Internet 301 - Mole catching for fun and profit

[benburch]

( People have asked how I sometimes know how many people see my postings and who has seen them. To that end I bring you a posting from the past that explained the whole technique. )

It is really very easy to catch moles who post on Right Wing boards and come here to disrupt us, and I'll tell you all how you can do it!

First, you need to have a web server that you control and which you have full access to the logs of. This isn't hard as apache is public domain and easy to configure on most platforms.

Second, you need to make a one pixel transparent PNG file, such as this one;

Cant see it, can you?

The link to is is http://www.WhiteRoseSociety.org/images /example.png and you should feel free to copy it. (Remove the space just before the last / !)

Next you establish an account on the target board. Create a Yahoo mail account or similar like "NRA_Supporter" or "Condi_For_President" and use that account to log in. Say nothing a RW goon wouldn't say, EVER, no matter how odious they are. Once they accept you, the fun begins.

Post something really controversial here. Nothing you wouldn't be happy posting ordinarily, but make the title into a Fascist Magnet, like "Gun Control Means Killing Fascists", you know what I mean. Drop your PNG into a reply to the original message, not the original message itself.

Wait a half-hour, and then post a message on the RW board, something like "Those damned DUers are threatening to kill us! Lets turn them in!", link in the thread here, and put some nice RW clip art into your posting, something you also host on your server.

Wait.

Then compare the logs. Look for IP addresses that appear on the logs for both files. By looking at the timestamp of postings on each board, and comparing that to the hit times on the image files, you can get a pretty good idea about the IP addresses of those who replied to you message on the RW board and those that replied to your message here.

You will also see people who merely keep an eye on both places, just as you are doing, so do not be quick to accuse.

Best to repeat the exercise a couple of times to gain confidence in your identification of the trolls.

Have fun, and remember, we are smarter than they are!

[bahrbearian]

1. Here's the method I prefer.

[benburch]

2. Good Doggie...

But these Moles smell so bad, I would think it cruel to the poor animal!

[bahrbearian]

3. You deal with much more offensive Moles, then she does.

[benburch]

4. And they are UGLY too! nt

[Swamp Rat]

5. AHHHH! THE HORROR!!!

Moles are my friendly, frail cousins! ... CANNIBALS!!! ... AHHH!

[benburch]

6. Wow!

A special Swamp Rat graphic just for this occasion! :)

[bahrbearian]

7. Truth be told, she has a Noweigian Brown Rat,

but Moles meet the same fate. Beware Swamp Rat of small dogs.

[benburch]

8. Good thing for Rabies shots!

If my dog were killing rats I'd be worried!

[lonestarnot]

9. Mine is effective with roof rats! Almost the same spots only mine liver

colored... Twick aren't they?

[lonestarnot]

10. This seems like alot of trouble and besides I don't know what the fuck

you are talking about...LOL

[benburch]

11. In layman's terms...

You can find out who reads what you post on a message board even though you do not own or control the message board. And you can do so without anybody being the wiser.

[DrDebug]

13. But the nastiest trolls use anonymizers

Which means that their IPs are different at every post and they are incorrect as well. I've seen one troll who always did that. Very nasty troll.

Personally I think it's better not to go to troll hang-outs anyhow, because it'll only give them fuel to hit back.

[benburch]

14. Yes, and there are traps for that.

You can make that troll want to see a web page that requires Javascript... And you can then force an URL onto him that gets fetched around the proxy.

[DrDebug]

19. See PM n/t

[benburch]

25. Have.

I will find a countermeasure to that.

A Honey Pot is how I have helped catch and convict several crackers in recent years. We just need to find an appropriate bit of honey they cannot resist!

But I will also examine what you describe can come up with a technical work-around.

[lonestarnot]

15. But what if you really don't care who reads your posts. Still a no sale.

[benburch]

18. Right!

I'm just telling people how it is done, because they do that to US.

Knowledge is power.

[lonestarnot]

21. Thanks for trying.

[Generic Other]

12. Why do they care so much about what we think?

Having visited the lowlifes at a certain copycat site in the past few days, I can only shake my head in astonishment that DU has a "fan club" of righties who have nothing better to do than spy on us.

Personally, I find that sort of activity puzzling. Monkey see/Monkey do-ism. I suppose we should take comfort in the fact that DU is providing a valuable public service distracting these do-littles from causing real harm in their neighborhoods and communities. If hating DUers keeps one idiot from molesting children, robbing 7-11's, or harassing minorities and gays, then I guess we've earned our wings.

:shrug:

[benburch]

16. See, I don't care that they stalk us.

It diverts their energies from pushing their agenda.

My goal (and I spend only about 20 minutes a week on it) is to create paranoia and suspicion on their part. So I trap an occasional troll and make sure that troll knows he got trapped. I send them an anonymous email with their personal information in it! Yep. Pure intimidation. But I have scared some of them away from those troops of performing trolls of which you refer.

[Az]

17. Its an OCD

They are already tracking this thread.

:hi: you poor obsessed little monkeys.

[benburch]

20. Are they?

I ought to go look, but I just ate.

[Az]

22. Yep, they even mention you by name

You must be so proud to be the focus of a bunch of marvelous people like that. :evilgrin:

[benburch]

23. As P. T. Barnum said;

"Just spell my name right!"

[Az]

24. You'd love their work around to avoid this trap

One suggests unplugging your cable/dsl modem every few minutes and getting a new IP that way.

And the thing is they don't see themselves as the one's with the problem. :rofl:

[benburch]

26. I'm a sadist...

and it makes me VERY happy to keep them so paranoid! :evilgrin:

[benburch]

27. By the way, Az

Did I ever tell you that I like the way you think? :)

[Just Me]

28. I'm glad you are all over this!!!

I don't play that game 'cause I just don't like it.

I'm grateful you are such a talented player, though!!! We need talents like that for counter assaults.

:hi:

[benburch]

29. Interesting Development...

One of the IP addresses I have seen frequently at "that other board" is now sending Code Red worms to my firewall. Coincidence?

[Taxloss]

30. I think not.

Consider this thread bookmarked.

[Just Me]

32. Well, dude, *LOL* you have exposed yourself as an IT warrior.

I'm sure you can expect challengers! }(

[benburch]

33. Let them try!

People have been trying to crash me for the last three years!

[Just Me]

36. HA!!!

:yourock:

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I don't really understand this

But I post from several different computers because a friend who would understand what you posted told me to do this to keep freepers from tracking ME.

[Zhade]

34. Can this be used to uncover DU's trolls?

We've got a number of 1000+ trolls here, and I'd love to send them the way of a certain sockpuppet-master who hailed both from Cuba AND Ireland at the same time!

[benburch]

35. Yes, that is the goal.

And also to give YOU a clue about how not to be found out when you go over there.

I hear that they really love postings of gay pornography... Makes sense since most of them are closet cases.

[Zorra]

37. Outstanding! Now we can verify the trolls that we know are here, and that

piss us off, but don't ever quite post anything that will get them banned from DU.