How To Reduce WordPress Trackback Spam

February 26th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

Filed Under: Tools & Tips

Tags: Blogging Tips, Connected Internet, false positive, gHacks, plugins, Projects, Spam, Trackbacks, Wordpress

This year I’ve made various changes to my blog to reduce comment spam (read more here and here) but finding an effective way to reduce Trackback Spam had eluded me. Adding SK2 meant that it was rare for any spam to get through, but I was still getting around one hundred Trackback Spams a day which was too many a day to check for false positives.

Luckily, I spotted yesterday that gHacks had added a a random trackback generator. After firing off an email to Martin, he told me that he was using the WP-Hardened-Trackback plugin, which generates single-use, expiring trackback urls. Whenever someone tries to send a trackback without a valid key it’s just ignored.

WP-Hardened-Track has been live for a few hours and I’ve had no trackback spam, which is fantastic as I know that in the past I have been losing genuine trackbacks because I haven’t had the energy to plow through hundreds of spam just to find one or two false positives.

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About the Author

Everton is based in London and has worked in the internet and mobile space for over ten years now, and before that worked in corporate strategy and consulting. He has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University, and currently runs the Portal and online operations for one of the largest ISPs in the UK. He also writes for Windows 7 News.

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There Are 6 Responses So Far. »

1. #1
   

   Comment by Thilak on 26 February 2007:

   Normally we don’t use the trackback URL. Wordpress leaves a trackback automatically and in this case, this doesn’t happen. So overall, all trackbacks (except those who fill the trackback URL manually) will be killed
2. #2
   

   Comment by Everton on 26 February 2007:

   Wordpress leaves pingbacks automatically not trackbacks, which I don’t think will be affected.

   My blog experience may not be the norm, but I tend to get more trackbacks than pingbacks.
3. #3
   

   Comment by Everton on 26 February 2007:

   Wordpress leaves a trackback automatically and in this case, this doesn’t happen. So overall, all trackbacks (except those who fill the trackback URL manually) will be killed

   Update: I’ve received several pingbacks today so this plugin definitely doesn’t stop automatic pingbacks. It’s been so nice today not having hundreds of spam messages to plough through. I’ve literally had 10 comment spams and NO trackback spam which is amazing.

   I’m quite chuffed that I got the 350 a min spams I was having to process at peak down to around 20 per day!
4. #4

   Pingback by WordPress Plugins I’m Currently Using | Connected Internet on 26 June 2007:

   [...] WP Hardened Trackback v1.0 by Marco van Hylckama Vlieg: Eliminated my trackback spam overnight [...]
5. #5

   Pingback by WordPress Plugins I’m Currently Using | Connected Internet on 26 June 2007:

   [...] WP Hardened Trackback v1.0 by Marco van Hylckama Vlieg: Eliminated my trackback spam overnight [...]
6. #6
   

   Comment by videos on 10 July 2008:

   great interview guys and gals….still would like to crack the top 500 myself…

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