Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Multiple Account Detection & Prevention

It happens all of the time. Some members will make multiple accounts to back their own opinion or get an extra vote in a poll. Here's a modification that will detect and prevent multiple accounts, as well as notify the administration about multiple accounts. Inspiration for this modification came from the work of MPDev (creator of the Multiple Account Login Detector) and randominity (creator of the Multiple Account Registration Prevention). This is basically a combination of those two modifications but with new and improved functionality.

This is not an update to the "Multiple Account Login Detector (AE Detector)" nor is it an update to the "Multiple Account Registration Prevention." If you have either one of these (or both of them) installed, you should uninstall them before installing this modification.

With the initial release of Multiple Account Detection & Prevention, I believe that I have fixed previous bugs/complications as well as improved the efficiency and logic of the code. This is my first publicly released modification. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions!

Confirmed! This works perfectly on all vBulletin 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 versions.

Unfortunately, I cannot give support right now. I may be able to help periodically, but until my schedule yields some more free time, I won't be much support. Please check back in a week or two.

Basic Details
File Edits: None
Template Edits: None
New Files: 6
Hooks/Plugins: 3
Global Phrases: 36
Install Time: 2 Minutes or Less
Install Difficulty: None, Very Easy

Features and Settings
- Login Detection
- Registration Prevention (Multiple Methods)
- Ignore Child Accounts
- Ignored Users
- Ignored Usergroups
- Ignored ISPs
- Prevention Usergroup
- IP Address Based Prevention
- Extended IP Address Prevention
- IP Address Time Inclusion
- Banned Account Check
- Primary Banned Usergroup
- Cookie Expiration Time
- Cookie Refreshing
- Cookie Name
- Cookie Reset
- Multiple Account Reporter
- Reports via PM
- PM Report Recipients
- Reports via New Thread
- Forum for Report Threads
- Verbose Mode
- BB Codes: LIST, URL, CODE

How it Works
With every newly recognized login/registration, an account-counting cookie is set (or added onto) with the member's User ID. Depending on the settings, Multiple Account Detection & Prevention will analyze the cookie during login/registration to see if there are any multiple accounts.

Login Detection offers cookie-checking and reporting. Registration Prevention offers the same thing, plus more advanced features. First of all, when it prevents an account from registering, it actually moves the registrant to the Prevention Usergroup so that the administration can review the case. This also allows for customized privileges for recognized multiple registrants. Registration Prevention also has IP address detection which finds out just as much information about users. Depending on an administrator's preference, this modification can also reban a new registrant if one of their previous accounts has been banned. In fact, if the administration wishes, multiple registrants can simply be denied registration all together.

Whenever there is a detection/prevention, the modification will report the information to the administration through private messages, a new thread, or both (depending on settings). The Multiple Account Reporter can be any valid user.

Known Issues
- vB Optimise users: Reporting via thread seems to get messed up by vB Optimise, so try reporting via PM instead.
- PhotoPost vBGallery users: The registration handling appears to not work properly when PhotoPost vBGallery is enabled.

From what I can tell, these known clashes have been caused by the other modification's coding. The author of vB Optimise will not even work with me to fix it. Until they improve their coding, I'm not sure if I can do anything about these issues. As far as I know, administrators that do not use the above modifications will not have any problems.

Installation / Upgrade
Unzip the package (madp.zip), upload the files to your forum location, and import the product file (allow overwrite if upgrading). Please read the ReadMe.txt file that is packaged with the modification for more information.

Please remember to mark this modification as installed if you use it!
If you like it, nominate it for the Mod of the Month!

Thank you!

[yagane]

Wow, I was out a few days and looks like the mod have a lot of activity.

I'll install the new version, as soon I have the reban problem again I put the report based on the new update, (of course if the problem presents again.)

Best regards and thanks for the hard work Kiros!!!

NOTE: ---

[apiasto]

Originally Posted by Kiros72

Could you please enable Verbose Mode, then copy and paste the report here? If you want to censor out the usernames, please just rename them separately (i.e. SomeGuy1, SomeGuy2, etc.) so I can tell if it's identifying reporting incorrectly. You can also censor your Cookie Name if you'd like.

will do that thnx

[Kiros72]

Originally Posted by yagane

Wow, I was out a few days and looks like the mod have a lot of activity.

I'll install the new version, as soon I have the reban problem again I put the report based on the new update, (of course if the problem presents again.)

Best regards and thanks for the hard work Kiros!!!

NOTE: Please don't use any cookie name, I use one like albumid, but that cause a mess on the Members Album List on Firefox.

I assure you, the Cookie Name feature can be used. It's very unwise to use a Cookie Name that vBulletin uses. Plain and simple, the name shouldn't be leeched off of vBulletin. Of course, that would create conflicts. If you named it something like that, then that was your mistake. Please don't tell my modification's users to not use the feature.

[Markos]

works great sofar thanks for this mod

[apiasto]

Originally Posted by apiasto

will do that thnx

hi,kiros i did enable verbose and i noticed yesterday one of my user was logged in with 2 different names but the ip was same,mod didn't notified me about it.anyway this is not my big concerns.the onlything i am concern about is if the banning option will be working to prevent ban users to register.the rest i can live with.thanks

[UltraHabbo]

I installed the script uncorrectly :O and now i cant login and im getting this error at login:

Warning: require_once([path]/madp/detection.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/home/habjay/public_html/forum/madp/detection.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/habjay/public_html/forum/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

I need help, please dont tell me i cant fix it

[yagane]

Originally Posted by Kiros72

I assure you, the Cookie Name feature can be used. It's very unwise to use a Cookie Name that vBulletin uses. Plain and simple, the name shouldn't be leeched off of vBulletin. Of course, that would create conflicts. If you named it something like that, then that was your mistake. Please don't tell my modification's users to not use the feature.

mmm... you mistake my comment kiros or I don't make me self clear. sorry about that.

I was telling don't use that kind of names on the cookies name field.
The Legend of that field said:
Enter the account-counting cookie's name. Be sure to not use the forum's cookie prefix or 'bb' in this name.

albumid
A) Don't have a custom vbull cookie prefix, or
B) is bbalbumid
C) albumid name wasn't listed on the browser Site cookie so I think was available.

But that name make a mess on Members Albums using Firefox.

Was only and useful advice about what can happen to avoid other happen the same thing.

NOTE: I edit the note on my last post to make it more clear, to avoid problems.

[Kiros72]

Originally Posted by apiasto

hi,kiros i did enable verbose and i noticed yesterday one of my user was logged in with 2 different names but the ip was same,mod didn't notified me about it.anyway this is not my big concerns.the onlything i am concern about is if the banning option will be working to prevent ban users to register.the rest i can live with.thanks

The Login Detection does not look for IP addresses - the Registration Prevention does.

Originally Posted by UltraHabbo

I installed the script uncorrectly :O and now i cant login and im getting this error at login:

Warning: require_once([path]/madp/detection.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in [path]/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/home/habjay/public_html/forum/madp/detection.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/habjay/public_html/forum/includes/functions_login.php(185) : eval()'d code on line 3

I need help, please dont tell me i cant fix it

It looks like you didn't correctly upload the contents of the 'upload' folder. Make sure you do this so the /madp/ folder will be in your forum root (i.e. www.example.com/forum/madp/).

Originally Posted by yagane

mmm... you mistake my comment kiros or I don't make me self clear. sorry about that.

I was telling don't use that kind of names on the cookies name field.
The Legend of that field said:
Enter the account-counting cookie's name. Be sure to not use the forum's cookie prefix or 'bb' in this name.

albumid
A) Don't have a custom vbull cookie prefix, or
B) is bbalbumid
C) albumid name wasn't listed on the browser Site cookie so I think was available.

But that name make a mess on Members Albums using Firefox.

Was only and useful advice about what can happen to avoid other happen the same thing.

Ah, sorry. Though in English, you literally told everyone to not use the feature. The feature works just fine. If you name it to something that messes up a site feature, then that cookie is already being used somehow. That means that it's being leeched off of vBulletin in someway. In that case, just don't use it. I recommend something like "_agent" or "_type" (without quotes) or anything similar, as this wouldn't be seen as anything that would track logins/registrations.

[princeedward]

Originally Posted by Kiros72

Edward, just enable Silent Mode and you should be good to go. It won't matter what Prevention Method you use - as long as it's activated. Same thing with the Login Detection, but that currently only has two options anyway.

Right, so just make sure Silent Mode is enabled, as well as both the Login Detection and an active Prevention Method. It should then just report everything to you rather than taking automated actions.

ahhh..okay...thanks for the support info...

Voted For MOTM for January 2009!!!

[raagaswaram]

does it work on 3.6.x?