June 1, 2008

  • Private Messaging Update

    Someone has been abusing our Private Messaging feature to send spam.

    We've been working over the weekend to institute security measures to counteract this.  We've also deleted all the spam messages we could find.  I won't go into details on our countermeasures here, but you won't be affected unless you send a whole bunch of private messages.

    Thanks to the many Xangans who brought this to our attention!

Comments (165)

  • Thanks for working on it all weekend. Don't you guys ever get time off?

  • Awesome! Thanks for the protection!

  • Cool! Hopefully now I'll get no more messages from girls in bikinis calling me "baby". Hahahaha.

  • it's only a matter of time before someone breaks out the Monty Python references. so I'll just do that preemptively. Heh. "Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!"

  • Thank you for working so hard for us! (This wouldn't affect people sending messages to their friends and subscribers though?)

  • Thanks- i got one and i appreciate that you're working to stop them. 

  • ooo i see! good to hear :D

  • @VaultESL - HAHAHA I didn't even think of that! "We dine well while here in Camalot; we eat ham and jam and spam alot!" lol

  • How many hours do you guys work?? Dam....

    Crazy hours I bet.

  • Private messages? Huh? It seems I need to poke around a bit and figure out some features.

  • *messaging

    shit, i send a lot of pm's. ><

  • Great! Now if you can only do something about Xanga Idol mass messages.

  • What a shame*..thanks for trying to take care of it..the only ones I got John had mentioned he knew about them before I could even come and tell you about them..a week or 2 ago?....I hope it's not a big task for you all..goodness..take a much needed break not and then you guys*** :) Thanks for all of your great work..it is not unappreciate** take good care..have a great night*...hugs, Lee 

  • :( darn...brain fog...that should have been..it does not go UNAPPRECIATED :)

  • thank you. 

  • HALO=)

  • Thanks!

  • I guess this has nothing to do with the topic of private messaging, but to tell you the truth, I don't know where else to write this at.

    I like how taking surveys enables one to gain credits, but I absolutely HATE the fact that with the majority of surveys, I end up spending 45 minutes of my time, and then at the end all I get is a note saying I DIDN'T QUALIFY. It makes me so angry! I'd change what's written about 'it only takes a minute of your time!' because I've found that is far from true.

  • QUESTION....WHAT IF SOMEONE SENDS US A MESSAGE WITH CONTENT THAT WE DO NOT WANT SENT TO US, SHOULD WE REPORT IT???

  • Thanks for that!

  • Good job.  I have gotten 5 of those spams myself

  • Xanga Team saves the day!!!  (You have to pretend I'm singing that bit like in the old school cartoons).

  • Thank you very much for taking care of this!  I hadn't been logged into my Xanga account for a good long time and suddenly was receiving these spam emails from what appeared to be Xanga members. 

    Keep up the great work, Xanga! 

  • thanks!

  • @awth44 - You should be fine... feel free to try it out.

    @CEC32 - If someone is sending too many mass messages, you can always unfriend/unsub them?

    @wwonderlanddd - I'm sorry about that.  We've been working with our survey partners; one of them is really good about avoiding this problem, and the other one is not.  We've dropped the other survey vendor in the past, and will look into doing so again.  Unfortunately, the other survey company doesn't have enough surveys for us to just rely on them .

    @Ktgirl465 - You can always block that user?  Or you can also report it to us and we can look into it...

  • I hope it all works out, without making messaging a hassle. That would be miraculous!

  • Hey Xanga Team, I just want to say you're doing a great job!

    Also, I was hoping you could check out my most recent blog!

    Please feature me! and help me to be more of an active member of the Xanga community!
    I want to be a TRUE Xanga member!

  • Three words:

    I love you! :D

  • Glad to hear it is being fixed! I reported a few suggestions regarding the whole incident to Patrick so if you want to get the low down from him that would be awesome. Keep up the wonderful work and take this week off for the whole problem.

    Wait... No, you better not otherwise when you got back from vacation Xanga would be destroyed. haha

  • @sp33d12ac3r4 - I'm not sure if you exactly know what featured content is, it is content that the community feels is very important or is a great entry over a variety of factors.

    Being a 'true' member takes alot of patience and hard work. You have to be a VERY active member and very helpful member, if you do this you will be a 'true' member in no time. No one can help you to become a true member only you can do that.

  • @TheTytanic - wow you're not a true member either... hmm, i gotta start blogging more.

  • @sp33d12ac3r4 - I have yet to apply to be a true member. But to become a true member you can bet on needing a good couple hundred *helpful and meaningful* comments and as well a good couple dozen entries.

    But the main thing about being a true member is living up to the Xanga name and if you don't you will not become a 'true' member. Best of luck!

  • Thank you for all the work you do.

  • i didn't get any (yayy!) but thanks for working so hard!  :)

  • thanks for the heads up!

  • Seriously? I love you guys! I've gotten a few of those messages.

    You guys are the BEST EVER! Thank you for all of your hard work. :)

  • Thanks so much, there is only one thing worse than spam and I won't say the word outloud in mixed company! 

    Karen

  • the spam I've got through PM on Xanga, looked like they were sent to only me - i.e not to all subs & friends.

    maybe being able to send max. 1-2 mass mess/ month or so would be great.

  • Thank you so much for the effort to keep us protected :)

  • Go Xanga,  Go Xanga fight the spam.

  • I think I got some spam too. But I put it off my mind so much that I forgot to inform you guys about it. Whoopsie.

  • cM 4 all of u^^

  • u r so great``

  • support uuuuu*

  • thanks guys :D you da bestest

  • Rock on.... Get rid of those spammers.... I don't want xanga to be another Myspace.... Dam spammers

  • How about the spam you guys generate

  • Thanks.

  • Thanks!!!

  • THANK YOU, AGAIN.

    I can't thank you Xanga people enough. :)

  • thank you.

  • Good job guys, I never had that much problem with Spam on here (you really can't complain, compared to other social sites), but of course it's always nice when you counteract before it gets too much of a problem. And there is also the great Flagging- system for the sites, maybe not enough users know about those?

  • Thanks for all your hard work. :) Boo to spam!  (Not the fun, Monty Python kind...)

  • Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  I've gotten a number of these spam messages (mostly porn) over the past few days, and it's been infuriating.  I'm really happy that you're working on it.  Here's hoping it works out well for everyone....

    Cheers!

  • Good job ! Well done ! That's why we keep you around. I knew there had to be a reason !  snicker snicker

  • Hooray!

    -Anna.

  • thank you hope you find it all

  • This is probably not news, but these spamming people have been spamming for a long time now. I'm glad to see that this problem is being addressed.

    Thanks for taking care of it.

  • good job y'all!

  • yes.. thank you!!

    is there a way to report spam accounts too?  i noticed a bunch of those over the weekend at the same time as i was getting the spam in my inbox.

  • Yes, good to know that things are being done.  I don't want to delete spam messages on Xanga like I do MySpace.

  • @john - Re: your reply to CEC32--  Those messages come from all directions, even from people I had previously trusted.  I have been blocking them, and frankly, some of them are people I think I might miss after all the hoopla, generated by ABF to generate traffic to her site, has died down.  Can the programmers come up with a setting we can choose to enable or not, that will ignore or bounce ALL mass messages?  That would fulfill my needs.

  • Huzzah!

  • Thank You!!!

    I have never had a problem with it and one day I was like Huh?

    What is this? lol

  • OLA THANX

  • Whew! Glad that's over. Thanks guys.

  • hello:D

  • Thanks Xanga Team! You guys are great. :)

  • Sorry you folks have to deal with that kind of stuff. I just read that the Phoenix Mars site was hacked. I wish these people would put their skills to better use.  Peace to you and thanks for taking care.

  • Thanks, XangaTeam.

  • Thanks for working on the issue. TheXangaTeam ftw.

  • Thank you!

  • @porcupinesol - 

    Not to me lately

  • Thank you very much.

  • I've had to block I think 3 people because I got spam private messages on mine.

  • hi guys. thanks for all you do. i have a question and sorry to address it here, but don't know how else to do it. i'm not getting replies that people are sending me in my email as i was before. in my privacy settings, i have *replies* and *pulses* checked to get emails about. i began noticing it about two weeks ago, as i went back to comment someone and noticed a reply to me which i hadn't received. today there were about three more replies i happened to see at my buddy's site, and no emails informing me of them??  any suggestions?

    thank you for your help. you've always gone above and beyond in helping me. : )

  • woohoo. thanks.

    although I didn't get any spam.

    haha.

  • WHOOMP, there it is!

  • Thank you - I got a spam once in my message.  I think he sent it in the morning.  By the time I checked my Xanga in the evening, you folks had already kicked him out. 

    A thousand lashes to these abusers. 

  • @trunthepaige - oh, and i miss you, too! i'd better go send you one.

  • Ugh, I got one of those telling me to go to some stupid website.

    Muchos gracias!

  • Awww man but how am I supposed to spread the word about this miracle pill that will add 12 inches in only... just kidding!

    Thanks Xanga team!!!

  • GOOD~~

  • Thank you, Super Xangans, for your diligent efforts to cease this spam conundrum.I was one of the rather unlucky people who got that nasty message. I hope whoever's doing this gets IP banned so hard that their modem self-destructs.

    Anyway, morbid wishes of self-destructing modems aside, I thank you again for being so considerate as to dedicate a hard weekend to solving this!

    xxx,
    Chani

  • HIHI

  • Thank you for taking care of those abusing messages. I have gotten at least 3 to date and was very annoyed that was happening. Now I am happy to hear you are working on getting rid of the ones who abuse this site. Thanks again!

  • Thanks Guys!!!

  • Thanks for all the work. I'm not as tech-savvy as the average Xanga user, and was advised to come here to let you know that I'd been spammed 3x in 3 days (mrwebmeister & cupamoejoe). The cupamoejoe person hit me 2x. Hope this helps. I did block them.

  • Im really glad you guys are aware of this...I was just coming to complaine..LOL.I had 4 weird messages on my messages today.

  • There is always going to be a small handful of people spoiling it for everyone else on any site.

    The Xanga Team works hard to fight the spam.

  • THANKS! I have been getting spam emails like that. So annoying. Keep up the good work guys!

  • @SuSu - What we've noticed is that if someone starts to abuse the mass message feature (and it's fairly rare), then they start to lose friends and subs (and get replies from other annoyed users).  So far, that's been a great counterbalance for the feature?  We're keeping our eye on the feature though, so feedback like this helps!

  • Can you take the code thing off please. everyone dose not like it. Som do but i do. Cause it takes to lng cause when we msg others it takes way to long. please can you..i oneslty dont like it. pleasee...

  • And it dose kinda hurt me cause i msg alot..sorry. i know you work hard to keep this xanga running but i dont like it

  • Thanks for working on the spam issue! I've been getting 4 of them a day telling me to visit these links that could possibly harm my computer. I just ignore them and delete them but still...It's quite annoying.   

  • Thank you for readding an Update to Current Time ability on the updates. When you changed over to the new date systems which allowed both back-dating and post-dating of updates, I lamented the loss of the simple ability to click one button and have my update's time of entry updated to the current date and time. So thanks again for re-instituting that capability

  • is there any way we can make the codes go away?
    i hate typing it in everytime i send a message

  • I don't like the codes and every person i talk to doesn't like them either

    it makes you not want to get on as much when you have to type in those codes every time you send a messaeit's just making it harder =/

  • As long as we are on the topic of private messaging ... I just started using private messaging on a semi-regular basis, and find that it is somewhat inconvenient that the most recent message appears at the top rather than at the bottom.  The only other place on the web that is like that is the wall section of facebook, which makes sense, but otherwise posts/messages/most-recent-thing-said usually appears at the bottom, which makes it easier to compose a response.  I would vote for changing it, if possible.  Thanks. 

  • I thought so, because I received a spam message and when I went to check out the site it had already been deleted for violating terms of service. Thanks for the quick solution!!

  • @Ktgirl465 - If it looks like spam I would definitely report it.  If you think it might be somebody just uh...misjudging your interests I would first ask to be taken off there messaging lists, and if they keep sending you messages I'd report it then.

  • THANK YOU!!!

  • Thanks for the hard work!  I was wondering why the sudden onslaught of spam...  LOL

  • gess i was lucky i was not on.

  • i hate the codes!
    for those of us who do message its really annoying,
    is there any way that you can confirm the fact that we're not people who send spam?
    so that the codes can go away for certain people who message regularly?
    but please if at all possible can you take them off?
    thank you

  • can you please do something about the codes? :

  • @VaultESL -   I don't want ANY spam! 

  • So those of us who use a lot of messages have to enter a code everytime we send a message?

  • thank you for your work on this.  Just wanted to let you know that I received another one this morning!!  maybe it needs a little more work??!  :)

  • thanks for working on this - i got another one today (which is like the 3rd or 4th i've received in a week!) :( .  while you are working on it, will you please create a way to take the notifications off from our homepage that says we got a message?  that would be so wonderful!

    thanks for the work you do!

  • I received a private message, it was a very vulgar site.  Please keep these people out. Thanks!

  • Thank you for dealing with the Spam messages.  I have received 2 so far.  I have blocked the users, but is there any way to be able to delete the message link from my Universal Inbox?

  • Thank you for doing something.  I was just coming here to tell you guys that I've been getting about 1 a day.  It's really annoying.

  • yea.. i noticed that sometimes spams in my private message box....

  • Good Morning from Los Angeles. I wanted to know if there are any hot woman over the age of 30 that live in LA and that would like to hock up...Bruce

  • More spamming. It's frustrating!:

    ************************************
    COME CHECK OUT MY SITE http://WWW.CUDDLY.TV
    ************************************
    ALSO ADD ME ON YAHOO MESSENGER IF YOU WANT TO CHAT. MY USERNAME THERE IS : laura.lindsay_f21

    mistresssilk's site has been shut down by its owner...

  • @sagembruce - like hock up a loogee?

  • thanks xanga team! :D

  • Thank you Xanga team for taking care of this!

  • I HATE THE THEMES!!!!!!
    Why can't you make it easier to use the old look and feel system!??!?!

  • I bet you mean something like the one I got this morning, (edited so it's not spam here to!)

    COME CHECK OUT MY SITE http://WWW.---------.TV

    ************************************

    ALSO ADD ME ON YAHOO MESSENGER IF YOU WANT TO CHAT. MY USERNAME THERE IS : lxxxxxxxxxxxy_f21

    <li class="itemtimestamp">
    Posted 6/4/2008 7:48 AM
    <li class="itemsubmitter">
    xxxxxxxxxx<li class="itemblockuser">
    block
    <li class="itemdelete">delete

  • and now sadly I'm spamming you. Sorry.

  • WOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You Sooo Much!  Why is it that the spam is ALWAYS   rated X...

     ? ? Is it possible that the you could attach a warning sign for the sendee who  get messages etc from sites that have X ratings etc? So that they can choose to open it or not based on that. Basically can you have a rating feature for messages based on their sites rating. This of course might force ppl to rate themselves..but hey that sounds good to me.

    Thank You so MUCH

  • i got spam again from ANOTHER user, and their site is now shut down. i wish their was a way to either mark messages at spam, or also to edit your settings for a particular email address. I have several xangas (because I used to make layouts and stuff) and i'd rather not take the time to shut them all down. but then when someone is sending spam or when xanga is trying to remind me that they exist, i get a TON of emails! maybe i'm the only one with this problem.

  • HI i love this site it RAWKZ!

  • oursong1099 has more minis than u.

  • thanks

  • HALO...^o^

  • I'm glad you take down all the sites where they try to send nigerian scams or links to sites I don't think I want to go to

  • yeah......strange things have been happening.......I received a couple of sexy emails, one name very similar to my neices..........and in the process my subscription to her site was cancelled.....really odd.  I appreciate your diligence! I don't need those emails.....I'm already too sexy for my shirt.....too sexy for my shirt... so sexy it hurts!

  • Thank you so much. I was like ucky spam. I haven't got any more, so your efforts must be working. ty ty ty.

  • God lycky mi frinds

  • Thanks for working on this problem I hope you continue to do so, I'm swimming in spam! 

  • Is there a way to turn off mass-messages? I've de-friended blogs that I like because of mass-messages, and I hate having to do that.

    Also, random question. Can you do something about spam comments? Like all those comments from those religious sites quoting scripture and the same comment each time? They used to just say stuff about Christianity, but now they say a scripted "nice site blah" along with their scripture. Christianity is great, but spam is not, and I hate those comments with a passion. You should really weed out those comments/blogs. They're all over featured posts.

  • yea that's true... i tried to block some of them but sometimes they have ways of coming back....

  • 哈佬,搖!! >3<

  • i have been wanting to thank the xanga team for the new feature of editing after you make a comment.  this is so needed and appreciated.  thank you xanga team.

  • @xheylee - You don't have to shut them down.  Just edit your email settings so that you don't get messages in your email anymore

  • Most of it was not spam, it was SCAM.  You need to put a warning on your site - preferably on the front page - about romance scammers.  They thrive on social networking sites, and get their victims to fall in love with them.  Meanwhile they are just sending the same script to hundreds of victims, telling them all the same thing - you're the only one.  Eventually they either ask for gifts, or ask for help in getting a visa to come to the US, or they have some type of personal crisis requiring money, or they ask the victim to do a "favor" like cash a check & send the cash to them via Western Union.  Thousands of people of all walks of life fall for this scam every year.  It devastates lives and families, it often leads to honest people who really thought they were helping someone in jail for the crimes of the scammers, and the scammers themselves are nearly impossible to catch because they operate primarily in nations that have lax laws or lack of resources to prosecute.  You can learn more at http://www.scamwarners.com or similar sites.  Please, please consider it!

  • i'm new here and i think xanga is really great!

  • i really wish that messaging in xanga cud like be personalized

  • how do you know if some1s sending you spam or anythng?

  • yey!comments can be edited!

  • hey!its really fun here!

  • thanks!

  • hi this is maria pricilla

    hope this site will have instant messaging to all members.

  • Thank you! I hate spam and most of all i hate blog spam the most. i even bloged about geting spam in blogs haha.

  • *WHEW!* Sure a glad nobody spammed me! Thanks for taking care of this, Xanga Team. :] Muchly appreciated.

  • Excellent!! I had wondered why they suddenly stopped...

  • thank you... and hope the impersonation inspection by flagging is still working!

  • AWESOME!

  • Thanks for making xanga a fun and friendly place to be on the Net! You guys really work hard. What would we do without you?

  • Good!!

  • Thank for looking into this.  You guys are awesome

  • Thanks.  :)

  • I was sending this message but it just could not be sent. Please help.

    The Xanga Team:
    I was actually trying out whether the "card family" user names (e.g. card1, card2, card3...) exist by attempted registration because I would not wish to see people abusing them as linkers. But card8 was the first valid one. I instantly forgot the password because at first I thought it did not exist, but the fact turned out to be that it was available. I carelessly clicked into it without remembering the password at all and I sent emails to you through this (http://help.xanga.com/contact/forgotpasswordnoemail.htm). I sent many times because when I checked the email no mail from Xanga was seen. Could you please help? Either email me the password through my card0 email on file, or help me erase card8 from your database *and* making it available again to others interested.
    By the way, if you took the second option (erasing card8 and making card8 available), could you also consider erasing ward0 *and* making ward0 available? I would deeply appreciate that and it's always better to see that one's user name can be reused for good purposes. I do hope my *and* suggestion would be helpful in Xanga.
    Yours faithfully, card0

    Could you help? I appear impatient because I'm working on some huge project and it is due very soon. I do not wish that these trivial things mess it all up. Thanks.

  • Hey Thanks for the protection that you guys been putting on us.

  • hy

  • spam is for retards spam them back by droping the e-mail used at porn sites and what not so their server gets overloaded. it works for me lol

  • Why do not have people write chinese...?

    sorry...

  • HIHI

  • If you ever need a list of the ip of known"spam bots" let me know^_^. I have blocked quite alot on my own  boards.

  • Your awesome(:

  • how do u go to look and feel with the new setup

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