AbuseFilter documentation

1. 1. Abuse Filter Documentation

AbuseFilter is a powerful extension for MediaWiki installations that helps prevent vandalism, spam, and other undesirable activity. It allows administrators to define rules that automatically flag or revert edits based on their content, edit patterns, or user characteristics. This document provides a comprehensive guide for beginners to understand, configure, and utilize AbuseFilter effectively.

What is AbuseFilter?

AbuseFilter is a sophisticated system built on a pattern-matching engine. It analyzes edits in real-time, comparing them against a set of pre-defined rules. These rules can detect a wide range of abusive behaviors, including:

• Spam – Unsolicited advertising or promotional content.
• Vandalism – Deliberate attempts to damage or disrupt the wiki.
• Personal Attacks – Harassment, threats, or insults directed at other users.
• Copyright Violations – Posting copyrighted material without permission.
• Malicious Code – Attempts to inject harmful scripts or code into the wiki.
• Test Edits – Repeated, meaningless edits with no constructive purpose.
• Auto-generated Content – Edits created by bots or automated tools without proper authorization.

When a rule is triggered, AbuseFilter can take several actions, ranging from logging the edit for review to automatically reverting it. It’s a crucial tool for maintaining the integrity and quality of any wiki. Understanding Wiki policies is also critical.

Core Concepts

Before diving into configuration, it’s essential to grasp these core concepts:

• Filters: These are the individual rules that define what constitutes abusive behavior. Each filter consists of a condition (what to look for) and an action (what to do when the condition is met).
• Conditions: These specify the criteria that an edit must meet to trigger the filter. Conditions can be based on regular expressions, keywords, user attributes, or other factors.
• Actions: These determine what happens when a filter is triggered. Common actions include: tagging the edit for review, suppressing the edit (preventing it from being visible), reverting the edit, and blocking the user.
• Variables: AbuseFilter uses variables to represent different parts of an edit, such as the text being added, the user's name, or the page title. These variables are used in conditions to create more precise rules.
• Regular Expressions (Regex): A powerful tool for pattern matching within text. Understanding Regular expressions is *highly* recommended for advanced filtering.
• Throttle: Limits how frequently a filter can trigger for a specific user or IP address, preventing false positives from causing excessive disruption.

Accessing and Navigating the AbuseFilter Interface

Access to the AbuseFilter interface is typically restricted to administrators and designated users with the appropriate permissions. The location of the interface varies depending on the wiki's configuration, but it is usually found under a "Tools" or "Administration" menu.

The interface is organized into several sections:

• Overview: Displays a summary of recent filter hits and overall system statistics.
• Filters: Allows you to view, create, edit, and delete filters.
• Logs: Shows a detailed record of all edits that have triggered filters.
• Settings: Configures global AbuseFilter options, such as throttling and action defaults.
• Help: Provides access to documentation and support resources.

Creating a Basic Filter

Let's walk through the process of creating a simple filter to block users from posting links to a known spam website.

1. Navigate to the "Filters" section. 2. Click "Add filter". 3. Give the filter a descriptive name and a brief description. For example, "Block spam links to example.com". 4. Set the "Enabled" checkbox to "Yes". 5. In the "Conditions" section, enter a regular expression to match the spam website's URL. For example: `http://www\.example\.com/.*` (This matches any URL starting with "http://www.example.com/"). Understanding Technical analysis of patterns is vital. 6. In the "Actions" section, select the desired action. For example, "Tag for review" or "Suppress edit". For a more aggressive approach, you could choose "Revert". 7. Set the "Throttle" settings appropriately. This prevents a single user from triggering the filter repeatedly with minor variations. 8. Save the filter.

Understanding Conditions in Detail

Conditions are the heart of AbuseFilter. They determine when a filter will be triggered. Here are some common condition types:

• Text Matching: Checks if the edited text contains specific words, phrases, or patterns. Uses Regular expressions extensively.
• User Matching: Checks if the user's name, IP address, or other user attributes match certain criteria.
• Page Title Matching: Checks if the edited page title matches certain criteria.
• Edit Summary Matching: Checks if the edit summary contains specific words or phrases.
• Revision Length: Checks the length of the edited text. (Useful for detecting large-scale vandalism).
• Number of Edits: Checks the number of edits made by the user within a specific timeframe. (Useful for detecting bots or automated tools).
• Variable Comparison: Compares the values of different variables.

You can combine multiple conditions using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) to create more complex rules.

Actions and Their Implications

The action you choose determines what happens when a filter is triggered. Here's a breakdown of common actions:

• Tag for Review: The edit is flagged for review by an administrator. This is the least disruptive action and is suitable for situations where you want to investigate potential abuse before taking further action.
• Warn: A warning message is displayed to the user. This can be useful for educating users about wiki policies and preventing unintentional abuse.
• Suppress Edit: The edit is hidden from public view, but it is still visible in the edit history. This is a more disruptive action and should be used with caution.
• Revert: The edit is automatically reverted to the previous version. This is a very disruptive action and should only be used in cases of clear and unambiguous abuse.
• Block User: The user is blocked from making further edits to the wiki. This is the most severe action and should only be used as a last resort.

Consider the potential consequences of each action before selecting one. A false positive could disrupt legitimate editing activity, while a missed abuse case could cause significant harm. Proper risk management is key.

Utilizing Variables

AbuseFilter provides a range of variables that you can use in conditions to create more precise rules. Some common variables include:

• `$text`: The text being added or changed in the edit.
• `$user_name`: The user's name.
• `$user_ip`: The user's IP address.
• `$page_title`: The title of the edited page.
• `$edit_summary`: The edit summary.
• `$revision_length`: The length of the edited text.

You can access these variables within conditions using the syntax `$variable_name`. For example, to check if the edit summary contains the word "spam", you would use the condition `$edit_summary matches "spam"`.

Throttling and Preventing False Positives

Throttling is a crucial feature for preventing false positives. It limits how frequently a filter can trigger for a specific user or IP address within a given timeframe. This prevents legitimate users from being unfairly penalized due to accidental triggers.

You can configure throttling settings for each filter, specifying the maximum number of triggers allowed per user/IP address and the duration of the throttling period. Careful configuration of Trading volume analysis related to triggers can provide insights.

Advanced Techniques

• Using Regular Expression Lookarounds: Lookarounds allow you to match patterns based on their context without including the context in the match itself.
• Creating Complex Conditions with Logical Operators: Combine multiple conditions using AND, OR, and NOT to create highly specific rules.
• Leveraging the AbuseFilter API: For advanced users, the AbuseFilter API allows you to integrate AbuseFilter functionality into external tools and applications.
• Analyzing Filter Logs: Regularly review the filter logs to identify false positives and refine your rules.

Common Pitfalls and Best Practices

• Overly Broad Rules: Avoid creating rules that are too broad, as they can lead to a high number of false positives.
• Ignoring Filter Logs: Regularly review the filter logs to identify and address false positives.
• Lack of Documentation: Clearly document your filters so that other administrators can understand and maintain them.
• Testing Filters Thoroughly: Test your filters thoroughly before enabling them to ensure they are working as expected.
• 'Understanding Binary options trading strategies can help anticipate potentially disruptive patterns, even in seemingly unrelated contexts. The rapid decision-making required in binary options mirrors the real-time analysis of AbuseFilter.
• 'Consider the impact of Trend analysis on abusive patterns. Spam campaigns, for instance, often follow specific trends.
• 'Utilize Indicators similar to those found in financial markets to identify suspicious editing behavior.
• 'Employ Name strategies to detect sockpuppet accounts or coordinated attacks.
• 'Monitor Trading volume of edits to identify bursts of activity that may indicate vandalism or spam.

Resources and Further Learning

• MediaWiki AbuseFilter Documentation: [1](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AbuseFilter)
• Regular Expression Tutorials: [2](https://regexone.com/)
• MediaWiki Help Pages: Help:Contents
• Community Forums: Seek assistance from the MediaWiki community forums.

Conclusion

AbuseFilter is a powerful tool for protecting your wiki from abuse. By understanding its core concepts, configuring rules effectively, and regularly monitoring its performance, you can create a safer and more productive environment for your users. Remember to always prioritize accuracy and avoid over-aggressive filtering.

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