I have been with Limewire Pro for a while and I noticed that there are lots of fake files, wmv and jpeg, that are i-pod ads or ads for download sites.

often you get a result like this:

search: "wierd crap"
result: w_i_e_r_d__c_r_a_p.wmv

(lets put aside the fact that wmv is the most rediculous excuse for a video format that has ever been inflicted on mankind)

My suspicion was that some of these results are autogenerated.

I have verified this. I made up an improbable search. I entered:

traxally impople

and hit a search for video only. no results.

next I hit 'repeat search' for the tab.

Voila! traxally impople.wmv came up.

repeat the search AGAIN and you add:

t_r_a_x_a_l_l_y__i_m_o_p_l_e.wmv and Traxally Impople.wmv

I tried it with a few other improbable names and it always happens after the second search.

So much for my detective work, I am satisfied that these are autogenerated.

Now does anyone out there have any further insight into the mechanisms and implications of this?

Please share what you know.

Thanks!

This issue has been discussed a no. of times on the forum. Depending on which softw you're using you can filter them out. eg: Limewire using keyword filters.

Some interesting reading: Quality of Content on the Network & also Fake Movies & Why! & this wmv files & also this one A Curious Thing Happened...

How would a keyword filter help if the file name morphs to my search query? are you perhaps suggesting I filter *.wmv ? Sounds like a good idea if it works that way. I don't need .jpgs either.

while I thank you for your feedback, I also followed your links, and didn't find the means of blocking this problem that you inferred was about. Nor am any more enlightened on how the files are being generated to mirror search queries. After your search... Which they are as I have demon-strated.

if there is a specific thread that explains the causes, symptoms and or treatment, I would be interested in seeing it.

I'm not in the know personally. So which p2p softw are you using?

There's been discussions about blocking sites that spam since they fall within a range of ip addresses. But there's also been some concern over this b/c they use dynamic ip's not static ip's. So blocking ranges of ip's might help, but might also affect a lot of innocent people along the way.

If you're using Limewire then you can follow the image example below. Keyword filters can be added/removed anytime depending on type of searches - as long as you use the Apply button.

Attached Images

keyword-filters-3.gif (14.7 KB, 604 views)

I am on Limewire Pro.

well I went and blocked *.wmv, jpg and asf.

I guess these jokers have written some code that monitors incoming searches and churns out files to match.

cheers.

I suppose a worthy late mention is by the forum administrator a long time ago: XXAA is watching, SPAMing the network, proof

The developers of the Gnutella network are on it, so hopefully they'll agree on a way that we can filter those results (they're considering "size" filters now).

See the thread at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_gdf/message/20136 to follow their discussions

Hi there,

I have filtered out WMV files (and others that I don't need) but still got something separated like that but it was the words rather than the letters that were separated. E.G This_wierd_crap. Also it was an AVI file.

Could this be a WMV in disguise or might it just be a legit file (the size was right for a movie)

Cheers lots, Lindy x

That's weird then, I haven't seen it happen to avi files. Also being the correct size for a decent file. Personally if I had an alternative choice then I'd choose the other. But it would be curious to find out about the file in question even if you only downld like 1or 2% for preview purposes. I suppose there's always the chance of a hidden extension.

Hey there,

I see your point and maybe, just maybe I would like to download a small portion of it and then preview it. Thing is, I can't preview movies cos it wants to use Windows media player and I can't (lets not go in to the codec thingy ma doo dahd, I just can't.)
To play movies (that I've downloaded in full) I use VLC.....suits me, yeh??

Anyroad up I really dare not do anything that I haven't got a clue about (hence the reason I try not to do.....well.....I try not to do anything much, OK )

I might just give it a go tho...if you don't hear from me in, (hmmmm,..... how long do you think???).....OK think of a number between 2 & erm .......2, multiply by 2, add 2, take away 2. Whatever the number is, if you don't hear from me in that many days call one of your friends and tell them you used to know a loon by the name of Lindyloo.

Oh for crying out loud I'm off on one again (must get my medication changed)

You know what?? I've tried using The( _ )thing, as in t_h_i_s_i_s_r_e_a_l_l_y_h_a_r_d_t_o_d_o

and I can't use it when doing a search of LimeWire so how come this cacky comes up when I'm trying to look for stuff?? (How do these perpetrators do it, if indeed they are doing something intentionally naughty??)

Sorry for waffling,

Hugs, Lindy xxx

I'll tell you this mind, When I first filtered out WMV and WMA files it didn't happen, it's only happened since I installed the newest version of Limewire. (Not saying this is the fault, only it's a coincidence)
Also just in case it is a problem, someone can have a looksee, cos as you may have guessed I haven't a clue.

Cheers, Lindy xx

P.S. Please don't take any offense at what I have said above. (I would sign a disclaimer but I seem to have mislaid my pen)

I haven't had problems prviewing with VLC. Admitedly it can be a little slow to open sometimes.
If you have doubts about the file, then don't downld it. If you can't preview it then you don't know what you might end up with. And that's a long time & effort to find out. I personally wouldn't trust any file named that way. Why would people name files like that in normal circumstances. I believe the name is computer generated.

By the way, may I suggest you investigate some utilities to keep your computer safe.

1. ad-ware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ (FREE)

2. Spybot - Search & Destroy http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html (FREE)

3. Peerguardian: http://peerguardian.methlabs.org/pg2.html (FREE)

Ok then,

How do you preview with VLC??

It seems that my default thingy is either Limewire (for Audio) or Windows media player for movies and I'm not sure what I can do about it.

I have Ad-aware and Spybot (also a couple of other things) but not peer guardian.

Thanks for all your help

Hugs, Lindy xxxxx

Attached Images

wolf8.jpg (67.3 KB, 1665 views)

Peerguardian is a little like a spyware except it stops known organisations like the riaa, fbi, etc, from browsing your computer. It gets updated every now & again with new addresses to block out.

People should stay away from any spam they find be it the clearoutclub site or any other advert. www.clearoutclub is the one for the iPods from memory.

To set up VLC as your default video player, see: Setting Default video app

Great pic by the way, very cute! (What type are they?)

Just to save me from re-posting this image time & time again, I've included it here as an example. As you can see this was a rubbish search & got back rubbish spam. In the 1st example I had wmv filtered out. Get to recognise the file sizes. Almost always from T1 sources.

spam-sizes.gif

O.K. I've read the thread but it has not answered my question, or I'm too thick to follow the thread, but - I uploaded a straight forward image of my dog. The file name was Dobie X.jpg.
When I searched for that file I found it and downloaded it. And all I got was an advert for iPods!
Now, I have nothing to do with spam and I know nothing about iPods, so how did the image get changed?