I AM NOT a ROBOT!

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We have all seen the situation in which we are interrupted by a screen that says, “We think you are a robot, please identify all the blocks that contain a ________.”

Once in a while, this is normal, but now it is happening many times, many of which are on Google.  I get a message that says, “There is increased traffic from your site….”

Does anybody know why this is occurring?  When I go through the annoying act of having to do this three or four times to satisfy the bot, I become angry.  This  “increased traffic” occurs even the first time I use the computer in the morning.

I am using Windows 11, Version 22H2 on a fast computer that is only three months old.  I use a VPN.

 

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The purpose of VPNs is to hide your location and identity.
Because of this, they are used for nefarious purposes by individuals/bots/hackers/spammers to mask their doings.

Your problem is that the IP address your VPN issues is “dirty.” It has been used for other-than-legit purposes and added to a blacklist. Before you use the VPN’s IP address, check it for ill use. If it is “dirty,” get another IP address from your VPN provider until you find one that is “clean.”

To find your IP address go to id-ip.com. The IP address will be in the box at the top right.
To check if it is on a blacklist, go to:
StopForumSpam.com and CleanTalk.org. Plug in your IP address and check it out.

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Kenneth Stephens, TechTango, windbg

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“I am using a VPN”
There ya go. VPN services typically use the same addresses that attackers use.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Kenneth Stephens

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Susan Bradley wrote:

VPN services typically use the same addresses that attackers use.

Is that a general rule?
Aren’t reputable VPN providers an exception?

I used to have Giganews’ VyprVPN and never experienced the OP’s complaint. But in 2016 VyprVPN was not really so very private, it gave my IP address to IP-Echelon.

So in 2016 I switched to NordVPN and since then I can be fully private whenever I want, no pop-ups, no messages, no interruptions, no annoyances at all.

1 Desktop Win 11
1 Laptop Win 10
Both tweaked to look, behave and feel like Windows 95
(except for the marine blue desktop, rgb(0, 3, 98)

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Kenneth Stephens

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I block vpn ip addresses almost every day on our servers (if they aren’t blocked immediately by the firewall). It’s a royal pain. Yes, they can be good in certain instances, but they are also used for bad!

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Are you saying that all VPNs should be eliminated, and that you block all VPNs?

What about privacy?

What we need is effective means to block nefarious sites but not legitimate sites.

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Not all IP addresses issued by VPN providers are bad. But VPNs are used by attackers. So you should check the IP address you are using to be sure it is not blacklisted before you continue with it’s use.

Not all VPN providers are equal in quality. Free VPNs are probably worse than paid services. If you were an attacker, would you want to register and pay for a VPN service that might provide a track to your identity? The integrity of your VPN service is very important (and you should still check your IP address).

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No, I only block them when they are up to nefarious acts. Attempting to hack email accts, websites and just causing grief and phishing for an opening to exploit. VPNs have their use. I use one occasionally

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Nord VPN has a choice for “Obfuscated Servers”.

NordVPN obfuscated servers provide more protection by changing your VPN-encrypted activity to regular HTTPS activity. This means that third parties, even the most advanced ones, won’t be able to detect that you’re using a VPN service.

https://cybersynchs.com/nordvpn-obfuscated-servers/

I tried one, and did not get any “Robot” popups.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Kenneth Stephens, WSBirdLady

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TechTango wrote:

won’t be able to detect that you’re using a VPN service

Except that the IP address is often used for bad stuff, ergo, it’s a VPN.

cheers, Paul

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Kenneth Stephens

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Except that the IP address is often used for bad stuff, ergo, it’s a VPN.

Nord has at least a dozen choices or more choices for obfuscated server locations, none in the USA.  Each would have a different obfuscated IP address.  Agree on the ‘bad stuff”.  The stigma VPNs have is troublesome.

However, on the up side, I know two people personally (and there must be thousands) who are doing telephone support (voice over IP) for a company/business from home.  The company provides a VPN for the right reason and not bad stuff.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Kenneth Stephens

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TechTango wrote:

The company provides a VPN

That will be to allow them to connect to the company systems. These are never accessible directly from the internet (except in companies staffed by fools).

cheers, Paul

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TechTango, WSbobby-p

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My issue is resolved.  I contacted my VPN (certainly one of the better ones).  They recognize the problem, and they are working on how best to overcome it.  In the meantime, they suggested that I use one of the lesser used servers.  By doing that, my problem has been overcome.

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PKCano, TechTango

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