[Mailman-Users] bots subscribing to lists via web forms to avoidmember-only restrictions

[Brad Knowles]

On 1/16/08, LuKreme wrote:

>>>  Are there plans to enhance the web subscription form with a type of
>>>  captcha, or other technique to discourage bots?
>>
>>  There is no current plan.
>
>  There really should be.

CAPTCHAs don't work.  The best mechanism I've found so far that does 
work is to moderate (or discard or reject) postings from 
non-subscribers, and to moderate new subscribers by default.  Once 
they prove they are human beings and capable posting reasonably 
on-topic messages to the list, you can clear their moderation bit.

Nothing else I've seen actually works.

-- 
Brad Knowles <brad at shub-internet.org>
LinkedIn Profile: <http://tinyurl.com/y8kpxu>