Every website gets its share of background noise, but lately my Slimstat Analytics logs have been lighting up with something different. This has been going on for weeks. I’ve been so busy lately, among a slew of other stuff.
A single actor — or at least a single automated system — keeps hitting my /page/9/ endpoint with long, encoded query strings attached.
They look like this:
?page/9/?fp=...[base64]...&poru=...[base64]...&prvtof=...[base64]...
At first glance, it’s just noise. But after watching the pattern repeat, it’s clear this isn’t a random visitor. It’s reconnaissance.
These parameters decode into binary‑looking data — not readable text, not commands, not URLs. That’s a hallmark of automated botnets that use encrypted tokens to track their own activity. This kind of traffic is usually associated with:
- Bot fingerprinting
- Click‑fraud or SEO spam networks
- Reconnaissance for vulnerable WordPress plugins
- Testing how a site handles unexpected or malformed input
In other words: someone is rattling the doorknob. They’re not inside, but they’re checking to see whether the lock wiggles.
I’ve already taken the usual precautions — updates, hardening, firewalls — but I’m also realistic. The internet is full of people who understand these patterns far better than any single site owner can.
So here’s my offer:
If you can pinpoint where this vector leads — what this specific pattern is testing for — I’m willing to make a fair trade.
Not for anything harmful, not for anything illegal. I’m looking for insight, not exploitation. If you can help me understand the intent behind this traffic, the family of bot it belongs to, or the vulnerability class it’s probing for, I’ll compensate you with something of equal value — whether that’s a service, a skill, or something else we mutually agree on.
Think of it as crowdsourced threat intelligence.
If you’ve seen this pattern before, or you recognize the structure of these parameters, reach out. I’m not interested in drama — just clarity. The sooner I understand what this actor is looking for, the sooner I can make sure they don’t find it.
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