Multiple account login detector (AE Detector)

If you are like me and migrated from .threads, a common modification was an "AE detector", a simple mod that saved a cookie of a history of ids logged into on your site. If someone logged into more than one account, you got a PM letting you know that your site was being accessed from multiple accounts.

Over the years this was very helpful in identifying users who were posting under multiple accounts (alter-egos!) and users who would return after being banned.

You might be wondering why I don't use the vbcookie call - well, thats because on logout all vB cookies are cleared, so we need to store a cookie that is not effected by the login/logout process.

New Installation
1. Add New Product with attached XML
2. Go to vBulletin Options -> AE Multiple Login Detection Settings and set your specific settings.

Time to install: Easy - 2 minutes.

Upgrade
If you installed this as a Plug-in manually, you can delete that plugin and install this Product, just make sure to go into the Options and set them accordingly.

I hope you find this useful and will click INSTALL if you use it; should it prove useful to enough people I can look at making this installation more automated without the need for edits and an Admin Options page.

To upgrade you will want to reimport this XML file and edit your options accordingly.

1.0.3
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. Added a check to ensure that users weren't deleted when reporting violations
. added htmlspecialchars_uni call to username

Note: I am unable to get the call to construct_phrase with $vbphrase['multiplelogin_alert'] to work reliably, as such the $message variable is still set manually inside the plug-in and not via the phrase. If anyone has an idea of why this might not always work, I'm all ears.

1.0.2
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. Updated to include exclusion groups, users
. Changed so PM is sent by ae sender id

1.0.1
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. Released as a Product (thank you PHPGeek2k3 for your help)
. Added option to post to a forum versus send a PM (or both)
. All settings moved into Admin Option

1.0.0
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Initial release.

[sam anders]

installed on 3.6 gold and it is posting all ok but i think results may be incorrect, a few members have been listed but i know for 100 % they have no other accounts, love the idea but need to double check its working before i start pointing the big finger at members, any idea of an offical 3.6 release?

[JaneWindall]

how can you know 100% that is ridiculous unless you are the user yourself.

deception is VERY common on the forums. ae login detector is indispensible! very important mod

sometimes even when confronted the user will deny it, but the cookies don't lie

[cyclical]

Originally Posted by JaneWindall

how can you know 100% that is ridiculous unless you are the user yourself.

deception is VERY common on the forums. ae login detector is indispensible! very important mod

sometimes even when confronted the user will deny it, but the cookies don't lie

because I know these people...

1 is is Bahrain
1 is in Philedelphia

they aren't sharing computers...

[wtrk]

any word on a 3.6.0 version of this?

[Neo_obs]

I too have found out that it has a flaw. One of our test accounts was supposedly said to be used by another member this is not possible as I am the only one to ever log on to it. I believe somewhere it repeats the same strings and saves to the database which in turn is read as the same cookie.

[cyclical]

Originally Posted by Neo_obs

I too have found out that it has a flaw. One of our test accounts was supposedly said to be used by another member this is not possible as I am the only one to ever log on to it. I believe somewhere it repeats the same strings and saves to the database which in turn is read as the same cookie.

yup... damn needs an update to 3.6

this was useful as hell on keeping tabs of trolls on our forums

[sam anders]

Originally Posted by cyclical

because I know these people...

1 is is Bahrain
1 is in Philedelphia

they aren't sharing computers...

this is the same as me, and as mentioned by someone else i have a test account flagged up as well but only i use this account and it flagged up as a duplicate with a different user in wales and i am in london,

how ever it has picked up some users correctly and thats great just wondering if 3.6 is causing different results, i would love to see this ported to 3.6 as its a great tool

[cynix2]

this made mod of the month and says it's supported, you'd think he'd update it to 3.6

[bashy]

Not neccasarily....Its supported for 3.5x version, this does not mean that the coder has to upgrade the hack to a newer version of VB i.e. 3.6

Also the coder can change his/her mind at any time and not support the hack at all!

Originally Posted by cynix2

this made mod of the month and says it's supported, you'd think he'd update it to 3.6

[PhenomLeader]

I am using 3.6 and it works for me. Question.... does the user see anything? Does it not allow them to login or something ?