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Author Topic: NMS formmail with no robots.txt  (Read 841 times)
dugawug
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« on: March 20, 2007, 06:29:09 PM »

just a quick question.  i started using the NMS formmail script some months ago, keeping all my site's email addresses hidden and tucked away in the cgi script as referrers (Joe Schmoe = joeschmoe@mydomain.com)

but i just noticed i have the NMS script in a cgi-bin folder underneath my www folder...and all along, i've had no robots.txt file.

so basically, have i just been giving away my emails to any and every bot out there wanting it?   Doh    Help

secondly, should i only keep the NMS formmail script in the cgi folder at the same level as the www/public_html folders?  i forget why i ended up putting another cgi-bin underneath www.
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MrPhil
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« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2007, 10:58:45 AM »

Don't forget that www is just an alias for public_html. Technically, it's a soft (symbolic) link from www to public_html. I don't know why there's a www or whether anyone from the outside can get to it directly, and if they can, if robots.txt will protect it anyway, as everything below www and public_html are the same directories.
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dugawug
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« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2007, 11:08:17 AM »

thanks, but my point is that all my emails are in a cgi script and until now, i didn't know about the robots.txt file, so i'm fearing that without it, bots have been able to get my cgi script containing all my emails!

i'm curious if this is what's been happening?  or for other NMS formmail users, how do they block this from happening as i heard some "bad bots" ignore the robots.txt file anyway!

i was hoping to have got my emails safe from harvesting, but i'm worried they've been just as available as putting them for public display!
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wektech
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« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2007, 11:17:52 AM »

Not sure bad bots would even respect robots.txt. The big boys like yahoo and google will use robots.txt to respect your wishes, but badly behaved bots will ignore it.
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dugawug
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« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2007, 11:20:10 AM »

the script's help file says to use aliases to keep robots from getting your emails through the HTML, so it seems to suggest that bots can't just get the script itself.  but is that true?  can a robot not get your cgi-bin directory?

also, mine is under www, not at the same level.  there is one at the same level, but putting the script there didn't work.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2007, 01:00:39 PM by dugawug » Logged
leighsww
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« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2007, 07:00:52 PM »

I answered your other thread regarding the safety of your script in the cgi-bin:

http://www.lunarforums.com/forum/index.php?topic=39480.0
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dugawug
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« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2007, 09:01:41 PM »

thanks, and sorry to double post...i wish you could delete threads you make with no responses!
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