Trackback Spam Resources

Version 0.7.1 is now available for download. It fixes a bug on WordPress 2.x blogs: wp_post.comment_count wasn’t correctly updated when rejecting spam TrackBacks, causing the blog’s frontpage to show one too many comments (if the current theme features a display of the number of comments per post).

We’ve just released version 0.7 of the Validator; this is a strongly recommended upgrade for all our current users. We have improved the reliability and robustness of almost all aspects of the plugin, including spam classification, administration, and data reporting. Go grab version 0.7 and be free of TrackBack spam!

Here’s a slightly edited version of the message I sent to wp-hackers today:

The first public version (v0.5) of the WP Trackback Validator is now available from the following URL:

http://idli.cs.rice.edu/~dsandler/trackback/trackback-validator-plugin/

The idea behind the Validator, which is under development by students in the Rice University Computer Security Lab, is simple: Trackback URLs that point to pages that don’t link back to your blog are bogus. It’s an easy test to perform, and one that no current Trackback spammer is bothering to try to defeat; since we’ve started using this plugin on our personal WP blogs, our Trackback spam rate has dropped to zero.

This test is already present in some other anti-spam plugins, typically included among a hodgepodge of other content-based schemes and rules. If you’re looking for something lightweight that does one job extremely well, please check out the Validator.

The point of the project, in addition to helping to combat Trackback spam, is to collect data. We’re interested in the kinds of spams people get, from which sources, at what rate, etc. We’d like to see if, once everyone starts applying the simple reverse-link check, the spammers step up their assault. In order to help us, the Validator distribution comes with a small shell script which will send us a profile of the spam you’ve caught recently.

So, in short, to save Trackback from an untimely death, try out the Trackback Validator plugin, and send us back some data. In the meantime, enjoy spam-free Trackbacks on your WordPress site.