Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Chat about anything related to Linux Mint
Forum rules
Do not post support questions here. Before you post read the forum rules. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

Hi all,
This might be in the wrong place but don't know how to approach this "problem".

So, after being away for the weekend returned yesterday evening and rebooted into mint 20.1 away from 19.1. Started HexChat and got "Cannot join #linuxmint-help (You are banned)." Same ban on #linuxmint-chat.

What has happened? Why was i banned? How long am i banned? Can i appeal the ban?
i am mystified by this :shock:
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 5 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
User avatar
karlchen
Level 23
Level 23
Posts: 18173
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:21 am
Location: Germany

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by karlchen »

Hello, pallonen.

As someone from the admin / moderators team told me, the default ban is 24 hours. So it should have expired by now. Sometimes banning happens for no reason, which you can discern.
Can you make sure the login credentials on your new LM 20.1 are correct in your Hexchat configuration and try again, please?

Best regards,
Karl
Image
The people of Alderaan have been bravely fighting back the clone warriors sent out by the unscrupulous Sith Lord Palpatine for 762 days now.
Lifeline
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

Hi Karl, and thank you for a quick reply :D

If the ban is only 24 hours, it will be lifted late evening or night and this is good news.
Still, would like to have some explanation as to why the hammer dropped so i don't have this happen again. Maybe i need to bug somebody at -help channel after ban has lifted.
karlchen wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:32 am Can you make sure the login credentials on your new LM 20.1 are correct in your Hexchat configuration and try again, please?
i would check them but don't know how or what to check. Can't even find options to set alternative nick or autojoin channels that i have set on LM 19.1 but everything seems to be working. Using HexChat 2.14.3.
User avatar
zcot
Level 9
Level 9
Posts: 2797
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:08 pm

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by zcot »

I checked the list, and I don't see an entry for pallonen.

I will look into it.
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

zcot wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:11 pm I checked the list, and I don't see an entry for pallonen.

I will look into it.
Thank you for this but

i have good news! The ban has been lifted :D
Will edit title to resolved as the "problem" has disappeared
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: [Resolved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

Bad news everybody. Now i am apparently banned on the whole server! :shock:

After being again away, returned sunday and at evening noticed out of the corner of my eye lines of red. Was bit drunk at that point but it was something on the lines of "* Disconnected (Connection reset by peer" and thought that the server was having problems so just closed Hexchat. Then on monday evening while playing had a freeze and had to reboot. Started Hexchat and now i was greeted by
"Closing link: (unknown@2001:14ba:a301:265b::1) [G-Lined: Trolling, ban evading]"

What the actual?

I had been away and i had been marked as being away so i can fathom two possobilities since i had been quiet the whole time;
Either i have a gremlin on my machine/ IP-range
Or some toxic person higher up the food chain has taken the wrong kind of interest in me

Now, i am not a wizard with computers and my people skills are lacking so, i must ask for help again. What should i do? Is there a way to get information about that original ban or about this ban? How long and why am i banned? How do i prevent this from happening again?

Thanks in advance!
User avatar
zcot
Level 9
Level 9
Posts: 2797
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:08 pm

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by zcot »

Oh, I see it now that you mention the exact info text.

That's fine, it says it will expire in 9573 days, so you should be good after that! :lol:


I'm just kidding. We'll make sure it's taken care of. That ban was laid down at the server level during an attack on the Mint channels(and it spilled at least into the #spotchat channel also). The server G-Line has a default time more than 24 hours. That was an ip block ban, a particularly large block in this case.
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: [Solved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

Thank you very much again zcot!
And sorry for the drama :oops:
zcot wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:27 am That's fine, it says it will expire in 9573 days, so you should be good after that! :lol:
Only bit over 26 years, hopefully i'll live that long :wink:

Marking this thread as solved :D
Angel25
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2020 4:37 pm

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by Angel25 »

zcot wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:27 am Oh, I see it now that you mention the exact info text.

That's fine, it says it will expire in 9573 days, so you should be good after that! :lol:


I'm just kidding. We'll make sure it's taken care of. That ban was laid down at the server level during an attack on the Mint channels(and it spilled at least into the #spotchat channel also). The server G-Line has a default time more than 24 hours. That was an ip block ban, a particularly large block in this case.
I seem to be banned in a large ip block too. Can you help?
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=353836
User avatar
Portreve
Level 13
Level 13
Posts: 4882
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:03 am
Location: Within 20,004 km of YOU!
Contact:

Re: [Solved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by Portreve »

After the whole Freenode debacle, the IRC network I'd use is Libera Chat. Hopefully LM doesn't use Freenode.
Flying this flag in support of freedom 🇺🇦

Recommended keyboard layout: English (intl., with AltGR dead keys)

Podcasts: Linux Unplugged, Destination Linux

Also check out Thor Hartmannsson's Linux Tips YouTube Channel
User avatar
Moem
Level 22
Level 22
Posts: 16226
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:14 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: [Solved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by Moem »

Portreve wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:15 pm Hopefully LM doesn't use Freenode.
No, they're using Spotchat.
Image

If your issue is solved, kindly indicate that by editing the first post in the topic, and adding [SOLVED] to the title. Thanks!
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: [Solved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

Here we go again :oops:

So, this is what i did after peacefully lurking in the shadows and trying to intake the wisdom of betters
https://imgur.com/a/0NjPNnJ

What HexChat says;

Code: Select all

* You are no longer marked as being away
* *** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help.
* Closing link: (~pallonen@78-27-117-164.bb.dnainternet.fi) [G-Lined: Trolling, blackmail]
* Disconnected (Remote host closed socket)
* Looking up irc.spotchat.org
* Connecting to irc.spotchat.org (64.57.93.14:6667)
* Connected. Now logging in.
* *** Looking up your hostname...
* *** Looking up your ident...
* Capabilities supported: away-notify extended-join account-notify multi-prefix sasl tls userhost-in-names
* Capabilities requested: away-notify extended-join account-notify multi-prefix userhost-in-names 
* Capabilities acknowledged: away-notify extended-join account-notify multi-prefix userhost-in-names
* *** Found your hostname (78-27-117-164.bb.dnainternet.fi)
* *** Ident request timed out.
* *** Could not find your ident, using ~pallonen instead.
* *** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help.
* Closing link: (~pallonen@78-27-117-164.bb.dnainternet.fi) [G-Lined: Trolling, blackmail]
* Disconnected (Remote host closed socket)
 Cycling to next server in Linux Mint...
* Disconnected ()
* Looking up irc.spotchat.org
* Connecting to irc.spotchat.org (212.71.233.192:6667)
* Connected. Now logging in.
* *** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help.
* Closing link: (unknown@78.27.117.164) [G-Lined: Trolling, blackmail]
* Disconnected (Remote host closed socket)
Frankly, this is getting old. I would like to know what or who is causing this. And how long is this Ban set to last by default?
Can i appeal this, can i sue for mental trauma? :roll: Can i directly confront the person behind this?

Sorry for your troubles
Sincerely,
pallonen
User avatar
SMG
Level 25
Level 25
Posts: 31324
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:15 pm
Location: USA

Re: [Solved] Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by SMG »

pallonen wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:20 pm Here we go again
The Linux Mint IRC Channel Rules & Guidelines indicate:
If you were kicked and/or banned by a moderator and do not understand why, ask that moderator about the reason in private message. Do not ask such questions in public message, they will be ignored without further discussion. If you think that you were banned by mistake, wait until it ends. Rare mistakes are inevitable in any kind of work. A default ban lasts one day.

If you were kicked and/or banned multiple times then obviously something is wrong with your behavior in the channels. If you do not understand what is wrong, ask the moderator who kicked and/or banned you. If their explanation does not satisfy you, you can contact the administrators at admin@linuxmint.com (include logs of your chat session and other pertinent information). The administrators will take an appropriate action.
which means your first action should be to PM the moderator. If the response from the moderator does not address your concern, the next level is to email the administrator. You have posted on the forum which is neither of those options.

Please follow the rules to have your concerns properly addressed.
Image
A woman typing on a laptop with LM20.3 Cinnamon.
djph
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 1882
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2019 5:43 am
Location: ::1

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by djph »

SMG wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:36 pm
pallonen wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:20 pm Here we go again
The Linux Mint IRC Channel Rules & Guidelines indicate:
[...]
Please follow the rules to have your concerns properly addressed.
Further to this excellent advice, the quoted error message states that the user cannot login due to a network level ban, and that the user should email opers@spotchat.org for assistance.

MOST LIKELY this network ban is caused by another user who happens to share your IP address. These days, I would blame your ISP performing CGNAT.
rene
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 12240
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:58 pm

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by rene »

djph wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:58 pm Further to this excellent advice, the quoted error message states that the user cannot login due to a network level ban [ ... ]
It does? In fact... what quoted error message?
JeremyB
Level 21
Level 21
Posts: 13771
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:17 am

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by JeremyB »

rene wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:59 pm
djph wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:58 pm Further to this excellent advice, the quoted error message states that the user cannot login due to a network level ban [ ... ]
It does? In fact... what quoted error message?

Code: Select all

 *** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help.
* Closing link: (unknown@78.27.117.164) [G-Lined: Trolling, blackmail]
A G line ban can only be done by an IRC OP and not a channel OP
rene
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 12240
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:58 pm

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by rene »

JeremyB wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 7:29 pm

Code: Select all

 *** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help.
* Closing link: (unknown@78.27.117.164) [G-Lined: Trolling, blackmail]
A G line ban can only be done by an IRC OP and not a channel OP
Sure I guess. Fairly specifically asked due to having just before djph's comment scanned for the mentioned "ERROR line below" and not having found it. I.e., does seem that the server message could at that point be a bit clearer.
pallonen
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:24 am

Re: Somehow got banned in HexChat/SpotChat

Post by pallonen »

First of all,
Thank you both! You have provided me with excellent points. Sadly, i am not too good with computers in general :oops:
SMG wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:36 pm
pallonen wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:20 pm Here we go again
The Linux Mint IRC Channel Rules & Guidelines indicate:
If you were kicked and/or banned by a moderator and do not understand why, ask that moderator about the reason in private message. Do not ask such questions in public message, they will be ignored without further discussion. If you think that you were banned by mistake, wait until it ends. Rare mistakes are inevitable in any kind of work. A default ban lasts one day.

If you were kicked and/or banned multiple times then obviously something is wrong with your behavior in the channels. If you do not understand what is wrong, ask the moderator who kicked and/or banned you. If their explanation does not satisfy you, you can contact the administrators at admin@linuxmint.com (include logs of your chat session and other pertinent information). The administrators will take an appropriate action.
which means your first action should be to PM the moderator. If the response from the moderator does not address your concern, the next level is to email the administrator. You have posted on the forum which is neither of those options.

Please follow the rules to have your concerns properly addressed.
i should have contacted administrator since, as i am Banned from channel, i could not get channels OPs/Mods names, or know how to directly contact them.
i was wrong in going to public straight away but, since this was the first time i was told off because of it, i hope you can forgive me. Perhaps i was too hasty as i feared that the Ban would be as long as previous one.
djph wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:58 pm
SMG wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:36 pm
pallonen wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:20 pm Here we go again
The Linux Mint IRC Channel Rules & Guidelines indicate:
[...]
Please follow the rules to have your concerns properly addressed.
Further to this excellent advice, the quoted error message states that the user cannot login due to a network level ban, and that the user should email opers@spotchat.org for assistance.

MOST LIKELY this network ban is caused by another user who happens to share your IP address. These days, I would blame your ISP performing CGNAT.
i did not even notice that "*** You're banned! Email opers@SpotChat.org with the ERROR line below for help." line! :roll: And thank you again very much for making finally sense to me as to why this has been going on!
Could either of you, or indeed somebody, tell me is it possible to "whitelist" somebody in this kind of situation?

In any case, i have now contacted, hopefully, the right person about this issue and i am confident that some sort of progress will be made :)
Thankfully,
pallonen
Locked

Return to “Chat about Linux Mint”