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!

[-=Leb=-]

Hi Kiros , i upgraded it to the newest version and also replaced everything but the problems is still on the new registration

When i turn on the IP IP Address Prevention , it give same error for new members who try to register.
Do i need to edit something?

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: stripos() in /home/content/b/1/n/b1n/html/forums/madp/prevention.php on line 94

[Kiros72]

Here, Leb. Upload this prevention.php to your /madp/ directory.

This patched up version of the prevention.php does not have the stripos() function call, so it will not glitch on servers with PHP4 installed.

[-=Leb=-]

Thank you very much kiros. I will upload the file later and then i will let you know <3

[yagane]

Hi Kiros!!!

I find some problem with the reban option. Is not re banning the users.

As far I remember, the last time the reban was banning users who was on the 3 Usergroup (Waiting email Confirmation), but I have a issue with a user today, and I active the reban option, the system detect the multiple login and list the banned accounts, but didn't send the new registration to the designed Banned Usergroup.

I didn't give him change to activate his account and I banned manually, I don't know if you made some changes and the ban will be applied until he activated the account?

I attach the current setting. Thanks and best regards!!!

[Kiros72]

Yagne, could you attach a screenshot of the report?

[LT Mote]

I see that if a user makes a NEW usermame, that hte NEw one is placed in the prevention usergroup... whath appens with the user names already made? can those be moved as well?

[Kiros72]

Unfortunately, no. I'm not sure if I could add that feature in just because that could be very dangerous. Say if you were the only administrator of your forum (or the other administrator was on a long-term vacation). If you forgot to put your User ID or Usergroup ID in the ignored lists and you decided to make a test account, you would be moved from the Administrator Usergroup to the Prevention Usergroup.

It's better to do this kind of thing by hand. I like to contact the person via his or her original account because they sometimes have a good reason to make a second account (such as a family member or friend wanting an account).

Besides, that could actually lead to exploits. I won't go into detail, but trust me, it's better not to have such a feature.

[Kiros72]

Version 1.1.0 is now available.

I'll have some updated screenshots up soon.

[princeedward]

look great and useful...but...is this going to work on vB 3.6.8 version? hope so...

best regards and happy holidays...

[Kiros72]

It's probably compatible with vBulletin 3.6.x, but no one has confirmed it yet. My advice is to give it a shot if you'd like to, but backup your database before installing it (just in case).