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Profile EBM
 
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Message 6590 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 2:43:23 UTC

I recently found a project in the Active Projects list, called "SETI@CAMRAS"
However, I have several reasons why I believe this project is fake:

(As of 10:30 PM EST, 4 April 2019):
-31752 Signups, same name format, all within the last 24 hours, and all with the same name format (MorganBundy, JamesLivings, "FirstName LastName Numbers"

-The hosts list doesn't have a single host with credit

-The participants list has no users with credit


Thoughts? :thinking:

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Message 6592 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 3:13:00 UTC - in response to Message 6590.

After a brief look around the "project" web site ... I AGREE things look suspicious.


Will dig into the web registration etc and the underlying code of the site and post more here.
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Message 6593 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 5:25:07 UTC - in response to Message 6590.
Last modified: 5 Apr 2019, 5:26:02 UTC

"SETI@CAMRAS"
However, I have several reasons why I believe this project is fake:

Well, first of all, look at the front page.
While at a few days before it only stated that it's a TEST project, there's now a bit more of info a few lines below.

-31752 Signups, same name format, all within the last 24 hours, and all with the same name format (MorganBundy, JamesLivings, "FirstName LastName Numbers"

Nothing new, typical bot accounts probably, there's obviously no CAPTCHA or an invitation code activated to prevent that.

-The hosts list doesn't have a single host with credit
-The participants list has no users with credit

No wonder, there wasn't any work until now, this will soon change for sure.
Since the app was activated now and appeared here (again), I looked at the server status page and saw a lot of wus. Since there's only a Linux app I connected my Linux-VB and finished the first tasks already.
They are very short and sometimes there are download problems, but work is done, although pending so far
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Message 6594 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 8:58:52 UTC

I had an account there but when I tried to login it said no such account exists, detached now it won't let me create another account ...

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Message 6595 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 10:35:45 UTC - in response to Message 6594.
Last modified: 5 Apr 2019, 10:36:37 UTC

now it won't let me create another account ...

With the manager? If it doesn't work, try the create_account_form.php, still seems to work, I made my team leader account with it.
For some reason all the teams were already imported but not the accounts with it...
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Message 6596 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 10:43:21 UTC

I had a BOINC Mgr notice saying I had no account key and like others said I had no account when I attempted to log in. Now my team has no founder.

Profile Conan
       
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Message 6597 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 12:58:52 UTC

I joined on the 8/3/19 as user number 16, I added two computers, and have waited (with everyone else) for the project to set itself up and have everything working before they they were going to send out work (this was stated by Marc the Admin).

My Team is still there but with no Founder anymore.

I no longer existed and neither did my computers.

(Odd how valid users have been deleted with attached computers but the bogus users (Bots) have been left with no computers, not the best way to make people want to join)

So I created another account on their website and joined my existing team then did a request for Foundership and this has all been accepted.
I then re-added my two computers back through Boinc Manager and this also worked.

But I am no longer user 16 but (thanks to the Bots) user 33,083.
I joined 8/3/19 but am now showing as joined 5/4/19, disappointing losing that low user number.

Have gotten a couple of work units so will see how they go.

Conan
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Message 6598 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 13:35:36 UTC - in response to Message 6590.

(As of 10:30 PM EST, 4 April 2019):
-31752 Signups, same name format, all within the last 24 hours, and all with the same name format (MorganBundy, JamesLivings, "FirstName LastName Numbers"


I suspect every BOINC project in existence is plagued by those bogus accounts.

Most projects allow you to sign up via your BOINC client, so there's no CAPTCHA or other type of BOT test. I'm not 100% sure why spammers create hundreds of accounts per day on each project, but they do. As an admin, it's an incredible nuisance as it causes the database to needlessly grow without bound.

It bothers me that the spammers found a new project that quickly. Where are they getting their information?

But it doesn't mean the project is bogus.

(When I got around to writing a program to erase those accounts off of PrimeGrid, the first time it ran it erased three quarters of a million bogus accounts.)
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Message 6599 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 13:46:51 UTC - in response to Message 6595.
Last modified: 5 Apr 2019, 13:53:40 UTC

now it won't let me create another account ...

With the manager? If it doesn't work, try the create_account_form.php, still seems to work, I made my team leader account with it.
For some reason all the teams were already imported but not the accounts with it...


Not that big a deal for me right now since there's only a Linux App. I don't run Linux, have been trying to get Ubuntu latest version to install on 1 Box but it never installs. Act's like it's installing but when it's done nothing is there, doesn't give me a option to boot into Linux just goes into windows. When I check the partition it's supposed to be on there's nothing there ... weird

EDIT I did get a account recreated

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Message 6600 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 14:36:29 UTC - in response to Message 6599.

now it won't let me create another account ...

With the manager? If it doesn't work, try the create_account_form.php, still seems to work, I made my team leader account with it.
For some reason all the teams were already imported but not the accounts with it...


Not that big a deal for me right now since there's only a Linux App. I don't run Linux, have been trying to get Ubuntu latest version to install on 1 Box but it never installs. Act's like it's installing but when it's done nothing is there, doesn't give me a option to boot into Linux just goes into windows. When I check the partition it's supposed to be on there's nothing there ... weird

EDIT I did get a account recreated


Steve, this might be of interest. Allows you to install linux natively inside windows.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10
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Message 6601 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 14:51:18 UTC

Not sure if it took or not, not asking me to reboot compter once I enter the command ...

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

PS C:\Users\pbtoy> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-SubsystemLinux
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature : The requested operation requires elevation.
At line:1 char:1
+ Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows- ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature], COMException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.EnableWindowsOptionalFeatureCommand

PS C:\Users\pbtoy>

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Message 6602 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 14:56:02 UTC

When I need to run linux for whatever reason (unless that reason is "run a GPU app"), I use the free VMWare player and run linux inside a VM. There's other free VMs one can use as well. This way, I don't have to give up the Windows box, which may be in use. Just start up the Linux VM whenever it's needed and let it run in the background. I find this a lot easier than a dual boot setup.
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Message 6603 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 15:00:19 UTC - in response to Message 6601.

Not sure if it took or not, not asking me to reboot compter once I enter the command ...

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

PS C:\Users\pbtoy> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-SubsystemLinux
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature : The requested operation requires elevation.
At line:1 char:1
+ Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows- ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature], COMException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Dism.Commands.EnableWindowsOptionalFeatureCommand

PS C:\Users\pbtoy>


Start-Windows Powershell, right-click, run as Administrator.

Then run that command
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Message 6604 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 17:43:07 UTC
Last modified: 5 Apr 2019, 18:05:03 UTC

Worked that time as Administrator, will have to see if I can get the rest of it right ... Thanks Bok

I don't think this will work for me as it looks like it's a command based terminal. I known nothing about running Lunix Commands & not going to boggle my mind trying to figure it all out. I need something that's installed permanently that I don't need to run commands ...

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Message 6605 - Posted: 5 Apr 2019, 19:30:57 UTC

I have it installed again, didn't get the password in the 1'st time, how do I install boinc on it ?

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Message 6608 - Posted: 6 Apr 2019, 23:10:44 UTC
Last modified: 6 Apr 2019, 23:13:09 UTC

Well My recreated Hosts and I believe, me as well, are gone again, Can't find Host record, Missing or invalid account key, to fix remove and re-add project.

And now the Web Site is a 404 Error page, so it has disappeared.

I have processed quite a number of work units, I now can't return my last half dozen as my host record is gone.

I doubt I will rejoin this project if it ever gets back up and running, being deleted twice is not the way to keep participants, a News item would of been helpful in telling us what is going on.

At least I have the hours done so far, and got a star to prove it.

Conan
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