Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Miserable Users

As of 24 Nov 2017 this modification has been withdrawn.

The ever popular "miserable users" hack for vb 3.8.

Basically a way to really annoy anyone you don't want visiting your forum. This version is based on the vb 3.7 version. Credit to Zzed for the original idea.

When classed as miserable, a member suffers ;

1. Slow response (time delay) on every page (20 to 60 seconds default).
2. A chance they will get the "server busy" message (50% by default).
3. A chance that no search facilities will be available (75% by default).
4. A chance they will get redirected to another preset page (25% & homepage by default).
5. A chance they will simply get a blank page (25% by default).
6. Post flood limit increased by a defined factor (10 times by default).
7. If they get past all this okay, then they will be served up their proper page.

Note: All the above options are set in the vBulletin Options.

To install this hack simply download the xml file to your pc and then import it into vbulletin as a product - then create your 'miserable users' usergroup and set the value of this group, and your preferred other settings, in the hacks settings area (vBulletin Oprions > Miserable Users). To make a member suffer just edit their profile to add them to the miserable users group (it will work as either the primary group or as a secondary group).


History:

v3.8.001 - Initial vB 3.8 release.

[mdawg]

Originally Posted by Paul M

1. Its an example ip address, one that no one can have in reality - why ?

2. Change it then, thats the point of an option.

3. You would need to use the Automatic Ban Infraction - to make the usergroup visible in the dropdown list it must be a "bannable group" (usergroup option). I believe (untested) that once youve added it, you can remove the usergroups bannable status.

Thanks, got it.

FYI once "banned" via an infraction to MU status, reversing the infraction does not lift the MU status - must do so within Mod or Admin control panel.

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by mdawg

FYI once "banned" via an infraction to MU status, reversing the infraction does not lift the MU status - must do so within Mod or Admin control panel.

Yep, thats a feature missing from the vb infractions system, hopefully one that will be addressed in vb4.

[radmoose]

Originally Posted by Paul M

I would guess you have a very small mysql timeout (smaller than your max MU delay setting) so sometimes the users connection is timing out.

I am getting these database errors.

I have a 60 second mySQL timeout and a max MU response time of 60 as well.

So by reducing the MU response to something like 45 that should resolve these timeout errors?

One 'feature' I wish MU had was a log so I could tell easily when someone has been 'hit' by the MU as well as how they were hit. If it wasn't for the error message from vBulletin about the database timeout, I wouldn't easily see what was happening.

In any case, this mod rocks! Thanks! =)

[Paul M]

Yes, if you reduce the MU response time you should be ok.

An SQL timeout of 60 seems a bit low, I use 180.

I think a log would be a bit OTT really.

[Ronald0]

Very creative nice job. Using this.

[tjh4384]

Installed, and thanks

[radmoose]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Yes, if you reduce the MU response time you should be ok.

OK thanks =)

Originally Posted by Paul M

An SQL timeout of 60 seems a bit low, I use 180.

I am running multiple boards and sites on the server and until I ran MU I wasn't getting any errors except when the mySQL server was really offline.

Originally Posted by Paul M

I think a log would be a bit OTT really.

Well, I wanted to know if issues were being cased my MU or if there was another reason, so a log would have helped. Also I have a user that was banned, and it would give me an idea that I was properly targeting them. =)

I am using an app that I wrote to parse the HTTP log as well as another plug in to see when they are on. But it would have been nice to see something like the last 100 instances of MU.

[bmckinley]

VB should include on 4.0!

[Saviour]

Absoluetly love this...Thanks!

[mdawg]

Adding on to the SQL database errors noted by others above, ones in which the punch line is "MySQL Error : MySQL server has gone away," I do believe that most of these have to do with the MU hack. But, isn't this what the MU modification is supposed to do? Delay response?

I have this one particular spammer I MU'ed who is particularly determined to get back on my forums. Or maybe he doesn't even realize he has been MU'ed and just thinks this is the way it is!

Anyway, the errors typically read like this:

Database error in vBulletin 3.8.4:

Invalid SQL:

SELECT forumid, moderatorid, permissions, permissions2
FROM moderator
WHERE userid = 313 AND forumid != -1;

MySQL Error : MySQL server has gone away
Error Number : 2006
Request Date : Tuesday, August 25th 2009 @ 05:38:44 PM
Error Date : Tuesday, August 25th 2009 @ 05:39:15 PM
Script : http://www.XXXYYYXXX.com/forums/
Referrer : http://www.XXXYYYXXX.com/index.php
IP Address : 95.XXX.X.XX
Username : _________
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version :

Where the username: ____________ is the user I MU'ed.

(By the way...just FYI, through these database errors I have noticed that the culprit logs on with different (but very similar) IP addresses. So, banning an IP address is not an effective means to keep away a determined spammer.)

But the odd thing is...I am also occasionally getting these database errors for unregistered users:

Invalid SQL:

INSERT INTO cronlog
(varname, dateline, description, type)
VALUES
('vbseo_sitemap_task',
1251271198,
'Google Sitemap Created',
0);

MySQL Error : MySQL server has gone away
Error Number : 2006
Request Date : Wednesday, August 26th 2009 @ 02:19:58 AM
Error Date : Wednesday, August 26th 2009 @ 02:22:24 AM
Script : http://www.XXXYYYXXX.com/forums/cron...and=1251271196
Referrer : http://www.XXXYYYXXX.com/forums/XX-d...ns/___________
IP Address : 97.XX.XXX.XX
Username : Unregistered
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version :

And wonder if these cron errors also have to do with this MU add on.