At the very least, for all new users it should be 30-60 seconds. You could then promote users after X number of posts and/or X number of days registered to a group that isn't as strict. That would certainly give you the desired effect.
Ya, I have the flood check disabled because I don't like to have the users wait. Never thought of this issue. Regardless, I don't like to have the floodcheck enabled nor deal with promoted users. I simply need an option to limit the unapproved posts. For now I'm forced to enable the floodcheck... @Chris D, even if you are limited to 30 seconds, a spammer can post hundreds of messages until you check it next time... say you are asleep like I was... 30 seconds posts x 8 hours = 960 threads. With the option to limit the number of threads, the spammer would post only 10 threads. A lot easier on database to deal with deletion and also not screwing with the threadid/postid... I just got a HUGE gap now because the idiot that posted 6,000 threads. I have to manually edit the table now to adjust the incremental number on threadid and postid. I hope you realize how annoying this is. It is very bad for a database to have HUGE id gaps like the one I'm dealing with now. I know this from my own experience with search indexing. Luckily my forums are not busy so I have the luxury to adjust easy the ID's... there is no way I could do this on a busy forum.
I doubt very much that a spammer would sit on one forum for 8 hours just to post 960 threads, they'd move on to other sites. They would sit on a forum to post thousands of threads where an admin is daft enough to switch off the floodcheck. So why won't you use the floodcheck or promotions? It's not exactly hard. A single promotion and floodcheck for a newly registered users would solve much of this problem. Also,what's the issue with threadid and postid numbers? Does it really matter that there's a gap? How does this affect the running of a forum?
Using promotion is the best way IMO. Once users are confirmed that they are not spammers then you don't have to moderate their posts at all.
