Wiki Vandal

A WikiVandal is someone who edits or delete pages maliciously. One individual claimed to be testing the security of Wiki and pointed out that it had "serious flaws". (ThatsNotaBugItsaFeature.)

More discussion of Wiki security can be found on WhyWikiWorks, WhyWikiWorksNot and SoftSecurity.

Vandalism is when a small number of individuals overpower wiki with a message that is disproportionately louder than their numbers should allow. Vandals may delete pages, post obscene or intentionally misleading information, harass other users, etc.

Vandalism is one of the WikiProblems.

For more information, see:

I've had the opportunity to converse with site operators while they were undergoing what is fairly considered an attack. If these operators chose to simplify their lives by wielding the blunt instruments at their disposal I would be the last to criticise. While tempted to bludgen on occasion, I choose instead to sleep on it, sometimes for many consecutive nights, until a gentler course of action comes to mind. I thank everyone for their patience. -- WardCunningham

I'm sorry - I still don't really understand all this. I'm very new to wiki, but I have to admit to entering a wiki site and changing stuff because I did not know what I was doing, and also because I could not see a lot of the material because it was written in Japanese, and my browser did not show it properly. I left a note that they should revert to previous versions if they wanted, but I don't know if they (who are "they" - is there some kind of supergod Wiki administrator?) can actually recover previous text. My intent was not to be a WikiVandal, but my behaviour probably had the same effect. How can this be avoided?

Also, it'd be a good idea for non English wikis to have warnings for English readers, in case anyone else makes the same mistake as I did.

-- DavidMartland

Hi David, newcomers to this wiki are invited to check out the links on NewUserPages.

I'd look at WikiSocialNorms too; that's a good way to get an understanding. I think this section will be moved to WikiVandalsDiscussion soon. :) -- sw

...it'd be a good idea for non English wikis to have warnings for English readers...

Should this wiki have warnings in Japanese and a hundred other languages? What makes English special -- other than that's what you speak?

Hmm. Perhaps because English is the de facto language of the Internet? Maybe because English is most certainly the language of computer science and most other computer related things? Perhaps because every search engine, vendor, and online knowledge repository of any notability is in English?

Let's please don't pretend English isn't in a special category all by itself when it comes to communicating on the Internet.

Dear Sci-Fi Vandal: Google has a wiki engine that allows you to make your own public topic. If you put your.....ideas....there, then they won't get deleted in EditWars.

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Recent vandalism issues:

"catalog.webster.lib.la.us" Mucked up a few pages. Probably a library user. Be on the look-out. 10/12/2010
TreeInSql got deleted and is now restored.
- Thank You!
- Arrrrg, they did it again. Pox on your house, Mr. Vandal! Pox!
It is considered (by me) extremely bad form to delete someone's home page as has happened to mine. Thank you that it has been restored already. -- JohnFletcher
I doubt it's personal. It fits the pattern of semi-random deletions from a certain vandal.

Most ThreadMode discussion moved to WikiVandalsDiscussion.

CategoryWikiMaintenance, CategoryProblem