How to tell if someone is stealing your pictures / bandwidth?

iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
0
Originally posted by: deftron
Originally posted by: Sifl
referer logs.

more info, please.

Look at your logs for sites other than yours. If someone's calling an image from their server it will list the image in question and the amount of times requested.

If you have a webstat program installed it's easy.
 

deftron

Lifer
Nov 17, 2000
10,868
1
0
Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
How is your website hosted? Which host? Do you have cPanel?

I just have pictures on my ISP server for eBay.... no website

Wondered if there was a way to check if someones stealing my pics.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,855
355
136
If you had a web hosting account you could easily catch bandwidth thieves, read my post.

It can be done for under $20/yr with your own custom e-mail
$9/yr GoDaddy.com or NameCheap.com domain registration
$10/yr Web Hosting which includes e-mail, webmail, cPanel which has bandwidth stats/referral logs
 

deftron

Lifer
Nov 17, 2000
10,868
1
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Just found out I don't have acces to my servers log files (adelphia)

Might have to hit up Rossman's offer one of these days
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,855
355
136
Originally posted by: deftron
Just found out I don't have acces to my servers log files (adelphia)

Might have to hit up Rossman's offer one of these days

I would sign up for web hosting sooner rather than later (only because of their current free double upgrade offer 200/4 for $9.99/yr vs their regular 100/2).

Here is an example of what you'll see, bandwidth referral logs for Neffing.com/pics
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,997
126
If you have PHP and chronjob available contact me. I did a security script in PHP that rewrites links dynamically, makes hotlinking impossible.
 

DeviousTrap

Diamond Member
Jul 19, 2002
4,841
0
71
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have PHP and chronjob available contact me. I did a security script in PHP that rewrites links dynamically, makes hotlinking impossible.

Care to share this script?

:p

Also, OP, if you want hosting like RossMAN suggested let me know and I would be glad to help you out, free of charge.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,997
126
Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have PHP and chronjob available contact me. I did a security script in PHP that rewrites links dynamically, makes hotlinking impossible.

Care to share this script?

.

Yeah, it's a freebie, I give it away. Surprisingly simple actually, merely rewrites all the links you want to protect as often as you want completely hands off. It'll run automatically several times a day, or even every hour if you're really paranoid. Somebody hotlinks a sound or image it'll only work until the next time the script runs, after that the link is dead. Amazing bandwidth saver for people who have a lot of morons use their sounds or images on busy forums.

PM me with a valid email and I'll send it to you.