Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Main page protection robot


 * The following discussion is an archived debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. The result of the discussion was Symbol oppose vote.svg Withdrawn by operator.

Main page protection robot
This robot is a (working) clone of MPUploadBot, which malfunctioned several times and was eventually blocked a month ago. Since then, images on the main page have been open to vandalism regularly, and there's been no development on a software extension to extend cascading protection to Commons. The functionality of this robot is exactly the same as the old one: it will search for images used on the main page, then locally upload all images that are in use, hosted on Commons, and unprotected. The source code is public and available here.
 * Operator: east718
 * Automatic or Manually Assisted: Fully automatic; no human supervision
 * Programming Languages: Python plus Twisted
 * Already has a bot flag: no

The major difference between this and the old robot is that X!'s would run at specified intervals - every five minutes if my memory is serving me correctly. Mine detects changes to the main page in real time, which eliminates the possibility of timing attacks against enwiki being made on Commons (unless an admin places an already vandalized photo on the main page). east718 //  talk  //  email  // 03:14, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Discussion

 * You realize of course I've been working on getting it back to working condition, and that it's almost ready to be released? X clamation point  03:15, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
 * X! and I spoke privately and he's reconsidering whether he wants to be in charge of this specific task (keeping the Main Page images protected). I imagine he'll post here where there is more to report. As for this specific request, most of it seems fine. My only request is for the bot to run in a log-only mode for a while and have that log posted somewhere to ensure it does what it is supposed to do. Other than that, no objections from me. --MZMcBride (talk) 05:07, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Is anybody at BAG home? I took the liberty of making a dry run, here's the log (note that bjweeks had uploaded the images locally before DYK was edited): — east718  |  talk  | 08:19, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

[Tue Dec 16 17:31:35 2008] connected to Wikimedia [Tue Dec 16 17:31:35 2008] connected to Freenode [Tue Dec 16 17:31:36 2008] Bot initializing, checking images [Tue Dec 16 17:31:37 2008] File:Lyndon LaRouche.jpg is on commons and unprotected [Tue Dec 16 17:31:37 2008] Read-only mode; not uploading File:Lyndon LaRouche.jpg [Tue Dec 16 17:31:38 2008] File:Oliver CromwellUT.jpg is on commons and unprotected [Tue Dec 16 17:31:38 2008] Read-only mode; not uploading File:Oliver CromwellUT.jpg [Tue Dec 16 18:01:36 2008] Template:In the news was edited, checking images [Tue Dec 16 18:01:38 2008] File:Lyndon LaRouche.jpg is on commons and unprotected [Tue Dec 16 18:01:38 2008] File:Oliver CromwellUT.jpg is on commons and unprotected [Tue Dec 16 18:32:13 2008] Template:Did you know was edited, checking images [Tue Dec 16 18:32:15 2008] No unprotected images found


 * To be ran on your main account, please clearly identify the edits as being from a bot. BJ Talk 08:22, 22 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks, all the uploads will be marked with &lt;!-- BOT EDIT: see Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Main page protection robot --&gt;. — east718  |  talk  | 12:25, 22 December 2008 (UTC)
 * A log of all actions made during the trial can been seen here -- Chris  00:35, 24 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Just wondering, will this bot delete the images as well once they're off the mainpage? Because it doesn't seem to be doing that. -- Chris  00:42, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

The current source code seems to have a slight security flaw: while it will upload images on Template:Did you know itself, this is automatically updated by DYKadminBot, which I venture will be unable to detect if it is placing a currently vandalized image on the template. Therefore, an image vandal, knowing the timing on which User:DYKadminBot operates, could vandalize the image in the next queue from which DYKadminBot will load its content, immediately before the image is placed directly in Template:Did you know. I would suggest that the code be modified to locally upload any image placed in the Did you know queues. John254 04:30, 30 December 2008 (UTC)
 * That sounds like more of a flaw in DYKadminBot than this one... DYKadminBot is the one putting the image on the main page, this just protects it. Mr.Z-man 01:14, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

East indicated on his talk page that he's largely offline due to a computer failure. This appears to be the source code. Is this something someone with the skillz could take up in the interim? rootology ( C )( T ) 04:55, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Any progress?  Richard 0612  11:26, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
 * See here, functionality taken on by Main Page Image Bot.  Richard 0612  19:44, 15 February 2009 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.