WikiBugs/RedirectFoolsDiff

I noticed that when a page uses #REDIRECT, any time you try to get a diff of that page, it simply redirects instead of giving a diff (which would presumably show the text that was replaced by #REDIRECT). This could be exploited by a Wiki:WikiVandal to replace good content with a #REDIRECT. Since you need to go to the DiffPage? to edit the prior revision, this would make restoring the lost content very difficult. The only way would be to view the prior version, but then you lose the formatting. That would be a major pain on most non-trivial pages. -- Wiki:RobHarwood

Example:

TestRedirectFoolsDiff originally contained "Hi there". Then it was replaced with #REDIRECT TestRedirectFoolsDiffTwo.

Workaround:

If you remove the #REDIRECT, then save the page again, you will once again be able to access the diffs. Still...

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It doesn't fool the WikiPatches/TaviStyleHistory, which has a nice diff interface. See http://sunir.org/apps/mb.pl?RecentChanges.

It seemed to still fool it when I clicked the diff on http://sunir.org/apps/mb.pl?RecentChanges

Use the WikiPatches/TaviStyleHistory. i.e. look at the changes link instead. If you removed the (diff) link and replaced it with (changes), that would be sufficient. That would also be how Tavi behaves.

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I have decided not to change this behavior for 1.0, which uses the TaviStyleHistory?. I am not convinced that one needs to see the differences to revert this style of vandalism (using REDIRECT commands). One can revert it in the same way that one can always revert malicious redirects. To revert the example above, one would click on TestRedirectFoolsDiff, and be redirected to TestRedirectFoolsDiffTwo. On the top of the target page there will be the text "(redirected from TestRedirectFoolsDiff)", where the page name is a link to the edit form of the page. Once one has reached the edit page, one can click on "View other revisions", then click on the latest non-vandalized revision number. Finally, click on the "Edit revision 1 of this page" link, then click the "Save" button to revert. --CliffordAdams