Introducing SpamLookup
Yes, it’s another anti-spam plugin. I would have called it MT-DSBL 2.0, but the feature set grew beyond the name, so a more generic name was chosen. This is a 2.0 release however… the plugin deserves more seniority than a 1.0 release, since it was built of the carcass that was MT-DSBL 1.1.
The first beta release is now available. Please visit the project page for SpamLookup to download it.
So, what does this thing do? Well, in a nutshell:
- Filters inbound comments for all installed weblogs.
- Filters inbound TrackBack pings for all installed weblogs.
- Checks IP address of sender against DNSBL services.
- Checks mentioned domain names against SURBL services.
- IP match test for TrackBack pings.
- URL count limit.
- Dynamic proxy checking.
- Moderation word list.
- Block word list.
- Passphrase requirement for comments and/or TrackBack pings.
All of these are fully configurable. You can also choose whether to block or to moderate on any of these conditions. Also, you get the choice of moderating TrackBack pings if you have also installed the MT-Moderate (version 1.1 or later) plugin by Chad Everett.
The plugin also has some sensible bypasses, if you choose to enable them.
- Accept comments from authenticated commenters.
- Accept comments that have no hyperlinks.
- Accept comments that use a URL that was previously approved.
SpamLookup is more than just a collection of anti-spam filters. It also lets you manage your comments and TrackBack pings a little better. The comment and TrackBack ping management screens lets you view all records for all weblogs you have installed. From there you can do mass approval, deletion and moderation.
And finally, a despam option is available. Despam will scan your existing comments or TrackBack pings using all of the SpamLookup options you have enabled and will give you the chance to act on anything fishy that turn up. If you know you have existing comment spam, this is a handy way to easily dispatch it.
I’ve been running this plugin on my site for testing purposes, with it being the only antispam plugin installed and it has been performing very well. However, your mileage may vary.
SpamLookup does a great job combatting spam flooders since they predominately use open proxies to appear as if they are coming from different sources. The DNSBL lookups (quick, DNS based lookup based on IP against a database of known open proxies) put a stop to that. Furthermore, they domains they use to spam with are checked against SURBL lists (quick, DNS based lookup based on the domain against a database of known spam domains). URL limits are also helpful since a lot of weblog spam tries to push through dozens or more hyperlinks at a time.
