Stop Phishing Links being posted in Group Chat
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Abysinnia Resident
Lately a lot of SL groups have been getting hit by spammers posting phishing links that look like real Marketplace stores. Here’s an example of the kind of thing going around:
[12:16:37] Rẙaḽīể (ryalie): New store!
Outfit + Shape, Everything is free, limited quantity https://marketplacsecondlife-style-body-mesh-catwa-185089.store
It’s clearly meant to trick people, and residents are falling for it because it looks close-ish to a legit SL URL. People are losing their Lindens because their accounts become compromised, thinking they’re logging into a trusted site. The scammers then use those compromised accounts to spam other groups (sometimes even pay-to-join ones), which just keeps the cycle going and leads to more stolen Lindens and MORE hacked accounts.
My suggestion is to remove clickable URLs in group chat and IMs unless they’re from trusted sites. Maybe have a whitelist for known, safe domains like:
Or other KNOWN and trusted sites. Everything else could just show up as plain text or with a warning before opening. Other possible options could include: color-coding links (safe ones in green, unverified ones in grey or red), adding a short delay before opening non-trusted URLs (“This link will open in 5 seconds”), or even giving users a setting in Preferences to allow clickable links from trusted domains only.
This would stop a lot of the spam and protect people from phishing. It would also cut down the workload for in-world group moderators (who constantly have to boot spammers) and reduce support tickets from compromised accounts; meaning less work for your support team, cost savings for you, and a safer experience for everyone.
Thank you!
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DJ Setzer
I proposed what I believe would be a logical and proper solution to the issue. https://feedback.secondlife.com/feature-requests/p/the-end-to-phishing-spam-links
Madi Melodious
How about the viewer put up a warning when someone posts a link that goes outside the SL environment. Links to marketplace, the canny, and other would be automatically white listed, where other would open a warning first. Then offer a option to whitelist the site in the future or block it. There would also be a option in the preferences to turn this feature off if you want to live on the edge.
GreenLantern Excelsior
It seems like most of the phishing links contain the word "marketplace," which fools people too easily. How about prohibiting URLs from being sent in notices or group chats if they contain the word "marketplace" but are not followed by ".secondlife.com"?
Kilolo Jenkins
While I don't necessarily agree that clickable links should be removed from group chat IMs, I do think a better way of controlling who can and can't post them would be a good idea.
I like the idea that if it's an official SecondLife/Linden Lab link (like mp/sl sites) deserves special icons (which according to someone who said this earlier is happening in TPVs). And if it's an officially known site, even that could work.
While many groups have already stated in their rules (and regularly) that group members can not/should post links in the group chat, this often gets ignored. Yes, some groups have consequences to this, but many don't.
A possible solution would be to limit external link posting to certain roles as opposed to removing the ability as a whole. Or limit the type of links certain roles can post (like allowing certain members to only post internal links like profile links, SLurls, group links while allowing higher roles to post external links).
Example #1:
In free gift/special offer groups, many creators and/or their staff post SLurls to internal locations. Perhaps make it where anyone in the everyone role can post internal SL links but not external links.
Example #2:
Moderators who are assisting their group members (or designated staff with a specific role) would be able to post an external URL to say a store's blog/flickr/primfeed/bitly/gyazo link. Non-role carriers (ie. everyone) would not be able to post those links in a public chat.
Lucky Clover
I think the links should still be clickable in most instances, but Do think 'legitimate' links from second life urls should have some sort of icon, like the little SL hand or something, before or after.
A human-reviewed global blacklist that adds some sort of 'potentially unsafe' icon to things might be clearer to people to think twice, rather than just wondering why something isn't clickable.
Additional blacklist possibility of regex marking links including "secondlife" (and similar SL-specific related words) that aren't on .com URLs?
Like a stoplight green/yellow/red on them, yellow being 'unknown but not yet reviewed' or something. LL keeps making everything blue lately, so could even do SL-specific as blue and save green for well-known/human reviewed to be safe sites, for funsies.
Any sort of full whitelist does present the issue of 'known, safe' domains that simply weren't thought of to include in any whitelist-based system though, so it'd have to stay vague on most platforms between 'SL official' and 'we looked and its bad' URLs.
AlettaMondragon Resident
Lucky Clover "Additional blacklist possibility of regex marking links including "secondlife" (and similar SL-specific related words) that aren't on .com URLs?"
That's a good idea, in some cases they would be on .com domains but quite sure if they used AI to check group chat messages before delivering them, it could spot the fake SL links easily. The question is, since group IM delivery tends to fail anyway, how much impact would such a scan have on it - how much more would the whole thing fail in general?
Hilary Querrien
going along with this, it'd be nice for moderators to be able to delete messages from the group chat. They can ban the poster but the post remains at the moment.
AlettaMondragon Resident
Hilary Querrien I don't think they could make that, since the message is in every recipient's viewer once it's been delivered. To be able to delete it after delivery, the server would have to send a delete command and have each client delete the specific message. And then rewrite the transcript, etc. Given how unstable group chat is in general, this would just make it even more unusable. The other problem with this is it would give way to censorship too easily, which is already strong in some groups. Some moderators would just keep deleting every message they didn't like, the same way they aggressively warn people not to say certain things, "stay on topic", etc. At least in my experience it is very rare a moderator in a group chat really needs to use moderator powers when they do.
Spidey Linden
marked this post as
tracked
Issue tracked. We have no estimate when it may be implemented. Please see future updates here.
Coyote Enthusiast
I'm going to say no to the "making links plain text", because various communities, games, huds, and so on use links in chat. In addition, including some sites while not others, especially if they are Second Life resident operated links, can be seen as favoritism.
However, I'd be in favor of adding a icon next to known safe Second Life operated links, as some TPVs have already done.
You do underestimate -- how should I put it? -- eager some people are to just click things or do what they are told without question. There are various scams on the web that tell people "To complete this captcha, press the windows logo key + R, press ctrl + V, then press enter". Despite the obvious red flags, people will still do this, especially when the word "free" is involved.
You ban one thing, and scammers will find another, potentially more dangerous way to scam people.
The proper solution is to educate people, rather than punish the 99% over what 1% of all links are.
Saphire Sweetwater
I'd add to this suggestion the ability for group admins to add their own whitelisted URL's that can be posted in the group (so for example, a blogger group could add their specific blog to it that users would still be able to click in their group chat). Alternatively or in addition to that, a group role permission for posting links in chat ( for example, group admins can give it to group mods and any links they post will be clickable then any non mods links will have to be copy/pasted, giving pause to normal members to verify the URL unless it's an official SL link like SLURL, MP link, etc.)
lifeon13 Resident
Saphire Sweetwater I love this addition, whitelist and permission control per group eliminates the problem of inconvenience for casual chatters. Lets the amount of moderation be subjective to the group which is perfect
JuniperDawn Resident
Saphire Sweetwater This is somewhat of what I asked for previously. We as mods should be able to remove links that are unsafe. Sadly people will still copy and paste the address even if it's not a link because "to hell with internet security! It said free stuff"
It would be great if we could get some actual tools to deal with phishing links (And a proper way to report them as currently there's not a phishing option)
Shadow Siamendes
I would suggest editing your post to remove the supposedly phishing link (instead spaces after https and // will possibly break it and turn into text).
(I can't recall if the OP can be edited, if not then this is a request for mods/admins to do so)
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