macOS MTV - How hard would this be to crack?

[puzzle]

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/trl/TRLvoting.jhtml

So, you know the show Total Request Live on MTV? Well, I heard rigging their election is rather easy...

Before, on the old site, you could vote as many times as you wanted, but now, you have to be a registered member of MTV.com and can only vote once per day.

I figured out that if you delete the cookie MTV puts on your system, quit Safari, return, and login, you can vote again.

...However, I've heard of people developing systems allowing them to vote up to 1,000 times a minute or something... supposedly how Madonna stayed at #1 so long. My sister briefly talked to a web whiz, and he said it'd be easy to crack, but she didn't ask any follow up questions.

Can I crack this?

Thanks!

 

[lazydog]

Hi

I would imagine they would have something else in place to protect the vote, perhaps something based on your ip number.

But then again why bother? I mean you'll be putting all that effort into… um cheating… just so that somebody that earns 'n' times more money than you can earn even more money. Unless of course you're really Madonna!

b e n

 

[MongoTheGeek]

curl and an applescript would be the way I would go.

 

[puzzle]

Hi

I would imagine they would have something else in place to protect the vote, perhaps something based on your ip number.

But then again why bother? I mean you'll be putting all that effort into… um cheating… just so that somebody that earns 'n' times more money than you can earn even more money. Unless of course you're really Madonna!

b e n

Well, actually, a friend of mine is on the ballot, and I'd really like to see them on the countdown. So, yes, it'd be worth it.

I'm working on an Automator script, but it's not working so well.

Maybe I should rephrase:

can I automate the voting process?

 

[Blue Velvet]

Can I crack this?

I don't know, but I forwarded your request and a link to this thread to Viacom and MTV to ask them. Seriously.

 

[jsw]

I think you're confusing the fact that the site says "thanks for your vote" or whatever if you delete the cookie and revote with the assumption that it means your vote counted.

There's no reason to believe they don't track the username with the vote on the server side. So, yeah, the page might let you vote a million times, but I bet it only keeps the first or last one.

 

[puzzle]

I think you're confusing the fact that the site says "thanks for your vote" or whatever if you delete the cookie and revote with the assumption that it means your vote counted.

There's no reason to believe they don't track the username with the vote on the server side. So, yeah, the page might let you vote a million times, but I bet it only keeps the first or last one.

But then wouldn't the server put its foot down? After I vote, the radio buttons don't appear, and at the top of the page, it says "you already voted", but when I sign out and delete the cookie, the radio buttons reappear and lets me vote again.

 

[DavidLeblond]

People still watch MTV?

Seriously?

 

[puzzle]

People still watch MTV?

Seriously?

Yes.

 

[iSee]

But then wouldn't the server put its foot down? After I vote, the radio buttons don't appear, and at the top of the page, it says "you already voted", but when I sign out and delete the cookie, the radio buttons reappear and lets me vote again.

I find it hard to believe that they would implement this vote limiter as a cookies only solution. I guess people do stupid things, but they might as well have done nothing. Doing something server-side that would prevent what you are attempting would be pretty simple.

I think you're wasting your time.

 

[Jon'sLightBulbs]

I don't know, but I forwarded your request and a link to this thread to Viacom and MTV to ask them. Seriously.

Kill joy?

 

[savar]

I find it hard to believe that they would implement this vote limiter as a cookies only solution. I guess people do stupid things, but they might as well have done nothing. Doing something server-side that would prevent what you are attempting would be pretty simple.

I think you're wasting your time.

Last year Forbes.com put up a poll for best CEO or something like that. Steve Jobs and Ballmer were both on the list, and some people set up scripts to vote multiple times.

In that case it clearly did work because Jobs had many more votes than anybody else.

They ended up fixing it, and you're probably right. MTV has been doing this for a while, so I would be really surprised if it could be rigged.

There was one time where people conspired [via massive email chain] to all vote for some random video on one certain day and they managed to get the video on TRL.

 

[plumbingandtech]

Kill joy?

No but the OP is a cheater. Sad really.

 

[kitki83]

Mtv shows music videos???? Srlsy what time I have not seen music video in about 6 years, thats when I stoppped watching that channel, yay for Youtube

 

[Spock]

I don't know, but I forwarded your request and a link to this thread to Viacom and MTV to ask them. Seriously.

Oh no! what if MTV reads that email instead of one of the millions of emails they get everyday and they come to this site and call a lawyer and shut it down! Seriously. sorry, couldnt help it

And I think if your friend was any good he would not need you to cheat for him, I wouldnt want to get in the top ten knowing I cheated to get it.

 

[Spizzo]

Mtv shows music videos???? Srlsy what time I have not seen music video in about 6 years, thats when I stoppped watching that channel, yay for Youtube

TRL is clips of music videos. You don't get to watch the whole thing.