This plugin uses a blacklist to filter your incoming traffic and block "spam referrer" attacks.

This blacklist has been compiled using the author's website and a few others : during the plugin's beta-testing phase, a few webmasters sent their reports to the author in order to find a suitable list of domains actually using false referrers to spam (at least) some websites statistics.

Terms of use

There aren't any terms, conditions or restrictions to the use of this plugin and/or the Blacklist : feel free to reuse our work ! If you want to use the SpamReferrerBlock Blacklist for other purposes than this plugin, we simply ask that you consider linking to this page, to the plugin homepage, or to our blog. That's all 🙂

The Webservice

This plugin uses a Webservice. Please be advised :

• You will retrieve information from our server. The "Blacklist" consists of a plain JSON file.
• No need to register or provide personal information.
• Free of charge, forever.
• Caution - We technically can access some information while you request the file : your server's IP address and server name, and so on. But we (honestly) DO NOT use ANY information that can be sent to our server during the downloading process, in any way.

Updates

The blacklist will be updated as often as possible, we expect to release weekly updates. You can choose to automatically download the blacklist once a day. You can choose to filter all connexions or only the first of every session. Webmasters are encouraged to submit spammy URLs to help us improve the blacklist (see FAQ).

Why this plugin ?

I wrote a post about spam referrer attacks and how to avoid them on my blog : http://www.didcode.com/code/stop-spam-referrer.html (fr). Some webmasters asked me (on Twitter) to write this plugin. They were also targeted by "spam referrer attacks" and sent me the originating domains. I compiled a list and put it in a JSON file, which is called by the plugin.

Plugin home page (fr)

Does it remove ALL spam referer attacks ?

Infortunately, NO. Some techniques used by spammers don't involve your website in any way, thus we cannot interfere with them. Let's say we filter everything we possibly could.

Do I need to create an account, or get an API key, to use this plugin ?

NO. We are open-source minded. No need to register.

Will the plugin send any information to your server ?

NO. Just to clarify : in order for a plugin to pull down a JSON containing the domains to filter, it's actually sending data to the server to get the file. But that's all, we don't save or process anything. Your privacy is important to us.

How can I contribute to the Blacklist ?

Simply send an email to the author ( didier@didcode.com ) with the list of domains that you wish to add. After a manuel review, the domains will be added to the blacklist.

Do you accept features request ?

Of course ! Simply send an email to the author ( didier@didcode.com ) - explain what you want, then cross your fingers. Good things DO happen !

2.22

BUGFIX : Fixed a bug preventing the blacklist to be downloaded on first activation of the plugin, under certain cucomstances.

2.20

Multisite compatibility Enhanced blacklist retrieval capabilities (will work better on some restrictive hostings)

2.10

Local blacklist : you can add items to your blacklist. (you will soon be able to submit them automatically to our Global Blacklist) Relocated menu page under Settings Small bugfixes

2.01

Added option to send a 403 Forbidden response Small bugfixes

2.0

Added colors to the blacklist to let you know if the plugin is effective against a domain Added options to customize HTTP response code (404, 301...)

1.2

Added an option : blacklist daily auto-update - Fire & Forget !

1.0

Initial version.

0.5

Beta version. Beta-testers are encouraged to send their lists to the author.

1. Upload all files to a subdirectory of your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress (or your whole network for multisite users)
3. Adjust settings in the dedicated section (Settings > Spam Referrer Block)

You're protected !