Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Multiple account login detector (AE Detector)

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Same plug-in found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=125871

There are no differences as this plug-in works with the 3.5, 3.6 or 3.7 releases of vBulletin.

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.

[kyle1745]

So does this work with vBulletin 3.7.3 Patch Level 1?

[Videx]

Originally Posted by kyle1745

So does this work with vBulletin 3.7.3 Patch Level 1?

I was wondering if any version of ae detector is compatible with vb 3.7.3

Far be it from me to suggest you guys read back a few pages.

Quick answer: Yes, it sometimes works in 3.7.3 pl1. Sometimes it doesn't. You'll have to test it manually according to my instructions above. And you'll need to test it periodically to see if it's still working.

[attroll]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

In the xml, or in the plugin manager (AE detector), find:

$threaddm->do_set('visible', $visible);

And add after:

$ipzero = "0.0.0.0";
$threaddm->do_set('ipaddress', $ipzero);

Could someone explain what adding this code will do?

[kyle1745]

I had read he posts, but honestly something that "might" work does not sound like something that should be loaded in a production board.

[farplane dragon]

I need some info on how this works. I have it installed, it's worked fine when I test it. Today, I has someone set it off. Looking at the accounts, they both have different ip's, however from past messages posted by both users, it seems they're friends that live within a few towns of each other. So, assuming that User A didn't invite User B over to use the computer, is it possible for 2 users that live near each other to set this off?

[Videx]

I swear I've seen this bug reported before, but I can't find it now. Maybe it's over in the 3.6 thread.

Yes, it makes me wonder how many false positives we're getting. Or how the heck it could even happen with what seems to be such a simple mod.

[Truthhhhhh]

thanks

edit: at first i didn't get it to work but that as because i had certain usergroups that were ignored.

great mod!

[Sciby]

I've installed this on v3.7.3PL1, and it... semi-works... like most other folk.

Like Videx said, when you're testing, once it's triggered and pm'd you once, it won't do it again, so relogging your test accounts over and over won't do jack.

For those who are confused, it's based on cookies - it detects forum members that log on to your forum on the same browser on the same PC...

So Farplane_Dragon, your little situation would be that the friends have been visiting each other and sharing that PC to log on to your forums.

I still don't feel 100% about trusting this thing, especially since it only triggers the one time until cookies are cleared. I'd rather have it ping every time it gets a positive. Maybe one day I'll look in the code... but not today.

[jambo_1969]

Originally Posted by Sciby

I've installed this on v3.7.3PL1, and it... semi-works... like most other folk.

Like Videx said, when you're testing, once it's triggered and pm'd you once, it won't do it again, so relogging your test accounts over and over won't do jack.

For those who are confused, it's based on cookies - it detects forum members that log on to your forum on the same browser on the same PC...

So Farplane_Dragon, your little situation would be that the friends have been visiting each other and sharing that PC to log on to your forums.

I still don't feel 100% about trusting this thing, especially since it only triggers the one time until cookies are cleared. I'd rather have it ping every time it gets a positive. Maybe one day I'll look in the code... but not today.

I'm finding on 3.7.2 that it's 99% accurate and working. I say 99% as, you can never be 100% about hacks and add ons

Anyhow - I've had it triggered by the same accounts over the last two days, thankfully, I knew the member and asked - they cleared cookies etc etc, so it was a fresh trigger.

Can't (so far, touch wood), fault this add on - it's up there with Miserable Users for the usefulness of it....

[farplane dragon]

Originally Posted by Sciby

I still don't feel 100% about trusting this thing, especially since it only triggers the one time until cookies are cleared.

That's what I suspected, however these 2 people live at least 3 hours away from each other. Not impossible I suppose, but still seems unlikely.