11 replies to this topic

[FirefoxRocks]

I checked my stats for 2007 and found an alarming number of users in one particular category. Then I checked each month and found this:


Lots of requests as shown there! Now what uses IE4 these days?

Edited by FirefoxRocks, 14 August 2007 - 07:27 PM.

[ethergeek]

I checked my stats for 2007 and found an alarming number of users in one particular category. Then I checked each month and found this:


Lots of requests as shown there! Now what uses IE4 these days?

It's probably a blog/forum/comment spam bot spoofing IE4 as it's user agent. I get those a lot too...thank god for aKismet on my blog and forum

[Mark420]

Could be from someone running terminal services sometimes these sessions get reported wrong?
Also, I think you should see the recent post about the most spyware infected pc!!
Your browser looks just like it!!

[ethergeek]

Also, I think you should see the recent post about the most spyware infected pc!!
Your browser looks just like it!!

I was going to say the same thing, looking at the number of toolbars he has installed into internet explorer...I can't imagine anyone being OK with half their browser screen real estate taken up by toolbars.

[FirefoxRocks]

I was going to say the same thing, looking at the number of toolbars he has installed into internet explorer...I can't imagine anyone being OK with half their browser screen real estate taken up by toolbars.

Actually when I took that screenshot, I had about 7 toolbars hidden. And I would install every toolbar in the world that doesn't collect personal information, display ads, and/or otherwise annoy me. In fact, I would fill my whole monitor with good toolbars. I don't mind the screen space taken up at all. Spyware bothers me, but good toolbars are good.

By the way, I was using Mozilla Firefox, not Internet Explorer

[ethergeek]

By the way, I was using Mozilla Firefox, not Internet Explorer

LOL...I use firefox exclusively...how did I not notice that?

[Quatrux]

Well I don't see any reason to use so much toolbars, but if it is ok for you, it is ok for me.. I personally like the less toolbars as possible and the more comfortable as possible.. That is just bots spoofing as IE4 or the spoofing is made with mistakes, due to the user agent header.. I don't think you should care or you can ban it by using some php or any other language you prefer..

[ethergeek]

Well I don't see any reason to use so much toolbars, but if it is ok for you, it is ok for me.. I personally like the less toolbars as possible and the more comfortable as possible.. That is just bots spoofing as IE4 or the spoofing is made with mistakes, due to the user agent header.. I don't think you should care or you can ban it by using some php or any other language you prefer..

It's not cost-effective to ban the bots...it would take so much time to keep up with them, that it would not be cost effective from a money-saved-in-bandwidth costs perspective.

Just install anti-spam (like akismet) or capchas on user input forms to prevent them from spamming you and you'll be ok.

[tansqrx]

All I can say is wow. All of those tool bars and no personal information is sent.

I too think it is a SPAM bot. It also may by some type of proxy that changes the AGENT field to IE 4. I use one such program that changes everything, even non-Microsoft programs, to IE 6.

[xboxrulz]

It might be Opera users disguising themselves as IE. I'm very sure they used an old version of IE as it descriptor (correct me if I'm wrong).

xboxrulz

[.:Brian:.]

I would also lean on the side of that it is users trying to disguise themselves as using IE for their browser for terms of compatibility. I have done it several times myself due to websites that say something along the lines of 'to view this webpage you must use IE', and yet I know the website will work perfectly fine in another browser...

So I have done this, and yes often times it uses an older version of IE for telling what it uses (as xboxrulz has said above).

But yes it is also possible that there is a spam bot of some sort....

It really could be almost anything really....there isn't any 100% way to tell exactly what it is.

[FirefoxRocks]

Well I haven't experienced a huge number of record additions in my MySQL databases or anything like that. I don't think it is a spam bot registering on my forms.

I sure find it strange though, every other month doesn't have requests from IE4.