Hi,
I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message every
5 minutes from months.
Do you have any idea what this is ?

For example:

From: Test User <test-user@nospam.example>
Newsgroups: alt.test
Message-Id:
<707bded39480bb81.7963489a696c9318@52989dccacae3eb5.78e0286b383466a7>
Subject:
6705db03d618d0eb-37a24843797800f3-325ab381f16573e3-105b0d1331234dcf
Organization: XSNews
Path: (...)!abp001.abavia.com!news.xsnews.nl!not-for-mail
Lines: 2
Injection-Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2024 22:24:41 +0100
Injection-Info: news.xsnews.nl; mail-complaints-to="abuse@xsnews.nl"
X-Received-Bytes: 614

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

44f5caa6dc2490ac

--
Admin of news.usenet.ovh

llp <contact@usenet.ovh> wrote at 22:26 this Tuesday (GMT):
> Hi,
> I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message every
> 5 minutes from months.
> Do you have any idea what this is ?
>
> For example:
>
> From: Test User <test-user@nospam.example>
> Newsgroups: alt.test
> Message-Id:
><707bded39480bb81.7963489a696c9318@52989dccacae3eb5.78e0286b383466a7>
> Subject:
> 6705db03d618d0eb-37a24843797800f3-325ab381f16573e3-105b0d1331234dcf
> Organization: XSNews
> Path: (...)!abp001.abavia.com!news.xsnews.nl!not-for-mail
> Lines: 2
> Injection-Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2024 22:24:41 +0100
> Injection-Info: news.xsnews.nl; mail-complaints-to="abuse@xsnews.nl"
> X-Received-Bytes: 614
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> 44f5caa6dc2490ac

Maybe it's some automated system?
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

-------- Original Message --------
From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
Subject: strange message on alt.test

> Hi,
> I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message every
> 5 minutes from months.
> Do you have any idea what this is ?
>
> For example:
>
>

It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for the
Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
Have used my server too.

--
Ivo Gandolfo

Le 05/03/2024 à 23:26, llp a écrit :

> I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message every
> 5 minutes from months.
> Do you have any idea what this is ?

[...]

> Path: (...)!abp001.abavia.com!news.xsnews.nl!not-for-mail

Maybe we should ban xsnews.nl :)

Thus spake Eric M <conanospamic@gmail.com>
>> Path: (...)!abp001.abavia.com!news.xsnews.nl!not-for-mail
> Maybe we should ban xsnews.nl :)

Cry havoc and let slip the bots of war.

--
Пу́тін — хуйло́
https://www.eternal-september.org

Le 06/03/2024 à 13:07, Ray Banana a écrit :

>>> Path: (...)!abp001.abavia.com!news.xsnews.nl!not-for-mail

>> Maybe we should ban xsnews.nl :)
> Cry havoc and let slip the bots of war.

Maybe they have strange NoCems too !

Il se trouve que Ivo Gandolfo a formulé :
> -------- Original Message --------
> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>
>
>> Hi,
>> I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message every
>> 5 minutes from months.
>> Do you have any idea what this is ?
>>
>> For example:
>>
>>
>
> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for the Tor (or
> similar) network for testing reachability.
> Have used my server too.

Okay, that makes more sense.
Sincerely

--
Admin of news.usenet.ovh

On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 08:25:11 +0100
Ivo Gandolfo <usenet@bofh.team> wrote:

> -------- Original Message --------
> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>
>
> > Hi,
> > I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message
> > every 5 minutes from months.
> > Do you have any idea what this is ?
> >
> > For example:
> >
> >
>
> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for the
> Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
> Have used my server too.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is
still some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That
said, I suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.

--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23

On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 14:40:56 -0600, Nigel Reed <sysop@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:
>On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 08:25:11 +0100
>Ivo Gandolfo <usenet@bofh.team> wrote:
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
>> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
>> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>>
>> > Hi,
>> > I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message
>> > every 5 minutes from months.
>> > Do you have any idea what this is ?
>> > For example:
>>
>> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for the
>> Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
>> Have used my server too.
>
>Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
>accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is
>still some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That
>said, I suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.

google didn't need tor to abuse usenet with impunity, temporarily;
sites and services that reject tor users tend to become isolated,
like moderated newsgroups, moderated social media, the "in-crowd"

Nigel Reed wrote:

> On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 08:25:11 +0100
> Ivo Gandolfo <usenet@bofh.team> wrote:

>> -------- Original Message --------
>> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
>> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
>> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>>
>>
>> > Hi,
>> > I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message
>> > every 5 minutes from months.
>> > Do you have any idea what this is ?
>> >
>> > For example:
>> >
>> >
>>
>> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for the
>> Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
>> Have used my server too.

> Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
> accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is
> still some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That
> said, I suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.

I've been running a nntp server accessible via tor and i2p (including some peering) for a few years now, and have not had an issue. I do require a working email address to create an account to post (except for rocksolid.* groups where a user can post using the 'Anonymous' account)

--
Retro Guy

Nigel Reed wrote:

> Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
> accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is still
> some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That said, I
> suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.

The same properties that make tor useful to people who need it also make
it useful to people who exploit it. Nothing can be done about this, but
it is worth the tradeöff.

--
Blue-Maned_Hawk│shortens to
Hawk│/
blu.mɛin.dÊ°ak/
│he/him/his/himself/Mr.
blue-maned_hawk.srht.site
which word is supposed to be cat

On 06 Mar 2024, D <J@M> posted some
news:6ee1eb7e8637398e589013eb22ea5f1d@dizum.com:

> On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 14:40:56 -0600, Nigel Reed
> <sysop@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:
>>On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 08:25:11 +0100
>>Ivo Gandolfo <usenet@bofh.team> wrote:
>>> -------- Original Message --------
>>> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
>>> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
>>> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>>>
>>> > Hi,
>>> > I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message
>>> > every 5 minutes from months.
>>> > Do you have any idea what this is ?
>>> > For example:
>>>
>>> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for
>>> the Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
>>> Have used my server too.
>>
>>Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
>>accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is
>>still some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That
>>said, I suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.
>
> google didn't need tor to abuse usenet with impunity, temporarily;
> sites and services that reject tor users tend to become isolated,
> like moderated newsgroups, moderated social media, the "in-crowd"

google couldn't find a way to make groups / usenet pay to support
themselves, so the cost cutting knife came out. If they were really
interested, they could have stopped the spamming easily enough.

Encountering Tor filtering will slow a skilled networker down for
a bit to work out what is needed. An adjustment or two and Tor access
continues unabated. Most users in this category are not abusers, but
there is the occasional exception.

wolfgang rothe wrote:
> On 06 Mar 2024, D <J@M> posted some
> news:6ee1eb7e8637398e589013eb22ea5f1d@dizum.com:
>
>> On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 14:40:56 -0600, Nigel Reed
>> <sysop@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 6 Mar 2024 08:25:11 +0100
>>> Ivo Gandolfo <usenet@bofh.team> wrote:
>>>> -------- Original Message --------
>>>> From: llp <contact@usenet.ovh>
>>>> Date: mar, mar 5 2024 10:26:46PM GMT+00:00
>>>> Subject: strange message on alt.test
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I've noticed that on the alt.test group, a user posts a message
>>>>> every 5 minutes from months.
>>>>> Do you have any idea what this is ?
>>>>> For example:
>>>>
>>>> It's a bot, testing reaching the system and "ping". It's used for
>>>> the Tor (or similar) network for testing reachability.
>>>> Have used my server too.
>>>
>>> Personally, I'm not a big fan of running a usenet server that's
>>> accessable via tor. While usenet can be fairly anonymous, there is
>>> still some sort of accountability for those users who abuse it. That
>>> said, I suppose it's like any other VPN or whatever.
>>
>> google didn't need tor to abuse usenet with impunity, temporarily;
>> sites and services that reject tor users tend to become isolated,
>> like moderated newsgroups, moderated social media, the "in-crowd"
>
> google couldn't find a way to make groups / usenet pay to support
> themselves, so the cost cutting knife came out. If they were really
> interested, they could have stopped the spamming easily enough.
>
> Encountering Tor filtering will slow a skilled networker down for
> a bit to work out what is needed. An adjustment or two and Tor access
> continues unabated. Most users in this category are not abusers, but
> there is the occasional exception.
>

I understand that some clients (not the one I use) can set an expiry
date on a posting, this would seem to be case where that should be
mandatory - and anything more than a few days would also be a form of abuse.